Am I Too Old To Teach English Abroad

Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information Teaching English abroad is one of the most interesting career paths one might take up. You get to move to a new country and even get paid for it! However, too many people are unsure whether teaching EFL is right for them. This article highlights 6 things you will miss out on if you don’t teach English abroad. When routine becomes a ball and chain, you know it’s time for something new. Moving to a new country to teach English is the perfect opportunity to discover a whole new world. Whether it’s cherry blossom season in Japan, Chinese New Year festivities in Taiwan, Christmas markets in Germany or the Carnival in Brazil - there are new experiences ahead of you on every corner! It’s not only large cultural...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching has been my dream since a very young age! This should be the normal and most common answer when you ask a teacher about his childhood dream job. For me, It was absolutely the opposite. I have never seen myself teaching anybody even my closest friends and relatives! I have always considered myself an introvert. My best friend used to be a book I’m reading! I have never liked crowded places or getting to know new people! Going to a wedding or a party was more like a nightmare to me. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate MANEL R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Anyways, all of this has changed when I helped a friend in...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching English abroad is a career more popular than ever. However, with so many options and resources about TEFL available online, there is a lot of false information out there. This post uncovers the seven most common misconceptions about TEFL and clears up any confusion! Wrong! While a degree is necessary to secure a work visa in some countries, there are plenty of countries where it’s not necessary to possess a degree. If you are a native English speaker and have a TEFL certificate, you still have a lot of options on where to teach even without a degree. South American countries like Argentina, Ecuador or Peru, as well as places in Asia like Cambodia or Russia, are perfect to teach English without a degree....  [Read more]

Mark Crocker TEFL Information Do you dream of traveling the world and meeting new and interesting people? Are you exciting by the thought of exploring faraway destinations and fascinating cultures? Would you like to help children or adults achieve their own dreams while living and working abroad? If you have answered YES to the above questions, what are you waiting for? In reality, many people put off their dreams or dismiss them altogether due to a variety of understandable reasons. Luckily, most things that hold people back can be easily overcome. Here are some of the top reasons that hold potential teachers back and some advice on how to conquer them. As with many things in life, money is one of the most common reasons why some potential EFL...  [Read more]

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Linda Dunsmore Destinations When deciding to go abroad and teach English, one of the first questions that follows is often: Where in the world should I teach? A quick Internet search reveals that China is among the most popular destinations for teaching English abroad. Here are 5 reasons why you should teach English in China. With a population of more than 1.2 billion, it comes as no surprise that China also has a high number of English learners. In fact, there are currently over 300 million people learning the language. The reasons for learning English can vary from case to case. Some start as young as 1 or 2 years old at English speaking kindergartens, while others learn English through their company as business professionals. One thing is...  [Read more]

Maria Ducha Destinations Argentina is not only the fourth most populated Spanish-speaking country in the world but it also offers great opportunities for English teachers all over the country. Attracted by the vibrant culture, exciting nightlife and spectacular natural wonders, many thousands of people come to live and work in Argentina each year. Find out why Argentina is a great place to teach English abroad in this article. The scenery of Argentina ranges from snowy mountains and blue lakes in the south to the most amazing waterfalls in the northeast near Brazil that will really take your breath away. The “Cerro de los 7 colores” offer picturesque scenery paired with amazing wildlife, and the “Glaciar Perito Moreno”, the largest...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information Teaching English abroad is anything but an extended vacation, but rather a valuable international work experience that looks great on any resume. Here are 5 reasons why teaching English abroad enhances your career prospects. Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information When you are new to teaching English as a foreign language, finding out which country or type of school is the ideal fit for you isn’t always easy - but these top 8 resources for researching teaching English abroad should make it a whole lot easier! Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information A lot of new teachers starting their first job teaching English...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In my opinion, a parent should learn English too. Learning English is a long trip for every kid. Taking China, for example, Chinese parents let their kids accept English language education when they are two or three years old even earlier. Chinese parents want their kids to get more vocabulary, fluently speaking, and get familiar with the English-communication environment. But this situation only happened in language training school which has foreign teachers(English native speakers) and use English during the class. It means that parents pay a lot of money to let their kids have the environment. But most kids only have one-hour of the environment per week. How does the environment work? How can the kids get...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information A lot of new teachers starting their first job teaching English as a foreign language struggle with making their lessons fun while also keeping their classes organized. Here we have put together a useful list of the best apps to have on your phone while teaching English abroad that will help to make your lessons both exciting and organized. Mark Crocker TEFL Information One of the main worries for many people who are heading overseas to teach English for the first time is the thought of being all alone in an unfamiliar environment without the support of their friends and family. In an effort to ease these concerns, this post looks at 5 ways you can make...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Establishing rapport with your students can be quite tricky. With all of the information online about teaching methods, testing and teaching effectiveness, rapport is often left out. Many times the relationship between the teacher and the student becomes just that. The teachers teach and the student is supposed to learn. In theory, this should work just fine but every person is different and they learn in different ways. We as teachers need to be able to create the best environment for these students to learn and feel that the teacher cares as much about what the student is learning as the student feels about what they are learning. Many universities have class sizes so large that the student feels like they...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations It’s no secret that one of the best ways to immerse oneself into a new culture is by learning the local language. Teaching English abroad is the perfect way to learn a new language, which will also come in handy when looking for a job back home if you decide to return. French is widely spoken in parts all across the world and is ranked the sixth most spoken language worldwide after Mandarin Chinese, English, Hindi, Spanish and Arabic. Currently, there are more than 220 million French speakers globally and French is an official or de facto language in 29 countries on four continents. If you are interested in learning French, check out the following 5 best places to learn French when teaching English abroad. Also read:...  [Read more]

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Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas By the time a child is a year old, they can differentiate between the sounds that make up their first language but can’t distinguish between sounds that aren’t found in their first language. Even in the case of sounds that children may not be able to correctly produce until they are six years old, such as the /r/ sound. So, it would make sense that by the time a child is just a year old the way they learn language changes, as stated in Dr. Ryalls’ class. Further on when a child is finally in school they have some grasp of grammar, even if it isn’t complete by the time the child is school-aged. This means that by the time a child is in school when they would most likely start learning a language, they...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences This is an interesting article written by one of our TEFL alumni who shares her thoughts on the importance of observed teaching practice for ESL teachers. This post was written by our ITTT graduate Roxanne L. When I think of having my teaching observed either by an inspector or by a teacher-in-training, I think of the Christmas song, which impels its listeners, “He knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!” The reason is simple, when we know we are being scrutinized, we do a better job! In reality, students observe their teachers every day, and even without expertise in the field of education, students know implicitly a good teacher from a bad teacher. Still, having your teaching (or...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Being a teacher, you should know that children learn language differently from adults. Although grammar does play an important role in language learning- especially in the early stage of the process where a new language can seem very contradictory, lacking structure and rules and disorganized where grammar teaching comes into its own. So I think we should find “how to teach grammar for young learners?” This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Hien N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The children can imitate very quickly. With me when we teach grammar for young learners, we must make them funny and feel comfortable. There is a more...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences My teaching experience began in a whirlwind. I graduated from college a semester ahead of my class, married, lived with my husband in my sister’s basement for two months, and moved to South Korea. We had no idea what to expect. Sure, we’d read the blogs, talked to the director of our school, and even talked with people we know who had lived and taught in Korea. It still didn’t fully prepare us for what to expect, how amazing it would be, and how hard. We lived in South Korea for 19 months teaching three through seven year olds daily and first through third graders several times each week. This post was written by our ITTT graduate Sarah S. When we first moved to Korea, our head teacher had to teach us how...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The year was 1992, I was going to my first English class. I was so excited to begin. I’d always wanted to learn that language. The movies, music and everything I loved the most was in English. I was ten years old, my whole class was the same age, but the only thing I didn’t know was they were much ahead of me. The course placed me in a classroom with kids that were already speaking English since they were six years old. They spoke all the time and I couldn’t understand anything. I felt so disappointed and ashamed, I couldn’t even comprehend the difference between him and her. Even my teacher made fun of me. As a result, I got out of the course after lots of swollen eyes and arguments with my parents....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Readers are for sure leaders, not just merely for the fact of reading, but for the thinking process that comes with reading. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Gentiana H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As an individual, I love reading. I love the smell of the book paper, the tiny letters and turning another page is something that I enjoy deeply. However, I didn't become an avid reader by chance. I become a reader because I was born in a family where reading was a natural thing. My father was a university professor and was reading all the time. My mother, an accounting expert, used to read laws and regulations to ensure...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences The majority of children turning 5 years old attend kindergarten for two years in preparation for primary school. Some kids enter kindergarten earlier at the age of only four. This actually varies according from state to state and also from country to country. In China, most kindergartens combine childcare with teaching so that the children will develop physically, morally, and intellectually in a harmonious way to get ready for their formal school education. A good environment is assured for the kids to have a conducive place to learn actively. Teaching English in China can be overwhelming considering that English teachers are also assigned to teach kids as young as one year old or even younger. Chinese parents...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations It’s not hard to see why Spain is one of the most attractive countries in Europe for teaching English as a foreign language. Most teachers head straight to Madrid or Barcelona but there are many more stunning cities in Spain for teaching English abroad. While it’s true that it can be a little difficult for non-EU citizens to secure a work permit in Spain, there is a legal way to still be able to live and teach in this European paradise. Check out our detailed guide on how to legally teach English in Spain to find out how to go about it. The capital of Spain’s Catalonia region, Barcelona is among the top destinations for English teachers in Spain. The city is known for the arts and architecture, including the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Destinations The Chinese education market has been growing for the recent ten years. As the country is getting more and more open towards the rest of the world, the demand for proper English training becomes ubiquitous. Compared to the Russian system, where English starts to be taught in primary school, in China, they try to include English as early as the nursery. The difference in culture, language structure, and the lack of proper training of the school staff open the doors to expats. If you find a position for an ESL teacher in China, chances are you get into a kindergarten. Two years ago, I found a teaching job in a private bilingual kindergarten chain in China. There were two main branches: a multiple intelligences...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Destinations Opportunities abound for the TEFL teacher in Europe and it is a popular destination for many upon completing their TEFL certification. Teachers with a specialist certificate in teaching business English will do well in countries such as France and Germany, but there are plenty of teaching jobs to be found across the whole region. The requirements for English teachers in Europe vary from country to country and this article aims to highlight the differences and similarities between them. ## Listen to this blog post: European Union member states prefer teachers who are EU citizens because many schools are unwilling to deal with the extensive paperwork involved in hiring teachers from outside the EU. That said, it is not...  [Read more]

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Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas When students hear ‘vocabulary’, they may expect to hear the word ‘list’ next. More often than not, we associate the word ‘list’ with ‘boring’! We think of 2 daunting columns of black letters on white paper: one with the native language and one with the target language. But it doesn’t have to be that way, and for teaching young learners, it cannot be that way. Certainly, teaching vocabulary will involve lists that help learners to receive language methodically and thoroughly. But what a teacher does with the vocabulary lists can be creative and fun and, most of all, memorable! This post was written by our ITTT graduate Roxanne L. When teachers hear ‘vocabulary’, they should pair it with the word...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations Teaching Ideas When we travel, we often make self-centered decisions to get the most out of the experience. But does it always have to be that way? With conscious travel becoming more and more popular and widespread it’s getting easier to actually do some good while traveling to another country. Here are 5 ways to travel consciously and give something back to the locals. Before your trip, contact local schools or health centers and check if there is anything they need that’s easy to bring along. Things like pens, toothbrushes, band-aids or even balloons are often welcome and super light to fit into your luggage! Shopping local is not only a great idea back home. When you’re traveling or living...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Five years ago, I didn't have the experience, nor the knowledge to teach English. However, I have the skills to speak like a Native Speaker. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Amina C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. At first, I have 3-4 students between 2-3 years old. I was given lesson plans to follow and instructions on how to teach this group and I simply followed it. Teaching 2-3 year's old non-Native speakers were both difficult and fun. It's difficult because they are not familiar with the English language. Moreover, I am not familiar with their native language either. It is fun since typically all they want is to...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences I learned English when I was 20 after my family and I decided to immigrate to Canada from Brazil. I hadn’t had much exposure to the English language prior to the move. 25 years have gone by, and now I have the opportunity to teach English back in my home country of Brazil! Take our 4-week in-class course in Natal, Brazil, and start your own TEFL adventure! This post was written by our ITTT graduate George K. After coming back to my small hometown in the Brazilian countryside a couple of years ago, I met one of my childhood friends, Rodrigo. He had just opened a small English school in town and after a quick chat, I told him that I have decided to come back to live in Brazil after having lived abroad for more...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences English, like any language, is first and foremost the mother tongue of a person. Languages often are influenced by or entirely derive from migratory groups of people. The original native tongue of France, for example, was Gallic. The Latinized French we know today was only born after centuries of Roman occupation and assimilation. More confusing still, the nation takes its name from the Franks, who were themselves a Germanic tribe which conquered the territory from Rome. Despite this, their native German tongue had an only minor influence on French, as Roman Gaul had a quite large population. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Cole T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences In April 2018 I quit my job and began traveling around the world. Since then, I have taught myself Russian and improved my teaching skills by helping others with languages I am familiar with. The more places I visited on my journey, the more I became interested in foreign languages. I had the chance to teach people German and English, while also learning other languages and alphabets from them. I realized that while helping others, I developed a passion for teaching. I then decided to travel to Southeast Asia and acquire a TEFL certificate, which will enable me to teach English and live in a foreign country. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Michael G. My first learning experiences on my...  [Read more]