Teach English in Victoria - TEFL Courses

english as a global language In classrooms across the world these days, there is a high demand for learning the english language. The english language has become so widely used in the world that now there are more speakers of english as a second language than as a native language. The demands around the world for people with a knowledge of english is rapidly increasing. The prevalence of english around the world can be seen on the satellite channels, broadcasting American films and TV shows, and in Western pop music which has extended to all parts of the world. english permeates the everyday lives of most people around the world. In addition, a job candidate with a knowledge of english has a higher chance of getting employed, and in some countries a knowledge of english is essential, whether the job involved speaking english or not. As an esl teacher in training, while studying the tefl course over the past few months, I have thought much about the growing usage of english around the world, and wondered about how this would affect the lifestyles and cultures of other countries in the future. I have become slightly divided about the issue - I recognise the importance of knowing english, and the opportunities that it would provide in people's future careers. However at the same time I wish that it didn't have to be this way. At the moment I am living in india, working with an NGO that operates on a shoestring budget. On asking my director about the importance of english in india, and whether it is absolutely necessary to know english in order to get a good job here, he confirmed that it is essential. He said that even if there are pupils who excel in every other subject in school, whether it be maths, science etc. - if they do not have a good level of english, they could not find a good job in the future. As well as this, my presence in the NGO is important especially because I am a westerner, who speaks native english. When drafting proposals or visiting government offices, my presence and knowledge of english would add prestige to the organisation. However without me, they would not be able to get as far. These facts greatly upset me, and I wonder what the effect would be on the mentality of people in non-native english countries in the future. There are many native languages that are gradually dying out, and there may be non-english speaking people who develop a sense of inferiority as english has become a gateway language to a better lifestyle and future. As a teacher I am very aware of this issue and as a keen language learner myself, I hope to prevent any feelings or mentalities like these developing in my classrooms. I would make an effort to learn about the culture of the country I am living in, and also practice their native language, and practice speaking with my students if I would see them outside of the class. I know that this would not make much difference on a larger scale, however this would make some difference, hopefully. I am aware of the importance of using english, particularly in employment. It is the main language used in business and as a method of communicating between speakers of all different languages. However I feel that more should be done to encourage the use of other languages as well. For communicating on a global scale, other languages can be used and learned, which would create a more balanced dynamic in communicating with people from other countries. A knowledge of other languages would also further increase cultural understandings and tolerance between people around the world.