Build an ESL Teaching Portfolio
Show Prospective Employers What You Know About Teaching English
Apr 20, 2007
While there is no doubt that attaining proper teaching credentials is absolutely essential for opening the doors to an ESL teaching career (see Mario R.J. Corbin's article on CELTA), proving to potential employers that you have the skills to meet their needs is no less important. Consider adding one or more of these supporting materials with your employment applications.
Show What You've Read
As the title of this essay states, employers want to know what you know. With any application for employment, include as part of your ESL teaching portfolio a list of books that you have read which are pertinent to the position you seek to fill. But don't stop there. Take the time to briefly describe how each of these books has informed or influenced your teaching style. Making the connection between theory (what we think about) and practice (what we do) is very important, and the hiring manager of a language school will not be able to infer this information from the fact that a candidate holds a recognized TEFL certificate. Be proud of the time and energy you have invested in your study of teaching English as a second language.
Show Lesson Plans
Not only do employers want to know what you know, but they want to know what you have accomplished in the ESL classroom. Any time spent working in a classroom setting is proof positive to an employer that you have experience, and it should be part of your teaching portfolio. However, many applicants simply list on a resume dates of employment and brief capsules of the work they did. To be sure, most CVs and resumes begin to look similar in this regard.
Do not hesitate to include two or three lesson plans that you have implemented (even better if you have designed them as well) as part of your application package. Those ESL lesson plans are gold to language schools who are not only looking for teachers who can utilize ESL textbooks and supplementary materials, but for instructors who have the creative ability to be original as well.
Show Sample Teaching Video
While some language programs require a sample teaching video as part of their application process, ESL teaching applicants should consider making a teaching video (on DVD, of course) a natural component of the ESL teaching portfolio materials they send to a potential employer. Whether you have the video and computer skills to record and edit your own sample DVD, or if you have to hire a professional to help you design it, including a sample teaching video could make a big difference in your job search success.
Consider including footage of you engaged in a teacher-centered lesson, a student-centered lesson, students engaged in small-group exercises, and even a few one-on-one tutorials with students so that you can "show" employers your various talents as an ESL professional. Keep in mind that potential employers want to hire YOU, so be sure to be yourself in the video - sincerity matters significantly in the field of education.
