How to become a Portuguese teacher
Teaching Portuguese can be a highly rewarding career. Seeing your students go from barely being able to speak a word of your language to being able to converse fluently is something that’s quite special.
You could teach Portuguese in a classroom setting, for example in a school, in a university, or in an evening class for adults. Other Portuguese teachers prefer to teach 1-on-1, either face-to-face or online.
The pathway towards becoming a Portuguese teacher will vary widely based on the specific setting you wish to teach in. And it will also vary based on where you wish to teach. For example, teaching in a school in the UK will likely require different qualifications to teaching in a primary school in Australia.
Almost always, you will need to be fluent in Portuguese. If you aren’t a native speaker, you may find yourself at a disadvantage when competing for positions and students. But this isn’t always the case. You may even be able to turn it into a strength if you can demonstrate that learning Portuguese has given you a greater insight into how to teach the language.
If you wish to teach Portuguese in a formal classroom setting, you will typically require a Bachelors degree in Portuguese or Education. Some countries may also require a Masters degree.
Aside from qualifications, to give yourself a strong change of success, you should consider how you can demonstrate the following skills:
- Fluency in the language of your students (often English).
- Interpersonal and communication skills.
- Organisational skills.
- Basic computer skills.
Of course, you can also teach Portuguese 1-on-1 as a freelancer. This way, you just need to be able to persuade students to give you a chance. The competition amongst freelance Portuguese teachers varies a lot depending on location and whether the lessons are online or face-to-face. You’ll typically still need to demonstrate all of the skills above, but you may be able to get away with not having a degree. Sometimes, a good halfway house can be to take a shorter course in teaching Portuguese as a Foreign language.
If you are looking to become an online Portuguese teacher, you can find out more on our website (via the footer).
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