Quick answer: Cultural sensitivity for TEFL teachers means learning how gestures, body language and everyday topics are read differently abroad – from never showing the soles of your feet in Thailand or Japan to knowing that a thumbs up is rude in Iraq. Do your homework on local norms before you fly, watch how colleagues behave, and teach your students the cultural side of English too.
Why does cultural sensitivity matter when teaching English abroad?
With English as a global language, we may assume there is a corresponding understanding of British/American customs, ways and body language.
Anyone who has travelled widely or lived abroad for any length of time knows this is a mistake. It can be hard to navigate the rules in certain very formal cultures, such as Japan or Korea, for example.
Don’t put your feet up on the desk in Thailand or Japan, since showing the soles of your feet is very bad manners. Closer to home, removing your jacket and rolling up your sleeves means getting down to business in the UK and Holland, but in Germany this action would be regarded as a having a laid back or relaxed attitude. And, consider the implications of socialising in Russia where it is only polite to keep up with your host drink for drink!
Similarly, when teaching in places with a traumatic history, it is wise to do some homework as seemingly innocuous occurrences can signal more than you intend. One teacher comments that when teaching Vietnamese and Cambodian students he had a red pen clipped into his shirt front pocket. Weeks later he discovered that this was THE status symbol of the Khmer Rouge.
Which gestures mean different things abroad?
Here is a quick do-and-don’t reference built from the examples above and the quiz below – the kind of detail that saves an awkward first week in the staffroom:
| Where | Do | Don’t |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand / Japan | Keep both feet on the floor in class | Put your feet up or show the soles of your feet – very bad manners |
| Japan | Step outside if you need to blow your nose | Blow your nose in public – it is considered bad manners |
| Germany | Keep your jacket on in formal settings | Assume rolled-up sleeves signals “getting down to business” as it does in the UK and Holland – it reads as laid back |
| Iraq | Use a verbal “well done” | Give a thumbs up – it is a very rude gesture |
| India / Bulgaria | Watch for the side-to-side head wobble – it means “yes” | Read a head wobble as a “no” |
| Russia | Pace yourself before a night out with hosts | Forget that it is polite to keep up with your host drink for drink |
| UK | Keep personal-finance questions off the small-talk list | Ask “How much do you earn?” – grammatically perfect, socially painful |
Try our quick culture test
So how much do you know about gestures in various countries. Try our quick quiz:
Identify which countries fit the descriptions below:
- Bulgaria
- Japan
- India
- Iraq
1) In which country is ‘yes’ indicated by the wobbling of the head side to side?
2) In which country is ‘yes’ indicated in 2 ways; by the wobbling of the head side to side or by nodding
3 ) In which country is a ‘thumbs up’ hand signal considered a very rude gesture?
4 ) In which country is blowing your nose in public considered bad manners?
Answers are at the bottom of the page.
Should TEFL teachers teach culture as well as language?
So, knowing how important it can be to be culturally appropriate, how do we apply this as teachers of English? Is it our job to teach our students more than just the language? Might we want to consider non-verbal communication as well, such as how someone from the UK can perceive arms folded as quite a defensive gesture in conversation?
Now think about this. If we are teaching questions and our student forms this perfectly grammatically correct sentence:
"How much do you earn?"
how essential is it that we inform them that this is not a very polite question in the UK?
How can you prepare before you go abroad?
You cannot memorise every custom, but you can arrive as a good guest rather than an accidental offender. A simple pre-departure routine:
- Read up on your destination. Our country guides collect practical advice and comments from graduates already teaching there, and the UK government’s foreign travel advice pages cover local laws and customs country by country.
- Watch before you act. In your first weeks, copy what local colleagues do in the staffroom and classroom – how they greet, dress, give feedback and handle disagreement.
- Ask, don’t assume. Students are usually delighted to explain their own norms; it makes an excellent discussion lesson in itself.
- Factor culture into your job hunt. Job adverts on our TEFL jobs board often signal how formal a school is; destination overviews like our top 5 best-paying TESOL destinations also touch on workplace expectations.
Your experiences
Over to you. Do you teach cultural appropriateness in class and if so, how? Have you ever got it wrong abroad? What advice would you give to someone coming to live in your country?
If you are interested in this area, the Global English 250-hr TESOL Professional course goes into this and various areas of sociolinguistics in more depth. Alternatively, you can take this interesting area as a separate 30-hour programme through our 30-hr Introduction to Linguistics course.
Answers to the quiz
Yes is indicated by the wobbling of the head side to side in India.
Yes is indicated in 2 ways; by the wobbling of the head side to side or by nodding in Bulgaria.
A thumbs up hand signal considered a very rude gesture in Iraq.
Blowing your nose in public is considered bad manners in Japan.
Frequently asked questions
How should you behave when teaching English abroad?
Arrive as a guest: learn the local norms around gestures, dress and taboo topics before you go, observe how local teachers behave, and adapt. Small things matter – feet on a desk in Thailand, a thumbs up in Iraq or blowing your nose in a Japanese classroom can all cause real offence.
Do I need to teach culture as well as grammar?
The best teachers do. A sentence can be grammatically perfect and socially wrong – “How much do you earn?” is the classic example for UK English. Teaching politeness conventions, body language and appropriate topics alongside the language makes your students genuinely effective communicators, not just accurate ones.
What qualifications do I need to teach English abroad?
Most schools ask for an accredited TEFL/TESOL certificate of at least 120 hours, and many countries also require a degree for a work visa. If intercultural communication interests you, the 250-hour TESOL Professional course covers sociolinguistics in depth, or add the 30-hour Introduction to Linguistics module.
Do I need to speak the local language to teach English abroad?
No – most English classes are taught largely in English, and many successful teachers arrive with only a few local phrases. But learning some of the language is one of the fastest ways to understand the culture, earn goodwill with colleagues and appreciate what your students are up against.
Over to you
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Updated February 2023