A Common Valentine's Day Present Top 7

  The two most common usages for the present continuous tense as it relates to speaking about things in the present. We have actions in progress at the time of speaking, specifically right when it's being said. So I can say ?I am teaching right now.? However, we also have actions in progress around the time of speaking. ?I'm reading a good book.? Now, of course I'm not reading a book just now but I started reading a book in the past I am reading it perhaps today sometime and I'll finish reading the book at some point in the future. Again, I'm not doing it just now but around the time of speaking. 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...  [Read more]

  The two most common usages for the present simple tense are habits and routines, as well as general facts and truths. Our example of routine would be 'I teach every Monday.' We've used our subject 'I', our base form 'teach' and 'every Monday' speaking about the routine that I have. We also have our general facts 'The sun rises in the east.' Here, 'the sun' would follow under the pronoun 'it' so we've had to conjugate our verb per our pattern and finish our sentence. We could also talk about general truths such as likes or dislikes. 'I like football,' or 'He likes football.' Of course, there are other usages but these are the two most common. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online...  [Read more]

  First and most common we added simply an '-s' for verbs like 'work', 'play'. This is what we typically see within our language. However, when we have verbs with spelling patterns such as ending in '-ch', '-sh', '-z', '-s' and our shorter verbs 'do' and 'go', we have to add our '-es'. Then for verbs the end in a consonant and 'y' we drop our 'y' and add our '-ies'. Finally, we have our irregular verbs 'be' and 'have'. For subject 'I', we use 'am', for the subject 'he', 'she' and 'it', we use 'is', whereas with 'you', 'we', 'they', we use 'are'. Finally, we have 'have', which stays as 'have' for these subjects: 'I', 'you', 'we', 'they' but for 'he', 'she' and 'it', we change 'have' to 'has'. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online...  [Read more]

{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ [ {"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh0","name": " Where am I most likely to get free housing as an English teacher abroad?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/Where-do-schools-provide-free-housing-for-English-teachers-abroad/#nameh0"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh1","name": " Who else provides free housing for English teachers abroad?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/Where-do-schools-provide-free-housing-for-English-teachers-abroad/#nameh1"} ] ] } With a huge number of countries to choose from worldwide, English language teachers will inevitably come across a range...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Use these 7 activities for the ESL classroom to teach the simple present to your students and help them understand the correct structure and usage of the tense both quickly and easily. Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Setting up your EFL classroom is a very important task for any teacher of English abroad. Here are the best tips on how to set up your EFL classroom the right way to maximize efficiency and fun with your students. Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Use these 7 activities for teaching the past progressive for the ESL classroom to teach the present perfect tense to your students and help them...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas The simple past is one of the most important tenses in the English language. As it describes past actions, it's quite an easy tense to teach using a variety of fun and interactive activities. Here are 7 activities for teaching the simple past for the ESL classroom. For more activities check out: 10 Exciting Activities for the Past Simple For this activity, the students think of significant accomplishments in their lives. After sharing with the class what they have accomplished, the students should describe what they did in order to achieve this goal, for example they graduated college, studied English, took classes, etc. It’s important that the students use the simple past to talk about these actions. Also read: 7...  [Read more]

  Willy from the U.S.A. is currently living in Japan and took the 120-hour online TESOL course with tutor support and videos from ITTT. In this TESOL review video, Willy tells us that he has been living in Japan for the last 7 years and working as an assistant language teacher. He really enjoyed the course which brought him a number of new perspectives and ideas and helped him to improve his teaching skills. 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. I...  [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]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Teaching new tenses to students of a foreign language is often not as easy as you might anticipate, especially when the tense you are trying to teach them does not exist in their native language. The following 7 activities for teaching the present perfect for the ESL classroom will help your students pick up the tense in no time! This is a great warm-up activity to make your students understand what the present perfect is all about. After teaching the structure of the tense, have your students write down 2-3 things they have accomplished in their lives. When they are finished, have your students share their statements with the class, for example, “I have won a speech contest,” “I have traveled to America,” or...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas When native Arabic learners attempt to learn the English language, they are faced with a variety of difficulties since there are fundamental differences between the two languages. Arabic words have a three-consonant root as its base, so all words are formed by combining the roots with either a fixed vowel pattern or and affix. The Arabic language has 28 consonants and 8 vowels which is three times less than the English language in terms of vowel sounds. Due to those differences, Arabic learners struggle in the following areas; writing, grammar, phonology, and pronunciation when learning the English language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ayman E. Please note that this blog post might not...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Schools are starting again and students and teachers flock back to the classroom. Check out these simple and powerful back-to-school ideas and your students will surely remember this first lesson of yours for a long time! Have your students write a short report (or let them do it verbally) about something newsworthy that happened in their neighborhood or town during the school break. Introduce a weekly journal to your students. The focus of this should be on fluency practice and less on correctness. Have your students write in the journal every day based on a topic that came up in class. Divide your class into groups and hand out one paragraph of a reading topic to every group. Then, have them share the information...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas As ESL teachers there are many things we can do to make our lessons both productive and enjoyable. In this post, an ITTT graduate discusses the benefit of games as a teaching tool. Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas By taking a TEFL certification course you will learn about many different areas of teaching the English language. In this post, one of our graduates takes a look at classroom management. Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Evaluation and testing are important areas of an English language...  [Read more]

  The simple answer is no, you do not need to have any knowledge or experience of languages other than English to take a TEFL course or to become an EFL teacher. The ability to speak other languages is not required as the vast majority of TEFL classrooms around the world rely on the communicative approach to English teaching that specifies that English is the only language used in the classroom. In multilingual classrooms where the students could have a dozen or more different first languages, being able to communicate in one or two of them would obviously be of no particular advantage. In monolingual classrooms you may also find that students are more inclined to revert to their mother tongue during the lesson if they are aware that the teacher can understand what is being said....  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Teaching Ideas Grammar lessons can often be quite boring for students so it is important for us as TEFL teachers to have fun activities that encourage the students to use the target language creatively and foster high student talking time. Below is a list of 10 activities that can be used for lessons on the past simple. The teacher creates a set of cards with present simple verbs and a set with the past simple form of the same verbs. The sets are mixed together and placed face down on the desk. Students take turns to turn over two cards. If the two cards match i.e. both forms of the same verb, the student has to make a sentence with the past simple form before they can keep the cards. If they cannot make a correct sentence, the cards...  [Read more]

  Once you have completed your chosen TEFL course and have that all important certificate in your hand, you can seriously start to plan the next stage of your adventure. Thanks to the sustained demand for English language teachers right across the world there are plenty of countries to choose from, each with its own unique set of attractions. But how long will you have to commit for when you sign the job contract? Europe The most common contract in European schools is for an academic year that generally runs from September to June. The great thing here is you will have a couple of months off during the summer break to travel or earn some extra cash working with private students or at a summer camp. Summer language camps are very popular across much of Europe and usually run for 4...  [Read more]

Georgia Payne Destinations TEFL Information Alumni Experiences The unofficial motto of the JET Programme is ‘every situation is different (ESID).’ This is completely true, and every JET’s day looks different depending on whether they work in a public or private school, whether they have co-JETs or are solo, their teaching partner’s style, and the school’s schedule. I teach in a private junior and senior high school in central Tokyo, where students are aged 12-18. The following is my own experience, but every ALT’s (assistant language teacher) experience on the JET Programme is vastly different. In Tokyo, almost everyone commutes via train, and depending on where you live, your commute could take...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas The present progressive is one of the most important tenses in the English language. As it describes actions currently happening, it's quite an easy tense to teach using a variety of fun and interactive activities. Here are 7 activities for teaching the present progressive for the ESL classroom. Have your class make observations about what’s happening all around in the classroom and outside the windows. Make sure they students use the present progressive when describing what they see. Ask your students to write a letter to a parent, relative or friend describing their life as an ESL student. What are they doing to improve their English? What are they doing right now in class? Also read: 7 Activities for Teaching...  [Read more]

Laura Payne Teaching Ideas Much of language learning comes through language experimentation; steering away from examples and formulas and attempting to arrange your own ideas into words. No matter what a student's goal may be in learning English, they will eventually have to do this by leaving the classroom and using English on their own. Activities like creative writing are one method to encourage the practice of experimentation and expression in ESL students. In this post, we're going to look at five different activities students can use to put their thoughts into writing. Celebrating a new year is practically a universal tradition, and all students have goals. Writing down New Year's resolutions allows students to practice various usages of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In the early lessons of the course, I was able to better understand the components of the sentence, and the knowledge about word types was expanded. It includes a definite article, adjective, noun, verb, preposition, adverb, conjunction, gerund, personal pronoun. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Phuong P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In unit 4, we have started talking about tenses in English. I looked at the four present tenses; the present simple, present continuous (sometimes called the present progressive), present perfect and present perfect continuous. Summary, the tense system is probably the area of the English...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Teaching multiple tenses might sound frightening as teaching a single tense can sometimes be a challenge on its own. However, while it might seem difficult the first time you try it, it isn’t as daunting as you would think. When teaching more than one tense at a time there are two main factors to consider: which tenses to teach together and what language level you are teaching. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ferenc M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The general rule is that basic tenses are for lower level students and harder ones are for intermediates and above. Despite this, many higher...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas When the aroma of gingerbread and eggnog is in the air, you know it’s time to translate your love for the most beautiful season of the year into your TEFL classroom with winter ESL activities! While this is the perfect time to embrace winter in TEFL destinations with changing seasons, it’s also ideal to educate your students living in places with tropical temperatures and other cultures about the holiday celebrations. Here are 7 amazing winter and Christmas ESL activities your students will love! Tell your students to imagine the following: You wake up in your bed and look out the window when you see a brightly decorated Christmas tree. It’s cold and even looks like snow is slowly falling from the sky. The...  [Read more]

1. Introduction to Yoga 2. Benefits of Yoga for Beginners 3. Tips for Getting Started with Yoga 4. Common Mistakes to Avoid in Yoga Practice Yoga is an ancient practice that originated in India and has gained popularity worldwide for its numerous physical and mental health benefits. It involves a combination of physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation techniques that promote relaxation, flexibility, strength, and mindfulness. Whether you are looking to improve your physical fitness, manage stress, or enhance your overall well-being, yoga offers something for everyone. For beginners, yoga can be a gentle yet effective way to start your fitness journey. Some of the key benefits of yoga for beginners include improved flexibility, increased strength, better posture, stress...  [Read more]

  OgSun from South Korea took the 120-hour online TESOL with tutor support and videos. In this TESOL review video OgSun tells how she had always wanted to take a TESOL course but struggled to be able to fit studying into her already busy schedule. The online course from ITTT solved this problem by allowing her to study where and when she wanted. With a six-month time limit and the ability to study anywhere, ITTT’s online courses are ideal for those who need to fit their study time around their busy schedules. 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...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word assertation. This word is a noun and describes the act of asserting. The word comes from the Medieval Latin word 'assert?ti?n' meaning “to affirm or assert”. 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 outlines, the qualities and attributes good teachers and good learners should posses. furthermore it discusses the importance of many different roles, we as teachers, assume within the...  [Read more]

  Juan Carlos from Mexico took the 120-hour online TESOL course with tutor support and videos from ITTT. In this TESOL review video he tells us how he found the course to be very informative covering topics from lesson planning to classroom management. Juan Carlos enjoyed the course and if he had the chance to do the course again, he would do so without thinking. 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. Teaching children can be very rewarding. They are...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Teaching grammar patterns often involves a lot of classtime and the more activities you have up your sleeve as a teacher the better. The following 7 activities for teaching the past progressive for the ESL classroom will help your students pick up the tense in no time! Pull up an image with a lot of actions going on, for example, people engaging in different activities at a park or another public place. You can either hand out printed images or show it to your students on an overhead projector or TV. After having your students analyze the image, turn off the TV or collect the prints and start asking what the people in the photo were doing. Also read: 5 Reasons Why Teaching English Abroad Enhances Your Career...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The word ‘grammar’ is often feared by students and teachers alike. It has an image of being difficult to comprehend and hard to teach. However, with planning and a positive approach to the lesson, it can be a fun and interesting way to improve English skills. Also, students can often feel a true sense of accomplishment by being able to use the vocabulary and sentences structures that they have learned. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Janet K. So where do we start? How to use verbs and the study of tenses is a perfect first step. By dividing the tenses into three sections, present, past and future, and then again into the simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous forms, we...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT TEFL Information As a newly qualified TEFL teacher you may well find yourself teaching business English either full time or as a means of earning extra income. Business English is a specialized area within English language teaching/learning and comes under the umbrella of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Business English can refer to the English vocabulary used in business such as international trade, finance etc. It can also refer to business communication such as the language needed for presentation, correspondence, negotiations, socializing etc. The vast majority of international business communication in English takes place between non-native speakers of English and your students are more than likely learning English in order to...  [Read more]

  This video covers the difference between 'in' and 'at' when used to indicate a location. They often cause confusion for English learners as they both refer to a location in a sentence. However, 'in', as a preposition of place, is usually used to talk about the position of someone or something inside large places such as countries, continents, big cities and similar, while 'at' is used to refer the position of someone or something inside small and unimportant places such as villages or small towns. 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...  [Read more]

  In this TEFL review video another TEFL/TESOL student shares some of her experiences as a student with ITTT completing the four week in-class course. Gaining a TEFL certification from ITTT is the first step towards an exciting and rewarding experience teaching English overseas. During your training course you will have the opportunity to meet and study with people from all over the world. Our trainees come from a variety of backgrounds and age groups. 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...  [Read more]