Taking the stress out of teaching

By: Lori Kittelberg

There's a lot more to teaching English than simply speaking the language. As Canada and countries overseas are requiring teachers of English as a second or foreign language to have a credential in the field, Douglas College is launching its own Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) Citation this May.

The new program, open to both those who want to teach English locally and abroad, will give participants the tools to teach English effectively, says Janice Penner, a longtime ESL teacher who is coordinating the new TESL Program.

"It's very stressful to teach English without the education to back you up, especially if you're teaching overseas. I have seen people crash and burn," says Penner, who has experience teaching locally and in Taiwan, China and Japan.

"People without training are often overwhelmed with the errors their students make - are they because of language barriers, cultural communication issues or because the student has learned something incorrectly?" Penner explains.

Countries like Taiwan, Korea and China are now setting higher standards for foreign English-language teachers, so anyone planning to travel and earn their way around the world by teaching would be well-advised to get a credential. There are plenty of opportunities to work with non-profit organizations in the community too. And with more people earning money on the side as ESL tutors, it never hurts to have a leg up on the competition.

The intensive one-semester program, which runs from May to August, 2010 at the New Westminster Campus, is particularly well-suited to people who want to make a career shift or are already tutoring ESL students. In fact, the Douglas program is unique in that it includes a tutoring course, which grads can then use as a springboard into launching their own business as a tutor.

Douglas is well-positioned to offer the TESL Program, with its instructors averaging 20 years each in teaching English abroad and in Canada. "We have a solid reputation in the ESL field," says Penner.

Participants don't have to be native-English speakers to apply. In all, the program has five courses, plus 30 hours of practicum experience in teaching and tutoring - the industry minimum is 20 hours.

For more information on the TESL Program, contact Janice Penner at pennerj@douglas.bc.ca or 604-527-5175.

Published January 21, 2010

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