Teacher

A teacher talking to students. Very teacher-centred!

A teacher (/ti:ʧə/) is a professional who engages in teaching students.

Responsibilities

Teachers are responsible for giving and preparing lessons, and frequently for carrying out some kind of assessment of the responses to these lessons.

Role

The traditional role of the teacher as the person who stands up in front of a class and "lectures" or lays down the law is increasingly giving way to that of the “facilitator" or "trainer" whose role may include giving students the "tools" or material with which to produce effective communication, and then standing back and letting group dynamics take over from there.

An important task of the facilitator is to provide feedback, which may take several forms, depending on the needs and format of the lesson or class.

Another increasingly important function of the language teacher is to provide an insight into the cultural aspects surrounding the language being taught.

Where to teach

The two main possibilities are in a school or freelance. Our articles, “school” and “freelance” look at the positive and negative aspects of these options.

Methodology

Teachers should be aware of differing teaching methodologies and perhaps be prepared to move between them depending on circumstances.

The title “English Teacher"

The title English Teacher refers broadly to anyone who teaches English, anywhere.

Titles providing more specificity include:

ESL Teacher

one who teaches English as a second language — to students for whom English is not a mother tongue within a country where English is however the primary language.

EFL Teacher

one who teaches English as a foreign language — to students for whom English is not a mother tongue and within a country where English, not being the primary language, is considered a foreign language.

Native English Teacher (NET)

a native-speaking English teacher — an English teacher who speaks English as a native language, in a country where English is not the primary language. This title is used for example in Hong Kong to specify an English Teacher who is from an English speaking country and is a native speaker of English.

Non Native English Teacher (NNET) or Local English Teacher

a non-native-speaking English teacher — an English teacher who does not speak English as a native language, generally a local teacher in a country where English is not the primary language. This title is used for example in Hong Kong to specify a local English Teacher, ie who is not from an English speaking country and is not a native speaker of English.