In 2019, it is estimated that English is spoken by 1.5 billion people around the world. That's very close to 20% of all the people on Earth. While that's an impressive statistic, it's not one that typically surprises people. You don't have to be a scholar, nor somebody particularly interested in linguistics, to know the huge role that English plays in global, well, everything.
Looking back at the humble beginnings of English, there was no reason whatsoever to suggest that it would overtake all others, becoming one of the most successful out of the roughly 5,000 other languages spoken around the world. Its history is a fascinating dive into global politics, colonialism, and migration and, with the help of a few statistics, we can see just how much an TEFL teacher like you changes the world.
Business to business
Let's take Spain as a case study:
Recent research conducted into the English language spoken amongst the 'eligible' population of major UN countries has Spain (eligible population 47,190,000) with just 10,400,000 English speakers, or 22% of the 'eligible' population. With the global average at just under 20%, Spain would seem to be doing quite well in terms of language skills. However, this compares to 35% of Iraqis, 36% of Nepalese, 37% of Poles and Egyptians, 86% of Swedes and 90% of the Dutch. There are various historical and cultural reasons for this, not least Spain's colonial past which (as with the UK) resulted in major trading partners speaking the same language, so there was no imperative to learn a new one. Currently 69.4% of Spanish exports are to EU countries, with only 6.7% to the UK and only just over half of that to the US. However, both the UK and the US produce very healthy trade surpluses for the Spanish economy and trade growth to English speaking countries including Australia, Canada and South Africa is increasingly important.
Spain is just an example, and we can see similar stories all over Europe and beyond. The ability to communicate in English, without the aid of Google Translate, is increasing in importance daily at every level, maximizing trade opportunities for even the smallest businesses. This makes your job as an EFL teacher vital not only for the individual students, but for the global economy.
Migration
Let's now return to the UK, where EFL is also a huge market.
Data from the most recent census carried out in the United Kingdom, in 2011, shows us that close to a million people consider their English ability to be low or non-existent. Added to this, over a hundred thousand applicants, on average, are granted the right to remain in the UK every year. Many of these newcomers have proficient English skills, but many do not. Without proper education, they face an enormous challenge to integrate into society, find work, and even carry out basic everyday tasks. This leads to a lack of cultural awareness, segregated communities, and tension among citizens.
This is where your job as an EFL teacher comes in. Your role is to provide new international people with the skills they desperately need to really progress in their professional and social lives. You may find yourself teaching students trying to improve their language ability for visa applications, further studies, and job requirements. Having more immigrants to the UK being able to speak English contributes to a healthier and more diverse society, better relationships between cultural minorities, and a better understanding of the world around us.
The internet
Since its invention, the internet has become absolutely indispensable for just about everything. From doing the grocery shop, to making a living, the online world has revolutionised the planet. What does that mean for you as an English teacher?
Research shows us that a staggering 55% of all content available on the internet is in English. To understand just how high this figure is, we can compare it to the next highest on the list, which is Russian, with just 6% of all web pages. The shocking disparity between this statistic and the percentage of English speakers around the world (20%), proves just how important the language is in terms of global communication.
Simply put, English is a necessary skill for those who spend a lot of time, or even work, online. Your job as a teacher is to give them those skills, helping them navigate the World Wide Web a great deal more easily.
Individuals
We talked about how learning English helps businesses to become and stay competitive in an increasingly international market, and how it helps people already in the UK for personal reasons to integrate into society. But what about those people who have trouble finding employment in their own countries? They might not want to move to the UK or the US to find work, so how does English help them?
Well, English is the official language of more than 50 countries, meaning that job seekers have plenty of options for finding work abroad if they speak it. The language is also the standard for an increasing number of skilled industries, including engineering, tourism, diplomacy, aviation, banking, sales, IT, and many others. Professionals hoping to land a coveted role in one of these areas will find that your teaching helps them to achieve it. If you thought that your job was merely to teach phrasal verbs to a group of uninterested teenage students, you are mistaken. Let's sum up all the benefits that your tutoring brings the world and its inhabitants:
- Boosting global economy by helping companies bring their products and services to the world's stage.
- Playing a huge role in migration by assisting immigrants to find employment, settle into society, continue their education, and make friends.
- Bringing more of the internet to people previously unable to access a large part of it.
- Aiding skilled workers to market their skills at home and abroad, in a huge range of in-demand professions.
Overall, EFL is a hugely important part of today's world and you, as a teacher, can feel safe in the knowledge that you'll be needed for many years to come.
