Teaching skill does not depend on nationality
A native English speaker might have an American, British, Australian, South African, Nigerian, Indian or Irish accent, among many others. Being born in an English-speaking country does not make someone a good teacher, just as being a native German or French speaker does not make you a good German or French teacher.
The best teachers teach standard English, free of strong regional accents, so that students are understood by English speakers everywhere. That is what Mr Q does.
What to look for in any teacher
- Real teaching skill. The ability to adapt to your level, explain clearly and correct you at the right moment.
- Experience. Many classroom challenges are only mastered with time. Look for at least five years of teaching.
- Commitment. Many people teach English for a while and then move on to other careers. A teacher who has chosen teaching as a profession will still be there to take you to the end of the course.
- Proof. Qualifications, recommendations and real results from former students.
The advantages of a non-native teacher
A teacher who learned English as a foreign language went through the same process you are going through now. They learned the grammar consciously, step by step, and know where learners get stuck because they got stuck there too. Native speakers absorbed the language as children, so they often find it hard to explain why something is said a certain way.
Non-native teachers have also usually chosen teaching deliberately, out of a passion for the language, and trained for it.
The advantages of a native teacher
Native speakers have a wider range of idioms and slang and use the language in a more spontaneous way. Advanced learners can benefit from that. But for most learners, what matters most is structured practice, constant correction and review, and these depend on the method and the teacher’s skill, not on their passport.
Mr Q’s approach
Mr Q learned English as an adult with the Callan Method, completed the Callan School teacher training in England and has taught with the method since 1998. Robin Callan, the creator of the method and a native speaker, recommended him personally after hearing recordings of his lessons. Over the years, Mr Q has also trained other teachers, including native English speakers who taught at his school in Brazil, as well as the teachers of CLC Switzerland.
The best way to decide is to see for yourself: watch his lessons.