Teaching English in BAires: A rough guide

My lady of leisure status has officially come to an end, dios mío. Last week I embarked on a new vocation – providing English tuition to some students at St George’s College. St George’s is a bilingual international school, set up in 1898 by a British priest, for children aged three to 18 years. The school is beautiful, values its English heritage – it even plays cricket – and prepares students for a rigorous education, culminating in the intellectually challenging International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum.

St George's College Quilmes - I wish my school had looked like that

Luckily my kids are 16+ so I don’t have to start teaching English from scratch, it’s more of a mentoring role to help them sharpen their language skills. Bear in mind though, they are studying the IB in English. The IB is pretty demanding for native English speakers, so I dread to think how tough it must be for students for whom English is a second language. 

I’m thrilled at the prospect. I finally feel like I'm doing a job that is meaningful and has a purpose to it. I’ve taught English before, in La Paz, Bolivia as it happens, but not as part of a formal education programme at one of Argentina's finest schools. Yikes.

Undeterred, I scoured the library to arm myself with suitable English material other than Teaching English for Dummies, which is all very well but probably not the best way of instilling confidence. Do I start with grammar from a textbook? Should I read up on the Royal Family, although most articles seem to be about the Duchess of Cambridge's latest attire. Or should I entertain them with YouTube videos? I don’t even know what 16-year olds are into… Argh.

I’ve taught a few lessons now and I'm enamoured with it. I’m fortunate that I’m at an established school where kids learn English from the moment they arrive and where it is considered essential to their education. In a funny sort of way I also like the pressure, knowing that I'm supporting their academic and personal development.    

For anyone thinking about teaching English, in Argentina or elsewhere, I'd definitely recommend it. Kids are great and can be a lot of fun. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist (that may not help anyway) and while a course would be useful, from my experience so far, I would give the following advice:

1. Remember No.1 = the student. Find out what he or she likes, their weaknesses and in which subjects they need help
2. Ask to see their work
3. Ask for an assignment schedule – Focus on the tasks on which the kids will be examined 
4. Keep a teaching diary so you don't repeat work 
5. Over-prepare – always take in more material than you need
6. Nitty gritty – a Canadian friend at the school has been great and lent me some textbooks full of grammar exercises. Might sound dull but an essential resource
7. Look around – there are so many places/sites now where you can find useful exercises, tips and support. Also Like or Follow @BritishCouncil, @CambridgeUPELT, @TeachingEnglish, @onestopenglish, @TEFL etc   
8. Be firm – If a student doesn't turn up, make it clear they cannot mess you around
9. Rates - Charge what you think you're worth without being exorbiant
10. Try not to overthink it. See where the lesson takes you and have fun!