Is it possible to teach yourself a language from home?

Teaching english as a second language?

• i'm a sixteen year old girl and a junior in high school. i love traveling, language, and culture so therefore i want a career that involves all three of those. i also love sharing my language and culture with others so teaching english as a second language is a career that, at the moment, i'd love to do. however, i have a few questions... 1) what do i need to do in order to teach english as a second language? what do i need to study in college? english or something else? do i even need to go to college? what about the "teaching english as a second language" institute in new york? however, that's only a few weeks long so i'm really looking towards college. 2) where is the best place to teach? i can speak english, obviously, and i also have a basic fluency in spanish. i'm also going to begin taking french classes soon. i'd love to be able to teach in europe but i've heard that asia is a great place to teach as well. what do YOU reccommend? 3) i can only speak english and spanish. i hope to learn french, german, italian, etc., in the future but as of right now, that's all i know. do i need to know chinese to teach in asia or arabic to teach in the middle east? 4) what are the pros/cons? benefits? i've heard that some countries will pay you to fly over and pay for your housing, transportation, and food as well as a salary of almost $50,000, sometimes more, sometimes less. to me, that sounds like a great deal. however, what do you believe are the pros/cons/benefits? 5) ONE PROBLEM... i want to get married young (before 30) and have kids in AMERICA. i want my kids to grow up and go to school in america. i don't want to spend my whole life abroad. if i teach abroad for, say, eight-ten years, what would i do when i come home? what career options would i have? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP! IT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED! *are there any colleges/institutes that specialize in teaching english as a second language?

• Answer:

  Lots of questions! 1) In general you'll need a degree and a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate to get a visa and work abroad teaching English. The degree can be in almost any subject as it is usually required for the visa only so you will find teachers with a degree in Engineering or Sociology. Having said this, to help get the job it's obviously better to be English or language related, for example a degree in English literature. The TEFL certificate can be taken either in-house or online at your own pace which is a much cheaper option (see http://icalweb.com). 2) You can teach in almost any country if you have the qualifications and experience. However, to start with most Americans head off to either South America or Asia - there are plenty in Korea, Vietnam and Japan - and many in China! To teach in Europe is harder because of visa issues. 3) No. To actually teach you don't need to know the local language (unless it's English, of course). These days classes are taught almost entirely in the Target Language which means you introduce, explain and practice in English. A little local language helps outside the classroom but is by no means a requirement for TEFL. 4) Pay is never going to be fantastic, but the job is. Some will pay for your flights and/or accommodation, but in general you'll earn enough to live well locally and enjoy yourself. 5) No problem. That's what many teachers do. Plus, don't dismiss the idea of living in another country - you might find that you love where you're teaching and stay there for years. Many teachers find this happening to them! :)