Reasons for training in EFL

I have trained as a teacher of EFL because I want to help individuals who are not native speakers fulfil their potential in UK, both in terms of work opportunities and also making their integration into a local community easier and more rewarding. I have empathy for people in this position as I have been in similar situations in the past and understand just how isolated and intimidated you can feel. Since I also feel that there are many young people who seem to be battling a poor press and severe lack of opportunity in gaining employment, I have also begun the journey to qualify as a coach and mentor to similarly help where I can in this group. I cannot help but notice the similarity in approach and the crossover of techniques that you can apply to stimulate an effective transition for people who are motivated to learn and better themselves.

Having had no formal teaching qualifications in the past, aside for the experience of training soldiers, I found the learning process for the TEFL qualification intense and stressful. By comparison I found the initial coaching training to be equally intense but relaxed and relatively simple to apply as it built on the skills I had acquired during my Army career. The practice sessions were conducted in a thorough manner but without the artificial pressure of the TEFL course. There is a world of difference between training and teaching especially when you consider the motivations of the individuals on the receiving end of the process. For a start the training process is often skill focussed for and designed to improve individual and collective performance to achieve a tasked based outcome. The training is therefore primarily focussed to make the newly acquired skill automatic in the most effective and efficient manner possible. But the difference between coaching and teaching when the individuals concerned are clearly self motivated is less apparent. In both disciplines you ask the students to define the goals they wish to achieve, seek out any major obstacles that need to be overcome, while at the same time providing them the sounding board and gentle assistance in helping them to discover the solution on their own. Obviously there is more focus on providing the tools (language and grammar) in EFL but the basic principles and the manner in which the teaching/learning process is approached has remarkable similarities.

I have found that encouraging self discovery and using some of the more subtle motivational drivers to encourage and reinforce commitment to learning in a structured manner generally makes for more effective teaching. The use of the coaching TGROW helps in planning the strategic teaching campaign, identifying the overall intent of the student while focussing on the immediate goals each session and I have found that applying the appreciative inquiry and clarifying questioning technique often reveals the true nature of the students understanding of (or lack of it) the language and grammar, thus enabling greater clarity of teaching effort. And of course there is the use of the feedback process to ensure that you focus on the positive progress and reveal areas for further study or reinforcement.

In summary I have found that the cross matching of skills and techniques is invaluable in achieving effective rapport that builds trust between student and tutor while providing a platform for effective and enjoyable self development.