My Why For Teaching

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Establishing a rapport with my students has been the most ‘natural’ part of my teaching experience. When I started my teaching career about ten years ago, ideas like classroom management and lesson planning were alien to me. I struggled immensely trying to learn strategies to excel in that area of education. Establishing relationships with my students was easy and always seemed to just happen for me. As the years have passed, I’ve been able to reflect on my time in the classroom and I’ve discovered some common denominators relating to me why exactly students are drawn to me (and me to them!). I think other people can learn from my interactions with the students who have passed through my classroom. This...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Lately, I have been hearing the question “Can a non- native English speaker teach English?” and my answer to this is “YES” but in certain conditions. My answer is based on my experience as a non-native English teacher that is why I chose this topic. I would like to tell my story of being a non-native English teacher. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Maricor B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Way back in the Philippines, there was no hard time for me to apply to schools and companies because, in our country, almost all of the English teachers are Filipinos. I grew up learning English through my Filipino- English...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Lately, I have been hearing the question “Can a non-native English speaker teach English?” and my answer to this is “YES” but in certain conditions. My answer is based on my experience as a non-native English teacher that is why I chose this topic. I would like to tell my story of being a non-native English teacher. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Maricor B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Way back in the Philippines, there was no hard time for me to apply to schools and companies because, in our country, almost all of the English teachers are Filipinos. I grew up learning English through my Filipino- English...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas hy is learning proper teaching skills necessary, you ask? I'll tell you why! This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joshua D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. At the moment, I am teaching at a training school in Changsha, Hunan, China. I came to China with no previous teaching knowledge and no desire to teach or plan any suitable lessons. After my almost two years of teaching, a lot has changed. I now know how to manage my unruly classes properly, plan lessons, be assertive and patient and friendly when needed, and much much more. Secondly, the difference...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I started my journey as a TEFL tutor by having classes online. I just tried my luck and applied for some random ad postings on social media. A few days later, I received a call and it turned out to be a phone interview. I got the job soon after that phone call ended and later that day I was introduced to my trainer. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate John K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Next, I was trained for just one day about the tools, the materials and how to handle classes online. Soon, I just need to pass the demo and I’m good to go. Without any background in teaching, I managed my way to become a top tutor with just...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I was scrolling down the list of the topics for the summative task. I was looking for something less technical, less methodical, something more ‘human’ I’d say. A title straight away jumped to my eyes: ‘How can English influence a student’s future career’. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Christian A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. While reading that line I felt that whatever I was doing at that moment, in that stage of my life, that surrounding, whatever I was doing in that instant, in that specific part of the world, would be pure imagination If I had not learnt English. I needed a personal approach, a...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences I never thought I needed to take a test to teach English before doing the TEFL course. Graduating from an all American boarding school to doing my undergrad in Denver, Colorado and using my time off to teach English in India I did not think a test would benefit me in any way. It was not until I was required to attain a teaching certificate in the country of Thailand where I did my research and decided upon taking the TEFL. There are two main reasons as to why I think the TEFL would benefit anyone: 1. Time efficient and 2. Educational. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Karen R. Out of the very many courses offered I took the 60-hour TEFL course. Taking this course was perfect as time was of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information The importance of a course such as a TEFL is easy to overlook when you consider the multitude of teaching jobs that are available around the globe that require no teacher training whatsoever. In many countries, the only requirements are that you have some form of degree and are a native speaker. For those looking to travel whilst earning some money, these countries can provide a good balance of income and culture, as well as easy access to other countries in the area. However, whilst this is beneficial to the 'tourist teacher', it can often lead to substandard teaching methods. For an example of this, I need not look any further than myself. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Timothy H....  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Motivation in the classroom is the biggest reason why I teach students in a high school setting. I am a public-school teacher and I get English as a Second Language students all the time in my classroom. I am a 10th-grade teacher but my students' ages range from 14 years old to 19 years old. The number one factor that I teach is for motivation. My students are already matured and have seen things they probably should not have at their ages. Once they get to my classroom, they are mine to teach. I do my utmost best to teach my students. I have students from all over the world, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Egyptian, Asian, Africa, to name a few countries. I now have wonderful scores. I...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences My personal teaching experience is the reason why I love teaching and hopefully after this essay, you would understand why. Let me begin by giving you a short description of myself. I was born in South Africa, I had a normal childhood and I did not enjoy my schooling career. I am currently living in Turkey teaching English to kindergartens. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Cihan C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When I arrived in Turkey I realized that English was a need and a want by many people of all ages. Knowing this I chose to work as a welder because I did not have enough confidence to use my English as a tool to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas There are many things I have learned over my thirty-plus years teaching students full time in classrooms, ranging from primary grades 2-5 and in junior high and high school. However, one of the most crucial things a teacher needs in the face of young and older learners is confidence! If the students suspect that the teacher has no idea what they are doing, it can be detrimental to the lesson and the teacher's ability to control the classroom situation. Having a confident teacher brings positivity to the classroom and comfort among the students that they are going to learn something valuable. Throughout my career, I wore many hats to grow...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I earned my teaching degree and license in the United States in 2010. How would I describe my abilities at the beginning? Terrible comes to mind. Completely incompetent might be more accurate. The extreme anxiety I experienced every morning probably didn’t help, neither did the sleepless nights or the 14-hour workdays. Let’s just say there was nowhere to go but up. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tim M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It’s been almost ten years since I graduated and eight years since I started my first job in North Carolina, USA and it’s been almost a year and a half since I left Antofagasta,...  [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...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. In high school, I was inspired by my English teachers and the way they were able to make material interesting and motivating. I remember telling myself that I would not be the person who changes the world, but perhaps as a teacher, I would be able to inspire the person who would. From the beginning, my motivation was to help others in a meaningful way. My goal was to improve the lives of others. When I entered university, I found myself studying philosophy to become a professor in the future. However, the reality of being a university professor was a lot of presenting and publishing, with very little teaching. Because teaching was my goal, I decided to leave my Ph.D....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The key things from this course for me can be summarized under the following topics: teachers and learners; theories, methods, and techniques; teaching a new language, and teaching special groups. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ewa T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. People are all about connection. For a teacher to be able to teach effectively and students to get the most out of a course learning English as a foreign language, is for students and teachers to connect. Therefore, a teacher needs to show her passion for teaching and build a good rapport with her students. From my teaching experience, I was able to build a...  [Read more]

Margaret Paton TEFL Information Alumni Experiences So, you’ve got your shiny new TESOL or TEFL certificate in hand. What now? Like you, I’m a new starter to this career of teaching English to non-native speakers, so I wanted to share five tips on what not to do in your early days. In short, having been a K-12 teacher might not get you through, be flexible about your availability, you might need a police check and your skills might not be valued in particular countries. Build up some experience, even if it’s voluntary. Even before I enrolled in the ITTT TESOL course, I was already reaching out to agencies who were hungry for native English speakers for tutoring work. There must have been one too many of these sponsored...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences As a non-native English speaker, I was very scared of teaching English or even thinking about teaching English at the beginning of my teaching career. But some months later I realized that I have a huge advantage compared to the native speakers: I still remember the difficulties of learning English and I know what might cause problems to my students. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Gabriella S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. So I can always emphasize and slow down when it is needed without being impatient. Learning English requires time, and learning to speak well requires even more time and patience from both the...  [Read more]

Ulysses Brown Destinations China is a popular market for teaching English as a foreign language. That's why I also took the leap and moved to China to teach. Here are 5 of the main reasons why I went to teach English in China. I studied at a university with an enormous international student body. Many of these students became good friends of mine, Romanians in particular. Most of the people with whom I associated were friendly enough, and those that weren’t found their way outside of my personal circle of friends and acquaintances. So, it can, therefore, be concluded that the majority of my friends during university were from other countries, and if they weren’t from other countries, they were from other areas. There was a caveat to this,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In the following essay, I have chosen to explain my personal experience on why reading can be an invaluable resource in both primary (L1) and secondary (L2) language acquisition. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Manuel G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As a very young child, my mother read to me at night until I fell asleep. By the age of 2, I could speak in simple but uninterrupted sentences with proper syntax. By a few months after my third birthday, I was able to read the same children's books that my mother used to read for me, which resulted in my being able to produce a variety of basic sentences with an improved choice...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The English Language is globally profound more than it has been many years ago. It has become the international language of the world with most people speaking and understanding. It is taught in schools in different countries all around the world to people whose native language is not the English Language. However, are these teachings effective? Does teaching skills in the classroom have a huge impact on student learning and interest in the language? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sandie M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Each school or classroom has a mission and that mission is to enhance student learning through teaching...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences According to the Oxford Dictionary, motivation is 'the desire or willingness to do something.' On the one hand, most of the students who take a foreign language course should have the desire and enthusiasm to learn and develop their skills in that second language; for future career prospects, travel purposes, to study or live in a country whose local language is different from their mother tongue, etc. On the other hand, a few of them won’t have any interest at all and they will attend the lessons with neither intention nor motivation. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ruben Garrido G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I am an experienced teacher, so why should I complete a TEFL course? A personal reflection on my experience, and how it has benefited and informed my teaching practice. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melanie W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I didn’t sign up for this course by choice. I was forced to do it by my employer. After many years of teaching experience and a recent job change, I began the course with a sense of dread and couldn’t wait to get it finished. I had worked hard for my Master of Arts in Teaching. I had put in many years teaching across age groups and the globe. I was an experienced teacher, so it...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences According to my experience, there are two stages when learning a foreign language. I am a Mandarin native speaker. Learning English is my foreign language experience. The first stage of my English learning experience was in my childhood. Learning English is an obligation in primary school, secondary school and high school. In my opinion, in this obligatory education, our learning curve is limited. The second stage of my English learning process was as an international student in England. It was a tremendous improvement in my English learning path. I would say it is like the ESA lesson but it lasts longer than one lesson! This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nina S. Please note that this...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching is a very enjoyable job and can also be highly rewarding. I had the opportunity to learn that by having an eighteen-month religious experience in which I shared all my beliefs with the people in Ecuador. Even though it wasn’t a job I gave it my full commitment and that might be why I gained so much knowledge and life lessons from it. After returning home, I realized that I wanted to keep having that feeling in my life. I wanted to teach people. Now, the question was what to teach. After talking to some of my close family members and friends, I remembered an old dream that I had when I was younger: Being an English teacher. I started having a passion for this language since elementary school or maybe...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I choose" establishing rapport" as the topic of my summary, cause that's my priority and very important to me.establishing rapport is often overlook and undervalued by teachers.basic my own experience, building rapport with your student makes your student value the class more. they more motivated, they participate more. and their focusing class is much better.why? because of the experience I had.in my mind we all can pass the exam to be a teacher if we study hard. but that doesn't mean you can be a "qualified" one. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Doris M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I'm from China, I'm still here. We...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Why Teacher Career Development? As one of the hundreds of thousands of educators around the globe, I knew that I still have a lot of space that needs to develop on the path of my teaching career. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joyce P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Being an educator is not an easy profession, because for me teaching is not just a profession, instead, it's a calling. Everybody can study and graduate with an education course but it takes courage facing struggles on preparing lesson plans, love for the students either from toddlers or adult classes, patience in dealing with different classroom situations...  [Read more]

Anastasiia Ovchinnikova Visa and Legal Budget and Salary Destinations Alumni Experiences When we think of moving to China, we often imagine this marvelous picture of futuristic cities, glass skyscrapers, and 24/7 buzzing big city lifestyle. That was me 4 years ago while packing my suitcases to start a new chapter of my life in this far and foreign country. I was so fresh yet naïve having graduated with a BA in Linguistics when I was offered a job as a kindergarten teacher in Tianjin. After just a couple of Internet searches, I learned that it is one of the biggest cities in China with a population of 15 million and that I could easily get to Beijing in under 20 minutes on a speed train....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Though I have been an English teacher for a period of seven (7) years in two different countries including my home country, yet I spent hours trying to decide the most appropriate topic for my summative essay, I finally decide to choose “The best thing I've learned from my TEFL/TESOL course” Why? Because I genuinely learned a lot during the course of my study and I will like to share my views, but I will discuss only two major points in this essay. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Oluwatosin B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Lesson planning is a vital component in the teaching of English because a good lesson plan...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I chose to pass “teaching English as a second language” because In my opinion I have great experience and practice in my life and I would love to give knowledge to young learners after what they could open the whole world for themselves, because the English language is international, everywhere you go, you can communicate with others. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Iuliia K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I always loved to be one step ahead of others especially in doing everything to have a better life, to have a work opportunity, and travel all around the world. All my school years I dreamed of being a flight...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Since I remember I have always been thinking about becoming a teacher. In the end, I decided to study at the Technical University, however, the idea of teaching experience was still on my mind. I have not finished pedagogy, so teaching was for me just a hobby (since I was not a certified teacher). This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Natalia A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It was a private class of mathematics, the student was in middle school. The experience was very good, I started teaching mathematics, then also other technical subjects. I was very satisfied because the student was progressing. Since I was preparing the...  [Read more]