The Most Difficult Language In The World

  There are certain words that need backshifting when using reported speech. In this video we look at backshifting places in reported speech. This video is specifically aimed at teaching reported speech in an ESL setting. 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 that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This unit was about the pronunciation and the phonology of the English language and how to teach it to student. Pronunciation is something that most students find very difficult in the...  [Read more]

  This video is part of our video series on "Evaluation and Testing of Students". In this video, we look at some of the most common business English exams people take around the world. Many EFL teachers around the world need to prepare their students for these international proficiency tests. 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 that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This unit overviews the different methodologies that have been used when teaching foreign languages to student....  [Read more]

  This teaching idea is very similar to the activity we can use for the future continuous. We pair up our students, give them diaries and have them find the day on which both of them are free to meet. This video shows you exactly how to execute this activity in the classroom. 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 that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. Receptive skills(reading and listening) and productive skills(speaking and writing) are necessary to lean any language in the worl. This...  [Read more]

  This video is part of our video series on "Evaluation and Testing of Students". In this video, we look at some of the most common general English exams students of English take around the world. EFL teachers often hold classes to prepare the students for these international proficiency exams. 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 that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. Ways to assess a student's language level: 1) tutorials = reviewing the work done, discussing the aims of the lesson,...  [Read more]

There are many reasons why fully certified teachers decide to leave their home country to teach overseas. It can often be difficult for newly qualified teachers to find a suitable job and teaching abroad is a great way to gain valuable classroom experience. More experienced teachers often feel like they need a new challenge and teaching in a new country can certainly provide that. Whatever the reason, the teaching profession is unique as it offers you the chance to develop your skills and knowledge and increase your experience and employability, while travelling and exploring the world. If you start searching online for English teaching jobs around the world you will quickly see that many employers expect their job applicants to possess a TESOL certificate. This applies to all...  [Read more]

  Now an example of a straight arrow ESA lesson for our engage phase. What we're going to do is to show the students a video of animals and they are going to say what they like about those animals and try to create a list of some more. So, remember what we're trying to do here is to get the students talking and thinking in English. We're using a typical engage activity, which is to create a list and we try to make sure that all the students have been involved in some way in creating those lists. Moving on to the study phase, the first part is going to be the board work and the teacher is going to try to elicit from the students what each of those animals can and can't do. Typically, what the students will say is just single words, so "run," "jump," "fly," etc. What we would then...  [Read more]

  There are some general Do's and Don'ts that need to be considered when teaching business English. Watch this video to get more insight into teaching this special group of learners. 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 that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. Unit 14 is about course books and lesson material. Authentic, that is, materials produced primarily for the use of native speakers of the target language, are easily available from a number of sources for most of the worl. Some...  [Read more]

France receives more foreign visitors than any other nation in the world and many of these come to teach English. Thousands of ESL teachers come to France each year to experience the history, culture, fashion, and cuisine. If you want to join them, have a read through the following guide to teaching English in France. As you will find in most of Western Europe, employers of foreign teachers in France generally expect their employees to have completed a TESOL certification course. Anyone who arrives without one is likely to struggle in what is a very competitive job market, where the majority of those applying will be TESOL certified. If you are successful in applying for the government-run teaching assistant recruitment program known as TAPIF, you will have everything arranged...  [Read more]

  There are two issues that need to be stressed when working with the international phonemic alphabet. First is the fact that we are no longer concerned with how a word is traditionally spelled. Additionally we need to stress that we are only concerned with the sounds needed to correctly produce a word. So rather than numerous spellings, which can often be pronounced in different ways, we have one symbol representing one sound. Once we can isolate a sound, rather than juggling various spellings, we can work with our students on how to say that sound. Doing that successfully is related to manner and place of articulation, which will be covered shortly. To get a better understanding of the phonemic alphabet, let's take a look at our chart. In the bottom half of our chart we have our...  [Read more]

Becoming an ESL teacher provides a one-of-a-kind multi-cultural experience. International travel opportunities, multi-cultural training, and job satisfaction are all job benefits. One of the most significant benefits of obtaining a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) qualification is the opportunity to work abroad in an exciting new country and culture. However, there are also some things you should consider before making the move. ESL is a term that is commonly used to refer to teaching English as a second language. It can also refer to the training required to teach English as a second language. Teachers with such credentials are in high demand all over the world. In today's world, English is one of the most widely spoken languages. It has the third-highest...  [Read more]

The wonderful continent of Africa covers a wide and diverse range of regions, from the Mediterranean beach resorts of North Africa to the vineyards and wildlife parks in the south. Despite the fact that jobs for ESL teachers are not as numerous or as widespread as you will find in many other parts of the world, there are opportunities waiting for those who wish to find them. The key to finding the right position for you might well be a degree of flexibility regarding your destination. A little patience might also be required. The best region for finding paid teaching jobs in Africa is the north of the continent. North African countries such as Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia all have a strong demand for ESL teachers, particularly in private language academies. Another option is private...  [Read more]

  Before we go into looking at the actual receptive skills lesson, if we were thinking about what potential problems there could be in these lessons. So, what things could go wrong in a reading lesson? Well, firstly the students when they are reading in a language that is not their native language, they tend to read every word as a separate piece and by reading word to word it?s very difficult to get an overall impression of what that particular text is saying. Secondly, the sentence length in a lot of articles that we will get will be very long and many of our students will not be used to that structure of language. So, here it's important to have a think about the way in which the text has actually been written and will it be fairly easy to read. The final thing is the actual...  [Read more]

We understand that sorting through the various TESOL certification options available today can be difficult, but don't worry, we are here to explain the various levels of TESOL courses to you. The general characteristics of the framework are frequently linked to a variety of factors, such as the total number of hours spent studying, the type of certification, whether the program includes a practical component, and the type of study (full-time or part-time). A level 4 TESOL course meets the requirement of at least 100 hours of coursework, which is highly valued by most employers in the EFL field worldwide. A level 4 TESOL certificate is equivalent to a first-year university course. This level is ideal for finding long-term TESOL positions, whether online or in classrooms around the...  [Read more]

Across the world there are millions of people working as teachers in a wide variety of environments, all of which require certain knowledge, skills, and personal qualities to be successful. This is certainly the case when it comes to teaching English to non-native speakers. Many teachers fail to provide the high level of instruction that their students deserve for a wide range of different reasons, such as not listening to feedback, being overly strict, or simply not having the enthusiasm required. But what are the qualities that are most important for an ESL teacher if we want to produce the best results for all our students? Communication is certainly key in any teaching environment, but when teaching a foreign language it is even more crucial as the teacher often doesn’t speak...  [Read more]

TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. It is also the name of the course and subsequent qualification that teachers need in order to apply for ESL teaching jobs around the world. With a TESOL certificate in your back pocket you will be eligible for a wide range of different jobs that will allow you to live and work wherever you choose. It will also give you the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in this unique teaching environment. There are many reasons why TESOL is important to both the teacher and their students and here we look at just a few. A TESOL certificate is widely regarded as the entry point for ESL teaching jobs all over the world, which is the main reason why it is important for potential teachers. In years gone by it was often possible to...  [Read more]

  Here we have a set of five words, which all share one sound: the ?oh? sound, as in ?go?, ?show?, ?dough?, ?note? and ?boat?. They?re five different spelling patterns to tell our students so they can identify when to make the ?oh? sound. We can have a simple letter ?o?, ?ow?, ?ough?, ?o? with the magic ?e? which turns our vowel into what we knew as long sounds and the ?oa? as in ?boat?. Now, for a non-native learner, perhaps they can handle something like this. They remember that these spelling combinations help to produce the ?oh? sound and they can go about their business looking at the words and memorizing this knowing that these spelling patterns will produce the sound ?oh?. Now that?s okay until we get to a situation where we can also have words like ?to?, ?cow? and also...  [Read more]

The market for qualified ESL teachers around the world is huge. Right across Europe, Asia, Latin America and even Africa, there are dozens of countries to consider. However, if you want to teach ESL in an English-speaking country, you might find things a little more tricky. Although there is typically a strong demand for ESL teachers in most English-speaking countries, the required amount of teachers can normally be recruited from within that country's own population. Another common problem for foreign teachers looking to work in an English speaking country is getting hold of the necessary work permits and visas. However, there are always exceptions to the rule. Some teachers acquire the right to work in another English-speaking country via marriage to a foreign national, or as a...  [Read more]

Mexico is one of the leading travel destinations in the world. What makes Mexico so appealing for travel? The food, the people, the culture, the natural beauty and so much more. Mexico offers its visitors a taste of every possible landscape that you can imagine, from sandy dune deserts to snow pine forests or buzzing cities to majestic beaches… you name it and Mexico’s got it. If sightseeing is your thing when you explore then take your pick; Mexico has Mayan and Aztec pyramids like Templo Mayor or Calakmul, colonial jewels like Museo de Bellas Artes and Castillo de Chapultepec. Mexico’s past is not all that glorious, but its future is brighter than ever. Impressive urban developments throughout the country place it as one of the most important economies in the world. Puerto Vallarta...  [Read more]

  This video focuses on some of the problems teachers of business English might encounter. How is business Enligsh different to general English? Will you be able to teach business English? Find out in this video. 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 that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. When I was learning English, I used to have difficulties with listenin. Now I know, why some students find listening difficul. They are trying to understand every word and they just don't know the...  [Read more]

The TAPIF Program stands for Teaching Assistant Program in France. It is a government run initiative that places foreign applicants into state schools to work in the classroom as teaching assistants. Considering that France is often a difficult country for non-EU citizens to get a work visa for, this program is a good option for many people. If you are able to meet the requirements of the program, it could be the perfect way to live your dream of living and working in France. The age range for applicants on this program is between 20 and 35. If accepted, you will work 12 hours per week in up to three different elementary or secondary schools between October 1st and April 30th. You can state your preferences on where you would like to teach on the application form, but there is no...  [Read more]