“Perspectives: The greater the diversity, the broader the thought.” -Joan Wink, teacher educator and writer.
As I was coming in to work at NC State the other morning in the pouring rain, someone reached out to open the door for me and commented, “A little wet out here!”
When I said “yes,” he responded, “Have you experienced monsoons? Compared to them, this is nothing!”
I noticed that he didn’t have an umbrella, was wearing sandals and didn’t seem to mind the rain. Then it clicked that he had perspective — he had experienced monsoon rains, so this one was nothing to complain about.
I teach at NC State, where we strive to give our students a global perspective. For this reason, we in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures encourage all students to study abroad. But our world has become global, and we need to expand on Study Abroad and look for opportunities for our students to work abroad, even if it’s just for a year.
The reality of our world is that everyone who wants a professional job needs to learn English. At professional conferences throughout the world, English is the medium so that they can attract participants and speakers from around the world. Universities throughout the world are also finding that having their courses in English attracts more students. Many K-12 schools in China and Korea now offer core subjects in English as well, so that means teachers trained to teach math and science can get jobs abroad.
This move to English as the language of instruction means that there is a need for language schools, university and community colleges, and K-12 schools to teach English since it is the global language, and here’s the catch: Students prefer teachers who not only speak English as a first language, but who speak American English. American sitcoms (my Chinese students love “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother”) and movies are popular abroad, and students want to learn to speak like their favorite characters. They want to know American idioms and slang, and they would love to be able to understand their favorite shows without needing subtitles.
How many jobs are available for Americans to teach abroad? Go to some of the websites that list them (eslcafe.com, epik.go.kr) and look through the ads. Most jobs pay for housing, so teachers are able to save money for traveling or graduate school when they return.
Both NC State and Wake Tech have TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate programs to train students for teaching English as a second language, but there are also jobs that require only that teachers have a bachelor’s degree and be a native English speaker. If you are or were a math major, you can get a job teaching math. One of my students taught math and chemistry in Korea, and saved money to come back to NC State for her doctorate in fiber and polymer science.
In our six years of NC State’s certificate program, we have trained more than 200 teachers, and most of them have gone abroad to teach. In all cases, students who finish the program and stay in touch with us feel that their work is meaningful and fulfilling. They learn so much from their students that enriches their lives and makes them feel connected to the world — both to its problems and its cultural and individual richness. Most of all, it gives them a lifelong resource for seeing the world with a broader perspective.
Robin Kube, ESL Program Coordinator
