TEFL | Teaching English as a Foreign Language

This term is normally used to describe the act of teaching English to people whose native language is anything but English. This type of English teaching will usually take place in the student’s own (non English speaking) country; however, it can also take place elsewhere, such as during summer language camps in English speaking countries. Examples of this type of teaching could include Spanish students studying English as part of the national curriculum, a Japanese couple studying at a private English language school whilst working in Korea or a single Thai student being taught by a private English tutor. TEFL teaching can cover all general fields of the English language industry, from young learners to adults, as well as specific areas such as business English study. In order to become a TEFL teacher it is not necessary to be a native English speaker, although a thorough understanding of the language is still required.