Description
Language teaching involves teaching a foreign language to students. Language teachers work in a variety of educational establishments — from schools to universities and colleges. A language teacher should know everything about the culture, society, history of the country and the people whose language he/she is teaching. Moreover, a language teacher should not only understand the level, aptitude, need and requirement of the learners but also he/she should be familiar with various foreign language teaching methodologies, tools and methods of teaching. Increasing globalisation has created a need for people who can communicate in multiple languages, thus the demand for language experts is very high.
Requirements
A master’s degree or equivalent qualification in the foreign language concerned. MPhil/PhD is a mandatory qualification for teaching certain foreign languages, especially the European languages. But for East Asian languages like Japanese, Korean and Chinese, the minimum qualification required is an MA degree. It is mandatory to clear the National Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by the UGC twice in a year. In a private institution, one can become a language teacher if one has interest in teaching and has sufficient knowledge of the language concerned.
The following additional skills help in progressing in the profession.
Job Prospects
Language trainers are paid on an hourly basis, which can be around ?600 to ?700. It can vary from institution to institution. A graduate in foreign langauge like Japanese, Korean etc, can draw a salary amount which is three to four times more than teaching posts in central universities. Overseas opportunities are also there which have a really good pay package. Work as translators or foreign embassy jobs can be lucrative options and also allow you to work with interesting people.
Pros & Cons
* A challenging and promising field to be in
* Despite all the efforts one may make, it takes time and hard work to completely master a foreign language
* There might not be openings for language you have mastered
