If you are a native or a learned English speaker looking for a profitable and interesting career in Canada, you may want to consider becoming an English teacher. It's a very versatile and rewarding career as you can work online, in a classroom, in Canada, or abroad.
However, becoming an English teacher in Canada isn't very easy. It requires much effort and skills even after you meet the necessary qualifications, you will still need a mix of skills and experience to succeed in this field. Some of these skills can be acquired while you study in school, but for others, you will need adequate experience and exposure to get them.
So if you are serious about teaching English in Canada, you should do more than get educated and licensed; you should acquire the right skills, which we will discuss extensively in this guide. See how much English teachers earn in Canada.
What Skills Does an English Teacher Need to Excel in Canada?
English teachers are in demand in Canada, but the competition is still high, so you need to do your best to be among the few special ones by getting additional skills and attributes you need to succeed in the industry. Unfortunately, not every teacher has this knowledge, so you will have an advantage if you learn and implement these skills.
Communication Skills
Teachers at all levels need to communicate effectively with their students. Effective communication involves using written, verbal and non-verbal skills to pass valuable information and understanding to the reader or listener. So a competent English teacher must be clear and concise while communicating because that is one of the most important things students learn in English classes.
Interpersonal Skills
In order to effectively teach your students, you must get to know them and find out their individual learning needs and preferences, but to do these things, you need to develop strong interpersonal skills.
Students will be able to trust, relate freely with you, and learn better when you build a relationship with them, but knowing how to build this student-teacher relationship is a vital skill you should learn.
Problem-solving Skills
People have different learning styles, and if you are opportune to teach private students, you may have it easier than others who teach in groups. As an expert teacher, you must be able to teach all your students in a way that will suit their numerous needs and learning styles and still ensure no student is left out.
You may have to adapt your classroom activities and lessons from time to time, and your problem-solving skills will go a long way in helping you decide the best course of action.
Public Speaking Skills
Although many people wouldn’t prefer to engage in public speaking, it is an essential activity for English teachers who desire success in their careers.
As an English teacher, you are also responsible for helping your students build confidence in and outside your classroom. So you should learn how to stand and confidently talk in front of people. Public speaking can also entail online meetings and orientations like webinars, online classes, video calls, and digital conferences.
Time-management Skills
Time management is vital in every profession, so getting this skill can help you in your English teaching career and other areas of your life.
There will be a limited time for every study section you have with your students, and knowing how best to maximize this time is very important. Good time management skills will help you plan your schedules and lessons properly and monitor your students to ensure they complete everything they are expected to do within the stipulated time.
Computer Literacy
If you think English teacher jobs are all about talking in a classroom, you still have a long way to go because times have changed, and students are now used to various technologies. So, incorporating technology into your teaching style can ease your workload and make your class more interactive.
Some English teacher jobs also require teaching English lessons online, and your students will only use a computer to access such lessons.
So, it would be best to be computer literate to do these things. You might gain some computer experience during your years of study, but if you find it is not enough, feel free to acquire more knowledge in that area to move your career to the next level.
Teaching Skills
Teaching is not as straightforward as it may seem; if you want to succeed as an English Teacher in Canada, you must strive to continuously hone your teaching skills to meet up with this ever-changing world. You should know what it takes to teach professionally and know a variety of effective teaching skills to help your students learn better in diverse circumstances.
Suppose you become a professor in English and teach in college or university. In that case, you will need to prove your competence with incredible teaching skills that you must constantly improve to stay relevant in your institution.
Tips for Developing Your Skills as an English Teacher
Now that you know some of the skills needed to be a successful English teacher in Canada, you may still be confused about how to get these skills or how to know if you already have them. So here are some tips that can help you.
Ask for Feedback
You do not have to wait for complaints from your employer or students before you know if you are doing well in your profession. However, asking for feedback from time to time is essential, so you will know the skills you are still missing and those you can improve on.
Practice New Skills
If you have not yet landed your dream English teacher job, you can still practice your skills to gain more expertise. In addition, you can use your skills in your day-to-day living with your friends, family, and people in your neighborhood.
For example, if there is an opportunity to address a group of people, you can volunteer to practice your public speaking skills. In your daily activities also, you can learn to manage your time correctly.
Explore Other Jobs
These skills can apply to other jobs and fields, so even if you have not yet gotten the type of English teacher job you want, you can still take up any job that can help you gain experience for your dream job, and with time you will be able to master some of these skills and apply them when needed.
What Are the Qualities of a Good English Teacher?
While it is imperative for English teachers to have certain skills, let's not neglect the fact that some personal characteristics are also highly needed in this career. You can have all the right skills and qualifications to teach, but your attitude and personal characteristics might ruin your efforts and good skills after a short time.
So here are some good personal qualities you as an English teacher should have to succeed quickly in your career.
Adaptability
While working as an English teacher, you will come across students with different needs, and you will work with various institutions and organizations, so you should be able to adapt quickly to all circumstances and be ready to change any approach or teaching strategy that is not working.
Patience
As you know, people have different learning paces, and some might be extremely slow. However, a good teacher should be patient enough to carry everyone along and give extra care to those with special needs.
You must avoid rushing because the primary goal of teaching is to impart knowledge, so teach at a pace that is comfortable for all your students.
Positive Energy
Teaching is done in several ways, from your speech to your body language. Bringing positivity to your classroom and constantly expressing love for what you do can help students stay encouraged and motivated to learn. In addition, you should be interactive and make the English coursework interesting to inspire activeness in your students.
Openness
Being a good listener is a vital part of being a teacher, and demonstrating a certain level of openness can tell your students that you are accessible and accommodating. A good English teacher must strive to listen and be attentive to the individual needs of their students so they can provide effective teaching strategies and make the students feel valued.
Compassion
Having compassion is a must-have quality for every English teacher that wants to succeed. Compassion means understanding what others are going through and taking a step further to try and help them.
As an English teacher, you should show care and compassion to students of all ages. This will help you understand how best to teach them and make them feel you know their struggles and shortcomings. English is a vast field of study, and opting to teach it in Canada is an excellent choice, but you must ensure the right skills and qualities are in place so you will do well in your career; I hope this guide is of great help to you.
However, it would also be best to learn English and some of these skills from a reliable tutor, and an excellent platform to find a competent English tutor in Canada is Superprof. So you do not have to struggle to learn everything alone. Even if it may take some time to become a pro, it's best to hire a tutor on Superprof now to prepare yourself for the best English teaching jobs in Canada.
Aside from the right skills, you need these qualifications to teach English in Canada.
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I do like what have been mentioned, and l’m agree about to have a good impact for students by the end of the course. I think a good teacher must know that we don’t teach book we teach students