What Life Is Like In Russia

Linda Dunsmore Budget and Salary Destinations The following guide will help you answer the question: How much can I earn (and save) while teaching English in Russia? You will also find information on the local cost of living in order to figure out how much to budget for when moving to Russia. Russia is an emerging star on the EFL market today. Teaching English in Russia can, therefore, be both a challenging yet rewarding undertaking. Unlike some other TEFL destinations, teachers in Russia don’t have much choice in terms of what type of school they work for. Public schools don’t hire foreign teachers, which makes private language institutes the most common workplace for TEFL qualified teachers in Russia. Depending on your...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences I remember taking Russian classes at a local language institute. My motivation initially was my love for Russian culture and a desire to move there. However, actually having the discipline to study the language proved to be a different reality. So with motivation in the classroom, I know from personal experience what can and cannot work - generally speaking. There are three key themes outlined here that address not only providing motivation to the students but also the students having their own motivation. These three themes are teachers motivation, students motivation, and classroom motivation. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Andrew M. The teacher's motivation needs to be something...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Hello everybody, it's Liza here. We are just about to start today's live session that is devoted to ideas on how to improve English skills. While I'm waiting for more people to join me let me just tell you about these live sessions. So we are doing them weekly and right now there are a lot of videos to check out on our YouTube channel and our Facebook group. If you missed any of these live streams you can go to our social networks and see any of them there. Welcome to the new session and if you haven't heard already my name is Liza and I'm a non-native English teacher from Russia. I can see that there are some people from the Philippines here....  [Read more]

Sabrina Segal Alumni Experiences Language skills begin in the womb when a fetus's hearing first develops, they begin to listen to the language of their mother. Once the baby is born they recognize their mother tongue. Though, a baby is born with the ability to learn any language and multiple languages. When babies hear a word repeatedly their brain forms neural connections, which is a step towards their speech. The brain of a child is like a sponge. It retains so much information that by the time a child reaches 3 years of age, their brain has formed double the amount of connections that adults have. Young children learn language through simple exposure. It is possible to learn a language later on in life but the process is slower and more...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences A life long learner, to me, is one who desires to learn new things based on interests, motivations, and knowledge to be gained. As one who is a certified teacher in first through eighth grades (in Louisiana, USA), possesses a master degree in education, as well as having a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a minor in Leadership and Supervision, does not mean that I know it all; far from it. In my middle school teaching days and years of teaching in higher education preparing teachers to teach, I encountered students from other culturally diverse backgrounds; yet, I did not have the basic fundamentals of teaching students whose first language was not English. This I regret. This post was written by our...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Hey guys, nice to see you again. It's Liza here, I'm glad to welcome you to the weekly live session. If you can hear me and see me please let me know that everything is working smoothly, because just three minutes before the live session my home wi-fi connection cut off and I had to switch on the mobile internet. I'm scared that something might not work that well, so please let me know that it works. I really hope that this internet connection problem won't cause any troubles. Hello Rosie, thank you so much for letting me know. Hello guys, I can see that there are some people from Pakistan. I can also see some regulars, thanks for coming. Let's move on to the first part of the...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Hello everybody, it's Liza here, I'm glad to see you joining me today. If you guys can hear and see me clearly please let me know via the chat box. Today we are going to discuss some problems related to teacher development. While I am waiting for more people to join, just quickly let me introduce myself. So I am a non-native ESL teacher and a TEFL expert. I go live every week on Tuesday and this live stream is provided by International TEFL and TESOL Training. Thanks a lot for letting me know that my system is working. I'm glad you are tuning in and by the way please let me know where you guys are from. I'm located in Russia, but I taught in China for a couple of years and then...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The personal qualities of a teacher are the characteristics of an individual. These attributes and traits are what make up their personality. Personal qualities are what make a person unique, allow them to navigate a new situation, make new friends and possible connections, or work through conflict or tensions. Important personal qualities for English teachers include listening and being a good listener, thoughtfulness, being personable, timeliness, and adaptability. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Anna E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In real life, not all teachers have those qualities and characteristics. Some of the...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching English abroad is a career more popular than ever. However, with so many options and resources about TEFL available online, there is a lot of false information out there. This post uncovers the seven most common misconceptions about TEFL and clears up any confusion! Wrong! While a degree is necessary to secure a work visa in some countries, there are plenty of countries where it’s not necessary to possess a degree. If you are a native English speaker and have a TEFL certificate, you still have a lot of options on where to teach even without a degree. South American countries like Argentina, Ecuador or Peru, as well as places in Asia like Cambodia or Russia, are perfect to teach English without a degree....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Now we’re living in an unstable time. All the world facing a lot of problems, such as the problems of war and peace, ecology, economy, international cooperation. And all of them can’t be solved without speaking the same language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nikita B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The English language is now the first language of about 350 million people, the native language of 12 nations and the official language of more than 33 nations. It means that one of seven people in the world speaks English. It is one of the six official and working languages of the United Nations. It is the second working...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas “We say Yes more than No. We remain curious and stay open to others’ ideas. We learn by doing. By following an idea. By experimenting with our hands. By taking risks. By trying, struggling and failing forward fast. - City Studio Vancouver Manifesto” This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Rachel S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. My teaching experience comes from a background in the visual arts. I have worked as a teacher's assistant for visual artists and designers who facilitate collaborative social practice projects for youth and young adults. Social practice is a theory that attempts to link practice, and context with...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Parents play a major role in the education of their children. This is because children tend to listen to the instruction of their parents and are usually motivated by what they see their parents doing. In most countries where education is not free, the parents play the role of sponsor as they pay their children’s tuition fees. This is a major role because if not for that, the students are unable to attend classes and usually stay at home. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melisa P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In some households where one of the parents is a stay-at-home parent, that parent may play the role of...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations Winter is upon us, which doesn’t have to mean that you can’t travel and explore the world! These are the top 10 places to take your TEFL course in winter. Visiting Moscow during winter is an absolute visual wonder. Your Russian fairytale will come true when you explore the city’s beautiful parks, squares, and churches covered in powdery snow. While temperatures can reach crazy lows, when you pack a thick coat and waterproof boots, you’re going to have the time of your life in Moscow in winter. Get started and take our in-class TEFL certification course in Moscow and find out more about living and working in Russia in our country guide. Also read: Top 10 Cities in Europe with the Highest Demand for English...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas Hello everybody, I'm glad to see that some people have already joined me. My name is Liza, your ITTT TEFL friend and today we are going to talk about the most interesting topic from all of them I suppose. We are going to discuss online teaching and during this session I am going to share several ideas on how to enhance your online classes in 2021. I hope you enjoy it because it's something really cool to try and before we start let me quickly check if the equipment is working, if you see me clearly and if you hear me clearly please let me know in the comment section. Okay. So it’s nice to see you guys and thanks for joining. I see several comments but I'm not sure what they are as...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Hello! Liza is here and if you are guys getting on this stream, let me know if you hear and see me. We are about to start. Today's live session is devoted to teaching English as a non-native speaker. Okay, let me check if anyone is here. Hello! my name is Liza, and today we will talk about teaching English as a non-native speaker. Let me show the name of the session. Hello guys, if you are watching right now, write down a couple of words. I can see your comments, and let me know where you are from? I'm curious. And let me introduce myself quickly. I'm now staying in my hometown in Russia. It is called Yekaterinburg. It's pretty cold today, but...  [Read more]

  Moscow's vibe fluctuates between formal capital and cultural powerhouse. The Kremlin is at the core of political life, a building with an intimidating architectural style. Go inside – its cathedrals and museums whisper a thousand stories about czars and czarinas, patriarchs and princesses. The Kremlin is Moscow’s crème de la crème. The 12th-century construction began with wood, and blossomed into the world’s largest medieval fortress. Waltz through Red Square past Lenin’s Mausoleum, with his century-old body lying in state, to find palaces, museums and a startling art collection inside the Armoury, including some of the famed Fabergé Eggs. Wander through the world's largest gallery of Russian art. In the contemporary wing, analyze Malevich's...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Welcome, my name is Linda nice to see you. I’m a TEFL and TESOL professional at ITTT and I’ve been living and working in Asia since 2012-ish and I live in South Korea and I’ve been here for five and a half years. I also taught English in China and here in Korea as well and I also work for ITTT and we have a guest so to speak but also from ITTT but joining us for the first time my colleague Lisa. My name is Liza. I’m a TEFL and TESOL expert at ITTT as Linda and I’m also a former ESL teacher. I’ve been teaching online this year but before I worked in China as a lead teacher in a kindergarten so that was quite fun and I'll share my...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences For the past several years I have been working for a non-profit company that provides high-quality daycare and preschool education for financially disadvantaged children. The population we serve is diverse, but the majority of families in our particular centers are Latino. Although I am not employed in a classroom teaching position, I have a great deal of contact with the children and with their parents. Part of my responsibility is to conduct an intake interview with the parents to explain the policies of the school, and to do a health history of the child before he enters. These meetings take about forty minutes when the parent speaks English, and an hour or more if I need the help of a translator. This post...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Budget and Salary TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Hello everybody, my name is Liza and I am super glad to welcome you to my weekly live session. Please let me know that you can see me clearly and hear me clearly. Today's live session is going to be devoted to a really popular question in my direct messages. I've received several requests to talk about teaching career advice and I hope everybody will find something interesting in this live stream. We've got the chat box here and you basically can comment with whatever you want. As I have already mentioned my name is Liza and I am a TEFL expert and a former ESL teacher. I’ve been teaching online since 2020 because of the quarantine and...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Hi everybody, thanks so much for tuning in. It’s Linda here from ITTT with my morning coffee, because if you've watched me before in one of our live sessions you will know that I am in South Korea and it's currently 10:00 a.m. on Friday morning. So I'm having my morning coffee and I'm going to have a chat with you guys. If you can see me and hear me, please drop a hi or something into the comment box, I would really appreciate it. As you may or may not know, at ITTT we go live twice every week, me on Fridays or maybe Thursdays depending on where you're watching from, and my colleague Liza she goes live every Tuesday. Actually Liza went live on Tuesday and also on Saturday last week because she had a really...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Hello everybody, welcome to the ITTT weekly live stream. My name is Liza, and today we are going to discuss an extremely important topic which is related to English teaching as a non-native teacher. Because the field is pretty competitive, many people want to find out if it is possible to stand out or not. Let's just quickly change the slide. So the reason I decided to choose this topic is that one of my regular viewers asked me about how to actually stand out as a non-native teacher, especially online. I find it is really important, so let's discuss it today and before we move on, please let me know that you can hear me and see me clearly. If...  [Read more]

  Situated in the east of Uzbekistan, Tashkent is the country’s capital as well as its largest city. It is also the Central Asia region’s most populated city with a population of about two and a half million people. The city was made the capital of the country when Uzbekistan gained independence after the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Tashkent is an incredibly interesting and ever-changing city where the long history and rich Uzbek culture can be seen in the city’s fascinating architecture, particularly the exhibition halls and metro stations. One of the most effective ways to experience the way of life in Tashkent is to pay a visit to one of the many local markets which serve as social centers for the local population. Tashkent’s nightlife is ever developing and you can...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations TEFL Information While a lot of teaching positions are filled locally through face-to-face interviews, there are many countries that prefer to recruit new teachers in advance before they leave home. The application process usually takes place online via email and interviews are held via phone or Skype. A lot of teachers prefer this method as it offers a bit more security than simply heading abroad to find a job. When getting hired for teaching English abroad in advance, you typically receive assistance with the necessary documents and visa from your employer. Many employers also provide free airfare, health insurance and accommodation that is move-in-ready when you arrive. These benefits are...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Have you ever wondered why nursery rhymes are one of the first grammar structures taught in the life of a young learner? And how come it is easy for most adults to remember lyrics to a song that they learned in Kindergarten? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Dee S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Let us analyze a few elements that Song and Rhyme have that make them effective teaching methods in learning a new language in the classroom : In Unit 19 of this course, it was stated that it is best to teach very simple grammar concepts to beginner students. Nursery rhymes are short and contain no complex storylines, symbols, and...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas Hello everybody, thanks for joining me. I'm just about to start so please let me know that you can see me clearly and hear me clearly, for this you can use the comments box. Okay, there are some good mornings, hello and nice to see you guys, thanks for joining. My name is Liza and I'm a TEFL expert and also an online English teacher. I'm glad to welcome you to today's session that is devoted to some ways to benefit from your TEFL certification, especially if you're a non-native English teacher. Right now I'm going to make my video a little bit smaller so that you can see the presentation. Okay guys thanks for sharing that everything works smooth, that's really important for me...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Hello and welcome, Linda here again. Thanks so much for tuning in to this week's live session. If you're listening to this as a podcast episode, thanks so much for the download. We always turn our live sessions into podcast episodes so if you're into podcasts check that out. You can find us on any podcast platform, you can just search for The TEFL and TESOL Podcast from ITTT. We are live on Facebook and on YouTube as always, so thanks so much for tuning in. I see there are a lot of people joining. What we're going to do today is I am going to show you what it looks like when you take an online TEFL course with ITTT. I’m just making sure that everything works properly because I need to share my screen and show you...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations TEFL Information Welcome to another live session. My name is Linda from ITTT and you can find me on social media at @lindagoeseast. Thanks for tuning in, let me just see that everything's working. If you can see me and if you can hear me, please leave a comment as always. I have been living in South Korea for five and a half years. I am about an hour and a half South of Seoul in a city called Cheongju. It's kind of in the center of South Korea. We are the only province that doesn't border the ocean but it's really great and it's actually snowing right now. I’m excited to be here today as you probably already know what the topic is going to be about today the best countries for teaching English in...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Destinations TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Hi everybody wherever you are right now. I'm in South Korea and it's 10 a.m. Friday, so good morning. I'm back here again today, my name is Linda from ITTT if you've been here before hi and if this is your first time watching thanks so much for tuning in and taking the time, we really appreciate it. If at any time during this live session you have any questions, feel free to drop your comments in the comment section from whichever platform you're watching from. We are streaming live on Facebook and on YouTube at the same time. If you can see me and hear me just leave a hi in the comment box, that would be highly appreciated so that I know that...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Hi, I am back for another live session this week. My name is Linda from ITTT. I took a break last week, I was traveling a little bit in Korea, not too far but I got to enjoy the cherry blossoms. That's why there was no live session from me last week. But I'm back this week and I'm super excited. Today we're going to have a Q&A session, so you guys can ask me questions about TEFL and TESOL, teaching abroad, teaching online, whatever you want to know about. So something a bit more casual, let's have a chat. I would like to get to know you guys better and you can get to know me, ITTT and TEFL. If you can see me and hear me please drop a hi or something into the comment box so that I know that everything is working...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas Hey guys, it's Liza here and I'm super happy to welcome you to our weekly ITTT live session. Today we are going to talk about some usual teaching stuff and if you are interested in anything related to TEFL teaching or career building, this is for you. Feel free to comment and I'll try to help you out with my thoughts and ideas, and maybe you'll find my suggestions useful. I have to fix my camera just slightly, I feel like it's moving down somehow. I hope that you can hear me clearly and see me clearly, please let me know where you guys are from. Also, let me know what stage of your career development you are at. As for me, I'm a TEFL teacher. I used to teach in China several years...  [Read more]