A Good TEFL Teacher: What Skills Are Necessary?

Pursuing a TEFL course to achieve a TEFL Certificate is not all that can make you a successful TEFL teacher. Besides the educational guidance from the teacher training institutes you also need to possess some skills that will make you stand apart from the others.  Developing soft skills might not be a part of the syllabus of the teacher training course you choose but you have to develop them in you.

To get the answer to what skills will you necessarily develop, you have to look back to your school days. If you are into becoming a successful teacher you need to be a students’ favourite. Back in the school days, the one who inspired you and with whom you felt a sense of belonging must have been the favourite one.

You need to grow the same values and virtues in you as you move along the path of completing a certification degree in TEFL diploma or TEFL advanced diploma. Here we have pointed out a few of the necessary skills which will make you a good and successful teacher of TEFL. 

1. Effective communication skill

You may become a master in TEFL or even have a degree of TEFL PG. But if you fail to communicate your knowledge to the learners you teach, your degree will be of o use. Thus having effective communication skill is the first and most important skill.

Efficient communication channel between you and the students will ensure that what you teach reaches them appropriately and they can grab the newly learnt lessons. You have to explore new methods of engaging your students in the learning activity and thus establish a successful communication with the language learners. 

2. Ready adaptability skill

You may have planned a lesson in one way but in practice it turned out to be something else. One lesson might be too time-consuming while another fail to fill the whole duration. All these are potential problems that may come your way.

But you have to have the adaptability to these problems and plan your way out. While practical sessions you will learn that anything unexpected can happen and you need to navigate your plan accordingly. 

3. Empathetic approach

Empathy is utmost important for building connection with the learners. This particular skill of yours will enable you to understand the students more and reach to their demands. In fact, more of this empathetic skill will make you an excellent communicator.

Your class will be students with mixed traits. While some cam catch the lesson readily some may have problem coping with your speed. It is your role to make them feel understood. 

4. Being patient and passionate

Students are meant to make mistakes but you cannot lose your patience. This skill is absolutely important if you are aiming teaching as your profession. You must know that the students of yours are not familiar and comfortable with English, especially if they are native speakers. You must be patient and give them time and opportunities to learn something by heart.

Being passionate about the profession and the language itself is also going to pay off. Your passion and enthusiasm will affect your students too and help you develop a positive learning atmosphere in the classroom. 

5. Being confident

Nervousness and fear of faltering are common in newly-qualified TEFL teachers. But you have to stay confident and learn from your mistakes. You should also know this by heart that it is completely okay to make mistakes while teaching the language or the grammar. But confidence will help you grow personally and professionally. 

Possessing an international teaching diploma along with the above-mentioned skills will make you ace the profession of teaching and make you a successful tutor. Follow them and learn to develop them I you to reach the zenith.

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