By
María de la Lama
Both public as well as private
educational institutions are looking for
top quality English teachers who, besides being first-rate educators, can
become transformation and leadership agents in the national EFL arena. It’s true that many mentors complain about low
rates but usually they do not realize that institutions are willing to pay good
salaries to professionals that fulfill specific requirements. So, unfortunately,
there are no shortcuts: to get a good job, one that enables professional development
above all, a teacher must meet the following traits:
·
To begin with, having a good
command of the language is a must, at least a C1 level in an international
certification. We need to bear in mind that nowadays a growing number of
high school students finish their schooling with an international certification
of B2, if not a C1 themselves.
·
Updated
methodological knowledge. Even if you are a qualified teacher you ought to make an effort to
learn new techniques to apply in
your lessons. This will not only develop
your creativity but will keep your teaching style fresh enough not to
become predictable. I’ve seen instructors who used to captivate their students
but who have eventually lost their touch because their resistance to update
their teaching style. Teachers without creativity won’t be flexible enough to
adapt to the different learning styles
proper of new generations.
·
Technology is your best allied. Virtual platforms, on line courses,
digital books, on-line international exams,
are just some examples of how technology is changing the way we learn and the manner
we teach. Even though many schools do
not have the economic resources to incorporate technology in their classrooms,
teachers need to be skilful in the use of educational technology not to be left
behind in their career.
·
Teaching
English through content. It would be convenient to prepare yourself to teach a course in English: Science, literature, history courses
taught in this language are in high demand, so teachers that are well prepared
to teach courses in this foreign tongue increase their possibility of finding
excellent jobs.
BIODATA:
DE LA LAMA,
MARIA, Bachelor in Education, has a master's degree in Applied Linguistics and a
Bachelor's in Linguistics, both obtained at the University of California,
Davis. She also holds an MBA from Universidad del Pacífico. She currently
serves as the Director of the Language Center at Universidad del Pacífico.
