United States
US
Teaching Business English: Requirements And Opportunities
July 13, 2023
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Teaching Business English
- What you need
- Best countries
- Can I teach
- Start your journey with us
- Summary
- Business English teachers are in high demand.
- Business English can be necessary for employees at all levels of a business.
- Fear not, you don’t need to be a businessperson to teach Business English.
English is fast becoming the global language of business. As a result, Business English teachers are in high demand – which is good news for us TEFL teachers!
More and more international companies are mandating English as their corporate language – like Nokia, Renault and Samsung – to ensure they can communicate and compete in the international market.
Not only that, but research from the University of Chicago found that people make more rational decisions when they consider them in a second language. This is because we think more rationally and less instinctively in another language.
In other words, speaking English as a foreign language can be beneficial in a business context not only in terms of communication but in terms of strategy too.
What does teaching Business English entail?
If you’re imagining businessmen and -women sitting in suits around a boardroom table, you’re not totally wrong. But that’s not the only scenario when it comes to teaching Business English.
Business English can be necessary for employees at all levels of a business, from salespeople to managers to call centre agents to CEOs. Students who take Business English lessons might do so in-company during office hours, or privately after-hours. Companies can sponsor their employees to take a sabbatical specifically to learn English.
University students who are doing a Business degree can take extra 1:1 lessons with tutors to help them through their studies. This can be done at the university or at a private language school.
Previous Business English students of The TEFL Academy tutors have included:
- A CFO of a French bank who studied 1:1 English lessons in South Africa for 4 weeks;
- Call centre agents living and working in the UK;
- Angolan engineers sent to South Africa for a year to have group lessons;
- Spanish Commerce students taking extra lessons at their university while studying;
- A Polish security guard working in the UK who needed to learn how to write work reports.
As you can see, Business English includes a wide range of students!
Business English falls under English for Specific Purposes. It was designed for professionals who need to communicate in English in the workplace. Where General English focuses more on practical and functional English which can be used in everyday English settings, Business English looks more at the specific English style used in business settings.
Business English includes:
- writing emails
- giving presentations
- taking minutes
- taking notes
- giving interviews
- preparing reports
- negotiating
- making sales
- diplomacy, and
- communication skills.
What do you need to teach Business English?
Fear not, you don’t need to be a businessperson to teach Business English.
That’s right, any TEFL teacher can teach Business English. Just as a TEFL teacher can teach English for Exams, English for Hospitality, or English for Medicine without any relevant qualifications or experience, you don’t need to be a suit to teach Business English.
Of course, if you were a suit in a previous life this will only benefit you, but it you weren’t, don’t let that discourage you from getting involved in teaching Business English.
But there are a few other requirements you need to teach Business English.
1. A degree
A degree is necessary to teach Business English only insofar as it’s necessary to get a working visa. As is the case with any TEFL job, if a degree is needed it can be a degree in any field.
2. TEFL certification
A TEFL certification is preferable when teaching Business English. Because it is a specialised subject, your students will appreciate the extra training you have when it comes to teaching English as a foreign language.
Even better is to do an advanced TEFL course which specialises in teaching Business English. And what do you know, The TEFL Academy offers a course like that! Our Top-Up Course Teaching Business English shows you how to create a needs analysis, write an appropriate lesson plan and carry out an effective Business English lesson.
Sign up for our Top-Up Course Teaching Business English to make sure you have the edge when it comes to teaching Business English.
FYI if you sign up for a course with The TEFL Academy, you receive access to all three Top-Up Courses absolutely FREE!
3. Experience
No business experience is needed to teach Business English. However, having experience teaching Business English is a huge plus on your CV when it comes to attracting students. Students take a leap of faith if they’re your first student, but are much more easily persuaded if you have a history of teaching Business English.
Which countries are common for teaching Business English?
While you can teach Business English anywhere, there are a handful of countries which are known for teaching Business English.
If you’re interested in teaching Business English abroad, consider China, Taiwan, the UK, Germany, France or Sweden.
Can I teach Business English online?
Yes, you can teach Business English abroad and online!
The beauty of online teaching is that you can teach anything online, including Business English.
As an independent online English teacher, you can market yourself as a Business English teacher and advertise on social media and LinkedIn to find students. Some Business English teachers may be able to forge relationships with companies which can see them teaching a number of employees or departments.
As you can imagine, there are online companies which focus on teaching Business English online. To name a few:
- EF
- Lingoda
- Break Into English, and
- Bright Learning.
And of course with any online platform for independent online teachers, like Preply, you can advertise yourself as a Business English teacher.
Start your journey with us
Teaching Business English is the way forward when it comes to teaching English as a foreign language. There is growing demand for Business English teachers and now is the perfect time to get qualified – and start earning! Contact us to sign up for one of our TEFL courses and soon you could be teaching the next Carlos Slim Helu!
Read More:
Meet The Author
Kirsten Colquhoun is the Content Manager for The TEFL Academy. A graduate of Cambridge University and DELTA-qualified, she first started teaching kindergarten in Thailand in 2003. A South African, she has also taught in China, the UK, Spain, Qatar and South Africa, but these days she is a teacher trainer and freelance writer and editor.Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Teaching Business English
- What you need
- Best countries
- Can I teach
- Start your journey with us
- Summary
- Business English teachers are in high demand.
- Business English can be necessary for employees at all levels of a business.
- Fear not, you don’t need to be a businessperson to teach Business English.
English is fast becoming the global language of business. As a result, Business English teachers are in high demand – which is good news for us TEFL teachers!
More and more international companies are mandating English as their corporate language – like Nokia, Renault and Samsung – to ensure they can communicate and compete in the international market.
Not only that, but research from the University of Chicago found that people make more rational decisions when they consider them in a second language. This is because we think more rationally and less instinctively in another language.
In other words, speaking English as a foreign language can be beneficial in a business context not only in terms of communication but in terms of strategy too.
What does teaching Business English entail?
If you’re imagining businessmen and -women sitting in suits around a boardroom table, you’re not totally wrong. But that’s not the only scenario when it comes to teaching Business English.
Business English can be necessary for employees at all levels of a business, from salespeople to managers to call centre agents to CEOs. Students who take Business English lessons might do so in-company during office hours, or privately after-hours. Companies can sponsor their employees to take a sabbatical specifically to learn English.
University students who are doing a Business degree can take extra 1:1 lessons with tutors to help them through their studies. This can be done at the university or at a private language school.
Previous Business English students of The TEFL Academy tutors have included:
- A CFO of a French bank who studied 1:1 English lessons in South Africa for 4 weeks;
- Call centre agents living and working in the UK;
- Angolan engineers sent to South Africa for a year to have group lessons;
- Spanish Commerce students taking extra lessons at their university while studying;
- A Polish security guard working in the UK who needed to learn how to write work reports.
As you can see, Business English includes a wide range of students!
Business English falls under English for Specific Purposes. It was designed for professionals who need to communicate in English in the workplace. Where General English focuses more on practical and functional English which can be used in everyday English settings, Business English looks more at the specific English style used in business settings.
Business English includes:
- writing emails
- giving presentations
- taking minutes
- taking notes
- giving interviews
- preparing reports
- negotiating
- making sales
- diplomacy, and
- communication skills.
What do you need to teach Business English?
Fear not, you don’t need to be a businessperson to teach Business English.
That’s right, any TEFL teacher can teach Business English. Just as a TEFL teacher can teach English for Exams, English for Hospitality, or English for Medicine without any relevant qualifications or experience, you don’t need to be a suit to teach Business English.
Of course, if you were a suit in a previous life this will only benefit you, but it you weren’t, don’t let that discourage you from getting involved in teaching Business English.
But there are a few other requirements you need to teach Business English.
1. A degree
A degree is necessary to teach Business English only insofar as it’s necessary to get a working visa. As is the case with any TEFL job, if a degree is needed it can be a degree in any field.
2. TEFL certification
A TEFL certification is preferable when teaching Business English. Because it is a specialised subject, your students will appreciate the extra training you have when it comes to teaching English as a foreign language.
Even better is to do an advanced TEFL course which specialises in teaching Business English. And what do you know, The TEFL Academy offers a course like that! Our Top-Up Course Teaching Business English shows you how to create a needs analysis, write an appropriate lesson plan and carry out an effective Business English lesson.
Sign up for our Top-Up Course Teaching Business English to make sure you have the edge when it comes to teaching Business English.
FYI if you sign up for a course with The TEFL Academy, you receive access to all three Top-Up Courses absolutely FREE!
3. Experience
No business experience is needed to teach Business English. However, having experience teaching Business English is a huge plus on your CV when it comes to attracting students. Students take a leap of faith if they’re your first student, but are much more easily persuaded if you have a history of teaching Business English.
Which countries are common for teaching Business English?
While you can teach Business English anywhere, there are a handful of countries which are known for teaching Business English.
If you’re interested in teaching Business English abroad, consider China, Taiwan, the UK, Germany, France or Sweden.
Can I teach Business English online?
Yes, you can teach Business English abroad and online!
The beauty of online teaching is that you can teach anything online, including Business English.
As an independent online English teacher, you can market yourself as a Business English teacher and advertise on social media and LinkedIn to find students. Some Business English teachers may be able to forge relationships with companies which can see them teaching a number of employees or departments.
As you can imagine, there are online companies which focus on teaching Business English online. To name a few:
- EF
- Lingoda
- Break Into English, and
- Bright Learning.
And of course with any online platform for independent online teachers, like Preply, you can advertise yourself as a Business English teacher.
Start your journey with us
Teaching Business English is the way forward when it comes to teaching English as a foreign language. There is growing demand for Business English teachers and now is the perfect time to get qualified – and start earning! Contact us to sign up for one of our TEFL courses and soon you could be teaching the next Carlos Slim Helu!
Read More:
Meet The Author
Kirsten Colquhoun is the Content Manager for The TEFL Academy. A graduate of Cambridge University and DELTA-qualified, she first started teaching kindergarten in Thailand in 2003. A South African, she has also taught in China, the UK, Spain, Qatar and South Africa, but these days she is a teacher trainer and freelance writer and editor.