TEFL certification courses don’t teach you how to succeed
Those of us with a business education will remember the research that says that only about 20% of people who are fired from their jobs are fired due to a lack of skills in their occupation.
The flip side of that equation says then: 80% of people fired from their jobs are fired for other reasons – usually poor work habits and social skills issues.
So, yes, I hope you study your TEFL training carefully and develop the skills to become a teacher that provides great benefit to your students. But, there are a few more things involved along the way.
A favorite topic of mine is intercultural skills and learning to adapt and thrive in a foreign culture. Add intercultural miscommunication to that 80% of people fired for other than job skills and I think that all of a sudden you will find that 80% becoming 90% or even more – for people living abroad. And that would reflect my experience and what I have seen working in five different foreign countries.
What to do? How to learn more on these type issues that your TEFL Training doesn’t cover? Take a look just below on this page and click on the FREE eBook that says Seven Secrets of Success Abroad. I wrote that book and it covers the essentials and will give you a good overview of the things you REALLY need to know.
TED’s Tips™ #1: Get that eBook lower on the page and read it. Intercultural skills can mean the difference between success and a great life abroad or crashing and burning and returning home in defeat, convinced that the wider world is out to get you.
TED’s Tips™ #2: Spend some time on the Internet learning about cultural differences and how to deal with them. It will be time well spent.