In today’s post, we will talk about what to look for when hiring a “Business English Teacher” and what your “Business English Teacher” wants to know before meeting their new student … you! The main things to look for when hiring a business English teacher are as follows: Class Type- Structured Versus Unstructured; Teacher Qualifications – Degree and TESL? Teacher Experience – Online/Real Class Room/Real Life; Teacher Resources-Professional Platform?; Teacher Personality; Expected Cost Per Hour; and Summary!
Class Type – Structured Versus Unstructured Classes
Teacher experience is also a teacher qualification, however, it is a much more subjective qualification. That being said, it may be the most important teacher qualification there is! There is a very big difference between online teaching and offline or “real classroom” teaching. Online teachers have to use body language such as TPR = total physical response to facilitate teacher <-> student(s) communication and in addition, have access to a wealth of teaching tools at their fingertips! Real classroom teaching often indicates that a teacher is good at “crowd control”. Now, real life experience is the true golden gem, especially when it comes to business English teaching. It is one thing to be a good talker and teacher, but to combine that with real life business experience … well, you just cannot trump that!
There is the old adage that says “not every one learns the same way and not everyone teaches the same way” and that “When the pupil is ready, the Master appears”. This being said, be prepared to shop around until what you find in a teacher is more like a good friendship. That is the best relationship to have, in my humble opinion!
When learning general English you can expect the cost per hour to be much lower than when learning a specialized niche of English, such as Business English. The general hourly price range that I have seen ranges from about 20 US to 70 US an hour, for a truly qualified teacher. I personally charge around 30 US an hour at the moment.
The frequency of your classes, in my opinion, should be no less than 60 minutes long and twice a week (preferably separated by a few days), so as to maintain, learning retention continuity.
You should base those committed hours per week on your goals and the time you need to accomplish those goals.
WHAT YOUR BUSINESS ENGLISH TEACHER NEEDS FROM YOU!
1) Have you done an English placement test before and if so when and what were your scores on: reading, writing, listening and speaking?
2) What are your short term business English learning goals and your time frames to reach them?
I would look for a business English teacher who has all of the above mentioned documents and experience and who has a personality that I feel I could become friends with. I would then analyze my personal, business English language, learning goals and time frames. I would then set a weekly schedule, that I would commit to, steadily. I would then start and succeed!
Source: Mr Robin Small – Rams Business English
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