Does anyone know whats actually included in the "special introductory" price for the TEFL.ORG internships?

I was looking at the one for Korea, since I have no TEFL teaching experience I thought they might be a better route for my first year, but it's so unclear as to what the actual cost covers. I am assuming admin fees, but they're charging £995 which seems a little wild as it doesn't seem to go towards anything like visas etc?

I hope this is the right sub for this, forgive me if not. I'm leaving to teach English in a Spanish speaking country this week as a volunteer. I have no teaching experience nor experience with children (we are teaching elementary aged) and am internally freaking out. We've gone over how to make lesson plans a few times and will again, but still. No certification needed.

I've never done anything like this in my whole Life so I am chalking it up to throwing myself out of my comfort zone. Even knowing that, it's still hard to really process.

I would love to teach English as my future plans, so that is the reason I chose this program. To try it out, to serve the community, to get out of my comfort zone. But I think I greatly underestimated how OUT of my zone I'd be.

Id love to just cancel and not go. But also know they're counting on me and I've made a commitment. Does anyone else have a similar experience? How did you handle it and get through? It's just for one month, so I figure it's really not that much time. TYIA!!

Hello, I've finsihed my 120 hours TEFL course yesterday. I'm a non-native speaker from India. I have a graduate and postgraduate degree in Zoology. I don't have any other degree related to English or education. But I've had 8 years of teaching experience as private tutor, both offline and online platform. I've been reading a lot of demoralising stuffs about getting as well as securing jobs as a non-native speaker, including on TEFL.org, where I got my certification.

Suggest me how can I move forward as a non-native speaker.

Hi! I just graduated uni with a degree in film, and unfortunately due to the writer's strike that's going on in the states right now, I'm unlikely to get a job in my field very soon. So I'm starting to think that maybe this next year would be a good year for me to teach in Thailand.

I grew up in Thailand, for 9 years, though my lack of Thai language skills wouldn't show it. lol I would love to go back for a while, and teaching english would be a easy way for me to do that. I do not have a TEFL certificate yet, but I could get one easily. And I don't think I'd have much trouble adjusting to the culture and country as I did grow up there.

But I have lots of questions about how to get started. Right now I've been in touch with an agency, Openbook, I don't know if they're any good, but they have seemed very helpful in their emails.

I'm mostly wondering if the fact I'm already familiar with Thailand would be a bonus in their minds? If going through an agency would be the right option? And how hard/easy it is to get jobs outside of Bangkok/Chiang Mai? (Ideally I'd love to work in Korat, since that's where I lived the longest)

But I'm eager to hear any advice someone might have for me, especially regarding whether or not my history would be important to hiring managers.

Hello everyone! So I got into contact with the ITEFLA and they are also suggesting taking two extra courses on top of the regular TEFL cert that includes teaching English to business professionals and teaching English to young learners. They sound great and sound like they will help me stand out, but wanted to get multiple opinions on if it is worth it.

Also, unfortunately I do not have a bachelor's degree as I live in the US and college is not something I can afford, especially now. So I was wondering how worth it is it to do this job without a degree? They gave me a list of places I can still teach without a bachelor's degree and although some of the countries I would like to go to are not on the list, the choices still seem worth it. My biggest concern is the pay. Would my pay be good enough to afford to live?

One last question, I would actually love to work towards my bachelor's as I firmly believe in higher education, so would I be able to work towards a degree in another country that has a more affordable education system?

Thank you everyone!

I am only on the first assignment and I don't understand what I'm asked to do. The program I'm in seems super vauge. I do the assignment the way I think fits and I've gotten multiple lines of feedback saying its not right when I basically copy the template and change the verbs. This is just so confusing. I don't think I'm cut out of online courses. I haven't been in a class since 2013

Accepted a teaching position for the fall and looking to get out of my full-time job. Want to quit asap and was thinking about teaching online part time until I depart. Are online TEFL positions typically flexible with hours and contract term? Obviously only looking to teach for a a few months, but im not sure how the online market works so not sure if this is feasible.

Do you know any audio esl companies that's good to work with? Any recommendations?

I'm hoping students could be from kids to adults.

I'm trying to teach the meaning of the word 'contradicts/contradiction' to my B1 students using an image.

​

Any ideas?

​

Thanks

To fix the problem of students talking only in their L1, my coordinator suggested that i tell them on the first day that i can’t speak their L1 at all. It’s not a tough sell, i have a C2 (formally at least) in their L1 but my accent is so thick that if you heard me say “hello” you could easily believe i wasn’t even A1.

The students will switch to L1 with each other and with their other teachers, even if to say a simple sentence like “I was absent yesterday” and thus get no practice. So on day 1 i said “hi everyone, i’m Mr Glitter and i will be your conversation teacher, sorry but I cannot speak your language!!!! Not even a single word, so if you need to say something just try your best in english!!!!!!” this worked out pretty well, except for the times when a student would literally come up to me with a google translated paragraph (like literally just show me the screen) rather than just say “i was absent because i was sick” in english

however, a student recently asked me “but Mr Glitter, why did you come to our country if you didn’t even want to learn the language? what’s the point?” excellent question that i had not prepared the answer to… it seemed kinda hypocritical that i was teaching them a language when i said i didn’t even know how to say Hi in their language. i could have said i was learning it but that would have defeated the point. an entire group (well, of only 4 students) started reverting back to talking to me in L1 after they overheard me briefly answering a colleague who asked “what time is it” what would you have done in this case? what should i do differently next semester?

Have a potential offer. Wondering if anyone has taught here.

I am a certified teacher in history and English in the United States, as well as have my tefl. The position they are hiring for is not ESL, but ELA.

Any info on work environment, paid vacation, etc would be greatly appreciated.

I was recently accepted into an internship program taking place in Madagascar. I’m wondering if anyone who has worked with TEFLUK in the past could share their experience as to if they were treated fairly.

Thanks!

A link to the program: https://tefluk.com/internships/madagascar-tefl-internship

By far the biggest complaint i hear about my students’ (and colleagues’) language education in my host country was that their schools taught too much grammar and not enough speaking. however, i’ve started doing the exact thing i wanted to avoid. earlier i found my conversation classes to feel too unstructured and aimless without at least some grammar and vocabulary. i end up overexplaining because some students have a hard time grasping it, and then they do activities like have a conversation using only present perfect for example. but they will get bored and they’ll still make the same mistakes, or complain that they didn’t learn anything. i feel that i am wasting time but i don’t really know what i should be doing instead. how do u maximize grammar lessons to be more effective? how do you know how much is the right amount? if you don’t have a curriculum, how much grammar or how many grammar points do you aim to teach per class/per unit?

So I lurk around here a lot and I've been working through my CertTESOL and I really enjoy the nature of it. I have a master's degree in English, I'm a native speaker, I've done volunteering work work with kids in other countries before. On paper, it all seems great.

I can't help but notice that there doesn't seem to be much positivity to just about anywhere as far as teaching locations go. Japan seems to be poverty wage land with giga work weeks (ok, not terribly shocking). South Korea is some kind of advanced scam for paying you peanuts instead of money. China is pays well at the cost of your eternal soul. Vietnam no longer has any proper teaching positions it seems. Cambodia doesn't pay decently. Thailand pays badly too. All of South America is also a big no-no it seems.

So, is there actually anywhere that pays decently and you can live in? I feel like this sub has made me nervous about actually going to any of these locations (minus China, that's pre-existing). I would very much like to see a lot of this world and teach English, but I really don't know where to start when everywhere is seemingly so awful for it?

Edit: I don't care for international schools or the like, and I intend to do another masters in TESOL down the line. Would prefer not to do a PGCE.

Use this thread to ask questions that don't deserve their own thread on the subreddit. Before you do that, though, use the search bar and read through our extensive wiki to see if your question has already been answered. Remember that subreddit rules still apply here.

Hello,

I'm from the US and currently applying for teaching jobs in Shanghai. I currently have an offer for 21kRMB/month before tax with a 4kRMB/month housing allowance. I know that this isn't necessarily a whole lot, but how much more can I realistically expect to make as a teacher with no experience? From what I've seen, this seems to be an okay salary but I'm not sure if I'm leaving too much on the table.

This question is for the English instructors at the university level: what do you teach? Do you have to create activities/games for the students? Teach them grammar? I’m very curious what university instructors do, any insight will be helpful. Thanks

I'm a 23 year old South African citizen and approximately halfway through my first degree (Bachelor of Public Health). I'm at a major loss as to what to do upon completion of my BPH.

South Africa is in bad shape - in every way imaginable and my parents are encouraging me to immigrate while I'm still relatively young. I will need to further my education if I want to be eligible for the places I'm interested in immigrating to. However, I am not necessarily ready to commit to a Master's yet as I don't actually know what I want to pursue. I don't want to make a mistake as it's a huge financial commitment.

The one thing that is crystal clear is that I'm not getting any younger and I need to make a plan if I want to secure a future for myself.

I have always been interested in TEFL, coming from an entire family (literally) of teachers and professors, the teaching gene is very evident in me. I have come back to the idea of taking the leap and pursuing it. I don't really see any life-altering negatives to it, right? Best case scenario: I find a career that allows me to travel (my biggest passion) and do what I'm best at. Worst cases scenario: I am able to think save up some money for a year or two that will make pursuing my postgraduate studies easier.

Now, let's say I graduate and decide to do this. Where do I go? I'd ideally like to put roots down somewhere in Far East or South East Asia (eventually) but I would definitely be willing to live somewhere where the earning and saving potential is higher for 1-2 years.

I'm thinking of the Middle East? I spent 5 years living in Saudi Arabia a child so it's not a completely foreign region to me (nowhere is, really? I'm a frequent traveler). My A Level English teacher (who I'm very close to and still in contact with) has been working in Kuwait for 4 years now and has actually been made deputy principal of the school she works at. She was making a killing (by TEFL standards) even when she first got there.

I will obviously contact her to enquire, but I also want to ask TEFL teachers on here where they recommend I go based on the information I've provided.

Other information that may be relevant: this will be my first ever job aside from tutoring at my university. I have quite a few tattoos (no neck, face or hands), however, I am willing to cover them up even in hot weather.

See most posts of people working abroad or for some other companies, but has anyone here gotten a cert (CERTA/TELF) and started a business with it? If so, what were the challenges?

Hi! I am looking for some input from experienced language teachers that have taught in Vietnam. I am hoping to teach English as the next step in my career but with no real connections in Vietnam, I hope to gain some insight from your advice!

I am a native speaker from the US, with a CELTA and bachelors degree. Unfortunately I have no official ELT experience as I’ve held a corporate job since I’ve graduated from my University.

Some inquiries that I have are:

• If you could start over what are some ways that you could’ve maximized your earning per month without time conflicts and burnout? Not looking to get lavishly paid nor am I paper chasing, I’d like to hear how some got “financially creative” in their free time.(I fully realize that no experience will put me in the lowest pay bracket, so hoping to possibly pick up additional part time gigs if thats even possible for my first year. I am hoping to go to grad school soon so I would like to save as much as I can)

• What other factors makes a candidate attractive to ELT jobs, or how would you approach applying jobs differently? (Can I put on my salesman hat and embellish my past corporate training sessions as “teaching” experience? Do I choose a brand and market myself in a certain way, like a business English teacher with corporate experience? Should I dye my hair blonde to look super westernized?)

• What resources have you used to get the know-how on every single aspect of relocating to Vietnam? (taxes, visa, apartment, etc. Having trouble finding a reliable source for Americans)

• Like the title states, knowing what you know now, what would you tell your past self before teaching/moving to Vietnam?

Hello my fellow teachers,

I'm currently looking for a job in Vietnam, i applied online 3 times (for now) but i haven't heard back from them yet. I applied to all known chain schools but for some reason they don't seem like they saw my resume at all.

Here's some background: I'm non-native English speaker but I've a degree in English, I've a TESOL and some exp as a tutor.

What's the reason behind this based on your experience? Do i need to fly to Vietnam in order to secure a job? I really thought that Vietnam is in need for teachers and they're hiring anyone with the qualifications but that doesn't seem the case.

Additionally, are there any other countries i could apply to while I'm waiting?

Thanks in advance and i would appreciate your honesty.

I've been working at a kindergarten for 8 months now, at first I had 15 students. The classes were good and the rest of the day we spend playing or doing art and crafts or Lego classes or sth.

My class has expanded to 23 kids, all 3-4 y/o. I have a class teacher, a TA and a nursing teacher. But the classes are always a mess.

I used to be able to play games that required movement but now it's just too dangerous. I try to split it like girls do an activity then the boys. But the whoever Isn't playing loses attention. I feel like 90% of my class is just controlling them.

Does anyone have any tips for how to approach this kind of class?

eta: I can speak their Native language so sometimes we use that and i repeat what I have said in English. I'm not worried they aren't learning, because they are even the lower Level kids are improving in day to day communication. But I would also like if my actual English classes were useful

I am a certified teacher looking to take a TEFL course. it's a 120 hour course with 2 specialization options:

Teach English to Korean Speakers

Teach English to Arabic Speakers

Teach English to Mandarin Speakers

Teach English to Young Learners

Teaching Test Preparation Courses

Teach Business English

Learner-Centered Lessons

Teaching Abroad

I live in the Middle East, but that is not really a big factor as I plan to teach online. I guess I'm asking which 2 options has the potential to get me the most frequent high paying work? I am not looking for a full-time job at a school, just teaching and tutoring English online.

Recently I went to japan for 2 weeks on vacation and I decided that I would like to go back for a longer stay on a working holiday visa if possible. To expand my available work options I want to get a TEFL/TESOL course before I go but I am overwhelmed by the amount of different courses and widely varying price's. I plan to stay in japan for the full year of the working holiday visa. I do not have a bachelors degree only a GED but I understand that I only need a bachelors to apply for a work visa so that shouldn't be much of a problem for actually finding work if I'm already there on a different visa (please correct me if I'm wrong).

From my research I'm deciding between the following courses, but I welcome any other course suggestions.

https://www.theteflacademy.com/ca/online-tefl-course/level-3/

https://ontesol.com/tesol-certificate-online/#whats-included

I plan to apply for my working holiday visa in about 4 months, from Canada there is a limited amount of working holiday visa's each year so if I get rejected then I will apply at the start of the next application period (I think April). If I like japan enough I also might apply for a different visa before the working holiday one runs out and might end up staying in japan for longer. Also feel free to let me know if you don't think its worth getting TEFL certified just to possibly only teach for 1 year in japan. Sorry about the long post thank you very much for your help. Let me know if you need any more information to help and I will edit it in as well!

Im graduating from a regional state University that is known as a Hispanic serving institute this summer. I’m feeling rather discouraged because the minimal teaching courses I have , and the unrelated lines of work ( arborist , food courier , caddy, etc) but really want to get my foot in the door. Is TEFL essential to go abroad ? It already seems a little difficult to start domestically . Whatever the case , anything is appreciated.

I have a bachelors degree (comp sci, so unrelated field), getting an online tefl certificate, white male, native speaker. How difficult would it be for me to get a teaching job there? Specifically, how is the supply/demand for teaching jobs and how many jobs are going to be available? Any advice?

Hello,

I got an offer from Transformation Academy in Shanghai. Does anybody have experience or insight on this school? The offer seems pretty good. This will be my first TEFL job.

Currently preparing for a Young Learners programme at the school I work at and want to invest in some safeguarding training as our current batch of teachers all have varying degrees of experience working with children–can anyone recommend some useful online training courses or resources? Additionally does anyone have advice regarding training Designated Safeguarding Leads?

I did a short stint working at an international school so have a somewhat vague idea of what it should be like but want to help raise the standards a bit at my current school.

I understand that sone of it will probably be location-specific as well wrt what the law is in different countries but I was interested in the NSPCC courses.

Thanks everyone 🙂

Hello everyone! Has anyone here have an experience working in Washington High School in Taichung? How was it? Please share your experiences as I will be working there on July. Thank you so much!

As a change of pace instead of posting a question or problem I'm having, I thought I would share some successes I've seen as the academic year winds down, and invite others to spread the positivity and share your success stories from the year!

Here are two stories of students who stood out this year and really made me proud. For reference, I teach at a language school in Central Europe; mostly adults and sometimes kids or teens.

I have an student in my Elementary course who started the year in September with almost zero English. She had moved from her home country (Venezuela) recently and has also been studying the local language a bit but focusing on her English to be able to get by here. She wasn't even a false beginner; she was one of the weakest ones in the Starter class. She is also one of the only ones who moved through Starter and finished Elementary, and she worked hard. She almost never missed classes unless she was ill, studied really hard, diligently did her homework, and always got good scores on written tests and quizzes. But she still struggled with confidence speaking most of the year.

The last few weeks I've really noticed her not only start to become more confident in her speaking but actually often leading discussions, clarifying instructions for others, and helping them correct errors. When we have casual chats she's no longer nervous to take part and instead of me having to call on her she just jumps into the group convo. It's so cool to see someone go from zero English at all to being able to understand and have full-on conversations in English! It also makes me feel good about my teaching, like, at least I know I'm doing something right, even if not all the students (esp. those who aren't putting in the work like she did) are progressing as well.

Second success story is with a business English class I teach, where the students are all from this country. Students are C1/C2 and all year have been...well, tough to please. Obviously they don't need to focus on fundamentals but getting them to converse with each other, get interested in topics, and correct fossilised errors has been like pulling teeth.

This week I told them they'd be having a test at the end of their course next week (request by their course coordinator that was also news to me) and I decided instead of doing a bunch of problems on paper it should largely be on productive skills, writing and speaking. So today I told them what they'd be writing (a discursive essay) and that for speaking, they'd get a topic with some background info and some question prompts, but then I'd just listen to them converse. I told them I'd be listening for certain grammar points we'd reviewed, use of vocabulary and collocations, pronunciation, and functional language. I also mentioned a few of the fossilised error issues I've been harping on a lot and said I'd specifically be listening for those.

So I let them practice a few conversations in their class today with the same format. The first conversation did NOT go well. They took the topic and read it, I let them make some notes, and then they just robotically answered the prompts one-by-one without even making eye contact with ea/o. After about 6 minutes and a few moments of silence where I thought they might pick up talking again, one just turned to me and said "I think we answered everything so we're finished." Okayyyy... I gave them feedback from the notes I'd taken (errors I noticed plus plenty of positive praise for using certain forms and language we'd learned) and gave them a new topic.

This time, the conversation TOOK OFF! They all had very different opinions on the topic and immediately started debating each other using examples from their culture and personal backgrounds. The convo was so lively at moments they were speaking over each other, but also politely acknowledging digressions, interruptions, apologizing for jumping in, and steering back to the topic.

Finally it was the end of our class and they'd been talking about this topic for FORTY MINUTES! I gave them my feedback (a few of the same errors as the first time, so told them to watch out for those in particular) and ALL of the praise. I told them next week to do just what they did, pull stories from personal experiences, speak passionately about things they feel strongly about, don't be afraid to disagree with each other, tell anecdotes and jokes (they did all these things the second time).

I realized that this was probably the first time these students had had that long and that intense a conversation entirely in English with a group of people who under any other circumstance would just find it easier to switch to their common native tongue. And this group of often sulky and skeptical office workers left the class all smiling and still talking together in English as we walked out the door.

Anyway thanks for reading and I hope the rest of you are seeing some similar progress that makes you feel good about the work we do! It can be hard to stay motivated in this line of work so I need to stop sometimes and look for the successes that inspire me to keep going.

I look forward to reading your own stories!

TL;DR at the risk of bragging or sounding cheesy, "these are the moments that make it all worthwhile."