| Mid-career crisis? Have you got what it takes | | | | teaching. However, although it is very useful |
| to teach English for business? | | | | to have experience of other professional |
| | | | domains, or of the commercial world, it is |
| Teachers often ask me what direction they can | | | | not essential. On the other hand, it is |
| take after a few years of teaching general | | | | necessary to be interested in the world of |
| English. To continue as an ordinary classroom | | | | business and to understand how companies are |
| teacher seems like stagnation, so choices | | | | structured and to be familiar with business |
| have to be made about how to develop both | | | | terminology. Regular reading of the business |
| professionally and personally. Specializing | | | | pages of the daily press can help you build |
| in English for business can be a fruitful | | | | awareness of the field and of the latest |
| move if the teacher is able to transfer | | | | developments. |
| existing skills to the business context. | | | | |
| | | | The business English teacher needs to have an |
| Let me deal with the prospects first. | | | | international perspective. In dealing with |
| Teaching business people is recognized as a | | | | many different nationalities, and with |
| specialist field and the teacher often has to | | | | clients who have to operate in the |
| be a program planner and materials developer | | | | increasingly globalized business field, the |
| as well, so salaries are generally higher. | | | | teacher needs to be aware of the implications |
| The training can take place in dedicated | | | | of cross-cultural communications. Clients, |
| centers, often residential, in-company or as | | | | who have to use English--which is not their |
| a special program offered at a traditional | | | | native tongue, to do business with other |
| language school, but wherever it takes place, | | | | non-native English speakers in another |
| the teacher will have to be able to deal with | | | | country--have several layers of cultural |
| the people who are sponsoring the training | | | | information to deal with. First they have to |
| and is thus answerable to a wider range of | | | | acknowledge that their own national and |
| stakeholders. But by engaging in the | | | | company culture is not necessarily shared |
| corporate world, the trainer may find many | | | | with their foreign counterparts or even |
| opportunities to widen his or her range of | | | | understood by them, and secondly that |
| training skills: interpersonal | | | | nobody's culture is intrinsically right or |
| communications, written communications, | | | | wrong, better or worse. The teacher may have |
| cross-cultural communications and ultimately | | | | to help them understand the nature of |
| consultancy work in the communications field. | | | | cross-cultural interaction. |
| | | | |
| However, the prospects will only open out to | | | | The qualities needed by a business English |
| the kind of teacher who can adapt from the | | | | teacher are thus different in many ways. They |
| world of pedagogy to the corporate world. The | | | | need the confidence to play the role of |
| clients are usually highly motivated and work | | | | instructor/trainer/facilitator with people |
| in small groups or as individuals hence the | | | | who may occupy senior company positions. They |
| teaching dynamics are quite different. | | | | have to be adaptable and not have rigid ideas |
| Business people do not wish to go back to the | | | | about how to conduct training sessions and |
| classroom as they already have the | | | | what the content should be. And they need to |
| professional expertise they need. What they | | | | have an understanding of how English is used |
| want is someone who can help them communicate | | | | internationally as a lingua franca among |
| effectively in the global business world. The | | | | people who may never meet a native speaker. |
| trainer needs to slip into the role of | | | | They need skill in giving feedback and must |
| facilitator, working with clients to | | | | be robust enough to take feedback themselves. |
| understand their learning styles, to discover | | | | And they need to be clear and precise in |
| their specific needs and immediate objectives | | | | describing what they can offer clients and in |
| and to help them set achievable targets. I | | | | their post-training debriefing. Clearly, |
| have seen many a hopeful business English | | | | therefore, that this is not a field for |
| trainer fall at this hurdle. They cannot | | | | someone new to teaching--it demands a certain |
| throw off their accustomed teacherly | | | | maturity of approach and confidence both |
| approach. | | | | personally and professionally. However, for |
| | | | teachers able to make the transition from |
| So who can become a successful business | | | | classroom to the world of corporate training, |
| English teacher? It is certainly helpful to | | | | the rewards and prospects are excellent. |
| have experience in fields other than | | | | |