How to choose a good language teacher 1


This article may seem very biased, as I myself work as a language teacher. On the other hand, as a polyglot and enthusiastic language learner, I have been and am also a consumer of language instruction. Personally, I am extremely time-conscious. I have so many other things to do apart from language learning, that I am intolerant towards wasting time in unproductive classrooms. That is why I hated or dropped out of most language courses I attended back in Germany.

The choice of your language teacher can leave an imprint on the rest of your life. If your personal life and career depend on your level in a foreign language, you should not leave this decision to chance. If you are planning to migrate or to work in a foreign language, most of your success (salaries, integration, personal life) will depend on how you speak the respective language.

Unfortunately, many students make their choice based on suboptimal critera:
·        What is the most easily accessible option?
·        What is the cheapest option?
·        What is the option I “like” most (and not, what option is most productive)?

Remember, if you plan to learn German just to order beer at the Oktoberfest or to pick up women (or men), almost any way of instruction will do. If, however, you need to speak as closely to a native speaker as possible, you should realize that you are not only paying the price for the actual course, but also for the lost opportunities.

Let us do some calculations:

You enroll at a local language course that costs 150$ per level. Level duration: 3 months. In the ideal case, if the school delivers what it promised, it may take you 2 years (and eight levels) to reach an advanced level, enough for getting a job in that country. Now, you could think that you spent only 150$ * 8 = 1200$ for two years, right?

Now consider what you would earn at an entry job in that country in your profession. Imagine it would be 2000$. Therefore, each month not knowing the language costs you 2000$. A 2-year waiting time costs you 48000$. So, the total cost for two years would be 1200$ + 48000$ = 49200$.

What if, with another teacher/technique, you could obtain the same results in 12 months? Then the total price would drop by 24000$ . Now imagine that you had to pay 1200$ for just one year. Then you would still save 22800$ compared to the first option.

Now consider the risk that you choose the first option, but you do not reach the desired fluency? Then you would incur a monthly opportunity cost of 2000$ for each extra month of delay.

Having the right perspective, let us go through criteria for a good teacher:

1.      What percentage of lesson time am I actually actively producing speech? Is the teacher him- or herself consuming most of the lesson time?

To be continued




If you like the attitude of these articles, please check out my online courses : at the moment, German for Russian- and Romanian-speakers, as well as on goal-setting.

If you are interested in improving your English in the area of business presentations, I know of no better address than Tom Antion. Please check him out following this link.


Stay tuned!

Gerhard


About the GO Method
The GO Method applies research in psychology as well as principles of quality management to the language teaching process. It conforms to key elements of the ISO 9001 standard, while being more specific on teaching-related issues. Customers get access to easily adaptable document templates.
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About me
Psychologist and polyglot from Hamburg /Germany (*1979). Married with children. MA in psychology from the University of Hamburg. More than 15 years of experience as a university lecturer in psychology as well as a consultant for UNICEF, Terre des Hommes, IOM, the EU and private companies. Coordinator of the GO Method network, with representatives in more than 90 countries worldwide.

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