One of the most common questions I've been asked about teaching in the Czech Republic is, "Do you even speak Czech?" The answer is still (mostly) no. People wonder how it is possible to teach English if you can't explain concepts in their native tongue. This fear of learning a new language prevents many people from even considering the idea of living and working abroad. In this post, I want to explain how it is possible to teach English without speaking the students' native language. I hope this is helpful for people considering teaching ESL in the Czech Republic or other countries. In my next post, I will explain more about learning Czech, what I find interesting about it, and provide some useful phrases that will help if you plan to work here or are interested in the Czech language.
One of my favorite things about Prague (as I mentioned a couple of posts ago) is that it is a cultural hub. This means there is a high demand for English since it is becoming the preferred language for international communication. Therefore, most Czechs know enough basic English to be somewhat helpful in shops, restaurants, or even on the street. Most of their exposure to English comes from Hollywood, so many have some skewed perceptions on what American life is like. In Berlin for example, a Polish girl asked me, "If you are American, why are you staying in a cheap hostel? Don't you have enough money for a nice hotel?" So in addition to teaching basic language and grammar, you also act as a representative of your native country's culture. My point is that most people are familiar enough with English for native English speakers to get by just fine without speaking much Czech.
While you don't have to learn Czech, I definitely recommend picking up basic words and phrases. I have expressed interest in learning Czech to some locals, and they usually say something like, "Why? Nobody speaks it except in Czech Republic, and it is very difficult to learn." With only 10 million native speakers as of 2007 (I think it's closer to 12 million now), they may have a point. However, I think it is a sign of basic respect to learn the basics while you are living and working here. Simple words like hello, goodbye, please, and thank you will go a long way. Some people may laugh at your iffy pronunciation, but they will most likely appreciate that you are making an effort rather than speaking in loud, condescending English. So although it may seem as though they are discouraging you from learning it, they will be pleasantly surprised if you can politely ask for a meal to go.
As far as teaching in the classroom, you don't need to speak any Czech whatsoever. When teaching new vocabulary, it may be handy to have the Czech translation on hand, but only as a last resort. It is much more effective to provide real examples of objects or act out verbs. This has the added benefit of making class more engaging rather than simply translating everything. For example, when teaching the word decorations, I drew pictures of balloons and showed pictures of party decorations from a magazine. This helps students make immediate connections between words and their meaning. Similarly, to teach a verb like to fly, just flap your arms around like an idiot and zoom around the room. The students will understand what you mean and have a good laugh at your expense, so everybody wins. Furthermore, if the students know that you don't speak Czech, they are forced to use English to ask questions and explain what they mean. This eliminates the option of resorting to their native language.
While most language schools will give native English speakers the more advanced students, it is possible to teach beginning English without knowing Czech. This was demonstrated in my TEFL program at TLH when we had Czech lessons. None of us knew any Czech, but we learned how to introduce ourselves, order in a restaurant, name various food items, go grocery shopping, and say what we like in only 8 hours using no English to explain. Our Czech teacher only spoke in Czech the whole four weeks of the course. It wasn't until the last few minutes of the class that she started speaking in perfect English to discuss what we had learned about teaching a foreign language.
Teaching children is somewhat different. What if they are very upset and screaming in Czech and you have no idea how to help them? Never fear! Most elementary schools will always have a Czech teacher on hand to translate for you. I am happy to announce that I will pick up 4.5 hours of teaching kids ages 9-11 next week. I will only have a maximum of 8 students at a time, and a native Czech man will be there to translate my instructions and help with classroom management. I met the kids earlier this week, and I'm very excited to be working with children again. I've genuinely missed their energy. Adults are easy to manage, but it can get boring. Teaching ESL allows me to have a lot of variety. Now I'm working with young kids who know only basic nouns to advanced college students who want to pass standardized English exams (which most native English speakers would have a hard time passing).
Moving to a foreign country is something I wish everybody could experience. It challenges you in almost every way possible and teaches you a lot about yourself in the process. You learn to rely on yourself, to be ok with appearing strange to others, to try new foods, to appreciate your native country, to say yes to adventure, to be vulnerable, to be resourceful, to be open, to be patient, to be flexible, to rethink your beliefs, to meet new people, to focus on what we all have in common, to gain perspective on what's really important in life, and so much more. It's not easy. But, then again, nothing worth doing in life ever is.
-Anthony
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