Foreign Language Teaching

Certainly! Teaching English abroad uniquely positions you for rapid foreign language acquisition. Immersion in a new culture, surrounded by native speakers daily, is one of the most effective methods to grasp a language. As an English teacher abroad, every interaction - from daily errands to classroom engagements - becomes an invaluable opportunity to hone your linguistic abilities. What are the benefits of learning a foreign language when teaching English abroad? Can I learn Chinese while teaching English abroad? Can I learn Arabic while teaching English abroad? Can I learn Spanish while teaching English abroad? Can I learn French while teaching English abroad? What other languages can I learn while teaching English abroad? Embracing a foreign language while teaching English...  [Read more]

Yes, opportunities are available across the continent, from the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean in the north to the scenic landscapes around the Cape of Good Hope in the south. While it is true that teaching roles aren't as abundant or widespread as in other global regions, Africa's diverse culture and rich history provide an unparalleled teaching experience. Be prepared to stay flexible in your job search and be patient throughout the process. Ultimately, Africa offers a rewarding venture for those ready to embrace its potential. Where can I get a paid job teaching English in Africa? Should I consider volunteering as an English teacher in Africa? If you are seeking rewarding, paid ESL teaching positions in Africa, North African nations like Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia are your best...  [Read more]

  Our next consideration is that of giving instructions to our students. In order for those students to effectively carry out an activity, we need to make sure we have given clear and unambiguous instructions. It's also very important to check that the students understand the activity before you start. If you've done that work correctly then the teacher shouldn't need to say anything once an activity has started because the students are very clear about what they're supposed to be doing. So some ideas when giving instructions. As we've mentioned use simple language. Secondly, rather than trying to explain an activity, then do a demonstration which is visual. Thirdly, try to use wherever possible common words that come up within every activity. These would be things like ?look?,...  [Read more]

  Our next consideration is going to be how we actually group our students. There are perhaps three types of grouping arrangements that we can consider and within those we'll have a look at the potential positive and negatives of those particular arrangements. So firstly, what arrangements can we use? We could arrange our group as a whole class so all of their activities will be done as a whole class. They could be working as individuals and the final grouping arrangement we'll consider is that of small groups or indeed the use of pair work. So for each of these types of arrangements what are the potential positive and negatives with that type of arrangement? For the whole class certainly one of the main positive features is that it gives that class a sense of belonging. Secondly the...  [Read more]

  The dynamics of classroom interaction is often dictated by the arrangement of the classroom itself and the way in which the classroom is arranged could depend upon a number of factors and they might include things such as the age of the students, so for example we're unlikely to have the same arrangement for adult learners as we would have for young learners. It could also depend upon the actual physical space available. The physical space may determine how we have to arrange our classroom to maximize the opportunity for interaction and so forth. It will also depend on what material is available and by material in this case we're talking about the actual desks and chairs and so on and so forth. Perhaps the final thing we might put here is that it could also depend upon the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The best thing I have learned from this TEFL course is that teaching methodology is no longer dominated by the framework of translation/grammar-based learning, but newer, more holistic methods are starting to be used by teachers, such as the ESA method. Considering Language Structure A New Methodology Learned My Findings Are you ready to take your TEFL course? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Leslie H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Grammar/translation learning primarily uses the practice of finding equivalents of the students' language in their target language. One of my main criticisms of this method is the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Learning English as a foreign language in preschools have become an increasing trend in many different countries across the world. Parents are willing to invest money for the kids to start learning English at a tender age as their ability to grasp the language will be easier. Is it necessary for children? Fun activities Teaching vocabulary Consider short attention spans Are you ready to teach EFL to kindergarten level? Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Diana N. There are various ways of transferring knowledge based on fun EFL activities. Various techniques and numerous tools are the main methods of imparting knowledge the children. It has been scientifically proven that children at the ages of...  [Read more]

  Our next main issue is going to be that of giving students individual attention. Here many classroom management and leaving potential discipline problems can be avoided by applying some simple rules to giving your students attention. The first one is to think about the way in which you ask questions. Don't ask questions in a predictable order. If you just go around the class asking questions from one person to the next then the person at the end of the class will know that it's going to be some time before you actually get to them. So try to mix up the way in which you're asking questions. In terms of answers to questions don't allow individual students to dominate all of the answers. One of the things that we can do to help this particular issue is to use the students names as...  [Read more]

    170-hr TEFL Certificate with tutor (Specialization in Teaching Online) Our 170-hour Teaching English as a Foreign Language with Online Specialization has been designed for those who would like to gain a qualification to enter the TEFL/TESOL employment market and wish to maximize their options. Through this course we will give you the knowledge and skills needed to teach English in both classroom and online settings. The course is taken in two parts: First, our 120-hour certification is completed. This is followed by a further 50-hours of study looking at the particular skills needed to teach English online. One added benefit of the course is that on completion you will gain access to a unique graduate network, connecting you to ITTT alumni currently employed by many of the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences What does it mean to learn a language? Generally, when we talk about learning a language, we mean a process that starts with a person not knowing a language but ends up knowing it, regardless of the number of languages a person might already know. Of course, this is an overly simplified definition, but it gives us a decent starting point. So why are our experiences and the mental image of acquiring our first language so different from one of learning a foreign language? In this essay, I will consider the perceived difference between first and second language acquisition. Learning a Foreign Language Age Way of learning Focus Research in the field Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our...  [Read more]

  This presentation is going to focus on the section of classroom management. We could start with a definition of classroom management as being the skill of organizing the class individual students within that class and what takes place within the class. Perhaps one of the most important resources for achieving these things is you and in terms of you there are a number of things that you can use to help with the classroom management and they include though they're not limited to the use of your eyes the use of your voice and the use of gesture. So let's take each of these in turn and see how they can be used to help with their management of the classroom. So starting with our eyes. First of all the eyes can be used in a number of ways and they can certainly be used to hold attention....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences My first language was French –-the language of my Cajun-born mother. She wanted to pass on her cultural heritage and therefore spoke to her first-born child, me, only in French. However, once I was put into kindergarten and was unable to communicate or understand any of my teachers or classmates, my parents reverted to English because they feared to set me back in school. Personal Experience Different Learning Modes Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Madeleine K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Despite understanding their fear, I did not appreciate my parent's decision. I was very...  [Read more]

  Our next consideration is going to be building and maintaining rapport. The importance of rapport is that within our communicative activities, we're asking the students to talk to each other. If they feel comfortable with each other and with us, then that interaction is much more likely to be useful. So how do we actually build and maintain rapport? Well, it's easiest if we consider two stages of the course itself. What we can do at the start of the course and what we can do throughout the course to help build and maintain that rapport. So at the start of the course, it's very useful if we ask the students to create a name card and to make that name card visible to everyone. Secondly we need to try to do some ice breaking activities that will allow the students to interact with...  [Read more]

  So now we'll consider the actual classroom arrangements themselves in terms of the physical desk layout. There are possibly three main types of arrangements that are used within classrooms and we're going to indicate the desks here as being boxes and the arrangements of the students within those desks will be blue crosses. So here we have the desks ranged in rows and the students sitting within those rows. The second arrangement could be the use of horseshoes or semi circles and finally the use of individual desks. So for each of these arrangements what are the potential advantages and disadvantages of arranging our seating in this way? Let's take the rows first of all. One of the potential advantages is that it does give the teacher the opportunity, if it's arranged correctly, to...  [Read more]

  One of the major ideas here when writing on the board, is that we need to be aware that whenever we're using the board to write down information, we should not be talking and whenever we are talking we should not be writing on the board. This will inevitably lead to what's known as dead time when nothing is being said as we're putting information on the board. This dead time is not a problem but we can actually minimize it by using a number of techniques. We could use pre-prepared material. So we put information onto large pieces of paper and then instead of writing on the board, we actually stick those materials onto the board as we go through the class. Another idea is to actually ask students to write on the board for you. Another thing is that we could actually put work up onto...  [Read more]

Russia, with its rich cultural history and a population nearing 150 million, presents a unique opportunity for English language educators. The surge in cross-border business activities has amplified the demand for English instruction, especially in major cities like Moscow and Saint Petersburg. If you are keen on exploring a teaching destination that melds opportunity with cultural immersion, Russia stands out as a compelling choice. What is the recruitment process for teaching English in Russia? What are the requirements for teaching English in Russia? What are the benefits of teaching English in Russia? While many European countries have specific hiring seasons, the demand for English teachers in Russia remains consistent year-round. Unlike many of its European counterparts, Russian...  [Read more]

Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) online has become an increasingly popular option. While many pursue TEFL certification to immerse themselves in overseas adventures, online teaching offers its own set of benefits. For newcomers to the field, it provides a flexible platform to gain experience and earn, potentially funding future travels. Additionally, it serves as an excellent supplementary income source for those juggling other job commitments. So, regardless of your location, be it your home nation or abroad, online TEFL teaching is an option worth exploring. How do I get started as an English language teacher online? What are the employment options for an online English teacher? How much can you earn as an online English teacher? Embarking on an online English teaching...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In the following essay, I have chosen to explain my late-in-life interest in becoming certified as an EFL teacher, based on my background with foreign language experience, which began at an early age. My Story First Step Local Culture Future Possibilities Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Manuel GK. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I was what some would call an early bloomer. As a baby, my mother read to me at night until I fell asleep. By the age of 2, I could speak in simple but uninterrupted sentences with proper syntax. By a few months after my third birthday, I was able to read the...  [Read more]

  There are some other classroom management issues that we need to consider and they may include issues such as writing on the board, giving students individual attention, the use of teacher talk time, the way in which we should give instructions to our students, the building and maintaining of rapport with our students, and finally the one that perhaps most new teachers particularly spend a lot of time worrying and thinking about, is the issue of classroom discipline. So what we'd like to do is to take each of these in turn and look at some of the major issues surrounding these classroom management issues. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units...  [Read more]

  It is very important that whenever we?re doing an activity that we use the students names wherever possible when we're asking for feedback and so on and so forth. There are a number of benefits to using the students? names and they can include helping to actually organize the class itself, certainly to acknowledge when a student has given the correct answer and so forth, to indicate who should respond, rather than just asking a general question to the whole class. By using the names we can ask an individual to respond to that particular question. One point to note here is that if you are going to ask an individual student it is very useful if you put their name at the end of the question. This is useful because if you start with their name then all of the other students know that...  [Read more]

  This training video from one of ITTT's teaching English as a foreign language courses reviews the usage of the future perfect tense. This is used to talk about actions that will be completed by a point in the future. "I will have finished my TEFL course by the end of the year" If you are interested in teaching English as a foreign language the first thing you should think about is getting qualified. Many EFL employers require their teachers to have some form of teaching qualification and a 120-hour TEFL certificate meets that requirement. Follow the link above to browse the selection of TEFL courses that ITTT has to offer. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down...  [Read more]

  When considering Teacher Talk Time, we can perhaps look at the major advantage and disadvantage of the teacher actually talking. The major advantage is that you as the teacher are usually the only real model for the language, the source of correct English. So at some stages, your talking time is very important to the students. So when you?re modeling language, that use of Teacher Talk Time can be very advantageous. There are major disadvantages to overusing Teacher Talk Time, however, and perhaps the major one is that whenever the teacher is talking, the students are listening and if the students are listening, then they themselves cannot be talking. So, Teacher Talk Time reduces the opportunity for Student Talk Time. So, we should try to minimize the use of Teacher Talk Time...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences I've taken four years of college Russian. Throughout my time at my university, I learned a few things about both learning and teaching a language that have helped me become a better ESL teacher. Creating a Comfortable Classroom Environment The teacher doesn't know everything. Using a Variety of Teaching Aids and Materials Always Be Respectful and Use the Right Language Listen to this blog post Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: This post was written by our ITTT graduate Leif O. One crucial aspect of learning a language is making sure that everyone in the class is comfortable. While this is true with young learners, this is especially true for adults. Adults don't want to make mistakes. Business professionals have devoted their...  [Read more]

Minh Huy Hoang TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In an era defined by technological advancements, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into education has become increasingly prevalent. One notable area where AI has made significant strides is in the realm of language learning, especially for foreign students studying English. This dynamic relationship between AI and English language acquisition has not only transformed the way individuals learn but has also opened up new possibilities for personalized and efficient learning experiences. Tailoring Instruction to Individual Needs Engaging Tools and Immersive Learning Bridging Formal and Informal Learning AI and Human Instructors: A Perfect Duo Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many...  [Read more]

  This video from one of ITTT's teach English as a foreign language courses covers three teaching ideas for the future perfect tense. The future perfect is used to talk about things that will have been completed by a certain date in the future. The first idea involves asking students the following question "What will you have done by ...?" with an appropriate time in the future. For example: "What will you have done by the time you are 25?" "I will have become an English teacher". The second idea involves giving students monthly calendars to complete and asking them to say what they will have done by the end of the month. The last idea involves asking questions about a famous person and what they will have achieved in the future. "How many awards will she have won by 2025?" "How many...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences When an English speaker is traveling in the Philippines, it is not uncommon for a friendly conversation with a local to end with the local stating they have a nosebleed and escape from the conversation. In Filipino culture, nosebleeds indicate that the brain is too stressed. Although Filipinos pride themselves in being fluent in English, many are not as confident to speak it when the time requires. BACKGROUND: Too Anxious to Speak INTRODUCTION: Work VS Play MOTIVATION SETTING CONFIDENCE CONCLUSION Are you ready to teach English in an ESL or EFL classroom? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Terence L. This phenomenon of foreign language speaking anxiety is not limited to just the...  [Read more]

  The world of teaching English as a foreign language is very exciting. However, when it comes to TEFL, you’re going to need just that – an impressive CV that will make any employer sit up and take notice. In this live session, we're going to get into it and see what you can do to make you simply irresistible when it comes to hiring! #TEFLJobs #TEFLResume #TeachEnglish Are you ready to teach English abroad or online? Click here and get started today: bit.ly/37gs5vO What is TEFL Certification? Where is it valid: bit.ly/36ma2Fg Check out our wide range of TEFL Courses: bit.ly/3ltqt73 Teach English online from anywhere you want: bit.ly/3ltqEPL Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Definitely! Just as we expect professionals like surgeons or pilots to be trained, students expect their English instructors to be both knowledgeable and skilled. A TEFL certification ensures two primary competencies: Thus, being TEFL-certified not only bolsters your expertise but also fosters trust and credibility among students. So how can taking a TEFL certification provide this knowledge? The second major component mentioned at the start, that of Classroom skills. In conclusion: First you need to find a course that offers these components. While many native English speakers have learned the rules of English grammar sub-consciously as part of their language development, this does not give them the necessary subject knowledge required to teach English. So both native English speakers...  [Read more]

More and more employers now expect their English teachers to have a minimum of a 120-hour TEFL certificate. Gaining a TEFL certificate shows your commitment to the profession and gives you an introductory preparation to the knowledge and skills needed to teach English. Types of TEFL course Course content Which course is best for you? There are three main routes to a 120-hour TEFL certification. There are two main areas covered in a TEFL course, 1) Teaching skills 2) Language awareness A good TEFL course will give you a solid grounding in the basics of the English language. You will learn how English grammar works and how you can explain it. Topics covered will typically include; Depending on which type of course you undertake, onsite, combined or online, the topics presented throughout...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences When approaching formal and non-formal language it's imperative to keep in mind that people are by nature designed to be different, therefore arguing which is more important is a waste of time. Based on cultural upbringing and life experience both play an important role in regards to teaching a student. Formal and informal language are used daily, though, both habituate different societal spaces and their ratios change. Either can bleed into each other when language becomes really interesting. The Use Of Formal Language The Use Of Non-Formal Language Things to Keep in Mind Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post This post was written by our ITTT graduate Thomas H. Defined simply formal language avoids "I",...  [Read more]