ID #1055

Q. Do I need to be fluent in the local language?

Category: Favourite TEFL Questions

A. Answer:

The simple answer is no. You really don’t need to have a full grasp of the local lingo to be an English teacher overseas. In fact it’s kind of frowned upon for English teachers to speak the local language when they’re in the classroom. And because you’ll probably be working in a language school or institute, there will be lots of people around who speak English.

However, life doesn’t end at the school gates and being able to order a meal or book a train ticket in the local language will make your time overseas a helluva lot easier and a LOT more rewarding. Check out this article to learn more.

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Advice from the Experts

A few of our TEFL experts (Dave, Meryl, Laura, Rebecca, Rachel and Rich) have also come out from behind their headsets to answer some of our most popular TEFL questions on camera: please excuse the giggles – they all got a bit nervous!

Anyway, take and look, and if you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, just give one of them a call – they don’t seem to be able to keep a straight face, but when it comes to TEFL they really know what they’re talking about!

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