Not Native

  "Your" and "you're" often get confused, not only by English learners around the world but also by many native English speakers. Let's break it down. "Your" is a possessive adjective that indicates ownership, while "you're" is simply the contraction of "you are". Let's take a look at this example sentence: Your grades are great this semester. In this case, we use 'your' as we use it to indicate ownership. You're the best student in the entire school! This example require us to use 'you're' because it is the short form for 'you are'. Should you not be sure which one to use, think about if you want to express ownership or of you want to say "you are". Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online...  [Read more]

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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 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]

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]

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 Alumni Experiences In a globalized world, where people come and go easily from country to country for different reasons, English has become the first spoken language. Considering this fact, it’s still shocking how not being a “native” has such an impact by the time of applying for a job or hiring someone for it. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Arantza M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As a non-native speaker who has studied English since a very young age, I can say that it’s quite difficult to be taken into consideration when it comes to applying for a teaching job. I have realized that recruiters don’t focus that much in the...  [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 Alumni Experiences In today's world, teaching English has become a mainstream job, no longer limited to native speakers. Everywhere you go, you will find nationals from various countries teaching English with sometimes rather strong accents. What are their motivations and why would schools choose non-natives to teach English in the first place? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Patrick B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. While traveling through Asia or South America, two of the areas where most TEFL teachers currently operate, one will often encounter ESL teachers. Why? Many of them travel a lot and have rather relaxed curriculums with just...  [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 Teaching Ideas This summative essay will exam the importance of teaching the differences between American English and British English for EFL learners. I will examine the intention behind teaching these differences, and when these teachings should be applied, and to what effect and purpose. This essay will focus primarily on the problems of pronunciation and spelling, which are the two main differences. I am a British citizen, born and raised in London, England, and currently teach at a public high school in Tokyo. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Challis C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The most prominent differences in spelling would be...  [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 Most researchers agree that the learner’s first language influences the pronunciation of the target language and is a significant factor in accounting for foreign accents. So-called interference or interference from the first language is likely to cause errors in aspiration, stress, and intonation in the target language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vesna A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Some Chinese students tend to have difficulty with English sounds because they are deeply influenced by similar Chinese sounds. However, they are very different from each other. A particular sound which does not exist in the native...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Learning another language is one of the most powerful tools for connecting people around the world from different cultures. Opening an immeasurable amount of opportunities, learning English has many benefits including but not limited to expanding career options, exercising another part of the brain, and improving the ease of traveling to a foreign country. However, particularly for natives of Eastern countries, learning English may be very difficult due to the exoticism of sounds, writing, pronunciation, and structure. While Japan is unique in a sense, having a booming influence of Western culture after World War II, native Japanese learners face difficulties in learning English due to phonology differences,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Most people have dreams of traveling or working abroad. Many times, unfortunately, we believe it’s out of our grasp. However, that is not true. The TEFL/TESOL certificate is a tool that allows us to attain opportunities abroad. By investing some time and money, the world opens an unending box of opportunities. Albeit, these opportunities, even though plentiful, can be limited to non-native English speaking teachers. In a moment, we will discuss some obstacles a non-native English speaking teacher can face, how to overcome those obstacles and the benefits of a TESOL/TESOL certification. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ramon A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I am not a native English speaker yet I have learned English since childhood as I was born and raised in India, where English is the second language. In India, most of the early schools, high schools, colleges, universities use English as the medium of instruction. So I was fortunate (i have only realized its good fortune to have learned and spoken English for so many years now) to have acquired proficiency in written and spoken English mostly inspired by British English as India was ruled for many many years by the British. Our love for English is old and solid - demonstrated by the fact that India now has the largest English speaking population in the world. Wow!! purely because we are a vast population and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Slang and idioms are an important part of every language and should be taught to ESL students. Colloquialisms are used in daily conversational English, and teaching them to students increases the efficiency of communication and fluency. They also are used in cultural items as well, such as movies, books, and music. Teaching slang and idioms may also prevent misunderstandings between people. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vania J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. While slang and idioms may seem inappropriate to teach students, it makes for better communication. Native English speakers use slang and idioms such as "break a leg"...  [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]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Today, the importance of studying English by native speakers has been understood more and new regulations have been made by some countries. One of the most effective and undisputed factors that make learning English easier is to carry out English learning with native English tutors. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate liping z. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Our most important sense of learning is our sense of hearing. It is our sense that makes the most contribution to learning. Sometimes we realize that we have memorized the lyrics of a song without realizing it. The reason for this is that even if you do not pay attention,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching English as a foreign language can be an intimidating task, especially for non-native English speaking teachers. This is true for many of my coworkers who are homeroom teachers at elementary schools in Japan. English has recently become a formal subject in elementary schools here and many homeroom teachers are intimidated by the sudden responsibility to teach a language they are not fluent in. Many feel that native speakers are better English teachers since native speakers have natural pronunciation and excellent command of the language. Co-teaching with a native speaker can put added pressure on homeroom teachers to speak perfect English in front of their students. Therefore many homeroom teachers feel...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Are you a near-native English speaker and looking for an English teaching job in East Asia? Beware of the very requirement you will face in countless job ads that can even put you off from applying for any TEFL jobs. I am quite confident that you can guess what that requirement is. Being an English native speaker! According to my personal experience in Thailand, what you might see in all those ads is more about holding the passport of one of the English speaking countries rather than language proficiency and teaching skills. It seems that requiring you to be native to be able to apply is not even enough for them. Sometimes they make it even more frustrating by restricting the list of the countries and narrowing it...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The status of English as a global language or lingua-franca owes to several diverse factors. As the world has become increasingly globalized, the demand for learning and teaching English has increased drastically and continues to grow. People from all over the world come to seek opportunities in education in the EFL/ESL industry. In this essay, I will attempt to explore the challenges of teaching EFL as a non-native speaker. A further aim in this summative essay is to conduct a general comparison between native and non-native English-speaking teachers (known as NESTs and NNESTs). I will look at this from the perspective of the EFL classroom in Taiwan and will discuss the challenges non-native English-speaking...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Language textbooks are a good source for language learners and teachers, especially new language learners or teachers who may not know exactly where to begin. However, while textbooks are a valuable resource, they do not teach students everything they need to know when it comes to interacting with native speakers of the target language. This is because all native speakers use some level of slang in their everyday speech, in the classroom, and even in their workplace. For this reason alone, ESL students need to begin learning common slang they may hear. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Justin W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Studying and learning standard English grammar is an experience that most native speakers must also do. Furthermore, even after learning grammar in an English education system, many native speakers still make grammatical errors in their everyday conversations, and especially so when writing formal documents. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Natalie F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. However, grammatical errors such as saying, “I and my friend went to that movie,” instead of “my friend and I,” are still socially acceptable to say and the meaning is still understood. Thus, when teaching grammar, while accuracy is still...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Throughout the TEFL course, it is clear that teachers do not need to know the language of the host country to successfully teach English. I agree wholeheartedly with this assertion for various reasons. However, there are also certain advantages for teachers who know a foreign language have in the classroom. I will discuss the various ways that knowledge of a foreign language can help and hinder teachers in the EFL classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Allison S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There are several ways in which knowing the L1 or native language of your students can hinder your teaching ability. It is often...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teachers of English as a Foreign Language are often native English speakers. As such, there are many language concepts, especially grammatical ones, that are subconsciously understood due to having learned them in early childhood. One of the most important parts of TEFL training is relearning these concepts from the perspective of one who does not speak English. This can often be one of the most revelatory parts of the process as it can be disconcerting to uncover seemingly unfamiliar concepts and rules to language one already know perfectly. In a monolingual class, this can sometimes be remedied by relating vocabulary and concepts to the students’ native language. In a multilingual classroom, a classroom whose...  [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]