Your guide to become an TESL Teacher in Malaysia

Average Salary
4,000 - 5,000

Job Demand

Who is an TESL Teacher

TESL Teachers specialise in teaching students how to read, write and speak in English where these students speak little to no English

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is a general term used for teaching English including Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) as a certification of an English teacher in Malaysia. As a TESL Teacher, you need to understand different cultures and be knowledgeable of different teaching strategies in order to teach English to your students effectively. As part of your responsibilities, you will need to manage the classroom, create lesson plans and in some cases work with international and immigrant students. If you love language, particularly English, and knows all the ins and outs of it, you may want to consider pursuing this career. With the current speed of globalisation, the English language is becoming more important, resulting in an influx of people from around the world wanting to pick up this language.

Search for all careers

The pros and cons of being an TESL Teacher

Pros

High job satisfaction because you get to improve students’ lives

Cons

Job can lead to routinary work
There is higher preference for native English speakers over non-native speakers
Modest pay in most countries

What are all the responsibilities of an TESL Teacher ?

Teach your students about English
Make your students give speeches
Encourage students to communicate using English
Manage the classroom
Plan and deliver lessons
Prepare homework for your students
Give advice to your students
Create new materials for students to study
Organise events
Teach on a one to one basis
Keep student records

Ask For Experts

Incase of any queries

What skills do you need to become an TESL Teacher?

Good linguistic skills

Having a good grasp of multiple languages, especially English and the native language of the people you’re teaching is crucial in the pursuit of this career. You have to be exceptionally great at written and spoken English skills in order to teach your students the best you can. Furthermore, you would need to be flexible with your style of teaching to ensure better effects.

Being friendly and confident

No one likes a grumpy teacher or someone who doesn’t even know or fully understands what he’s teaching. As a TESL Teacher, you would need to be approachable and ready to help at all times. Not only that but when a teacher is confident in what he is teaching, the students will put even more trust in their teachers too.

Listening skills and patience

As you will be teaching someone whose native or first language is not English, they are, sometimes, bound to speak in gibberish or broken English mixed with another language. You will need to listen intently to what they have to say to understand them. Of course, you will also need plenty of patience to deal with them. After all, that’s why they are here to learn! It’s because they are not perfect.

What field(s) of study should you choose to become an TESL Teacher?

TESL
TEFL
TESOL

What are the requirements to be an TESL Teacher?

You will need to get certified in order to take on this job. You will need to get a different type of certification to teach people below 18 years old. Degrees related to this line of work are TESOL & TESL, Communications or any of the related field.

What are the working hours of an TESL Teacher

The working hours of a TESL Teacher are irregular and you may have to work outside of allocated working hours to prepare lessons. Besides that, depending on your schedule, you may have to work on holidays and weekends too.

Related Jobs