Have you observed also in your school a trend to apply a “softer” recruitment regime to native speakers? We usually grill English course instructor pretty hot, while in the case of foreign ones it suffices for us that they are natives and assure us they used to give private lessons. That’s a mistake…
Being a teacher is not a simple matter. Not everyone is fit for the job. A prevailing majority of Englishmen would not be good English language teachers for foreigners (we speak English fluently but do we all really know the grammar rules?), so similarly most foreigners should not teach their native languages to us. At least, when we speak of serious learning.
There are no restrictions to make the recruitment among native speakers as robust as one among English course instructors. It’s beyond any doubt that this will demand more effort from you because you need to prepare to talk in a foreign language. You need to prepare recruitment questions, perhaps psychological/predisposition tests, tasks etc. But well, you are a professional manager after all, aren’t you?
Before you embark on the recruitment of a native speaker, make sure your school does away with three main myths about them:
Myth No. 1:
Any foreigner can teach because they know the language better than we do.
FALSE.
Besides command of the language, one needs also to have a flair for teaching. What’s the use of a candidate who can speak, if they are unable to explain grammar rules, make an interesting introduction to a topic, use synonyms in such a way that students do not need to reach for dictionaries? It is their responsibility to know precisely and fluently the grammar of the language they teach, even if they do not necessarily present those rule to the students.
At lower learning levels, you don’t really tackle some grammar complexities; still, native speakers need to know them to be able to understand both the semantics and syntax of their native language. Only then they will be able to explain better the complexities, provide well-chosen examples for a formulation of a given content in specific situations, and students will not challenge them with unsolvable riddles. Consequently, they will not ridicule your school by being unable to teach.
Myth No. 2:
A native speaker can only teach at higher levels.
FALSE.
Native speakers may teach from scratch without using a single English word during classes (other than for students’ relaxation to make them laugh). What’s more, such teaching is most effective. Students encode in their heads that they can communicate with that person only in her/his language. So they do their best to remember better, learn faster to make for effective communication with their cool teacher. Of course this happens only provided our native speaker has genuine background in education.
Myth No. 3:
If we hire a native speaker for conversation classes, they do not need to be qualified teachers.
FALSE.
If it is your intention to help people get together to have nice conversations, perhaps you will be better off establishing a multi-lingual bridge club ;). Remember that conversations are still classes. Yes, it is their purpose to set people talking more and more, but this task should not be entrusted to persons lacking proper background as the only thing they are likely to do is to consolidate language mistakes and this may end in a massive failure.
A native speaker facilitating conversations must be prepared to propose various topics (and sometimes prepare thematic conversations), carefully remember mistakes made in students’ utterances, recapitulate them, correct students’ pronunciation in a manner that will not block course participant’s willingness to speak. This is not a job for an accidental person unless we are dealing with hidden talents.
Remember to select your course instructors carefully. Whether they are Englishmen or foreigners, pay attention to their professional approach. And this is not about being very experienced. Sometimes a young student has a better feel of an approach to teaching than teachers with many years of experience.
May your teachers be joyous, optimistic, with passions (travel, art, sport) they able to give to their students, with colourful souls, smiles and curiosity of the world. Then they will have a lot to give and know how to do it.
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