General Overview
Arabic is the official language of Algeria, but to teach English in Algeria is a possibility. Another language used there is French, which is considered the lingua franca. It is spoken by a large percentage of the population, been used in the later years of high school.
Most of the population is Arab-Berber, practicing Islam and using the official languages of Arabic and Berber.
A continuing series of protests throughout the country started on 28 December 2010, inspired by similar protests across the Middle East and North Africa.
Teach English in Algeria – Politics
On 24 February 2011, the government lifted Algeria’s 19-year-old state of emergency. The government enacted legislation dealing with political parties, the electoral code, and the representation of women in elected bodies.
In April 2011, Bouteflika promised further constitutional and political reform. However, elections are routinely criticized by opposition groups as unfair. International human rights groups say that media censorship and harassment of political opponents continue.
On 2 April 2019, Bouteflika resigned from the presidency after mass protests against his candidacy for a fifth term in office.
The new Algerian authorities have an ambitious structural reform plan. They want to simplify regulations concerning companies, improve governance and transparency. Also, reform the investment legal framework and modernize the financial sector. President Tebboune has announced that Algeria will not turn to external borrowing. Or increase the money supply as a solution to deal with its financial needs amid the sharp drop in oil prices. In this context, the Algerian political system understood the need to diversify the Algerian economy and become less dependent on the oil and gas industry, which still accounts for 96% of the country’s exports.
Teach English in Algeria – Economy
Algeria’s climate is very diverse, and it is often refer to as the land of cherries and dates. Algeria is the 10th largest producer of oil and 4th largest of natural gas. These exports often find there way to Western Europe.
Algeria is a regional and middle power. It has the highest HDI of all non-island African countries. It is also one of the largest economies on the continent, in fact its industry is largely based on energy exports.
Algeria is classified as an upper middle income country by the World Bank. Algeria’s currency is the dinar (DZD). The economy remains dominated by the state. In recent years, the Algerian government has halted the privatization of state-owned industries. And imposed restrictions on imports and foreign involvement in its economy.
The situation in Algeria
This are some of the comments left by people on the ground:
“Teaching English in Algeria is very difficult. Teachers face many problems, such as large classes and class management. Absence of communication, lack of teaching materials. Not only is the atmosphere not appropriate to teach English, but the actual program does not satisfy the teaching aims and learners’ needs.”
“English teachers in Algeria need training. They need to improve their own level of English and learn more modern methods of teaching. Especially with regards to teaching large classes. The biggest problem is: the teachers’ mistaken belief that the problem is the system and the students’ behavior. The reason students misbehave is because their teachers are not good enough. Teaching is helping children to find out how they learn best, and to encourage individual growth. Ongoing professional teacher’s training together with advanced language learning/practice is the ONLY solution. This can be accomplished by the teachers themselves. They can organize workshops, invite English native speakers, teaching professionals to join them. And, visit this website!”
“I want to say that English teachers in Algeria are doing their best to improve teaching English but they are facing a lot. They don’t receive any training or scholarships. Other languages like French fare encouraged by France but English is left to teachers who were poorly educated. We need real training!”
How to Begin Teaching in Algeria
The largest country in Africa, Algeria is a country of UNESCO heritage sites, beautiful colonial architecture, ancient Roman ruins, gorgeous beaches and the Sahara desert. The sheer size of the country means that there are various different geographical regions in the country, from the coast to the mountains to the desert.
With such a diverse landscape, there are a range of activities that can be done to suit every traveller’s tastes: spend time in the capital city of Algiers, a quaint town with a touch of French colonialism; visit the city of Ouargla in the south of the desert, an ochre-coloured town known as ‘the golden key to the desert’; hike around the vast volcanic plateau of TassiliN’Ajjer; soak up the sun on the Turquoise Coast; tour the Sahara by camel; or visit the historic and holy town of Beni-Isguen. Whatever you fancy, rest assured you will find something to do in Algeria.
Arabic is the official language of Algeria and though French is considered a lingua franca and is spoken by a large percentage of the population and is even a medium of instruction in the later years of high school, it is not an official language.
More
Learn more about this topic by reading on TheTeflaAcademy.
After reading “Teach English in Algeria”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.