Teaching Teenagers

We all know the clichés about teenagers. They’re emotional, they’re always tired, they think parents and teachers are embarrassing and they’re always on their phones. Right? We get it, we’ve all been teenagers at one point, with our mood swings, our musical tastes that absolutely were not a phase and fashion that still holds up, even to this day. Ahem.

Across cultures, adolescence is a roller coaster, and so is being around teens. If you’re a TEFL teacher, you’ll know that a lot of job opportunities around the world involve teaching young people aged 13-18, whether it’s a middle or high school situation, an academy, a language school or wherever else teaching takes you.

Here’s the thing, though: teaching teenagers can be a lot of fun. As an English teacher, you can inspire a lifelong interest in the English language. You can guide classes towards all kinds of opportunities, whether it’s higher education in English-speaking countries, forging business connections later in life across the world, or simply enjoying English-language culture. That’s for the future - in the current day, you can teach your classes of teenagers what all of these English-language memes actually mean (though we’re not sure how much we can help you there).

So, sure - it’s a unique challenge, but teaching English to teenagers can be a lot of fun, and extremely rewarding. What do you need to have on your CV, what works, and where can you teach adolescents? Let’s take a closer look.

What do you need to teach teenagers?

What do you need on your CV to teach teenagers? Here are some of the things you'll require - or not, as the case may be - to get started.

A TEFL qualification

If you’re looking to teach English in schools or through private tutoring - or in general - TEFL qualification courses are your best port of call. Employers, parents, and students want to know that you’re qualified to teach English, so you’ll need to have at least 120 hours of TEFL study on your CV. Why 120? Well, 120 hours of study is the industry standard.

A TEFL certificate is a ticket to finding fantastic, rewarding work around the world, whether teaching English abroad to teenagers in classrooms or teaching English online . 

Do I need a degree?

The answer to this is “it depends”. When you teach English abroad, you’ll find that some nations require new entrants to have a bachelor’s degree to apply for a visa and/or work permit. Where this is the case, yes, you’ll need a degree to teach teenagers. 

That said, there are several countries where you can teach English abroad without a degree . Where that’s the case, you just need to receive a job offer from a school or other educational institution and successfully apply for a visa/work permit.

If you’re teaching English online, then it’s another slightly complicated answer. Some teaching companies will require applicants to have a degree. In many cases, however, a TEFL certificate and, ideally, teaching experience will be enough to land a permanent teaching job online. Online teaching platforms work differently - they don’t normally have specific requirements, working more as digital noticeboards for teachers to advertise themselves. Having a degree helps when you’re trying to sell your services as a teacher, but it’s not always necessary.

Experience

You can teach English to teenagers without experience, sure. Everyone has to start somewhere, after all. Whether it’s in private tutoring or classroom experience, you might find that some of your initial experiences in the classroom are with students aged 13-18. Though this can sound a bit daunting, it’s an excellent test for any new teacher.

Ultimately, it depends on the employer. Many TEFL job adverts clarify that experience is required, while others state that new teachers are more than welcome to apply. 

How to teach teenagers

So, how do you teach English to teenagers? While they’re all different, with a range of interests, learning styles and levels of proficiency, we think there are a few universal truths to teaching teens that’ll help you along in the classroom.

Be relatable - use content that’s specifically geared to teens

At the risk of sounding like Steve Buscemi in 30 Rock (“How do you do, fellow kids?”), it’s essential to keep up with what’s culturally relevant. At least to an extent. While nobody - least of all your students - expects you to watch hundreds of TikTok memes every night in preparation for classes. Still, there’s a way to get it right. Using podcasts , music , vide o, and other forms of media in the classroom can really help teenagers understand English phrases, accents, grammar and syntax.

Again, we can’t emphasise this enough: don’t age yourself down because it’ll come across as pandering. Teenagers like authenticity (more on that later), and they’ll see right through any terrible attempts to be on their level. Just think about the lessons you might’ve enjoyed at that age and reflect upon that.

Avoid old, dusty textbooks

While discussing different media forms and being relatable, keep the old textbooks locked away. Now, don’t get us wrong. We love a good textbook and especially love a well-crafted lesson plan. Still, plenty of us remember the dated materials we used in language classes more than the actual language lessons themselves. 

In all likelihood, while learning a language at school, you’ll have encountered very dated materials. While it’s understandable that schools hold on to their textbooks, tapes and whatnot - these things are expensive - it can be ultra-distracting for teenage learners. Also, do you really want to give sarcastic teens material to scoff at?

Nobody does irony like teenagers. Giving them some learning materials from the 90s is a gift that says, “Hey, don’t pay attention, make jokes instead!”. Trust us on this.

Don't condescend

If you’re reading this, congratulations - it’s likely that in the eyes of a teenager, you’re old. Sorry, that’s just the way it is. If you’ve passed the age of 20, that’s it. Bad luck. 

Teenagers, though, are going through a lot. It’s easy for us older people to forget the flurry of emotions, the intellectual curiosity and the level of academic stress that you go through in your teenage years. The last thing they want is a life lesson from their English teacher about how easy their life is now and how much harder it’ll be for them later in life. You won’t cut through at all that way.

What does this have to do with English teaching? Well, it’s about your general approach. Teenagers hate condescension and care about authenticity across all strands of their lives, including their education. When you teach English and give feedback, they need to know how they’re doing, where they can improve, and what they’re good at. 

Where can I teach teenagers?

So, where can you teach teenagers? There’s a straightforward answer to this. Much like teaching young learners, the case is that there are jobs teaching teenagers everywhere. Where you can teach English as a foreign language, you can teach teenagers, is the simple answer.

So, whether you’re looking to teach English abroad, in any number of amazing locations, or you want to teach English from the comfort of your own home, you can teach teenagers. Schools are where the vast majority of opportunities will be, but many parents and guardians have set their teenagers up for online tutoring. 

The only glaring exception is China , in the sense that you can’t privately tutor teenagers there. This is because of laws prohibiting tutors from teaching young people outside of school. However, if you work in a Chinese school, you can teach teenagers English as a foreign language.

Opportunities abound!

If you find that your teaching skills, personality and ability to scope out relatable teaching materials are best suited to teaching teenagers, then you’re in luck. The opportunities are there, whether it’s in the classroom or online. There are a million and one reasons why adolescents might want to improve their English: to get ahead in school, prepare to apply for English-speaking universities, learn English for holidays, travel for a summer camp and so on. 

Yes, the clichés about teenagers exist, and some of them ring true. Speaking from personal experience, dramatic haircuts and long lie-ins were foundational experiences. However, you might find that as a TEFL teacher, your most receptive and enthusiastic English learners are in their teens.

Want to start your teaching journey? Start our 120-hour Premier Online course today, study at your own pace, and become a qualified TEFL teacher. It’s that simple!