Hello, I teach middle and high school students who are from Haiti originally. These students have traveled through South and Central America on their way here (northeast US) and have of course all had different individual journeys, and most don't remember much about Haiti. The area where we are is very white. I feel like they are of course being somewhat forced to assimilate to American culture and I want to let them know that whatever they have to contribute is valuable, too. I asked them about holidays they observe or celebrate and am planning to set up a small classroom celebration on those days, which they were excited for! But does anyone have any ideas of how to incorporate this into the curriculum? Thanks in advance!

Hello, good day! :) I'd like to ask for recommendations regarding ESL companies i can apply to. I'm a non-native ESL teacher. Been in the industry for over 6 years now. I'm currently working freelance with my private students but I need another source of income. Can y'all please tell me companies that cater to adult learners (i'm kinda low on energy now when it comes to teaching kids, hence the preference). I've been with Rarejob, Engoo, and Weblio before. I want to work in a company that offers flexible time, has no required quota of hours to teach, and one that has mostly polite or nice students. Huhuhu badly need help, thanks! <333

Hello fellow ESL teachers!

As both a language learner and developer, I recently launched an app called Wordy to support English learners by using movies and TV shows as engaging learning tools. I thought it could be a fun, supplementary resource for ESL students looking to improve their vocabulary and comprehension in a more natural setting.

What Wordy Offers:

• Vocabulary Database: Covers over 500,000 movies and series, giving learners access to real-world language in context.
• Real-Time Subtitles: Syncs like “Shazam” so students can follow along without missing a beat.
• Tap for Translations: Instant definitions and translations to help with tricky words or slang.
• Flashcards from Watched Content: Auto-generates flashcards for review, helping reinforce what they’ve learned.

The idea came from my own experience of wanting to learn from native media but needing a way to make it more accessible for learning vocabulary in context. If you’re looking for a fresh tool to recommend to students, I'd love for you to check it out and share any feedback!

App Store Link: Wordy on the App Store

Thanks for reading, and I’d be happy to answer any questions! 😊

https://preview.redd.it/9awe40o8mcyd1.jpg?width=4716&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fe99670c0b0bfb64c27756c76619697d6802ea1a

Can anyone recommend a phonics curriculum for MS ESL for newcomers? There is a surprising lack of resources, unless I'm missing something obvious?

I'm in my third year of teaching middle school (5th-8th) ESL, but I've never had much contact with other MS ESL teachers and I've had to figure out a lot of things largely on my own. I've had plenty of contact with K-4 ESL and MS teachers (not ESL). However MS ESL has its own, specific issues and I haven't found a lot of people whom I can discuss some basic questions with.

are they legit? is it worth it? because it's only 599 so I'm kind of skeptical but I really need a certificate

Anyone administered the Best Plus 2.0 to adult ESL language learners before? My employer expects me to learn about it, so I wanted to get a good idea of the content and how scoring works

Hi there. I’m an ESL teacher that is in the process of teaching abroad. I came across my first job offer in Japan with Westgate. Just wondering if anyone has worked for them and what they can share about their experience. Thank you.

I had one student complaining about me ending the class early in the review sections, she said good teacher but sometimes ends class 3min earlier, I didn't get it I felt like she was just trying to find something negative to say (I have 100 five stars review and her review is 4 stars). I end it early sometimes to let her go rest because she comes directly from work to class and she complains on how tired she is. It is important to take into consideration that before 5 min the class ends I give her feedbacks and ask her if she has any questions, and I make sure all the academic goals were reached during that class, plus what made me kinda sad is that during all the 30 lessons I had with her she never mentionned something wrong on the contrary, always happy to come to class and telling me how good I was blabla I felt like she is a big hypocrite. Your thoughts on the matter guys ? I'm a young unexperienced person so your thoughts would be highly appreciated it

Hi everyone,

I’m an ESL teacher with 5 years of experience, mainly teaching adults in corporate settings. Teaching is my passion, and I love supporting students in their language journey. Recently, however, life took a challenging turn. Three years ago, I was diagnosed with a serious illness. While I had to pause my university studies and face a long medical journey, teaching has remained my lifeline.

Due to my illness, my energy levels are limited, and I spend three days a week in the hospital for life-sustaining treatments. While I can’t always fit into the “high-energy, go-go-go” teacher mold that many employers look for, I still pour my heart into this profession.

Since January 2024, I’ve been channeling this love into my Etsy shop, creating digital resources tailored for ESL teachers. The feedback has been wonderful, and it's become a true passion project. I’d love to make resources that really meet your needs.

So, here’s where I’d love your help: what types of digital products do you need most? Whether it's lesson plans, student activities, or assessment tools, I'd love to hear your ideas and feedback. Any suggestions you have would be incredibly helpful as I continue to develop my shop with resources that truly support ESL teachers.

Thank you for taking the time to read, and thank you in advance for your input!

Hi so I have been a teacher for almost a year now and I never worked with kids usually I had teens and kids ages 8 to 13 but never 6 and 5 year old so basically they are really good at talking and they seen literally every game possible and when I'm about to even do something they say "we know this game" ( of course I don't care and start the game anyways) but the problem starts when we are playing no body listens to me the all do there own thing and when I say " yeah come guys let's play it's really fun" they say " no it's really boring" When I'm writing a lesson plan for this class I usually put 4 games in it and they call all these 4 games boring I'm really burnt-out I got flu from them and I lost my ability to shout Of you need more info about the kids 5 girls 4 boys they are Currently learning flash cards and grammar point from family and friends 4 text-book but they don't write or read they just talk and play games

P.s: sorry if it was so long if you can help me I would really appreciate it 🥲

Hello everyone! I'm not a teacher, and I'm not a native English speaker, but I want to improve my English reading skills by reading books. I'd like to ask if you have any recommendations for a good starting point for ESL readers. I'm open to all genres. I recently finished reading Holes by Louis Sachar. I still had to look up some translations, but overall, I could understand it quite well. So I'm looking for other books, maybe in the Young Adult genre, to continue with. Do you have any recommendations? Also, are there any techniques for practicing English reading without feeling discouraged?

Looking for suggestions for adults moving to a higher level (beginner to advanced beginner), two very outstanding students that I will really miss. Any thoughts on something to encourage them and show my pride and support? Male 30's and female mid 40's. They both have fantastic senses of humor and really made my class.

In terms of progression, If I were a native English teacher as a second language with a TEFL,CELTA an arts degree and 3 years teaching experience with a reputable company?

*EDGE ENGLISH is HIRING NOW*

Freelance ONLINE ZOOM English class for adults

We are a small private English tutoring company for adult Korean learners.

We're looking for tutors for 1:1 online classes.

.

.

■ job type

freelance

■ requirement (PLEASE read carefully and apply!)

1. native English speakers ONLY

(United States, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand)

2. clean criminal background

3. English Teaching experience is preferred but not prerequisite.

■ teaching age group

Adults only

■ location

You can have class at your location. All classes are conducted online.

■ time

between 8 am to 11 pm KOREA TIME (depends on each student)

■ level of students

from beginner to advanced

■ starting date

ASAP

■ payment

$14.00 - $15.00 per hour

(Starting pay is $14 and is raised to $15 after 2-month probationary period)

■ class info

How long : 25 mins or 40 mins (There are 2 options for class length)

How often: Choose your own hours

■ HOW TO APPLY

1. Please fill out this questionnaire and send us your resume.

https://forms.gle/MVrHZ3HmRLRsBAeu7

2. Once we get your questionnaire, we will contact you through e-mail shortly.

Thank you!

About EDGE ENGLISH

Edge English was founded by two sisters who pride themselves on their warm, relaxed atmosphere and great communication. If you think you'd fit right in, we'd love to hear from you!

If you'd like to learn more about the founder, please refer to the Instagram page below.

https://www.instagram.com/tangerine_english_/

Hello fellow teachers.

This lesson is on a timely topic so I thought I'd share it for free until the end of the election. It's centered on a funny SNL sketch on election anxiety (video is from 2020, though the same issues apply now).

ESL/EFL Level: Upper-Intermediate (B2/C1)
Lesson Topics: voting, elections, U.S. political climate, voter anxiety
Skill Focus: Speaking, Listening, Vocabulary
Approximate Class Time: 1.75 hours

The lesson: https://www.englishcurrent.com/voting-elections-upper-intermediate-lesson/

Please view the above link for a web-preview and to download the lesson in Word format (free). Feedback welcome.

Let's hope the world doesn't fall apart. Fingers crossed

- Matthew Barton / Creator of EnglishCurrrent.com

Hi all, I'm a prospective grad student looking to transition into TESOL K-12 from teaching middle school ELA. I resigned from that position due to health issues and I'm looking to move into ESL because I had spent some time tutoring ESL kids and I really enjoyed it, I also come from a background as an ELL.

I wanted to ask what is the typical experience as an ESL teacher for the NYCDOE? I'm looking for elementary ESL teacher experience specifically.

Do you do pull-out/push-in or something else? How is your day to day like? Do you decide your own schedule? How is the workload during the school day and outside of the school day? How many students do you have in total and how many kids do you see daily? Across how many grade levels? How competitive is it to find a position? I'm bilingual in Chinese and English so I'm hoping to look in districts with a high Chinese speaking population. If anyone prefers to chat in private, I'm also open to DMs. Thank you!

I'm not 100% new, but I am new to teaching ESL in the US in Public Schools. I taught overseas before. Does anyone have any units to use that follow WIDA guidelines. Basically I have nothing premade to work from, and I know there are tons of ESL materials online, but I didn't know if there were set topics etc to work on based on level and grade level. Atm I feel pretty strong doing K-2 as a lot of what Ive been doing is similar to what they do in class, but the upper grader as more difficult, especially if there are around lvl 3. Students are grouped by grade level for my classes rather than than wiida level so I have mixes of students from 1-4 in level. Would love to know what other Wida teachers are doing.

Hello everyone,

I am born in US to American parents. I don't still live in the US, but I am definitely American. I am of the chocolate variety (probably unrelated? but cannot rule it out). I was rejected from a teaching platform, and possibly others, for a "Non-Native" accent? My accent is clear, and I pronounce every letter that should have a sound, and correctly (i.e. but-ter instead of bud-der, or as-ks and tas-ks).

I asked for more details. I got "While your pronunciation may be clear and understandable, it may not fully match the specific native North American accent we are looking for in this context."

What? What did I do? What do I do? I get it, many people say that I sound "British" but as far as I'm concerned, I sound very American.

What gives? Is this typical?

ending the AMA now. thanks for all the great questions. if you have more feel free to ask and I will try and answer them when I wake up!

Hello I just want to rant and ask. I've been working as an ESL teacher for a year a changed into homebased in a new company. Unfortunately, last weekend I wasn't well I only have 1 booked class so I decided to cancel it a day before because i want to rest and I have 1 class only they wouldn't allow me. Day comes still not good so I decided to cancel and just deduct it on my salary, so they AGREED. Then I was messaged in the morning that they will cancel all my classes if i don't give med cert for that 1 class I cancelled, so likeee wtf? Note, I have clean attendance, the last time I cancelled 2 months ago because of an earache and after next month I perfected my attendance. Like??? Is this OKAY!?!

Hello I just want to rant and ask. I've been working as an ESL teacher for a year and changed into homebased in a new company. Unfortunately, last weekend I wasn't well I only have 1 booked class so I decided to cancel it a day before because i want to rest and I have 1 class only they wouldn't allow me. Day comes still not good so I decided to cancel and just deduct it on my salary, so they AGREED. Then I was messaged in the morning that they will cancel all my classes if i don't give med cert for that 1 class I cancelled, so likeee wtf? Note, I have clean attendance, the last time I cancelled 2 months ago because of an earache and after next month I perfected my attendance. Like??? Is this OKAY!?!

I got my TESOL last year and I applied to a couple of companies but never heard from them. I decided to try again so that I have additional source of income. I need to know what should I expect so that I know and I'm prepared. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

Hello! Looking for a fun, interactive Halloween lesson! Ideally for A1-A2, but open to other levels too. Games, role-playing, or creative activities to get students speaking would be perfect. Any ideas or resources? Please share!🎃

I have 9 months to save up for a PGCE (perhaps the Sunderland option), unsure whether to secure a another language centre job in Hanoi/Saigon or if i should find a Teaching Assistant gig back in my home city of London.

1)  How much can I potentially save in each respective position during this 9 month period? (keeping in mind that I will miss out on that end of year contract bonus in Vietnam)

2)  Which route would be considered more useful/practical for that PGCE application?

Some context: Currently based in Vietnam, have 5k saved up, TEFL qualified but no more than that. I have a family house back in London so rent isnt an issue there... Also have previous experience teaching at Language Centres across SE Asia so gaining that initial teaching experience isnt important, whereas I have no experience being a TA in London.

Apologies if any of this sounds naive, im here to learn :)

I have 9 months to save up for a PGCE (perhaps the Sunderland route), unsure whether to secure another language centre job in Hanoi/Saigon or if i should find a Teaching Assistant gig back in my home city of London.

1)  How much can I potentially save in each respective position during this 9 month period? (keeping in mind that I will miss out on that end of year contract bonus in Vietnam)

2)  Which route would be considered more useful/practical for that PGCE application?

Some context: Currently based in Vietnam, have 5k saved up, TEFL qualified but no more than that. I have a family house back in London so rent isnt an issue there... Also have previous experience teaching at Language Centres across SE Asia so gaining that initial teaching experience isnt required, whereas I have no experience being a TA in London.

Apologies if any of this sounds naive, im here to learn :)

Hello, everyone..I have posted before about my website where I share teaching resources that I create for my EL classroom. It is all for free and it is what I use in my own classroom. I have added more since I last posted and will continue to do so as the year goes on. You can sign up to receive emails when I post more but you obviously don't have to. :) Enjoy!

https://elclassroomsolutions.com/

Hi, I am in a dilemma. I would like to get your opinion on this. I am now a private English tutor. I run some classes. Even though I don't work the whole day and I teach mostly at night, I have some daytime classes at the weekends and in the mornings. In the afternoons, I am mostly occupied with lesson planning and doing research for teaching and assessment. Grading my students' homework and exam papers are also a huge part of my workload. So, it basically means I am a full-time, self-employed teacher. I don't make a lot of money, but it's enough for my family and my mom. I want to pursue a PhD degree just because I want to live in a developed country and study for a while. My country's political instability is also very challenging and depressing, so I just want to get out of the country and refresh a bit. But I don't think I'll want to work in academia. I must come back home after that because I need to and I want to take care of my mom. Should I leave my teaching business and go for a PhD degree or should I continue my teaching business and try to be prosperous? Is the 4-year PhD journey worth it in my case?