What People Do On Halloween

If you have done your homework and are serious about becoming an EFL teacher, there is no reason why you should not successfully complete your TEFL course. However, our training courses do require a strong sense of time commitment. This means, if you do not complete all elements of the course in the required timeframe, you may fail the course. We are very proud of our course pass rate of over 90%. Although it is possible to fail a TEFL course, the vast majority of our students finish their training and go on to become successful EFL teachers. As part of our promise to our teacher trainees, we make every effort to help each and every course taker to reach their full potential. Our one-of-a-kind combination of high-quality study materials, experienced trainers, and dedicated support staff...  [Read more]

  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. Evaluation as an key sector for language teaching is so important to test whether our students have mastered the language and how much they have gained, and the test methods should not be only one as considering the phrase and study level. There are several methods to do the test such as placement test to place new students into correct class, and the progress test to gauge what our students learned,...  [Read more]

Once you have completed your chosen TEFL certification course, it is time to start sending out applications for the teaching jobs that catch your eye, whether they are within your own country, overseas, or online. Unfortunately, some people underestimate the importance of their CV/resume and how it is absolutely crucial in getting you an interview ahead of all the other applicants for the same job. First impressions really do count, which is why it is vital that the documents you send out should be properly thought out. So what exactly should be included in a TEFL resume? The first thing to realize here is that in most countries around the world there are less restrictions on personal information than in the USA. In many cases, international employers will expect to find out more from your...  [Read more]

TEFL and TESOL courses can be taken online, in-class or as a combined course (mixed online and in-class training). An internationally recognised TEFL qualification should contain at least 120 hours of externally validated study. Depending on the visa rules of the country that you would like to work in, a degree may also be necessary. More information about BA and MA TESOL programs can be seen on our Upgrade your Qualifications page. There are some clear advantages to taking an in-class TEFL course. The main benefit comes from the observed teaching practice sessions and the confidence that is instilled in new teachers. Face-to-face instruction also gives the TEFL trainer more opportunity to impart their knowledge and guide the trainee on areas that they feel are particularly important. The...  [Read more]

During the past 10 years, more and more teachers have opted to gain their TEFL qualifications online. This was further accelerated due to the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent restrictions placed on international travel and business practices. However, onsite TEFL training and hybrid type courses that combine online and in-class training are still viable options in many areas. The most commonly taken ESL teaching course is a 120-hour online TEFL certification course. Originally taught across 4 weeks in a classroom, the course content has been adapted into a popular online course by highly experienced TEFL trainers at ITTT. Access to our online courses is possible at any time of the night or day, from any location with an internet connection. Participants can work through the course...  [Read more]

Some people who go abroad to teach English fall in love with their new life overseas and never return to their home country. The majority, however, will return home at some point, whether after a single year or much longer. It can be a difficult experience for some because you are no longer the person you were when you first left home. Everything, from the everyday language to the time zone, the climate to the cuisine, can feel different. Reverse culture shock can be frightening. For many teachers the obvious next step is to continue working as an English language tutor. If you live in or near a relatively large city you are likely to come across language schools and community colleges that provide English lessons to international students, immigrants, and refugees, among others. With...  [Read more]

Presuming that you have already done a bit of research into teaching English as a foreign language, you will probably already be aware of the basic role of an EFL teacher, i.e, to teach non-native speakers to speak, read, and write in the English language. However, there is a whole lot more to the role of an EFL teacher than simply standing in front of the class and teaching vocabulary and grammar. Your exact role will depend on the individual employer and the environment where you are actually working, but there are several things that will be expected of you in most situations. For many teachers the most time consuming aspect of the job is planning and preparing lessons in advance. While teachers with plenty of experience can often get by with minimal planning as they will have taught...  [Read more]

  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. Content and what I have learnt:↵•⇥The unit is on Teaching Themes.↵•⇥Case Studies could be used to practice what has been taught and to introduce new vocabulary and language structures.↵•⇥In problem-based learning the teacher plays the role of a ‘facilitator’ and students work in groups to solve problems.↵•⇥Many will enjoy...  [Read more]

  So, having elicited this particular structure, what I'm now able to do is to move on to the actual study activities. Typically, they will be in the form of worksheets to check that the students actually understand this information. So, I might prepare three activities. They may not do them all but, for example, I could prepare these three study activities. So, the first one is going to be a fairly straightforward matching activity, where perhaps they match the subject to its correct verb "to be" in that part of the sentence. The second one is going to be a gap fill. For example, I might use this verb here and ask them to complete a sentence using that verb, so that I can check that any spelling changes that take place are correct and the final one is going to be an unscramble,...  [Read more]

Some people who head overseas to teach English grow to love the lifestyle so much that they never return to work in their home country. However, for the majority, the move back home will come at some stage, whether after a single year or much longer. For some it can be a difficult experience as you are no longer the person you were when you first left home. Everything can feel different, from the everyday language to the time zone, from the climate to the cuisine. Reverse culture shock can be genuinely unsettling. One way you can combat this, and continue the international focus of your new found way of life, is to find a job that allows you to use the new skills and knowledge that your time abroad has given you. One obvious step for many teachers is to simply continue working as an...  [Read more]

First we will look at the different levels of study currently available and how they relate to the world of TEFL qualifications. Taking the UK as an example, there are nine qualification levels; examples of actual UK qualifications at each level are given below: From the above, we can see that a degree in TEFL/TESOL is at level 6 and is therefore a very high level of study in the English teaching world. A few examples of such Level 6 courses are shown below: https://www.bachelorstudies.com/BA-English-Language-Linguistics-and-TESOL/United-Kingdom/York-St-John-University/ https://www.bachelorstudies.com/Bachelor-of-Arts-in-TESOL/USA/Great-Northern-University/ https://www.bachelorstudies.com/BA-TESOL/Thailand/Thongsook-College/ If you have a TEFL/TESOL degree the most obvious use of it would...  [Read more]

The majority of people who complete a TEFL certification course will head overseas to live and work in schools and language centers across the world. However, the job hunting process and securing work permits etc can require a range of different documents that varies from one job to the next. To ensure the whole process runs smoothly, you should make sure you have everything you might need as far in advance as possible. Typically, anyone traveling to a foreign country requires a passport that is valid for at least six months. In some situations your passport must be valid for a full year, so the best advice is to ensure your passport has two years or more remaining to allow for an extended teaching contract or further travel once your initial contract is complete. In many cases you...  [Read more]

If you are interested in applying for overseas teaching jobs, you will almost certainly come across something called Teaching English as a Foreign Language, or TEFL, certification. As a result, you are probably wondering if getting a TEFL certification is a good idea. Regardless of your other qualifications and experience, a TEFL certification is always a valuable addition to your resume. Furthermore, it will set you apart from the competition in the eyes of principals and hiring managers all over the world. Even if a TEFL certificate is not required for a specific position, it is always a huge plus and preference. A TEFL certificate opens doors to exciting opportunities in teaching English as a foreign language in countries all around the world. The most common requirement is 120 hours of...  [Read more]

People come from all over the world to teach English as a foreign language in Spain, and there are a variety of different visa options depending on your nationality. The following is a brief overview of the current options; however, we recommend that you always conduct your own research to ensure you have the most up-to-date information. As Spain is a member of the European Union, teachers from other EU member states do not need a visa to live and work legally in Spain. However, you will still need to apply for a residency permit and a tax number on arrival in the country. The application process should be straightforward and you can usually expect your employer to help you through it. For non-EU citizens, the most common option is a 90-day tourist visa that is issued on arrival at a...  [Read more]

If you plan on heading to Europe to teach English it is important that you are aware of the regulations regarding visas and work permits in your chosen destination. The visa situation varies from one country to the next and may also depend on your own nationality. Because of this, we recommend that you visit the relevant embassy website to get the most up to date information before you make any final travel plans. As Spain is a member of the European Union, teachers from other EU member states do not need a visa to live and work legally in Spain. However, you will still need to apply for a residency permit and a tax number on arrival in the country. The application process should be straightforward and you can usually expect your employer to help you through it. For non-EU citizens,...  [Read more]

If you perform an internet search for TEFL courses in Thailand you will find several pages of different providers offering a variety of courses across the country, but how do you know which is the best for you? At ITTT we are confident that our in-class courses are the best on offer in Thailand as we have developed them over a number of years. The key to the success of our in-class TEFL courses is the quality of the instruction provided. At all of our centers we only employ trainers who possess a high level of teaching qualifications and several years of experience teaching in an international classroom environment. All our teacher trainers are dedicated to helping each and every trainee to reach their full potential. With their guidance and encouragement, most trainees successfully...  [Read more]

If you have decided to pursue a career in teaching English abroad, it is now time to figure out what the requirements are to get you started! While there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to teaching abroad, the most commonly required qualifications to become a TEFL teacher are: Although it may seem self-evident, fluency in English is a prerequisite for TEFL instructors. If you don't speak English well, we recommend looking for another job. Non-native English speakers with fluency in the language can find work in many areas, including South and Central America, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. In some regions of the world, though, being a native English speaker is almost a necessity. If English is not your first language, countries like China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia are probably no...  [Read more]

  For statements in the negative form, what we have to do is add the auxiliary verb 'to do'. For subjects 'I', 'you', 'we' and 'they', we simply leave 'do' as 'do', use the word 'not', and keep the base form of the verb now for the negative statements. However, for 'he', 'she' and 'it', we have to conjugate our auxiliary verb into 'does'. We still use 'not' and we still keep the base form of the verb. The pattern performing questions is very very similar to the pattern performing negative statements. However, what we've done is invert our subject and our auxiliary verb so that the questions read the auxiliary verb first. Of course, again, we use 'do' for 'I', 'you', 'we' and 'they' and use 'does' for 'he', 'she' and 'it'. In both cases, we've left our verb form as the base form of...  [Read more]

The combination of a tropical climate, stunning beach filled coastline, exotic flora and fauna, and some of the most pristine rain forest in the region, makes Costa Rica one of the most popular destinations in Latin America for teaching English abroad. The majority of foreign English teachers working in Costa Rica have no more than a tourist visa in their passport. Unlike many other countries, it is technically legal for teachers to work without the need for a work visa. For many nationalities, including Americans, Canadians, and most Western Europeans, tourist visas are issued on arrival in the country. Visas are valid for 90 days and can be renewed by crossing a border to a neighboring country and then simply crossing back to receive a new one. When entering Costa Rica it is worth...  [Read more]

Anyone who has considered teaching English abroad has probably had a reaction from a friend or family member along the lines of “that sounds like fun, but what will you do when you get back?” In some quarters, teaching English as a foreign language has the reputation of not being a ‘real job’, just something that people do to pay off student loans or simply for fun and adventure before settling down into a normal job and lifestyle. There are many people who do choose teaching abroad for these reasons, but there are also plenty who have made a successful and lucrative career out of TEFL. YES, you absolutely can have a long-term career as an EFL teacher. For the majority of people who head overseas to teach English, it all starts with a small idea to see a bit of the world while...  [Read more]

  In this video, we focus on the difference between the usage of "do" and "make". We use the verb 'do' when someone performs an action, activity or task. Some common expression with 'do' include : do a crossword, do the ironing, do your job, do the dishes, and do homework. We also use the verb 'do' when referring to things in general and to describe an action without saying exactly what the action is. In this case, 'do' is often used with the words 'something, nothing, anything, everything, for example ' I'm not doing anything today', or ' He does everything for his wife'.There are also a number of fixed expressions that always take the verb 'do', such as: do badly, do business, do a favor, do good, and do harm, just to name a few. On the other hand, we use the verb...  [Read more]

It doesn’t matter whether you choose an in-class TEFL course or an online course, the skills and knowledge gained during an ITTT course will never expire. Successfully completing an ITTT course results in an academic qualification that is valid for life. Trainees of ITTT’s online courses complete regular assessments throughout the course to test their understanding of the course material. A further written summative task is the final task of each course. While your certificate won't expire, it isn't uncommon for teachers to feel the need to improve or refresh their skills. One option is to take a 120-hour online TEFL course to refresh your knowledge. Another option is to take one of our short specialized TEFL courses to extend your skills in a particular area of teaching. There are...  [Read more]

  Have you ever considered completing an online TEFL/TESOL Certification course? Why not become one of the hundreds of people who each month do an online course with ITTT, just like Sacha from the United States. In this TESOL review video Sacha talks about her happy experience of studying the 120 hour tutor support course. She talks about how the course has given her a firm foundation on which to build her career as a successful English language teacher. 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...  [Read more]

  So, the document itself needs to contain some general information about the class, for example the name of the teacher, the date and time of the lesson, what level of class is being taught and in what room, how many students are we expecting, this is important, when we've got things like photocopying and materials to do, what is the context of the lesson, in other words, what is the lesson actually about, what vocabulary or grammar point is this lesson covering and sometimes it's also useful to write out what the focus of the lesson is. So, in effect, the context of the lesson is telling us the grammar point, for example, that might be the present continuous tense, whereas the focus is telling us how we're going to go about teaching it. Another example to illustrate this: Let's...  [Read more]

  So, for the study phase what we're going to do is to show them the idea of the cartoon strip. In the cartoon strip what there's going to be are some people with speech bubbles and this is going to represent where dialogue will appear and in the bottom, there are these rectangular boxes, where there will be descriptive things happening. So, it will explain the actual situation that these people are in. So, we get across the idea, first of all, that these are speech and these are for description and we can then show them a blank one of these cartoon strips and try to elicit from our students what could possibly the people be saying and in what actual situation are they in, in order for them to say that. Once we've gone through that, we can move on to our first study activity and in...  [Read more]

  This video focuses on modal auxiliary verbs. The words "might", "could" and "must" are modal auxiliary verbs. These verbs express the speaker's feeling or attitude towards the particular verb following the modal. 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. A teachers body language and the way he or she presents themselves in front of the classroom really depicts the mood and willingness of a student to participate. If a teacher does not smile, encourage...  [Read more]

China is without doubt the largest market for English language teaching in the world. With a population in the region of 1.4 billion people spread across a vast area, there are a huge range of opportunities to suit all tastes. Whether you prefer big city life, the peace of rural living, tropical or seasonal climates, China has it all. However, one big question is often asked by teachers who want to live and work in the country: Until quite recently the answer would have been yes, as schools in China generally don’t care whether their teachers have a degree or not, and this still hasn’t changed. What has changed is the government has tightened the rules on who is eligible for a Z (work) visa which is what every teacher needs to work legally in the country. The simple truth is that you...  [Read more]

In the same way that people look different, people are also intelligent in different ways. In 1983, Professor Howard Gardner came up with the concept that we all have multiple intelligence (MI). In the following I will briefly explain this concept further; highlighting how it can be incorporated into lesson plans when teaching English as a second language (ESL); how it can help students build on their strengths, while limiting their weaknesses in their grasp of the English language; and how it is useful when considering different cultures in the classroom. I will also discuss how MI explains that students all learn differently, according to which form of intelligence they are stronger in.Gardner (1983) has categorised intelligence into 8 key areas: 'Linguistic Intelligence:...  [Read more]

  This video is the first video of our series on conditionals and reported speech. The conditionals are commonly referred to as "if" sentence structure speaking about if this happens then that happens. 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. Course book and Lesson Material. The coursebook is a universal book: it does not and cannot take into consideration the specific needs of your learners. This is the idea that all learners at a given level are...  [Read more]

  So what we're going to do is to run through a series of methodologies that were created mainly in the 1900s that adopted the idea that language learning should be much more communicative, much more natural. The first one is called audiolingualism and it's also called the army method because of where it was developed. Basically, psychology, during the 1950s and 60s, was building up new theories about behaviorism. Perhaps the most famous experiments that were done in this particular area were by Pavlov, where he was showing that most animals undergo a stimulus response mechanism and he had a series of famous experiments, where by ringing a bell, he could cause a dog to salivate, that would be his response, in the expectation of getting some food. This behaviorist idea of stimulus...  [Read more]