It seems most things are taken care of in preparation for my move to Japan! In under a week I shall be flying half way around the world to find a new home in a town by the sea, using my skills to make a living. Hm, this all sounds a little familiar…*
As I was unearthing and dusting off my English textbooks, I was reminded of a couple of questions that a few people have asked me which may be of interest to a wider audience, so I’ll answer them here.
‘I’ve often thought about teaching English. What course did you do?’
I did a CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) course, full time, for five weeks. Some places squeeze it down to four, but the five week course just gave us a little more room to breathe. It was fairly intense, and serves as a solid entry level professional qualification to those looking to get into the TEFL world. It has the added bonus of being Cambridge certified, so people the world over will think: Cambridge=smart, ergo, Cambridge certified teacher=smart.
‘What books would you recommend so that I can improve my English?’
Yes, both English nationals and internationals have asked me this. Honest. There are a few good ones, but everyone has different favourites. I prefer a more academic approach to learning, so I went for Bas Aarts’ Modern English Grammar, (OUP, 2011). Very thorough, but isn’t the most accessible. Others will swear by Michael Swan’s Practical English Usage, (3rd ed., OUP, 2005), and I too have found it useful. Alternatively, despite being written for English teachers, Martin Parrott’s Grammar for English Language Teachers, (2nd ed., CUP, 2010) presents most things in a very clear and accessible style, even if you have no intention of teaching.
But do you need any of these?! Well, do the test below to find out. It only takes a couple of minutes:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/teacher-blog/quiz/2013/feb/04/grammar-punctuation-quiz-test
Next stop: Japan.
* For the uninitiated, Kiki’s Delivery Service revolves around a very similar plot. I, however, shall not be travelling by broomstick. Or with a cat. And I’m not convinced Nagoya has more than two trees to its name…
Image © Studio Ghibli, 1989
