The TEFL Blog

So you've just earned a TEFL certificate and now you're ready to put what you've learned into practice. Before you do, I thought I'd provide some tips that I wish someone had told me before I went abroad to teach English. 1. Take Your Time Many people who complete their TEFL programs, want to get in the classroom as soon as possible to start teaching. I understand this completely, but I strongly encourage new teachers to take their time to find the right job for them in the right place. It's no secret that there are thousands of teaching opportunities all around the world. It's also not secret to people who have taught abroad, that a lot of those jobs are bad. Anyone who's considering going abroad needs to take their time and do some homework before accepting their first teaching position. Do some research about the country/city you're going to, look for reviews on potential employers, compare employee contracts with what's out there, and so o

It's no secret that Koreans are some of the most dedicated and prolific English Language Learners (ELLs) in the world. If you travel to South Korea to teach, you'll notice that it seems like the entire country is studying English. If you decide to teach English in an English speaking country you'll undoubtedly find yourself teaching Korean students at some point. As a result, I thought I'd write a blog entry with some tips on how to best meet the needs of Korean ELLs. This advice will be based on my own experience teaching Koreans (about 5 years) and some popular tips found from doing a bit of research. 1. Know your Role According to Confucian ideals, teachers are supposed to be supposed to be highly respected in society. This respect your receive from your students can be something that you can definitely use to your advantage (especially with classroom management), but it also comes with certain expectations. As a teacher in Korea, you are supposed to be pr

Vietnam is fascinating. No doubt about it. I was recently in Vietnam in October, and while I was there the thought crossed my mind a few times that this really would be an interesting place to teach English for a year or two. Vietnam has a certain charm about it that is hard to explain (although I will try in this blog entry). It's busy, but chill. It's a little bit run down, but beautiful. The people are so happy, although many of them have so little. The culture is definitely unique and the country has such a rich (and tragic) history. The landscape and cityscape is incredible and sometimes a bit overwhelming. And the food....the food is so good in Vietnam and worth travelling or teaching there by itself. In this blog entry I want to write about teaching English in Vietnam. Although, I did not teach there, I have met many people who have and I've been doing a bit of research to help out with this entry. Below is so info you need to know before choosing to teach i

Hey Everyone, I recently had the chance to speak with one of our TEFL grads about his experience teaching English in Mexico, Morocco, and Myanmar. Below is the interview and some of the amazing pictures Stephen has taken along his travels. His responses are great because they paint an accurate picture of what it's like to teach in a foreign country and how this can impact your life. Interview with TEFL Graduate Stephen Frampton Where do you work now? I am currently teaching English in Oaxaca Mexico, but in the last year and a half I've taught in Myanmar and Morocco as well. What’s the best thing about living in ______? Each country I've taught in has unbelievably awesome things and for Mexico I gotta say that the people here really know how to enjoy themselves. At all ages, they love to dance and sing and work and drink and smile. They have a great attitude towards life so it makes it a great place to live. Why did you want to become an English Te

Hey Everyone, I'm looking for people who would like to share their experience as a English teacher either in North American or abroad. I'd love to hear (and I'm sure my readers would too) about any part of your time teaching English ...good or bad. If you got a story to tell I'd love to hear it and share it with people considering a career in Teaching English. Email me at chrisfevens1981@gmail.com

Tell me if you've heard this or experienced this scenario before: A person starts a new job. At first they are so excited and motivated to do the best they can at their new job. This person works hard, puts in the extra effort, doesn't mind working overtime, and is successful at what they do. This goes on for an undetermined amount of time (depending on the person)....And then something happens....routines begin to form, things that were a novelty before aren't so interesting or have even become annoying, motivation decreases and this same person who once loved their job, isn't looking forward to going to work everyday, Monday to Friday from 9 - 5. Now put your hand up if this has ever happened to you. I'm sure almost everyone who is reading this is now putting their hand up (well at least in their heads their putting their hands up). Work, especially teaching, can be tough sometimes. I've wrote before about teacher burnout, but today I wanted to write a