How Hard Is It To Become A Teacher

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word eloquent. This word means a person who is fluent and also persuasive in both speaking or writing. It can also refer to the action of clearly indication or expressing something. The word comes from Latin eloqui meaning to speak out. 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. Master the grammar of a language is essential in order to speak properly and clear. English grammar is not particularly...  [Read more]

  http://www.teflonline.net For the teaching idea in this ESOL video students are given a set of pictures that feature events in a person's day. In pairs the students will need to put the pictures in an order of their choosing and then create a story about the person's day using the past simple tense. For example: She woke up and had a cup of coffee. She went to be at 9 o'clock. If you would like to become an ESOL teacher and travel the world experiencing new cultures while enabling people to improve their opportunities in life, then you should take a TESOL course. Taking such a course will give you the knowledge and skills needed to make you an effective teacher of English. Visit our site by following the link above for more information on the courses available to you. ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Becoming a teacher of any nature requires a good amount of skills, but becoming an English as a foreign or second language teacher requires a special batch of skills. All types of teachers should have the same general qualities; communication skills, patience, good listening skills, the ability to connect and build relationships with students, hard work ethic, preparation, and organization, and be friendly, personable, and approachable. Being a teacher means interacting with people for most of, or part of the day, and understandably sharing your knowledge, with the students. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Bailey E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the...  [Read more]

  Neil took the in-class TEFL course with TEFL International in Zhuhai, China. In this TEFL review video, Neil points out what was covered in the course including grammar, pronunciation as well as the practical side of teaching. He found the trainers encouraged him to put what he was learning into practice 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. I found this chapter to be the most difficult. It easy to understand the tense, past,...  [Read more]

Hadassah Roberts Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Having a growth mindset can be life-changing. As an English teacher, you can teach your students to have growth mindsets, and this will undoubtedly be very helpful to them for the rest of their lives. I used to have absolutely no idea what a growth mindset was, but when I learned what it actually is, I realized how much I had been missing out on. I put what I had learned into practice, and my life started to improve a lot. Now I want to share with others what has made my life so much more beautiful. I see the special opportunity that we, as English teachers, have to spread the growth mindset in our students all around the world. A growth mindset believes that your talents can...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences When starting a career in teaching, regardless of age,gender and nationality, a prospective teacher should always bear in mind one fundamental skill:patience. This particular talent is what I personally believe distinguishes a competent teacher from the incompetent one, and is crucial in establishing the overall success of each and every student. So, how patient should teachers be and, particularly, how patient should the teachers at beginner levels be? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Katarina K. I have been a TEFL certified teacher for a short time. However, I have been teaching for the past 5 years. I distinctly remember how every level of teaching used to be hard when I lacked the proper...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences People from different countries inevitably face problems when they are trying to learn English. Russia is no exception. Let’s have a quick look at some typical problems that my fellow countrymen face. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sergei S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As you may know, Russian is written using the Cyrillic alphabet, and some may think that it can cause problems. In reality, the Russians are fine with understanding the Latin alphabet and can easily pronounce each letter. However, the Devil is in the details. When it comes to speaking it becomes problematic to pronounce [θ] and [ð] sounds properly....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences We all love to be told when we have done something great, completed an assign tasked or even given a simple compliment such as a good job or well done. Within any teacher-student relationship, praise is of course quite normal and very important as it will not only help to motivate and encourage the student to try harder but also will help them to relax and get more out of the lesson given. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Liza I. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Effective praise always seems to provide the students with a kind of positive and powerful reinforcement which helps them to build a better foundation that is...  [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]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Ever since online English teaching became a common means of delivering lessons, every online English teacher must strive for excellence to guarantee their students' best learning experience. In this article, we will consider ten common mistakes that English teachers make when teaching online. This problem is fundamental to both in-class and online teaching. When it comes to distant learning, it is more challenging to choose a suitable approach. Some teachers tend to include too much information, which influences the overall quality of the materials. Others prefer to focus on more particular points in terms of one session but finally realize...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The difference between formal and informal grammar is very apparent both in everyday life and during ones time as a teacher of English as a foreign language. These differences, I believe, play an important part in why many language learners find it so difficult to understand and become fluent. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Daniel B. As a native English speaker and an ongoing learner of Spanish I find myself struggling with these differences as well. Much of the English grammar we learn in school in America is grammar that the person knows they are likely to use very sparingly. This is why most students fail to truly pay attention in their literature...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Discipline issues are common in every class. Nonetheless due to their curious nature, active imagination, and short attention span it might sometimes feel as if children- in particular, enjoy misbehaving in a class. Thus, some cultures as well as some individual teachers promote punishing any problematic behavior. However, in my personal opinion punishment is not an appropriate action to teach discipline in a classroom or even its general meaning. In this essay, I am going to present four major drawbacks of punishing children in a teaching-learning environment. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Shoshrin S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or...  [Read more]

  Globalization and the increasing demand for English speaking professionals all over the world, especially in emerging regions, has brought about a new, steadily growing sector: English as a Second Language (ESL). An ESL teacher is, therefore, an educator who works with English Language Learners (ELLs) whose native language is not English. The goal of the ESL teacher is to help the students reach a certain level of fluency in English, on both a spoken and written level. ESL educators are not to be confused with foreign language teachers. ESL teachers do not share the same native language and are specifically trained to offer explanations and directed teaching methods to non-English speakers. This teaching style is mainly focused on repetition, drills, demonstrations, and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Any profession requires preparation and skills, but most of all, confidence. Hence, teachers should develop the confidence to achieve their aims in their profession and their lives. Thus, if a teacher lacks confidence, it can become a relevant issue in its profession. Moreover, it could harm the learning process of the students. Thereby, how can teachers increase their confidence in the classroom? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Oscar L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teachers can increase their confidence by constantly preparing and updating the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Learning English may be stressful for students and adults, as well. The reasons may be different. In this essay, I will try to examine the possible causes of why learning English can be stressful especially for young learners. I will try to propose some suggestions that in my opinion may work. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Maxim D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Probably, the lack of experience of a new language learning can be the number 1 reason for stress for young learners in English learning. For many ESL students, English is the first foreign language that they try to learn and it can bring up a lot of stress. They...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information A TEFL certificate opens up loads of opportunities for work, travel and adventure. Here we look at some of the things you can do with your hard-earned TEFL qualification. Earning a TEFL certification enables you to work as an English teacher in almost any country around the world. Whether you want to teach English as a way to fund your world travels, as a new career, or as a means to supplement your retirement income, getting TEFL qualified gives you the skills to make your dream come true. Making money while teaching English is a great way to conserve your hard-earned savings and extend your globetrotting indefinitely. Why limit yourself to just a month or two backpacking? A TEFL certificate will allow you to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences There are many reasons why a person might be interested in becoming TEFL certified. Initially, I only really had one reason, is that it’d be an interesting way to start my career as a teacher and would determine if this was something I wanted to do with a big portion of my life. One of my major life goals is revamping the American education system and making it more efficient, especially on the public-school level. I’ve learned a decent amount about how education is handled in several countries outside of America and while no system is perfect, there are things we could be doing better. By finding a TEFL job in another country I’d be able to gain experience as a teacher as well as study teaching methods...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Any kind of teaching is always a big challenge itself, no matter who you teach what you teach and where you teach. Teaching has been one of the most important and still complex processes for the teachers and students at the same time, especially teaching languages, as it is a sensitive and hard job. Teaching different subjects requires different approaches to it, so does teaching languages, particularly teaching foreign languages. English is one of those demanded languages being taught ages in foreign countries as a second language in educational institutions such as schools, university colleges, kindergartens, etc. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Muhayyo N. Please note that this blog...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This TEFL course covered a huge variety of topics, and it was all useful information for English teachers broadly. It had a nice balance of actual how-to-tasks (i.e. how to make a lesson), as well as guidance and advice dependent on the situation (i.e. how to deal with a misbehaving student or how to establish rapport with a class). While there was new information throughout each chapter for me, the most useful, applicable information for me as a teacher was the differences between young learners and adults. This is mostly because I have taught ages preschool-late 60s (not necessarily English, I taught preschool in the USA and have taught private piano/harp lessons). I learned how to navigate the challenges when...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Lesson planning can be a daunting and time-consuming task. This being said, lesson planning is a crucial element that enables fluidity and optimal learning experiences in the classroom. When preparing lessons, it is important to make sure that your lesson, content, and activities that may be used are relevant, engaging, innovative, beneficial, and differentiated for each student in your classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mary K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. First and foremost, your lessons must be engaging and relevant for the students. Students are more likely to pay attention if you can grab their attention at the...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences As English becomes the de facto global language, people all over the world are learning English for schoolwork, career advancement, or the ability to visit English-speaking countries. Even though the content they are learning is about the same, the problems they most frequently encounter are not. In this essay I will focus on the problems commonly encountered by English learners in Hong Kong. The reasons for this choice are twofold—one is that I am a Chinese American and thus familiar with Chinese culture and potential problems in English learning resulting from this culture, the other is that I want to teach English in Hong Kong in the foreseeable future and thus it makes sense for me to focus on the potential...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker TEFL Information Teaching Ideas For many EFL teachers online teaching provides a convenient opportunity to earn a good income without having to leave your own home. For many others it is an unexpected reality due to recent global events. Whatever your reasons for teaching English online, you will probably find that your students are often tired and lacking in motivation due to too many hours in front of the computer screen and not enough variety in their learning. Unfortunately, the same also applies to many teachers. If you feel you are struggling to keep motivated when teaching online, don’t worry as you are not alone. Take a look at our simple tips for maintaining motivation when teaching English online and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have been teaching in Japan for over 12 years in three different locations ranging from the southernmost part of Hokkaido to the southern island of Kyushu, where I presently reside. The youngest students I have had were children not even two years of age, whereas my older students were in their seventies. This is a very common situation for those who teach here in Japan; a country where the English boom occurred not too long after they rebuilt their nation following the Second World War. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Andrew W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The Japanese are in love with western culture, especially that...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences J.K. Rowling, the brilliant author of the Harry Potter series, is extremely talented and her writing encouraged young adults and children to enjoy reading. This, however, does not necessarily mean that she will be equally successful if asked to teach writing to a group of students. Teaching requires specific skills of its own. The way a teacher manages a classroom can undoubtedly affect how many students in that class learn. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ana L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. A lesson will run smoothly as long as the teacher’s classroom management skills are strong. There are a couple of things to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this paper, I will discuss the reasons for students to learn English, and ways in which the teacher can help the students find motivation for learning said language. My arguments stem from the fact that English is one of the most beneficial languages to know in an increasingly global economy and a great number of different areas. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vemund V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. A teacher might encounter a great variety of motivations their students may have to learn English. When student motivation is high, teaching and learning should be easier both for the teacher and student. However, some...  [Read more]

Lydia Pincott Destinations Alumni Experiences For being a fairly small country, Japan sure packs a punch for the endless amount of things to see, do, and eat! As teachers though, we aren’t living that high roller, bullet train life, yet we usually have enough days off for a decent holiday. So how do you get out and see Japan, while still having a few yennies left over for fried chicken at Family Mart? Often with transport passes in Japan, you’ll be traveling the ‘scenic route’. But during periods like summer vacation, there’s time for this. Though it takes a little longer you can enjoy stunning views of rural Japan pass by while reading, listening to a solid podcast, or sketching. The Seishun 18 Kippu is a pass that...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I believe discipline in the classroom has a time and place. Depending on the age group or behavior of the classroom will define if discipline is needed. When discipline is simple, the teacher must ask themselves one question, is it disrupting the student's time to learn? If the answer to that question is a yes then action must be taken at that point. As a future teacher, I think the best way to make it clear to the student that bad behavior will not be tolerated is by implementing a three-strike system: the first strike is a warning, the second strike is detention and a paper assigned to the student asking them to write what mistake they made and how they will improve in the future, the third strike is being sent...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences If someone would have asked me 10 years ago what would I do once I finished University, it would have never crossed my mind to tell them that I would become a teacher. The process of becoming a teacher started when I began to look for part-time jobs while I was studying the Language at Hanoi University. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Anay M. G. My English skills were poor, yet I had good basic knowledge of the language due to years and years of continuous study. Being non-native to the English language, I had to deal with learning English since primary school all the way until high-school. At that time, I didn’t appreciate very much the work of my teachers, I thought the English...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching English to non-English speaking students can be a big and challenging task. You need to be full of patience, understanding and passion if you decide to enter this vocation. I worked for ten years as a kindergarten teacher in the Middle East and at times it seemed like I was in a “jungle survival” competition. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alona J. I was really in shock when I entered into the classroom on my first day as I had students with zero-English and it was really hard to understand them all. There were also many parents sitting around with their children who were crying and having tantrums. Normally, each class should have an Arabic Assistant Teacher but at that time...  [Read more]

Lourien Prinsloo TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In the early days, the apple of one’s eye was referred to as the “aperture at the centre of the human eye” In modern days, it’s a famous idiom “the apple of my eye” meaning, a special favourite, beloved person or thing. When I was a teenager (more than 20 years ago), I was just that, the apple of my teacher’s eye, the special “kid” Perhaps, I was the product of a feeling or emotion experienced by the teacher that could have been easily prevented. Back then, did the class circumstances justify the teacher’s behaviour to have a supposed favourite? I think not! Now, I am in those very same shoes. I could not even have...  [Read more]