My Tefl

  Massir is from Tunisia and has been teaching English in Omar when he decided to take our 120-hour online TEFL certification to advance in his career. He was able to use the techniques learned in his classroom and saw significant improvements. 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. On the lesson plans, there are so many details that I haven't thought about. And it is a new idea for me that not to plan TOO detailed. And also there should be self - feedback for...  [Read more]

  The first part of my study phase is going to be the board work and I'm going to use the information that I generated in the elicitation part of my engage phase to move on to the actual board work. What I'm going to do is to show the structure of this particular tense. So, the phase study I'm expecting to take about ten minutes on this particular part and, again, the interaction will mainly be the students talking to me. So, how am I going to achieve that with this information? Well, we could ask the students to have a look at the sentences themselves and to tell us what they can see. If we look at each of the first words in here, then at this level, I should hopefully be able to elicit from my students what each of these words have in common and they may well give an answer that...  [Read more]

{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ [ {"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh0","name": "A varied student population.","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/can-i-teach-english-at-international-schools-with-a-tel-qualification/#nameh0"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh1","name": "Top-notch campuses and amenities.","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/can-i-teach-english-at-international-schools-with-a-tel-qualification/#nameh1"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh3","name": "Highly competitive compensation packages.","url":...  [Read more]

{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ [ {"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh0","name": "Can I teach anywhere as a first-time EFL teacher?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/how-to-get-my-first-tefl-job/#nameh0"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh1","name": "How hard is it to get a TEFL job?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/how-to-get-my-first-tefl-job/#nameh1"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh3","name": "How can I get a TEFL job with no experience?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/how-to-get-my-first-tefl-job/#nameh3"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type":...  [Read more]

{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ [ {"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh0","name": " Will I make friends with work colleagues when teaching English abroad?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/Will-I-make-friends-while-teaching-English-abroad/#nameh0"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh1","name": " Will I make friends with the local people?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/Will-I-make-friends-while-teaching-English-abroad/#nameh1"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh3","name": " How can I find like minded people in the local area?","url":...  [Read more]

{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ [ {"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh0","name": " Will I be teaching adults when teaching English abroad?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/Who-will-my-students-be-when-teaching-English-abroad/#nameh0"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh1","name": " Will I be teaching young learners when teaching English abroad?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/Who-will-my-students-be-when-teaching-English-abroad/#nameh1"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh3","name": " Can I also earn extra cash as a private tutor when teaching English abroad?","url":...  [Read more]

{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ [ ] ] } If you do not want to be tied to an individual English teaching platform and would prefer to be your own boss, you can potentially set up your own online teaching business. There are many different ways to set up your own online teaching service, although it obviously helps if you have some previous experience in the field of online language teaching. Former ITTT alumna Bri did just that and shared her story and top tips with ITTT on our TEFL blog: How To Start Your Own ESL Teaching Service  [Read more]

{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ [ {"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh0","name": "Why should you teach English abroad during your gap year?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/can-i-teach-english-abroad-in-my-gap-year/#nameh0"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh1","name": "How should I prepare for my gap year?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/can-i-teach-english-abroad-in-my-gap-year/#nameh1"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh3","name": "How do I find a suitable TEFL job?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/can-i-teach-english-abroad-in-my-gap-year/#nameh3"},{"@context":...  [Read more]

  The idiom "yellow-bellied" refers to a coward or cowardly behavior, for example: My brother called me yellow-bellied when I didn't want to touch the spider in the attic. 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 think many things learned in this unit such as for instance the importance of classroom arrangement, taking into consideration the background of students when dealing with problem behavior, controlling TTT and STT will make the teaching process...  [Read more]

{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ [ {"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh0","name": " Why do some teachers cancel their TEFL contract early?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/Can-I-cancel-my-contract-early-when-teaching-English-abroad/#nameh0"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh1","name": " Will there be any consequences if I cancel my TEFL contract early?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/Can-I-cancel-my-contract-early-when-teaching-English-abroad/#nameh1"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh3","name": " What consequences can I expect if I cancel my TEFL contract early?","url":...  [Read more]

{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ [ {"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh0","name": "Can I get an EFL teaching job before I leave home?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/should-i-take-my-tefl-course-before-i-head-overseas-to-teach/#nameh0"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh1","name": "Should I keep my options open if I?m not sure where I want to teach?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/should-i-take-my-tefl-course-before-i-head-overseas-to-teach/#nameh1"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh3","name": "Is it cheaper to take a TEFL course in my home country?","url":...  [Read more]

{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ [ {"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh0","name": "Can I stay in a shared apartment during my in-class TEFL course?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/what-sort-of-accommodation-will-i-have-during-my-in-class-tefl-course/#nameh0"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh1","name": "Can I stay in a hostel during my in-class TEFL course?","url": "https://www.tefl-certificate.net/faq/what-sort-of-accommodation-will-i-have-during-my-in-class-tefl-course/#nameh1"},{"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "SiteNavigationElement","@id": "#nameh3","name": "Can I choose a homestay option during my in-class TEFL course?","url":...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas After I graduated from school, Ifromided to be a teacher. I had all the prerequisites for that profession since my childhood. I entered a university, and the department, which I chose, was Russian Language and Literature. It happened because it was affordable for me financially. Although this profession was good, I often wanted to try myself as a teacher of English too, just to not feel bored from teaching the same subject all the time. However, I did not dare to take that step, since I lacked good equipment for teaching English. This new skill quite differed from my main profession. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nargis S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Teaching and learning are processes that go hand in hand with one another. Effective teachers are able to inspire and engage students with a desire to learn. They must be able to impart their abilities of learning into students in various ways. Through my personal teaching experiences, I firmly believe in establishing high, yet attainable expectations, creating a curriculum that is student centered, and providing real life experiences for students to help them grasp the concepts taught in the lesson. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sarah N. Effective classroom management is more than being a strict or authoritative figure, it requires a structured learning environment in which certain behaviors are promoted and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences My own teaching experience, though not as extensive as many seasoned teachers, is quite diverse. I have taught English class to middle and high school students in the US public school system, worked for an alternative school for students with behavior problems, taught in a language training school, taught in a bilingual Montessori kindergarten, tutored numerous students one-on-one, and I’ve taught many different kinds of online classes. Currently, I work as a course designer and an actor, filming fun videos to teach Chinese students English through an interactive online app. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Christy N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I chose to...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences The course was informative and comprehensive. Since I had a good grasp of the language, initially I thought I would go to the classroom and teach. But after deep pondering, questions crept up in my mind: What if I run out of ideas in the middle of the class? What if my students are not motivated? What if the lessons I provide are not effective? There is so much more to teaching. The list of my apprehensions went on, and that was when I decided to enroll in a course. After doing some research, I found ITTT with its internationally recognized TEFL/TESOL program. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Shalia M. As a new teacher the course gave me the confidence that I needed to be effective. The introductory units dealt with the teachers’...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I think to best address this question you need to know why I took this course. I am a USA certified teacher who arrived in China almost 6 years ago after a teacher in the Florida school system for 13 years. I was an ESE (Exceptional Student Education) certified, Middle School Math and Science teacher. When I first arrived, I assumed all the foreign teachers I worked with were also certified teachers. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jennifer K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I quickly discovered this was not true and began to experience working with TEFL/TESOL teachers. There was a distinct lack of understanding in many of these teachers as to the true role of a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences This is not to say that I thought lightly of teaching English but when I just started considering becoming an English teacher, I thought what I would need for starting my career was passion and enough English skills for the level of students. That I could gain the other necessary teaching skills one by one through experiences in the classroom. Or maybe by reading some course books or from watching Youtube videos concerning teaching English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Youngku K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The only teaching experience I had was independently tutoring middle school students for 6 months and I didn't have any educational background in...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences My teaching experience started back in 1988 where I was working for a company called Bryco Windows. They are a UPVC window and door manufacturer where my position was Sales Trainer. My job was to teach new staff and train them to understand the sales process and how to close the sale. This was a hard job to do as a salesman as the sales people got a lot of knock backs (no sale). Part of my job as sales trainer was to keep them motivated. Sometimes this got very hard with some sales people and many people left. The employee turnover was very high as not many people actually could master it. I worked there for four years in this position and met some really good people who did very well. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate James M. Then I...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching, Just like any other profession, is one of the most proficient professions in the world. It requires special skills, maturity, empathy, passion and most of all knowledge and learning personality. Imparting knowledge is beautiful, but how to impart an individual is very important, since the person, must turn out to be productive and successful. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joseph B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. My communicative personality and my knowledge in psychology and Linguistics make teaching a little more comprehensible. Over the years, I have taught various kinds of subject aside English Language and various Students and I found them all...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences It is true that in life, the road to success is not a clear straight upward path; rather, it is more of an obstacle race. A teacher’s life looks simple from the outside. Why, she just wakes up early, wears her uniform, goes to school, and does what any other teacher does. It looks pretty straightforward, but my personal experience has been anything but. From a teenager unsure of her future to a high school English teacher, my work life so far has been perfectly imperfect. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Pia M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. 2007: I entered the university with a small blue patch on my tie, signifying my chosen course: Bachelor in Secondary...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Discipline is an important aspect of any classroom working with younger students. I currently work at a middle school, and discipline is foundational to creating an inclusive, welcoming classroom environment. Adolescents at this stage are typically very confrontational towards authority and are testing the waters to what they can get away with, or disobey their teachers. I’ve noticed that teachers who set strict rules at the beginning of the year, tend to have an easier time maintaining authority in the classroom and keeping students engaged. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Veronica T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As I’m considering how to start my...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As an EFL teacher, I have come to realize that the social environment, age, perception and more, play a vital role in teaching English. This was evident as I taught the kindergarten section of the school. It required more efforts because of their language background ie. Non-English speaking country. So, the effective method of knowledge transfer to this group of kids must be interactive, demonstrative and fun based. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Rebal D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Recent studies have shown that there is an increasing demand for learning English in preschool all over the world. However, in this part, some parents have become skeptical about...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas One thought, in particular, stood out to me as I was reading Unit 6 of the Business English course. That was how to relate to others who are from different cultures around the world. So as a teacher relating to students means in my mind establishing connections (establishing rapport). I believe rapport is the foundation that binds a teacher to students. Without rapport, there’s no trust and poor communication which is the opposite of what I am trying to achieve. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Loretta J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As of this writing, I do not have experience teaching English as a foreign language so building rapport with students abroad is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I started my teaching career in 2016. I was an international student in London, doing a part-time job as a private Mandarin tutor for covering my living cost. In London, I was teaching Mandarin for young learners, age between 3-15-year-old from 2016-2018. After I came back to my country in 2019, I have started to teach English for Kindergarten students age between 3-8-year-old in a private English School. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nina S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When I started to be a private Mandarin tutor, I did not have any teaching experience. The reason that made me decide to teach young learners was that I knew I could be patient with...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas When I envision myself in a classroom full of new English learners, I see myself striving to encourage and motivate students through positive student-to-student and student-to-teacher relationships. One of the key components of successfully learning a new topic is to enjoy it and to see a purpose in doing so. Creating a safe and welcoming environment is one of the most important things a teacher can do to ensure student learning by building confidence in every individual. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Bristol L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As someone that is also learning a second language by have taken classes in High School and now, in College, I have...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences About a year and a half ago, I began a part-time job teaching English in Japan. The school I taught at, Sunny Club, was a small cram school run in the first level of a two-story home. The physical space could accommodate only 20 students at a time, and it meant that there was very little room to breathe during lessons. While the small size was a hindrance at times, working for Sunny Club was one of the most fulfilling experiences that I have had. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate MARY T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. At Sunny Club, I taught students whose ages ranged from 5 or 6 to 40 years of age. Working with these students taught me about being in teacher in...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I began my TEFL/TESOL experience not having had any prior teaching experience. Therefore, teaching was something that I was learning step-by-step, reading the units and using Internet resources for additional examples when needed. Even though there is no straightforward answer to this question, the ITTT course taught me that being a teacher is so much more than just transferring knowledge to someone else. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sofija A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It helped me pave my path of self-discovery as a teacher. There were many areas in which I felt I was strong in theory but lacked the practice. This course has been visual and based on...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences It was the last day of Japanese class and my teacher’s last day of teaching at our school. We were all standing up getting ready to bow him one last time. It was dead quiet but I could still hear sniffles around me and felt the sadness of the moment. I never thought I would care so much about a teacher leaving. To this day, the words and wisdom my Japanese teacher taught me still ring in my head. Flash forward to a few years ago, I went to Japan for the first time, after a hiatus of not studying Japanese, but amazingly I still had all the skills my teacher had taught me in high school. How did this person have such an impact on me? The answer I have come to realize is that because he truly cared about me becoming skillful in a foreign language. The most...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Back in 2014, I worked at a nursery school here in South Africa. I was the English teacher for the three to four-year-olds at this school. There were 32 students in my class. My class was so small that during nap time two students had to sleep on one mattress. There was no space to leave the class once the children had fallen asleep. I had to make sure that all my belongings were out of the class once the students came in for their naptime or I had to leave whatever was forgotten behind once I was one my way to my next job. In unit 3 on page 21, they talk about the whole class grouping pros and cons and that is really explained well where they say "class grouping is suitable for activities where the teacher needs to be in control" or "have the...  [Read more]