Non Speak English

Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information “Teaching English abroad is impossible for non-native English speakers!” - This is a statement we often hear as teacher trainers around the world but it’s a huge misconception. Actually, the ratio of non-native to native English teachers around the world has sharply increased to 4 to 1 in recent years. This goes to show that the global EFL teaching market has undergone a large shift in hiring preference. With this in mind, we would like to highlight four striking advantages for non-native English teachers in the TEFL classroom. English is often taught as a mandatory foreign language around the world - and it starts at a young age in many countries. While native speakers learn the language naturally growing...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences As a Spaniard in love with languages, I can’t start this essay without saying anything other than, "it’s not who the teacher is, but the will of teaching that they have". Through all these years of learning English, I just know for sure that a learner learns more when they live in and with the language throughout each day. They need to become hooked to it, and it does not matter if the person who transmits this feeling is a native speaker or not. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Andrea M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Nowadays we have much more information and knowledge anywhere we go. It has become easier to learn...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When you think of a TEFL teacher you immediately expect it to be a native speaker, but I think it will be surprisingly interesting to have a non-native speaker as a teacher. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Reem A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. English is not their first language so in order to become fluent they would have had to go through the process of learning the language. This means that they have done the exact same thing their students are doing. They will understand how the students are feeling, what problems they may be having and how to keep them interested and motivated to learn. Having a non-native speaker...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have chosen this topic as I am not a native English speaker myself, and before getting into the course I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea for the debate there is between native vs non-native English teachers, and for future jobs opportunities. I have been looking for a teaching opportunity for a few months and all the adverts say "native speakers only”. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sandra P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The native speaker vs non-native speaker argument continues and it seems it will always be. However, non-native English teachers empathize more closely with their EFL students. Because they have...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Nowadays English has become a common language that helps to facilitate the communication between people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities. English may not be the most widely used language in the world, but it is the official language of 53 countries and it is used by around 400 million people worldwide. As a result, being able to speak English does not only mean communicating with native English speakers, but it also means opening the door to new international chances and opportunities. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Hadjar B. Therefore, being an ESL teacher can literally mean making a difference in someone’s life. But is being a native speaker an absolute must for teaching...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences As a Belgian born citizen, I was brought up with different languages. Belgium is officially a trilingual country: French, Dutch, and German are all official languages. Dutch is my mother tongue, I have been learning French since primary school. Later, in high school, German and English were added to my curriculum and in college, I extended my language skills by taking a Spanish course. This means I have been studying foreign languages since primary school until my university degree when I was 25 years old. This made me decide to write on the following topic: why non-native English speakers can be good TEFL teachers. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Roel S. Please note that this blog...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information Alumni Experiences TEFL is an essential certificate for native and non-native English speakers who want to teach English abroad. TEFL stands for "Teaching English as a Foreign Language". It is believed that TEFL courses are merely a precondition to teaching English abroad, but actually, a TEFL will open a completely new world of education and travel. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Wissal A. Teaching English as a foreign language involves being able to convey the English language in an articulate and interesting manner. TEFL educators help students improve their English skills through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. TEFL is often taught using teaching aids and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Most languages have formal and non-formal structures especially when it comes to the oral aspect, this is because as languages evolve outside culture and introduction of other languages in the same country or from another country turn to weave its way into the L1 of that community or country, therefore, creating as somewhat non-formal language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mandela A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Another way is that less educated or non-educated people always turn to coin out certain words or phrases to replace the formal way of saying certain things. Undoubtedly, there is the difference between...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences English has its origins in Britain and, as the history books will show, their colonization across a large part of the world brought the language to foreign lands. With their power and influence spread over more of the world, in turn, their language was also widely introduced. In that time, English was taught to those who now found themselves under British rule. Formal education was also taught in English, so it was necessary to know the language for the locals to verse themselves in the culture and enter into trades. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kevin E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. By the end of the 19th century,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In today’s globalized world the knowledge of English is crucial to be able to communicate on an international level. Large parts of today’s communication take place in English, making it one of the most important languages in the world. Its simplicity in grammar, structure, and vocabulary makes it relatively easy to learn and thus more suitable as a world language than, for example, Chinese. In fact, English is the largest language by the number of speakers, which means that a majority of English speakers are non-native. This places great importance on language education. It must be of high quality and ideally, students should acquire the language as quickly and efficiently as possible. This post was written...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas For non-native English student in Spain, specific difficulties may be encountered when learning English. A good English teacher will help a student address those difficulties including, but not limited to, pronunciation, listening, and grammar. A good English teacher to non-native English students requires a solid foundation in the knowledge of English as the student relies on the teacher as the main source of the language. The student looks to the teacher for guidance and direction in order to comprehend English. The teacher must instill trust and display confidence for the student to learn adequately. These are difficulties in teaching English to non-native students in general....  [Read more]

Gökhan Yilmaz Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas We have a saying; who knows something very well, cannot teach very well. If you are not a native speaker but you are a teacher in that language, you are well-prepared and working more than a native English speaker to avoid being tomfoolery and embarrassed in front of your students. This takes you one step ahead of someone whose native language is English. So here are 3 main advantages of a non-native English teacher. Non-native English teachers perfectly understand the differences between English and their L1; people always say that, if you want to learn a language, you must first know your language. Then, you can reach the target language by comparing it with your native...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In today’s globalized world, English is the most widely spoken language; it is also the language of business, science and research, and technology. The need for English learning has dramatically been increased and thus the need for ESL qualified teachers. As a consequence Parents have become aware of the importance of English language for their children future career, therefore, they have been sending their children to ESL private schools to enhance their English language skills, so as these children will be able to speak English and thus, more opportunities and potential for their career when they graduate. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Omar N. Please note that this blog post might...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information TEFL is considered a career with few opportunities for non-native English speaking teachers as a lot of employers only hire native English speaking teachers. However, with the expansion of TEFL worldwide and the increasing number of individuals ready to get TEFL certified and move abroad to teach, there are also many non-native English speakers who enter the career of TEFL teaching. A TEFL certificate allows teachers to explore the world, break out of their national boundaries while working a rewarding job and earning a competitive salary. So what about non-native English speaking teachers? While the competition on the global TEFL market is fierce, a non-native English speaking teacher can still find a suitable job...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences A global language is a language spoken internationally, the most popular one being English. It is learned by many people as a second language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Damian B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. A big part of the lexical units in the English language was taken from German, Latin, French, and other European countries. People think that languages have a strong relation between dominance and cultural power. Also read: What to Watch Out for Before Signing Your TEFL Contract in China To have a common language is important because it's one of the main ways to communicate and interact with other people...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Alumni Experiences Do you know what is the largest language by several speakers in the world? Yes, it is, in fact, English, so according to wikipedia.org, over 2 billion people speak English(1), now that statistic might have sounded huge but the real fact is that nowadays, since we live and depend on global economy, almost every country in the world is worried by the fact their people can’t speak English, this is basically because almost every country makes business with the United States. Now, based on that fact, a lot of foreign Governments are implementing English teaching methods in public schools from the early stages of the study. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alex D. Please note that this blog...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Solmaz F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Also Read: 3 Main Advantages of a Non-Native English Teacher Also Read: The Importance of Using Online ESL Games in TEYL Apply now & get certified to teach english abroad! Speak with an ITTT advisor today to put together your personal plan for teaching English abroad! Send us an email or call us toll-free at 1-800-490-0531 to speak with an ITTT advisor today.  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Destinations Most people who want to earn a TEFL/TESOL certificate will be planning to teach English in a country that does not speak English as its first language. This is not surprising - the vast majority of jobs available for English teachers are bound to be in countries where the local population does not speak English. However, this does not mean there are no opportunities to teach English in your home country if you are a native English speaker. From working with newly arrived immigrants to teaching international students, there are plenty of jobs available for those who have the right to work in these countries. If you are looking for work as an ESOL teacher in the United States the best places to look are those with large...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences As we all know that the process of learning how to speak our first and second or third languages are different, we acquire the first language and learn second and third languages. When we speak our mother language, we can just say it automatically, we acquire our mother language from our environment, before we learn words and sentences, but when we learn a second language, we inevitably need to learn the vocabularies, clauses, sentences, grammar, etc first, then try to translate the second language to our mother language, which is complex. As far as common linguistic problems are concerned, I think there are a lot of problems to consider. Here are some of the most commoner linguistic problems. This post was...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas ESL is English which is usually taught to students in an English speaking country. EFL is English which is taught to students in a foreign, non-English speaking country. As it is true of many European countries, where is common to learn to speak more than one foreign language. For these reasons ESL is typically the term used in the United States, an English-speaking nation, whereas EFL is more often the term of choice in countries where English is not the native language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sumeyra Y. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In learning ESL, the learner is learning...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Well, before starting this summative task and as I was going through the list of topics, I noticed this one…TEFL for non-native English speaking teachers (N°30) and thought: that’s the one I want to talk about. Yes, I am a non-native English speaker and months ago, I have given to my life a completely different orientation, leaving behind nearly a 30 years career spent in the financial and business fields. As being one important step included in this global professional and personal project, I decided to apply for a TEFL course and graduate in June 2019. However, before committing to the ITTI TEFL course and even until now, I am still reflecting upon what TEFL means for a non-native English speaking teacher....  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Sometimes non-native English speakers are discouraged in their pursuit of teaching English as a foreign language. With the right TEFL certification course and training, anyone who is a fluent English speaker can also be a great teacher. There is really no reason for non-native English speakers to worry as the following alumni report will clearly show. This post was written by our ITTT graduate Lola H. I chose this topic because I am not a native English speaker, and being a non-native English speaking teacher, in my case in South Korea, has its advantages, but also some disadvantages. I will develop the disadvantages first, then introduce the advantages. First of all, if you...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Can a non-native speaking English be a TEFL teacher? Generally, employers will consider candidates from Us, Canada, England, and Australia for their hiring position. Therefore this may imply some difficulty to who is trying to establish a career teaching path. The answer to the question is YES! This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Angela S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Despite all the difficulty, a non-native may encounter, the knowledge and experience can be proven by bringing new tasks and ways of learning English interestingly. One advantage of being a non-native English speaking is using a learner model; in general a...  [Read more]

Anastasiia Ovchinnikova TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Back in the days when I was living in China with my British boyfriend, who was born and raised in Oxford, we would always make our friends smile talking about our careers. We always felt it was a bit ironic that out of the two of us, it was me who ended up as an English language teacher. I started to wonder whether he would have been a better English teacher than me, had he decided to work at one of the international schools in China. I feel like it is a common misconception that non-native English teachers (short: NNETs) are not as qualified or skilled in teaching as native English teachers. I've recently gotten disheartened when looking for job openings where they...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas There are many resources for use in the classroom at the disposal of an ESL/EFL teacher. Broadly speaking, these are divided into two categories: authentic materials, and non-authentic (or created) materials. The distinction between these two categories is that authentic materials are those that have been produced in the world for a purpose that is not teaching, while non-authentic materials have been created expressly to teach language students. Authentic materials would include company brochures, advertisements, television and radio programs, realia, newspapers, and magazines, etc., whereas non-authentic materials include created worksheets (e.g., crosswords, word search puzzles, gap fills, etc.), flashcards,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Nowadays there is an increasing tendency of hiring more and more native English speakers as ESL or EFL teachers. Being a native English speaker and belonging to a certain number of English speaking countries is a required qualification for teachers or graduates who want to work abroad, especially. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Irina P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Of course, nobody can contest that a person who is born or lives in a certain country has the chance to possess accents, pronunciation or intonation that a foreigner cannot have mastery of. But a language teacher is more than a person with a native accent. One...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Can you imagine being in a foreign country and you don’t speak the language? You are a new student, who is shy, nervous. You haven’t made any friends yet and you don’t have confidence in your speaking skills. A classroom could be a terrifying place to be which is why the role of the teacher is so important. Since most non-English speaking students are typically shy in English class, teaching English through various types of methods such as “groups” can be beneficial to the students. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mohamed A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When listening to students in groups, a teacher will notice...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) involves dynamic, cross-cultural English language instruction, requiring a level of intentional, service-oriented cultural sensitivity and awareness with new English learners that may not be so readily understood or relevant with native speakers from the United States of America. Beyond the memorization of rote grammar, language proficiency, public speaking, reading comprehension, and other elements of linguistic aptitude, there must first be a deliberate recognition of the unique challenges of a non-native speaker of the English language. While our units do not suggest that instructors allow learners to speak in their native tongue regularly, its use does not...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) involves dynamic, cross-cultural English language instruction, requiring a level of intentional, service-oriented cultural sensitivity and awareness with new English learners that may not be so readily understood or relevant with native speakers from the United States of America. Beyond the memorization of rote grammar, language proficiency, public speaking, reading comprehension, and other elements of linguistic aptitude, there must first be a deliberate recognition of the unique challenges of a non-native speaker of the English language. While our units do not suggest that instructors allow learners to speak in their native tongue regularly, its use does not...  [Read more]

  Using games in your lessons is a great way to liven up the class and get students excited and interested in using English in the classroom. Not only do they provide a welcome break from the usual activities, they also help to create a relaxed environment where even the most reluctant student can be persuaded to take part. There are many games that can be used in the TEFL classroom, from simple games that only require a pen and a whiteboard to more elaborate board games. There are some games that have been specifically designed to be used in English language classes, while other, everyday games that we usually play for fun can also be adapted to be used with your students. You can even create your own games! Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section...  [Read more]