Do you need intensive grammar? Must you be a grammar wizard? Here’s how to deal with it. Why do so many TEFL and CELTA courses put so much emphasis on teaching grammar directly and intensively as the goal of a lesson rather than teaching it indirectly and related to the direct teaching of functions? I […]

What many TEFL employers really want This comes from the free eBook How to Teach English Overseas. We’ll take a look at what employers are really looking for at language schools, most likely where you’ll find your first job as an English instructor. These language schools are businesses. That’s the number one thing to know. […]

How Can I Teach English if I Can’t Speak Their Language? How will I survive? It’s a question that’s on a lot of new teachers’ minds when they start Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL): What if I can’t speak the local lingo? Will I still find a job teaching? Rest assured, nervous teachers! […]

Contrary to Popular Belief, Contracts are not as Important as you Might Think I read some promotional material today from a TEFL course provider and it was about checking on the details of your contract before being hired. I agree that you certainly need to check on the basic details of your contract before signing […]

This is a common question people have.  They ask: I don’t have a degree, can I still teach English abroad? Well . . . the answer is YES. But, know that if you don’t have a degree, your options are going to be limited.  You will need to do everything you can to enhance your […]

This area of ESP is becoming more and more popular, so this is a good opportunity to address how to find those niche jobs. A lot of newbie TEFL teachers are former restaurant and or hospitality workers. They are much more qualified to teach in this area than the other teachers unfamiliar with the ‘service […]

While it might not seem obvious and up front that teaching English as a FOREIGN language is different than just the regular teaching of English that occurs in your home country, it really is and today’s post is about the how and why. Recently a TEFL training candidate asked: I will graduate with a BA […]

On the fence about whether or not you dare teach English abroad? Or, maybe, you’re saving up money to make sure you have a nest egg you can hatch later when you’re overseas. If, for whatever reason, you feel the desire to Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) but can’t go abroad to do […]

“Be Fearful When Others Are Greedy and Greedy When Others Are Fearful”– Warren Buffett – The person many financial publications consider to be one of the wealthiest in the world suggests that you see opportunity when and where other people are fearful of doing so. You might want to consider this for the TEFL world. […]

Why are we in the TEFL education / TEFL training space? Well here’s the story . . . Way back in 1989, Ted Tucker, the founder of TEFL Educator / TEFL Boot Camp joined the US Peace Corps as a volunteer and journeyed off to Botswana for two years.  He found that experience so invigorating […]

TEFL, TESOL or TESL – Which Is Best? This is almost an FAQs type question because people often ask as they are unsure about what each of the acronyms really mean. Not just the words they represent, but what does each area actually deal with? How might the teaching be different? Let’s get these ideas […]

It’s not what you earn. It’s what you can put in the bank. Let’s talk TEFL money… Here’s the real bottom line: it’s all about money. A lot of people go overseas to teach English because they want to save some money and when they’re working an entry-level job in their home country they can […]

What to do about it?  Teaching IS about being up there in front. If you feel you have stage fright then it is a good idea to do some practice teaching. Most of us do feel some anxiety when teaching a new class with students you don’t know.  Even I do, with 25+ years experience, […]

Keep Calm and Collected in English Class Discipline issues in EFL class are usually best avoided by having an active lesson plan that involves all of the students. An engaged, busy student is not usually a trouble-making student. But, as new teachers quickly come to realize, many students are not in the EFL classroom of […]

I am often a bit dismayed about the marketing on different TEFL certification training websites. Particularly the ones that tell you that life teaching English abroad is one big party of traveling and seeing the world.  Some even include travel in their name, but nothing about teaching! They hardly mention – Oh yeah – there […]

In some countries, teachers of English as a Foreign Language are expected to be half EDUcators and half enterTAINERS—or edutainers.  “Edutainment” is the term the industry has coined to explain the situation when your employer and your students are looking for games and laughter to go along with the English taught in the classroom. Edutainment is […]

Imagine doing something you love. Something you are really good at. Something people pay you to do. Sounds pretty amazing, doesn’t it? In 1992, after two years as a volunteer in Africa, I grabbed the first TEFL job that I could find without knowing I could make a connection between the past, present and the […]

Putting It All Together Before you start applying for jobs overseas as a new teacher of English as a foreign language, you need to make sure you have everything you need ready, so you’ll be able to field requests for interviews and job offers with ease. Here’s what you need: A Passport This is the […]

Certifiably Different?  Not Really. TEFL Certification or CELTA? CELTA or TEFL Cert? Check out our TEFL Certification Course. Many people new to the business of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) are confronted with this question when they decide to get some training before they start teaching. So, what is the difference between the […]

You won’t learn how to succeed on a TEFL course If you have some business education you may already know of the research that found that only about 20% of people who are fired from their jobs are fired due to a lack of skills in their occupation. So if you flip that statistic over […]

Some newbie or wannabe teachers of English fear that they have to know everything about English and about teaching before they can step into a classroom. Our #1 advice? Don’t worry about it. The smartest teachers know that they don’t know everything and keep good resources on hand to help them when it is needed. […]

Value Education and More While many people from Western countries place more emphasis on “street skills” than formal education, most of the developing world knows that a good education is the way out of poverty.  As a result, education is often much more valued than in Western countries. A teacher who does not value education […]

Elicitation in the EFL Classroom It is easier than you might think to have charged-up students in front of you. Ask your students what they want to talk about.  We all know that, but how you do it makes a big difference. Let’s talk about one aspect of elicitation (an important part of EFL teaching […]

It is important to use English in the classroom as the target language and as the teaching language. There are times, however, when limited use of the students’ first language can be useful. Times when a complex idea can not be easily explained and no one is getting it, as an example.  Be careful though.  Some […]

Getting a TEFL certification while in China is a lot easier than you think Many teachers head over to China to pick up a teaching job, or are recruited by a school to China, only to find out – once there – they need a TEFL certification to qualify for proper working papers. TEFL Educator […]

Can I take TEFL seriously? If supporting yourself while living overseas, living well, and experiencing another culture is a goal, then yes you can consider TEFL a “real” job. If the possibility of saving substantially more money over a year than you could “back home” is your goal, then yes again. If you would like […]

Tips for Acing Demonstration Lessons Multiple choice question: To get a job teaching English as a Foreign Language you will need to: a) do an interview b) submit references c) do a demonstration lesson d) possibly all of the above. Did you pick d? (Hint: you should have!) While interviews and references are normal parts […]

How to Teach English as a Foreign Language One post is nowhere near long enough for you to learn all you need to know about teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL or EFL). But we will give you a good overview of the topic. Here we go… It’s Not Only What You Teach—It’s How […]

Don’t forget to smile! A while back I read a blog post written specifically about what is wrong with PPP methodology.  And, sadly, the author stated: PPP means that teachers will first present a grammar point While I would agree that PPP has some limitations, I would never agree that PPP must be about teaching […]

What Do You Know? Many Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) transition into teaching from a totally different line of work. Before I began teaching, I was a social services administrator/social worker and had worked in a variety of roles. I know other people who were business people, stock brokers, marketing agents, scuba […]

 If I teach English overseas, will I live well or suffer for my dreams? Don’t worry! Usually, teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) make more money than does the normal John Q. Public in their host country. This means that most English teachers are able to support themselves in a style better than […]