TEFL Uncovered

TEF
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JamesEJdited By
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Mike Sc y
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About the Author
James Jenkin has been teaching English as a foreign language since 1994, having managed English language
programmes in Vietnam, China and Australia. His classroom career has included teaching Sudanese
refugees,Vietnamese government ministers and Chinese airline pilots. As well as developing English
language programmes and training teachers, James is also the proud author of Lonely Planet’s Russian
Phrasebook! Needless to say, he has had invaluable experiences in the TEFL and travel world and can
offer you a whole world of TEFL-Travel advice. With his extensive teaching experience, as well as ten
years’ experience as a teacher-trainer on Cambridge CELTA Courses and i-to-i’s Classroom TEFL
Courses, he truly understands the needs, fears and hopes of people entering the TEFL world.
Qualifications:
l Cambridge CELTA
l Bachelor of Arts Degree in Russian and Latvian
l Master’s Degree in Applied Linguistics
What James Has To Say
How and why did you get into teaching English overseas?
“I’d studied languages and I thought I’d be a good teacher because
I knew about grammar. I used to stand in the front and lecture. I
wish I’d done some worthwhile teacher training before I started – it
took me a couple of years to realize that being a good teacher is
about helping ‘learners’ get involved and practise with each other
and develop their skills.”
James with one of his students What do you most enjoy about TEFL training on the
Classroom TEFL Course?
“It’s a thrill to see people develop such confidence in such a short
period of time.”
Any tips for first time TEFL/TESOL teachers?

“Get the students talking! The less time you’re up in the front
About the Author
talking, the better. They need the practice, not you!”

02 l
Contents
Foreword Foreword 04
The World’s First TEFL Self-Help Book 06
1 Welcome To TEFL 07
Introduction 08
A Life Changing Choice 11
Your Opportunities 16
What Is Teaching English Like? 19
Types Of English Teaching 25
2 Qualifications
Introduction
30
31
Do You Need A Qualification? 33
Qualifications Demystified 37
3 Finding Good Work
Introduction
42
43
The Internet 44
Job Placements & Agents 47
Networking 50
Conditions 53
4 Getting Good Work
Introduction
58
59
Personal Contact 60
Application Letter Or Email 62
Creating A Teaching Resume 67
5 Resources 73
Introduction 74
Print Resources 76
Online Resources 80
Teaching With No Resources 84
6 Instant TEFL 87
Introduction 88
Making A Contribution 90
What Do Students Want? 95
Getting Students Talking 99
Being An Effective Teacher 104
7 Country Guides
Introduction
107
108
Country Guides 109
8 Are You Ready To Start TEFL-ing? 137
Introduction 138
Contents
9 Glossary
Teaching Terms
140
141
Language Terms 142
The TEFL Profession 143
03
l
Foreword
They say that ‘meaning’ is the new ‘money’. Recent research into ‘happiness’ suggests that the key
components in pursuit of it are:
l being involved in activities that have ‘meaning’ for us
l having opportunities to use our skills to make a difference
The research also suggests that we become happier by promoting the well-being and happiness of
others.
Surely, therefore, the world of TEFL offers huge opportunities for the pursuit and promotion of
happiness.
The material that follows opens up to us a world in which bright, committed people are making a
contribution to the concept of ‘one world’ by reducing barriers, engaging respectfully with different
cultures and passing on learning that expands the horizons of its recipients. These ‘TEFL people’ are
taking part in life-changing experiences themselves and are inviting millions of their students to do the
same.
Each of us is a unique individual. Nobody else has our combination of DNA, upbringing, experiences,
education, skills, values, ambitions, or aspirations. Nobody else has ever carried that uniqueness into
this particular time in an ever-evolving world. The world of TEFL offers unique opportunities to
unique individuals to make unique interventions in the lives of others. As a result, there is therefore
no blueprint or guidelines that would work for everybody. What follows is not a blueprint but pages
of wisdom and learning drawn from the experiences of many who have gone before. What follows is
yours to engage with, to reflect on, to select from and to apply what fits to support your purpose and
plans.
It is a book ‘to do’ rather than to read. The most effective teachers are not those who lecture others
on what must be learnt. They are rather those who provide opportunities for learners to access and
assess information, reflect on its relevance to them, their world and their needs, to select, absorb,
‘own’ and apply. That is what is on offer here.You will only get out of it as much as you put into it.
You won’t find ‘the’ answers, but hopefully you will find ‘your’ answers in the thoughts it provokes,
the awareness it creates, the clues it supplies and your choices it informs. It will reward reflection,
motivation, and honesty with oneself.
To get the best out of it, plan your study for times when you are at your best, tackle it in ‘bite-size
Foreword
chunks and note the things that occur to you (thoughts, feeling, ideas, questions etc.). ‘Harvest’
your thoughts and your awareness because this is your learning and the basis for your planning and
decision-making. Talk through the things that occur to you with someone who knows you well, and
get their reaction and feedback as a contribution to your decision-making.
04
l
You could be on the brink of a great adventure and a life-changing experience. The hope is that the
material in this book will be an introduction to the most creative and rewarding time in your life and
that you (and those you teach) will be happier as a result!
Mike Scally
(Author of ‘Lifeskills Teaching’)

Please note ;
Any information and advice in this book is offered in good faith, but it cannot and should not replace the
reader’s own need for judgment of its relevance and value in their context and the need for each of us to be
responsible for our own risk assessment and decision-making.
Foreword
05
l
The World’s First
TEFL Self-Help Book!
i-to-i commissioned TEFL Uncovered: How to Teach Your Way Abroad to help you understand TEFL and all
your opportunities around the world…
With 16 years’ in the TEFL industry, i-to-i’s expert TEFL team is committed to making the TEFL world
real and accessible to you, so you can understand TEFL as well as the experts do!
Teaching English as a foreign language is as simple as you’ve probably heard – you only need to
speak English fluently to teach English abroad; however, understanding the global TEFL industry, as
well as the most effective teaching methods, can be a bit more complex as all countries, schools, job
requirements and people are different. Therefore, i-to-i felt strongly about creating a book that told
you exactly what you needed to know about the industry, courses and opportunities before you dove
straight in and possibly got lost!
Interestingly enough, hundreds of thousands of people have been teaching English abroad for decades
with nothing more than their knowledge of the English language. But as the market has become far
more competitive, requirements and restrictions have increased and peoples’ general concerns have
broadened. Today, understanding TEFL is not so simple and eager travellers are more than keen to
understand the market inside and out.
This book will serve as a perfect guide for you to begin your TEFL endeavours. It is a truly unbiased
view of the TEFL world based on our experiences (16 years!) teaching abroad and training people to
teach abroad too.
We hope you enjoy this first step into your TEFL career abroad.
All the best!
The i-to-i TEFL Team

Book Introduction
the i-to-i team

06 l
Section 1
Welcome To TEFL
Introduction
A Life Changing Choice

1 Explore how the experience of living and working
abroad is very different from being a tourist and how
TEFL can transform your future.
Your Opportunities
2 Take a look at the number of job opportunities in the
TEFL industry and the types of conditions you can
expect.
Section 1: Welcome to TEFL
3 What Is Teaching English Like?

Decide whether a TEFL classroom is right for you and
learn about the activities you might need to do with
your students.
4 Types Of English Teaching

From outdoor activities with primary students to
teaching technical English to oil and gas engineers –
there are all sorts of teaching opportunities overseas.
707 l
Introduction to Section 1
1 Welcome!
If you think …
l TEFL allows you to travel almost anywhere
l TEFL is exciting and rewarding
l TEFL will change your view of the world
… you are right!
This book will show you how to make your dream of teaching abroad come true.You will have a clear
understanding of what being a TEFL teacher is like – the many positives and the challenges – and the
sorts of opportunities there are for you.
2 Is TEFL For You?

Before we look at opportunities in TEFL, let’s reflect on what you want in your life.
2.1
-
What made you think about teaching English abroad?
Tick the things that are true for you and add some more if you like.
I like travelling
I like mixing with people
I want to experience other cultures
I think I would teach English well
I want to help people
I’d like to explore something
I’m interested in English completely new and different

I’m eager for a break from my career
and life at home
I’d like to travel and earn
I like languages
08 l
See what TEFL-Travellers have to say!
Ashley Griffiths from the UK

‘ Back in 2007 I was in a job I hated and was very much part
of the rat race! I had always enjoyed helping and guiding my
employees and loved travelling, so the decision was easy! Don’t
worry about the stress of adjusting to another culture, that’s
part of the fun!
‘
Which do you think are the most important reasons for you – and for your students?
For yourself: ___________________________________________________________

-
For the people you will teach: ______________________________________________
2.2 Imagine you could be somewhere different in three months.

Complete the sentence.
I would like to be in _________________ because
_____________________________________________________________________
2.3 Answer yes, no or not sure to the following:
l There are TEFL jobs in my dream destination
l I can secure a job there before I go
l I do not need a teaching qualification to teach there
l I don’t need to know the local language to teach there
l I will be there in three months

Let’s look at the facts to see if you were right.

09 l
3 TEFL – The Situation
English is the international language of business, politics, science and communications. The British
Council estimates there are over a billion people learning English worldwide.* About three quarters
of these people live in non-English-speaking countries. In other words, every country needs English
teachers (there are even foreign TEFL teachers in North Korea).
Asia
Europe 300,000,000+
200,000,000+ learners
learners
South America Middle East

150,000,000+ 50,000,000+
learners learners
Most language schools advertise on the internet and many like to arrange a contract in advance. There
are hundreds of websites dedicated to TEFL jobs. It’s estimated that there are over 20,000 new TEFL
jobs listed each month. One of the best known, www.eslcafe.com, has over 2,000 listings at any time.
The demand for TEFL is so huge that many schools will employ teachers with no teaching qualification
or degree. This does depend on the country – you may need to be qualified to get a work visa in some
countries (we will see which ones later). Also, the question of whether you want to teach without
some training needs serious consideration.
Most English language schools are English language environments.You will use English for all
interactions at work. However, knowing some basic phrases in the local language shows respect for
people and will add considerably to your cultural experience.
You could actually be teaching in one of many countries tomorrow.You will need to decide whether
you want to simply arrive in a country and approach schools or arrange a job before you go. We will
look at the pros and cons of each later.
* British Council Learning. August 1 2009. < http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-faq-the-english-language.htm>.

10 l
1 A Life
Changing Choice
‘
I put my TEFL qualification to use within a few months as

I went to Japan to work for an English language company
that deals with teaching children. What I intended to be a six
month working holiday turned into an 18 month odyssey! I had
so much fun and so many enjoyable moments with all some ‘
300 students that I saw on a regular basis. And yes, I learned
everyone’s name! It’s my driving ambition to return to my
Tel Porter from Australia Japanese home as soon as I can.
? DID YOU KNOW?

l It is easy to find a job and teach in another country
l Teaching abroad will probably be like nothing you have ever experienced
1 First Thoughts
Let’s first look at why you are considering TEFL.
1.1 How is being a tourist different from living and working somewhere?
Think of the pros and cons of both. - Section 1: Welcome to TEFL

Being a Tourist Living and Working in a Country

Pros

Cons
Which has the greater appeal for you? __________________________________________

11 l
1.2 In what ways might teaching abroad change your life for the better?
Write down your thoughts about this.
_______________________________________________________________________
-
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
How do you feel about those possibilities? __________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

2 The Facts
Now let’s look at the experience of living and teaching abroad in more detail – both the plusses
and the challenges.
2.1 Do you agree or disagree with the following statements? If you know anyone who
-
has taught or worked abroad, reflect on their experiences.
Fill in the following

Agree Disagree

Living abroad is the most memorable experience
many people have had.
Teaching is just a means to an end – to be able to travel.
You can lead a luxurious life teaching abroad.
Locals look up to you as a foreigner.

Some expats suffer severe culture shock when they
live overseas.
It’s too late if you’re locked into a contract and you

don’t like the place.
TEFL experience will be useful for my future,

even if I stop teaching.

12 l
! We Suggest:
l Yes. Teaching in a country means you can experience complete cultural immersion.You can gain
a deep understanding of another culture and a new awareness of your own.You have a genuine
reason to interact with interesting people, and you can develop very deep and long-lasting
relationships.
l There are many stories of people working for little or no pay and using their savings to live and
teach somewhere, simply because the experience is so rewarding.
l Teaching can simply be a means to an end. But TEFL needs dedicated, passionate teachers, so we
hope you will want to make a serious contribution to the profession.
l Teaching will almost certainly not be a luxurious life! Teachers are not paid like expat executives.
In many countries you’ll receive something like a local salary, which will enable you to have a
comfortable life, but not a cushy one.
l No they won’t – respect and appreciation have to be earned!
l Yes. Almost everyone will experience some form of culture shock. Make sure you are mentally
and emotionally prepared for a very big change in lifestyle. It can help to start teaching in a
country or culture you are familiar with before moving abroad.
l No. Teachers do break contracts. Schools tend to offer incentives for teachers to stay to the
end of a contract instead (e.g. paying a bonus or airfare).
l Overseas teaching experience is regarded by employers in many fields as unique and valuable.
It demonstrates initiative, responsibility and intellect.
2.1 It’s essential to be mentally prepared.

What problems do you think could arise in the following areas?
How could you deal with them? -

Possible Problems How Could You Overcome Them?
Low Salary

Food

Accommodation Section 1: Welcome to TEFL

Sanitation

Culture

Government

Security

Away from Family/Friends

13 l
Every person staying for a length of time in a new country will experience culture shock. At first,
everything around you will seem exciting and stimulating. However, this can suddenly change. Often
triggered by a single negative experience, you may start to feel on edge, depressed, or even angry.
However, this will pass.You will reach a state where things seem normal. Some of the excitement of
the honeymoon phase will return, along with a deeper appreciation of the cultural environment.
The best way to adjust to culture shock is to be aware of what’s happening to you. Remind yourself
that it’s natural to feel this way, that everyone experiences it, and it is temporary. Importantly, don’t
isolate yourself. Try actively to meet local people and embrace the culture. Explore, enjoy the food, and
learn the language.
Interestingly, once people have adjusted to a new culture, they usually feel reverse culture shock coming
back to their home country!
3 Reflection & Action
3.1 Think seriously. Is living abroad still right for you?

-
Why?
___________________________________________________________________________
3.2 Where would you like to go and for how long?

Plus, do you have all the information you would need to make this decision yet?
___________________________________________________________________________
3.3 How can you find out more about living in that country?
___________________________________________________________________________
= SUMMARY
l Teaching abroad has been a life-changing experience for many people
l Be realistic and be prepared for challenges

14 l
E
KEY RESOURCES
A useful introduction to the issues:
http://teachertipstraining.suite101.com/article.cfm/qualifying_as_an_efl_teacher
For an overview of the plusses and challenges of teaching abroad:

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/work/esl/index.shtml
For a range of articles on teaching and living abroad:

http://teaching-abroad.suite101.com/
‘ ‘
It has been fantastic. Both living abroad and teaching in Spain
have proven to be extremely rewarding. Definitely the best
choice I could have made after graduating from college. What
would be better than a year away to find myself?
Peter Wickman from the USA

15 l
2?

Your Opportunities
DID YOU KNOW?

l
l
One billion people are learning English as a foreign language
By 2025 this should double to two billion
l There are more people learning English in China than there are native English speakers in the USA
l Over 100,000 people do a TEFL certificate course each year.Yet there are clearly not enough
graduates to meet demand
1 First Thoughts
This part will give you a clear overview of TEFL job opportunities worldwide.
1.1 Do you agree or disagree with the below facts?
I am optimistic about finding a job.

-
_______________________________________________________________________
The internet is the best place to look for opportunities.
_______________________________________________________________________
It is easy to get a job in any country.
_______________________________________________________________________
Requirements for qualifications are the same worldwide.
_______________________________________________________________________
Schools are unwilling to give contracts.
_______________________________________________________________________
Conditions are quite similar across countries.
_______________________________________________________________________
16 l
2 The Facts
2.1 Let’s find out if your ideas were on the right track.
Look at two of the best-known TEFL websites: www.eslcafe.com and www.tefl.com.
Make some notes on the following: -
The Number of Jobs ___________________________________________________________

Qualifications _________________________________________________________________

Nationality Requirements _____________________________________________________
Contracts Available ___________________________________________________________
Conditions _________________________________________________________________

! We Suggest:
l There are 20,000 TEFL jobs advertised every month.
l Certain countries require a degree, a TEFL qualification, or both.
l Western Europe is the strictest regarding nationality: you normally need an EU passport
(or a working holiday visa for people aged 18-30). It is unlikely a school will sponsor you unless
they know you.
l Schools typically want teachers to stay for as long as possible.
l Conditions vary dramatically. It is possible to save money in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan,
Western Europe and the Middle East. In China, Russia and Eastern Europe, salaries will be high
by local standards and enough to live very comfortably on, but not to make money.
2.2 In view of the above, which countries look attractive to you?
Why? - Section 1: Welcome to TEFL
Top 3 Countries . Why?

1. _______________________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________________________________
17 l
Consider that the most rewarding positions may have the most difficult conditions.
For example, teaching in a rural school with few facilities may be making a real difference in students’ lives.

3.1
-
Look at job adverts from the countries you chose.
What are the questions you’ d want to ask?
______________________________________________________________________?
______________________________________________________________________?

______________________________________________________________________?
We will answer your questions when we look in detail at job adverts and contracts in
Section 3: Finding Good Work.
= SUMMARY
l There are thousands of opportunities for TEFL teachers
l Conditions and requirements vary greatly
E KEY RESOURCES
Key job websites:
http://www.eslcafe.com
http://www.tefl.com
‘
From my experience in Hungary, schools are always looking
for new teachers. To have any ‘street cred’ a school needs
native speakers, at least as teaching assistants, and as most
native speakers are travellers and only staying for a set
period, there is a high turnover in teaching staff! I had no
problem at all changing jobs. All I had to do was look for local
language schools on the web and send my resume to places
that looked promising. Also, because schools are used to
‘
Adrian Thurnwald from Australia dealing with itinerant native sorts, they often have some kind
of system in place for accommodation. Not always, though!
18 l
3 What Is Teaching
English Like?
‘
I’ve taught some fantastic classes in South Korea… been

thrown into some interesting deep ends, eh....teaching
science, mass and density to be exact, to a bunch of 5
year olds, oh and of course the rules of soccer (!) and the
American Revolution to my 12 year olds! The kids never ‘
cease to amaze me with their questions: ‘Teacher, what’s
your blood type?’ and ‘Teacher, what’s the difference between
Jennifer Maxwell from Ireland an alligator and a crocodile?’ But I love it! I have a million
stories to tell about my time here.
? DID YOU KNOW?

l TEFL, more than any other field of teaching, has ‘tried and tested’ approaches to running a class
l There are great materials for teaching English readily available
l TEFL, EFL, TESOL, ESOL and ESL are often used interchangeably. However, as a rule, TEFL is
teaching in a non-English speaking country, and ESL is teaching migrants in an English-speaking
country
1 First Thoughts
Let’s start by thinking about what happens – and should happen - in a language class.
1.1 Think about when you learnt a language

(if you haven’t studied a language, think of any school subject).
What did you like? What didn’t you like? Why? -

I liked … I didn’t like …
19 l
1.2
-
What should students spend most of their time doing in class?
Rank the following from 1 (most time) to 6 (least time).
listening to the teacher talking about grammar
listening to the teacher talking about the world
listening to audio recordings
reading
writing
speaking in pairs or groups
Why did you prioritise them in the way you did? Is it because they help students’ language development,
or is it some other reason? Do any of the activities have risks – for example, could students get bored,
or could they learn bad habits?
Shortly we will look at what students actually need. It may surprise you.
1.3 What do you find daunting about teaching? Is it being in front of a large group of people?
Answering grammar questions? Make some notes.
What worries me about teaching is…

-
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
We’re going to suggest that a TEFL class may be vastly different from any class you’ve experienced – and
that an awareness of the role of an effective TEFL teacher should significantly reduce your anxiety and
help you feel excited about getting into a classroom. Section 1: Welcome to TEFL
2 The Facts
When we think about teaching, we understandably think primarily about ourselves. However, TEFL
challenges you to turn that around. It’s essential to think about your students’ experience and what
they need. This should shape what happens in your class.
20 l
2.1 Look at these real quotes from students.
Do they make you reconsider your priorities for the classroom? What would you change?
We always did grammar at

middle school. It’s very boring.
We had an Australian teacher
who talked for hours about
Australia. I wanted to go to
sleep.
I’m too shy to speak.

I can understand the teacher
but not other English speakers.
I need English for my job. I

need to talk on the telephone
and write emails.
Games are fun.
2.2 Give your opinion about the following questions and say why.
Is learning a language more like going to history lectures or learning to drive a car?
-
_____________________________________________________________________
Which of the four skills (reading, writing, listening & speaking) is most important for students to
develop?
_____________________________________________________________________
How can you ensure students get lots of speaking practice in class?
_____________________________________________________________________
Is listening to the teacher the most useful listening practice you can provide?
_____________________________________________________________________
Do students need to learn a lot of grammar?
_____________________________________________________________________
21 l
! We Suggest
l Speaking a language is a skill, like driving or cooking. Knowing rules doesn’t mean students can
produce sentences. They need to practise as much as possible.
l All skills are important. However students will have different abilities in different skills. Many
students from China have had little speaking practice, so they need much more speaking
practice in class; whereas, many students from Saudi Arabia are confident in speaking, so they
need to work on their writing.
l You can maximise speaking practice by getting students to practise in small groups. The
teacher standing at the front talking to one student at a time is not efficient.
l Listening to the teacher is not rich practice. It’s the same voice in the same context every
time. Students need to listen to a wide range of speakers in different situations (on CDs,
DVDs, the internet, etc).
l Students do need to know how to put together a sentence accurately. But we need to keep
grammar in perspective. For example, bad pronunciation makes someone much harder to
understand than bad grammar.
l Students may be interested in you. And of course you want to open up to your students to
build rapport and trust. But this is not the same as spending a lot of time telling the class
about you. Find out what interests your students, and choose topics with which they will
engage.
2.3
If you aim to have lots of student-to-student interaction in class, what will you be doing
while students are speaking in groups?
Look at 1.2 in Part 3 again. How can a student-centred approach reduce your anxiety?
!
We Suggest
l ‘Monitor’ students (i.e. move around the class and listen to students) as they practise. Give
students space – as far as possible let them work out difficulties themselves. Don’t pounce on
every error as that inhibits students. However, do give help to individual students when they
ask for it.
l A student-centred approach means the less time you’re out in the front under the spotlight
the better! It’s not about you – it’s about the students having a go, and you’re there to assist
and guide.
22 l
3.1 Choose from this list what you would like to happen in your class.
students role play in pairs (e.g. shop assistant and customer)
the teacher tells the class about his/her likes and dislikes
students play interactive speaking games
students do life-like tasks they need in their jobs
students read out one sentence of a text in turn
the teacher lectures about grammar
students discuss topics in small groups
one student at a time stands out in the front and talks for three minutes
about a topic
students work out grammar rules together in pairs
A teacher of a student-centred class would choose the activities that involve meaningful student-
student interaction: role-plays, speaking games, life-like tasks, small-group discussion and students
working out rules themselves.
3.2 Do you think you could make those things happen if you walked into a class today?
If not, what knowledge, skills or resources would you need?
_____________________________________________________________________
-
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ Section 1: Welcome to TEFL
3.3 Go and see a real class run by an experienced teacher!

You can ask at a local English school or search for ‘TEFL classroom’ on www.youtube.com.
Explore the link(s) over leaf to find out more about teaching methods and lesson plans.
23 l
= SUMMARY
l Students need to practise
l Move around the room and help students
l Choose material that will interest your students
E
KEY RESOURCES
For an overview of communicative approaches to teaching:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/knowledge-wiki/communicative-approach
‘
I was traveling through Laos last summer as part of an
around the world trip. When I arrived in central Laos to
work at an organic farm, I was told about a building that
was constructed to teach the local villagers. They had no
transportation to the school in the nearby town and the
children from the four villages received schooling only when
someone was available. The farmer asked if I would be
‘
Larry Shorthell from the USA interested and I started that evening.

24 l
4 Types Of English Teaching
‘
I’m in France for two years with my husband (for his job)
and am teaching English to business people, part-time. I’m
doing mostly telephone lessons and some face to face work.
Telephone lessons are popular with business people as they
don’t have to leave their work-place and are good practice
for conducting business on the phone. Before coming to
France I worked as a Health Visitor (a sort of community
nurse) for more than twenty years and really wanted a
‘
Jackie Podmore from the UK change of career. Teaching English is great fun, although a
huge challenge for me; I’d like to continue with it when we
get back to the UK if possible.
? DID YOU KNOW?

l English is the international language of business, science, technology, diplomacy and aviation
l At a time when learning English was a fashionable pastime in some countries, it was called
TENOR – ‘Teaching English for No Obvious Reason’
1 First Thoughts
Let’s consider first of all why so many people are learning English.
1.1 Brainstorm all the reasons you can think of why people learn English.
-
compulsory at school better future opportunities
jobs in tourism business purposes

25 l
1.2 Which, do you think, are the main reasons? -
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2 The Facts
2.1 There are numerous branches of TEFL teaching, outlined below.
General English An English class with no specific goal except to raise students’ English level
(however, consider that each student will have particular goals – to travel,
to write emails, to emigrate, etc). Many students study General English at
lower levels and then specialise later.
Young Learners Children (generally refers to primary age).
Tutoring One-on-one or small group.
Volunteering Teaching for no nominal payment.
EAP EAP is a pre-university course that takes students to the level they need for
(English for their degree. It often involves study skills as well as language. Some schools
Academic offer specialised streams (e.g. business, art and design) depending on the
Purposes) student’s future course.
Test Preparation A course to help students pass or attain the score they need in an English
test. Two important tests for university admission are IELTS (in the UK,
Australia and New Zealand) and TOEFL (in the US).
EOP General workplace English relevant to a range of jobs.

(English for
Occupational
Purposes)
ESP Specialised workplace English such as ‘English for Engineering’ or ‘English for IT’.
(English for
Specific
Purposes)
Business English English for business students or businesspeople. Business English can be seen
as a branch of EAP or ESP, but it’s so enormous it’s usually seen as a category
of its own.
26 l
The terms may differ from school to school and country to country – for example, ‘English for
Occupational Purposes’ might be called ‘English for the Workplace’, ‘English for Work’, ‘Workplace
English’ etc.
2.2 What do you think?
Choose a or b as your answer to each of the following:
The most English spoken every day is between:

-
a native speakers and non-native speakers
b non-native speakers and non-native speakers
Most learners of English want to:

a use English for a practical purpose
b sound like native speakers
Most learners of English:

a don’t know what they need to learn
b are very aware of what they need to learn
! We Suggest
l The most English spoken every day is between (b) non-native speakers and non-native
speakers.
For example, Korean and Japanese businesspeople and Russian pilots and Chinese air traffic
controllers use English to communicate with each other.
l Most learners of English want to (a) use English for a practical purpose.
Since English is just a tool, the ideal of sounding like a native speaker is irrelevant to most
learners. The ‘native speaker’ as an ideal is dead and buried.
l Most learners of English (b) are very aware of what they need to learn.
Students know why they need English – whether it’s to pass an exam, do business, fly a plane,
or work in a joint-venture mining company. Our aim is to help students develop specific
language for their real-life goals.
-

2.3 Do you agree or disagree with these statements?
Agree Disagree
You have to be an engineer to teach engineering English.
Teaching small classes is easier than large classes.
Teaching business is more serious so there will be less interaction.
Teaching young learners is tiring.

27 l
! We Suggest
l No. Obviously the students are the experts, and, in fact, they don’t want you to teach them
about the subject matter (studies have shown this). They want you to help with language they
need for work. So choose topics, types of written texts, dialogues etc. that are relevant to their
field. Ask your students to show you examples of what they need to read and write, and to tell
you the words they need to pronounce (however it helps if you have an interest in the subject
matter e.g. don’t teach English for accounting if you hate maths!).
l It depends. If you organise lots of small-group work, it really makes no difference whether you
have a class of 10 or 30. Teaching one-on-one can be really hard work – it’s a good idea to tutor
two students at once so they can practise with each other.
l No. Just choose interaction patterns that are relevant to their work – e.g. salesperson and
client, socialising at a function, presenting their company.
l It depends! Young learners need a lot of different short activities or they get bored. If you’re
energetic and love children, it can be extremely rewarding, and the day flies!

3.1 What areas of English could you teach?
Choose three that appeal to you. Consider developing a niche – it’s very marketable.
General English (lower levels) General English (higher levels)

English for Young Learners Tutoring Tertiary Students
Tutoring Businesspeople English for Business

English for Academic Purposes English for Aviation
English for IT English for Finance
English for Science & Technology English for Nursing
English for Engineering English for Hospitality Section 1: Welcome to TEFL
Retail English Military English
3.2 Go to a specialist TEFL bookseller.

Look at the resources you can buy to teach specialised areas of English. You’ll be amazed at the range
and quality, and how easy it is to teach without background knowledge in the subject matter.
28 l
= SUMMARY
l Most learners have a clear real-life purpose for learning English
l We should find out what that purpose is, and focus our teaching on it
E
KEY RESOURCES
For an overview of English for Specific Purposes:
http://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/articles/teaching-english-for-specific-purposes-esp.html
Links for teaching young learners:

http://www.ihes.com/bcn/tt/yl-sites.html

29 l
Section
Qualifications
2
Introduction
Do You Need A Qualification?

1 Gain a better understanding about
qualification requirements to teach
English as a foreign language.
2 Qualifications Demystified
Compare the different courses and
qualifications available and find out
which one is right for you.
Section 2 : Qualifications
30 l
1 What Do You Think?
What are your initial thoughts about getting a TEFL qualification?
Tick the statements with which you agree. -

A qualification will help me teach with confidence and know-how
I don’t need a qualification due to the high demand for English teachers overseas
I could get a better ELT (English Language Teaching) job with a qualification
I need a qualification to teach in certain countries
I speak English, so I can teach English
I’d rather do a course online than face-to face
Write down any thoughts you have about getting TEFL qualified:
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
31 l
2 Qualifications – The Facts
It is true that you can jump on a plane today with no TEFL qualification and get a job in a lot of
countries. But just consider the below:
Learning to Teach
l A course shows you how to teach effectively
(for your students’ benefit and your own peace of mind)
l Face-to-face TEFL training usually gives you the opportunity to practise teaching and receive
helpful feedback – increasing your confidence in the classroom
Finding Quality Job Opportunities

l Having a qualification puts you in a stronger position to get the best jobs possible
l Many schools ask for a TEFL qualification
l A course is a great opportunity for networking and finding your job abroad
Visa Regulations
l Some countries require a TEFL qualification to teach (and even a certain type) and/or a degree
– see Section 7
Types of Courses
l A basic TEFL qualification (not higher) is the standard for entering the profession
l There are many online and face-to-face options
l Courses range in length from 20 to 160 hours
32 l
1 Do You Need A Qualification?
‘
I worked mainly in a private school in Hanoi. Some of the

children were real trouble and wouldn’t listen, but once
you asserted your authority they were eager to learn and
to impress, especially when you had stickers! The TEFL
‘
taught me the basics but even if you don’t remember that,
it all comes back to you, and the real training is in the
classroom when you’re up at a board with 30/40 faces
looking up at you!
Elizabeth Cox from the UK
? DID YOU KNOW?

l There’s a huge demand for English Language Teachers, even without a TEFL certificate
l Different countries have different requirements
l Some countries require a bachelor’s degree (in any field) rather than a TEFL certificate
1 First Thoughts
Here are the typical options available for an entry-level TEFL qualification.
1.1 But before we move further, let’s explore your initial thoughts. Make sure you consider your
current budget and time constraints when answering.
What would increase your potential in the TEFL world?
No course
- Section 2 : Qualifications
A book on how to teach English for £30/US$50
A 20 hour face-to-face course for £300/US$500
A 60 hour online course for £300/US$500
A 120 hour combined online & face-to-face course for £600/US$1000
A full-time four-week course where you practise teaching real students for £1500/US$2600
33 l
1.2 What kinds of questions would you want to ask before you signed up for a course?
-
Is the qualification recognised internationally?
_______________________________________________________________________?
_______________________________________________________________________?
_______________________________________________________________________?
_______________________________________________________________________?
2 The Facts
Here are the general qualification requirements worldwide.
2.1 You’ll see in many regions a TEFL certificate is ‘preferred’ – so it may get you more (and better!)
opportunities. However, many employers asking for ‘TEFL/TESOL qualifications’ (as it’s usually
phrased) will still employ people without one.
Region General Requirements

North Asia Degree required; TEFL certificate preferred
South-East Asia TEFL certificate preferred
Western & Mediterranean Europe Degree & EU passport/working holiday visa required
Central & Eastern Europe TEFL certificate preferred
Central & South America TEFL certificate preferred
Middle East Degree required
Subcontinent Degree & TEFL certificate required
Africa EFL certificate preferred
English-Speaking Countries Degree & CELTA/Trinity CertTESOL required (see Part 2)
There is variation within each region, of course - we look in detail at individual countries in Section 7.
2.2 Do you think the following statements are true or false?

-

Requirements for volunteering are different from paid work
Different teaching experience or qualifications may be seen as equivalent

to a TEFL qualification
All schools and teachers obey the law

34 l
! We Suggest
l There are not many requirements for volunteering (usually), so the decision to do a course is
solely about your desire to develop your classroom skills before you start teaching.
l In countries where a TEFL qualification is ‘preferred’, you can certainly aim to sell your
qualifications as equivalent, and any teaching experience will be valued. However English-
speaking countries are strict about the qualifications they require.
l As you’d expect, no. For better or worse, the field is market-driven. Wherever demand for
English is high, there are teachers working without the required qualifications and work visa
and being paid cash-in-hand. This is a dangerous thing to do – teachers risk being exploited
and getting caught. If you’re caught in the EU, for example, you will be deported and probably
never get another visa to that country again.
We know a certificate can make finding work easier. But there are of course professional benefits
from studying a TEFL course.
2.3 Which of these experiences would make a course seem worthwhile to you?
I became more confident

about my grammar.
We practised teaching lessons
to the other tutees in the
course.
I now feel confident walking

into a classroom, as I know
We learnt how to teach
exactly what to do.
engaging lessons.
I now have 17 colleagues I will

stay in touch with.
We taught lessons to real
English students.
We learnt how to teach

beginners.
The next part will tell you what individual courses will bring you and which courses will fulfill your
needs.
35 l
3.1 Think back to your dream destination in Section 1.
Do you think you have the required qualifications for that country? If not, will you:
l Change your destination?
l Consider studying?
3.2 Your TEFL Assessment

Tick the statements that are true for you. -
I already know people teaching who can help me find work
I’ve already been offered a job
I’ve done tutoring
I’m a very experienced teacher
I feel confident about teaching
I’m a confident person
I’ve studied a language to a fairly high level
I’m not planning to teach in an English-speaking country
SCORES
4-8 If you ticked 4 – 8 boxes, you’re probably ready to go straight away! Perhaps consider a TEFL
course along the way.
0-3 If you ticked 0 – 3 boxes, you’d probably benefit from a course before you go. A course will give
you a feel for the TEFL industry, help develop your classroom skills, and give you the chance to
make some valuable contacts.
= SUMMARY
l Employers like teachers to have a TEFL qualification, but it is often not essential Section 2 : Qualifications
l Consider a TEFL course for the professional benefits it will bring you
E
KEY RESOURCES
Overviews of, and opinions regarding,TEFL certificates:
http://www.tefl.net/teacher-training/faq.htm
http://www.eslbase.com/courses/
36 l
2 Qualifications
Demystified
‘
I took the TEFL class on line just for fun and because our
church offered an English class to Hispanic people who had
moved to the area. I thought that by taking the class, I could
improve my own English and be better able to assist with
the class. Less than one week after completing the TEFL
class online and receiving my certificate, I received a call from
our church denomination’s National Foreign Missions Board
chairperson, asking if I might be interested in going to Taiwan
for two weeks to help with an English camp there. Because I
Julie Tipton from the USA. had a part time job and was pretty tied down, any thing long
term was out, so I saw this as a perfect opportunity to practise
what I had just learned! I said “yes”, and soon was on a plane
to Taiwan! I spent two weeks as one of two Americans on a
team of twenty native Taiwanese who were planning an English
camp to a remote fishing village in southwestern Taiwan. I had
a blast and found the Taiwanese extremely friendly, helpful, and
‘
very motivated to learn English.
? DID YOU KNOW?

l The qualification you need to start teaching is a certificate – you don’t need a diploma or
master’s degree
l There are hundreds of face-to-face and online certificate courses, but only a few are
well-recognised
l TEFL, TESOL, ESOL, EFL and ESL are not names of qualifications – they are fields of teaching
37 l
1 First Thoughts
Have you heard of different TEFL course types or providers? What do you know about them?
1.1
Make some notes.
Qualification Details
-
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

2 The Facts
2.1 Here are some of the options available:
Online Courses
l Courses are generally 20-100 hours
l Input covers language analysis & teaching methodology
l Often optional specialised modules available (e.g. business English, teaching children)
l Better courses incorporate videos of real classes and interaction with a tutor
Short Face-to-Face Courses

l Courses are generally 20-40 hours in person
l Input covers language analysis & teaching methodology
l Better courses incorporate peer-teaching with tutor feedback
Cambridge CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) & Trinity CertTESOL
l 4 weeks full-time in person (sometimes part-time is offered)
l Around 60 hours of input (language analysis & teaching methodology)

l 6 hours of teaching real students with tutor feedback
l 6-8 hours of observing experienced teachers
l Written assignments
It’s worth remembering that a lot of courses are offered worldwide. So you can do a course in Moscow,
Barcelona or Shanghai – a great way to check out a new lifestyle and look for work as you travel.
38 l
2.2 What do you believe are the advantages and disadvantages of each course type?
Pros Cons
-
Online Courses

CELTA/Trinity Courses
! We Suggest:
Online Courses
Pros Cons
l Some online courses are high quality l Some providers are not well-
l Flexible recognised – choose carefully
l Inexpensive l No personal contact with
TEFL teachers or other students
l No teaching practice

Pros Cons
l Some short courses are top quality l Content can be superficial
training and recognised worldwide l Not much attention to language
l Get a feel for the industry – meet analysis
TEFL teachers and other students l No teaching practice with real
l Can be a fun learning experience students
l May include peer-teaching practice
l A quick way to get qualified
CELTA/Trinity Courses
Pros Cons
l High prestige l Very intensive
l Can use it to teach in English- l Can be stressful
speaking countries (with a degree) l Inflexible delivery model
l Audited – universally high-standard l Expensive
l Practical content
l Teaching real students and getting
feedback
39 l
‘
I had several interviews with schools around Seoul. I began
to teach kindergarten and elementary kids. It was very
daunting at first, but I remembered what I had learned in
my TEFL course and after a few weeks it became so much
fun that I hardly felt like I was working at all; I felt as though
I was getting paid to have a great time. I enjoyed it so much
I spent three years in Seoul, and I’m still teaching but this
‘
time I’m in the Czech Republic.
Daniel Deacon from the UK
Many prospective teachers ask, ‘But really which is the best course to do?’ It’s honestly hard to answer
– it depends on your personal needs and teaching plans. Competition is stiff, and all of the well-known
courses, whether online or face-to-face, provide useful content.
Nevertheless, CELTA and Trinity are still the best known and most highly regarded. They are just about
the only certificate courses that will allow you to teach in an English-speaking country, primarily because
they are over 100 hours, and they include six hours of observed and assessed teaching. However, they
are quite expensive and stressful, so be certain about your TEFL plans before committing your time and
money to this course.
You can always start with a less demanding option and teach for a while to see what it’s like. If you really
enjoy it and want to stay in the field, you can then consider a CELTA or Trinity course.

3.1 Which courses will you now explore?
_______________________________________________________________________
-
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
3.2 Google the reviews of the courses you are interested in.
See what people who have done the courses think. Section 2 : Qualifications
= SUMMARY
l There is a wide range of certificate courses, online and face-to-face, ranging from 20 to 160
hours
l Cambridge and Trinity CertTESOL are the most prestigious, and the only certificates that allow
you to teach in English-speaking countries
40 l
E
KEY RESOURCES
For an overview of certificate courses:
http://www.esljobs.com/tefl-certificate-programs-overview.htm
Cambridge CELTA:
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/teaching-awards/celta.html
Trinity CertTESOL:
http://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/site/?id=201
i-to-i:
http://www.onlinetefl.com
TEFL Worldwide:
http://www.teflworldwideprague.com/
‘
My TEFL course gave me the skills I needed to be confident
in the classroom. Since coming back to the UK I have
continued to teach EFL and am now involved in running a
‘
language school!
Amanda Gillies from Scotland
41 l
Section 3
Finding Good Work
Introduction
1 Do You Need A Qualification?

With hundreds of TEFL job sites on the
internet, find out exactly where to start
with your job search and how to identify
the better opportunities available to you.
2 Job Placement Services & Agents

Understand all the benefits and possible
risks involved in using a third party to find
your job abroad.
3 Networking
Discover how to develop international
networks with both teachers and schools.
4 Conditions
How do you know if a job is good? What
should you look for in a job advert or
contract? What should you ask? Find out
all the answers to these key questions.
Section 3: Finding Good Work
42 l
1 How Do People Find Work?
Reflect on how you or people you know have found work.
Circle the items below (or add your own). -

Through A Friend Newspaper Job Advert Family
Notice In A Window Agency Internet Job Post

2 Finding Good TEFL Work – The Situation
The principles for finding any sort of work are the same. So in order to find your TEFL job, you can:
l Use the internet

l Visit schools
l Use an agency or job placement service
l Start networking Section 3: Finding Good Work
The only challenge with TEFL work is that the jobs are in another country! This section will suggest
some ways of becoming an effective international job seeker.
By the end of this section you should feel excited by the incredible range of opportunities, and have
developed the skills to proceed wisely.
43 l
1 The Internet
‘
I took the TEFL course ... My wife and I decided to move to

Hong Kong. I searched for a job online. I struck some luck and
within that same week I had landed myself a teaching post
in a center teaching ages from 4-12. ... I managed to strike a
perfect schedule working seven days a week, I think the TEFL ‘
certificate played a large part in landing myself with
a job as a teacher, because it is highly regarded by schools
and centers. As long as you’re a native English speaker and
Ben Casey from the UK
have a TEFL qualification then you can get a job quite easily!
? DID YOU KNOW?

l There are thousands of jobs advertised on the internet on any given day
l There are five main types of positions advertised
l Adverts are usually upfront about conditions
1 First Thoughts
1.1 Google “TEFL Jobs” and choose three websites to explore.
Site
What do you like/dislike about each of the websites?
Enter your findings in the chart below.
I liked … I didn’t like …
- Section 3: Finding Good Work
www.esljobs.com Easy to navigate; Not so many jobs
spells out job details clearly
Find a job that looks exciting to you on each site.

44 l
2 The Facts
2.1 There are five basic types of positions:
Types of Positions Examples

Government Schools e.g. ‘Hangzhou No. 14 Middle School’, ‘Lompok Elementary School’
While government schools advertise directly, some countries such as
Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have centralised government-funded
schemes to allocate teachers to schools
Universities/Colleges e.g. ‘King Saud University’, ‘Sichuan Engineering Vocational College’
Small Private Schools These schools have eccentric names like ‘Joy English College’ or
‘Banana School’
Private Chain Schools Private Chain Schools have branches in many cities and countries.
You’ll see many ads for organisations such as EF (English First),
IH (International House), Shane, Wall Street, Berlitz, Language Link, etc
Volunteering Development projects, working with migrants, underprivileged

communities and refugees
2.2 Go back to the three websites you looked at.

Find examples of these different types of positions.
2.3 What do you notice about typical contracts and conditions?
Make some notes.
Types of Positions Conditions

-
Government Schools

Universities/Colleges
Small Private Schools
Private Chain Schools
Volunteering Section 3: Finding Good Work
! We Suggest:
l Conditions vary greatly between countries, and between city and rural areas within one
country.
l Contracts at government schools and colleges, as you’d expect, coincide with semesters.
In developing countries, they are usually not able to offer high salaries but may offer free
accommodation.
45 l
l Private schools, especially the chain schools, may offer considerably higher pay than
government schools. Contract periods vary but they tend to want you to stay as long as
possible and may offer incentives, such as an end-of-contract bonus.
l Volunteering, of course, takes commitment. While you may, in fact, need to pay to be a
volunteer, the rewards (in terms of learning, achievement and contribution) can be huge.
2.4 You would have noticed that there are hundreds of job websites.
Here are the top three sites recommended by TEFL teachers as the perfect starting point.
Site Details
www.eslcafe.com l The biggest TEFL job site

l S earchable teacher forums where you can get inside information
on schools
l Site posts helpful warnings about less reputable schools
www.tefl.com l Fewer positions listed, but they’re generally high quality

l Excellent database search engine
l Country cost guide
www.transitionsabroad.com
l Links to country-specific job sites
l D
etailed country-specific information – e.g. typical jobs, conditions,
visa regulations, tax etc
We will also be looking at country-specific websites in Section 7.

3.1 Use the three websites recommended and find five jobs that you would love to have.
Bookmark them – we will be looking at them later in this section.
= SUMMARY
l Start with some of the larger ‘tried and tested’ websites
E KEY RESOURCES Section 3: Finding Good Work
Recommended job sites:

www.eslcafe.com
www.tefl.com
www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-jobs-abroad/
Country information:
www.transitionsabroad.com
46 l
2 Job Placements
& Agents
‘
I travelled to Lopburi, Thailand on a paid teaching placement.

I wouldn’t have felt comfortable travelling alone to a new
country and culture without the back up that I received from
i-to-i. The staff made the whole experience so easy, advising
‘
me on everything from vaccines to visas, and knowing there
was always someone available at the end of the phone.
Shelly Whelan from Ireland
? DID YOU KNOW?

l There are job placement services and agents who will offer to help with contacting schools,
organising paperwork, and supporting you in-country
l Thanks to the internet, it’s very easy to make direct contact with schools, rather than going
through a middle person
1 First Thoughts
Out of Persons A, B and C, which one are you most like?
The internet job ads look I’m going to jump on I’m a bit nervous about
fine, so I’ll give them a a plane and find a job finding a job on my own.
shot on my own. when I’m already abroad.
Person A Person B Person C
If you’re most like Person C, you should consider the facts overleaf.
47 l
2 The Facts
Keep your wits about you. Do you believe that a person or organisation, acting on commission, is going
to look after you? Always be suspicious of agencies that charge advance fees and operate exclusively
by email.
2.1 Before you sign up, ask yourself whether job placement services or agents meet
the following criteria:
I can actually speak with them

-
They have a good reputation
Conditions are spelt out clearly
The conditions are better than jobs I can apply for independently
There are clear benefits in using their service – e.g. they have an in-country representative
who will support me in an emergency
If you have doubts about any of the above, perhaps reconsider using their services.
2.2 You’ll notice many agents or ‘consulting firms’ advertising on the job websites,
offering to arrange work for you in schools.
Why do you think many make statements like the below:
Reputable & Reliable Recruiter
Trust us to find you a good job
! We Suggest:
l There are reputable agents and disreputable agents.
l There are many critical stories about agents on teacher forums (e.g. withholding pay,
disappearing).
l Consider carefully – is there a need to go through one when you can contact schools directly?
What value do they add?
l Agents receive a signing commission that can be as much as one month’s salary and often a
percentage for every hour you work. This will often mean the jobs they arrange have lower
rates of pay.
48 l
Research (1) a job placement service and (2) an agency (e.g. look at the Korean jobs board on www.
eslcafe.com). What benefits do these jobs offer you?
= SUMMARY
l Consider carefully whether you really need this sort of help
l Agents in some countries have a bad reputation
E KEY RESOURCES
For well-regarded job placement services:
http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-jobs-abroad/
http://www.footprintsrecruiting.com/
http://www.reachtoteachrecruiting.com/
For agents, go to any jobs website – they advertise alongside schools.
‘
The teaching experience in Thailand was truly amazing
and I can’t wait to get back in October! Thailand is a great
place to begin because everybody is so friendly and helpful!
The kids are very lively but fun loving and are generally
interested in learning! Working for a Thai government school
also provides you with generous holiday entitlements so if
you have itchy feet you can see to your wanderlust! I would
‘
recommend teaching and living in Thailand to anyone.
Ashley Griffiths from the UK

49 l
3 Networking
‘
I found it a great experience and I was really glad that

I plucked up the courage to do it. I feel that I adopted
qualities which were expected in that culture and which
have improved me generally as a person. I also met a lot of
people I might not have met otherwise - not just locals, but
Anna Lee Creed from the UK

those who had gone there to teach from a whole range of
other countries. ... I loved teaching so much that I am now
working my way through a PGCE and teaching back home.
I don’t think I would have done that if I hadn’t tried it out
‘
first and gained confidence abroad!
? DID YOU KNOW?

l Most TEFL jobs are not advertised; many people find their jobs through word of mouth or
networking
l You can build networks through friends and the internet and easily start finding TEFL jobs
1 First Thoughts
1.1 Interview someone who has had a number of jobs. How did they find them?
Jobs How Did They Find Them?

- Section 3: Finding Good Work
It is highly likely that some of their jobs were through someone they knew rather than an advert.
50 l
In the TEFL world, developing networks is the best way to discover what good work is available
and teachers are particularly willing to help you out. Networking also offers you flexible choices –
e.g. rather than being tied into one contract, you might be working part-time at several schools.
2 The Facts
Basically, tell everyone you know and/or meet about your TEFL plans. If you tell ten people who each
tell two people and these two people in turn tell another two people – that’s already 70 people
thinking about ways of helping you.
Do you know anyone who teaches EFL?

Make a list. -
2.2 Draw a mind map.

Start with any five people you know. Who might they know? You might find someone who has
valuable advice or contacts abroad for you!
Sarah’s
Tom’s brother School friends
(still in China)
Sarah
Tom
Tom’s Wife
(taught in China)
Tom’s work
Sarah’s
mate, John
old manager
just back from
India Section 3: Finding Good Work
John’s contacts Her sister

at a school in teaches TEFL
India
Who might they put you in touch with and how might they help you?
51 l
2.3 Which of these appeals to you?
Rank them from 1 (most attractive) to 6 (least attractive).
Go to a country and meet local teachers socially

-
Go to a country and cold-call schools
Talk to people I already know who have taught abroad
Ask friends to put me in touch with TEFL teachers they know
Do a face-to-face TEFL course and keep in touch with fellow students and tutors

Post on an internet forum
TEFL teachers would always suggest that personal contacts work best. Meeting other teachers socially
is a good place to start. Like any sort of job hunting, it’s good to meet people at schools in person and
be on the ground and available when positions arise.
Just remember, if you’re not the sort of person who wants to set off and make contacts, that’s fine as
well. In particular, if you’ve never travelled before, it’s worth using networks in your home country or
on the internet to arrange a job in advance.

3.1 Decide what you’re happiest with – pick your preferred options from 2.3 and follow up on them.
= SUMMARY
l Think explicitly about the networks you can make
l Don’t hesitate to ask people
E KEY RESOURCES
Online forums:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forum.jspa?forumID=30
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/
The TESLJB-L mailing list (for making contacts, and receiving postings about jobs)
http://www.lsoft.com/scripts/wl.exe?sl1=tesljb-l&h=listserv.cuny.edu
‘
TEFL has brought me work experience in Shanghai. Before
getting a permanent full time teaching job, I taught part time in
‘
various schools (kindergartens, adult classes, teaching centres...
etc). I now work full time in an international school in Shanghai
and have just signed my 3rd year contract with the school.
Leelawati Khalil from Singapore

52 l
4 Conditions
‘
I took the TEFL course online, just after I’d moved to Sweden
after finishing my Masters. After I’d completed the course
I started teaching English at various levels at a couple of
evening class organisations. This wasn’t organised through
TEFL or anything - I had to sort it out all on my own. I did ‘
have a lot of fun, and got to meet all kinds of people. I had
to do whatever I could get workwise over there, and money
was tight, but my teaching jobs were the ones that kept the
Louise Clark from the UK smile on my face.
? DID YOU KNOW?

l Job adverts typically spell out conditions clearly
l There are some snags you should learn to avoid
1 First Thoughts
1.1 QUIZ In which country…
Do employers often pay for a return airfare?

a. Japan
b. China
Can you make the most money?

a. Turkey Section 3: Finding Good Work
b. Saudi Arabia
Is the typical hourly rate higher?

a. Russia
b. Vietnam
You can find the answers at the bottom of the page.
In this part we look at some general principals regarding what to look for in a contract and your
rights and responsibilities as an employee. In Section 7 we look in more detail at conditions country
by country – and, of course, where to find information yourself, since conditions change.
53
The answers to the quiz are all b!

l
2 The Facts
2.1 Go back to Part 1 of this section
Remind yourself of the different types of positions available – at a government school, chain school etc.
What kind of position looks most attractive to you? Why?
_________________________________________________________________________
-
_________________________________________________________________________
2.2 Do you agree or disagree?
Agree
-
Disagree
Schools need you more than you need them.
You shouldn’t negotiate.
Ask direct questions about your contract.
Deal directly with a person – avoid emails with ‘Sir/Madam’.
Be courteous.
You can break a contract.
! We Suggest:
l Schools do need you. If you don’t feel right about a school when you first deal with them, don’t
pursue it – there are plenty of other opportunities.
l You can always negotiate – but be polite. Some teachers recommend negotiating after you’ve
started with a school and already made a good impression.
l Always ask direct questions so you’re clear about what you want to know (and again, be polite).
l You should find out the name of the person with whom you’re dealing. A personal relationship Section 3: Finding Good Work
helps things run smoothly and it’s easier to know what’s going on.
l Always be courteous. Getting angry or even being seen as ‘proud’ is a considerable loss of face
in many cultures.
l Many teachers do break contracts if things don’t work out. In view of this, many schools offer
a bonus at the end of a contract.
54 l
Look at the forums listed in the Key Resources section on page 52
See the types of feedback teachers have given about different schools. What are typical features
of good schools and bad schools?
Good Schools Bad Schools

-

You probably will have found that teachers do not define good schools based only on money or
physical conditions. Teachers value:
l Respect from management

l Someone on staff you can talk to about problems
l A culture of teaching and learning - not just profit
The most reliable ways to tell if a school is good is if there are positive testimonials from other
teachers. Use contacts or online forums.
The first sign of a bad school is when they evade questions or are willing to behave questionably (for
example, offering to employ you illegally). If they’re lying to the government, why wouldn’t they lie to
you? If anything doesn’t seem quite right, trust your instincts and go somewhere else.
2.4 Schools are usually upfront about rates of pay.

What might not be clear are your working hours – which in turn can affect how much money you
receive.
What details would you want to know about teaching hours in reference to the below?
l Monthly salary maximum hours

-
l Hourly rate
l Split shifts Section 3: Finding Good Work
l Travel required between sites
l Extracurricular activities
! We Suggest:
l A monthly salary: ask about maximum hours, because $2,000 for 120 hours is a very different
pay rate from $2,000 for 80 hours. As a rule, new teachers would not want to teach more than
25 hours a week, unless all the teaching materials are provided.
55 l
l An hourly rate: ask about minimum hours. For example, $20 might look like a good hourly rate
in Prague, but not if you only work five hours a week.
l Split shifts: find out if there are any, and what the possible configurations are. To give you
an extreme example, imagine if your teaching hours on one day were as follows: 8:00AM –
9:00AM, 12:00PM -1:00PM, 3:00PM – 4:00PM and 7:00PM – 9:00PM! It wouldn’t make for a very
enjoyable life – especially if you were living in a foreign country!
l Different sites: ascertain whether you are expected to go to different branches or, for example,
work with corporate clients at their workplace. Consider travel time and how you will travel.
l Extracurricular activities: ask what they are and how many hours they involve. Be careful that
‘activities’ are not unpaid teaching in disguise.
Remember:
They need you more than you need them! Don’t be afraid to ask. If a school evades your questions,
simply move along.
Also, always be prepared!

Try to determine what will happen if you decide to break your contract (e.g. pose the question on an
online forum if you don’t want to discuss it with the employer). Consider having an emergency fund to
cover expenses if you’re suddenly out of work.
3.1 Go back to the jobs you bookmarked in 4.1.

Draft an email to clear up any queries regarding:
l Exact days and hours per week

l Pay
l Location
l Out-of-class responsibilities
l Type of students
l Resources
l Living conditions Section 3: Finding Good Work
SUMMARY
l Be courteous yet upfront. Ask what you need to know
l If it doesn’t feel right, move on

56 l
E KEY RESOURCES
Advice on finding a good school:
http://www.articlesbase.com/languages-articles/find-a-reputable-tefl-school-abroad-649405.html
What to ask a school:

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0503/teaching english_abroad_the_
good_the_bad_the_ugly.shtml
For teacher forums:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/
Blacklist (mainly China and Korea):

http://eslblacklist.com/
Interesting article regarding warning signs of bad schools:

http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/articles/index.pl?read=3336
‘
I was in Qingdao, China! The schools’ grounds were made up
of a preschool and kindergarten school and a grade 1-12
school, both of which were made up of Chinese and Korean
students, and an American international school, which
catered to Korean and Japanese students. I taught classes
at all three schools, working with kindergarten-2nd grade. I
‘
taught a total of 22 classes (between 30-50 minutes long).
Lauren Mehl from the USA

57 l
Section 4
Getting Good Work
Introduction
1 Personal Contact
Understand how beneficial it is to
deal directly with a person, rather
than anonymously, when applying
for a job.
2 Application Letter Or Email

Learn how to make your
application stand out in a stack
of hundreds – you can also take a
look at a model application.
3 Creating A Teaching Resume

Top tips on how to create a
teaching resume that resonates
with the needs of employers.
Section 4: Getting Good Work

58 l
1 Why Are Some Job Applications Better Than Others?
What has your success rate been when applying for work?
1.1 What do you think you’ve done well and not so well? Think about:
l Any initial contact

l Your application letter
l Your resume
l The interview
-
l After the interview
What I Did Well What I’d Like to Improve

2 Successful Job Applications – The Situation
2.1 Have you ever recruited people, or do you know someone who has?
If a recruiter has a pile of job applications, how much time do they usually spend on each?
Write the time here:
______ minutes ______ seconds
Ready for the truth? Most recruiters look at a covering letter for about five to ten seconds! They
then make the decision of ‘maybe’ or ‘no’. First impressions are powerful. How can you make your
application stand out and be impressive?
This section will help you write a powerful covering letter and a resume that will get past the ten-
second selection stage, so you can secure the job you want.
59 l
1 Personal Contact
‘
I taught at an underprivileged school and also nuns at a

private school. I managed to get in contact with the nuns
through some people I met at my accommodation. It was
one of the most rewarding things I have ever undertaken.
The children where so receptive and eager to learn. The
‘
nuns could speak English however, needed someone to
practice their pronunciation and conversation skills with.
Sheryl Hawkins from Australia
? DID YOU KNOW?

l If you send a job application to a general business, rather than a person, you most likely will not
hear back from the employer
1 First Thoughts
Think of a time when you wanted something from a company or government department.
What did you want?

-
_________________________________________________________________________
How did you contact them?
_________________________________________________________________________ Section 4: Getting Good Work

Did you know a person’s name?
_________________________________________________________________________
If you did have a contact’s name, did it help?
_________________________________________________________________________
Names are particularly important in international communication – when, obviously, there is no face-
to-face contact. Email is inherently anonymous.
60 l
2 The Facts
Which of the followings points do you think are important? Why?
l A personal relationship makes you different from a sea of unknown applicants
l A personal relationship can smooth out difficulties
l Knowing someone’s name establishes a professional and collegial relationship
l Knowing someone’s name shows you’ve made an effort
l You’re more likely to hear back from a person than an anonymous company email address
l Using someone’s title
! We Suggest:
l All of the above are equally important. The TEFL industry is different because the applicant and
the employer are distant. Do anything you can to make professional but personal contacts.
l If a job advert does not name a contact person, find out. Email or ring, and simply ask, ‘Who
can I speak to regarding the TEFL position?’

3.1 Look at one of the job websites you discovered in Section 3.
Find three job adverts that don’t include a contact name. See if you can figure out the name of the
person with whom you should get in touch.
School Person
-
1

2

3

SUMMARY Section 4: Getting Good Work
l Find out a name and contact them directly
l Use their title
E KEY RESOURCES
Advice on contacting schools:
http://www.teflnewbie.com/tag/jobs-teaching-english/
61 l
2 Application Letter
Or Email
‘
I was amazed at how much my TEFL course prepared

me for the English teaching job market. I am still in Milan,
Italy, teaching Business English. There is a huge market for
GOOD teachers here. I had been teaching other things
‘
before English, so I was able to cross train my teaching
skills to fit. I work full time for one school (though most
teachers start out working part time for 2 schools) and
there is no lack of hours.
Brooke Miller from Italy
? DID YOU KNOW?

l Most application letters don’t clearly portray the applicant’s ability to do the job for which
they’re applying
l If an employer can’t immediately see that you have relevant skills, your application will
probably go in the bin
First Thoughts
We’ve said that employers may only look at an application for a few seconds. What will make your
application stand out?
Cirlce the ideas you agree with:

- Section 4: Getting Good Work
A LONG COVERING LETTER A SHORT COVERING LETTER
HIGHLIGHTING SKILLS THAT RESONATE WITH THE JOB ADVERT
UNUSUAL PAPER ARTISTIC FONT CONSERVATIVE FONT

62 l
2 The Facts
2.1 There are no tricks here:
DO DON’T
l Have a short covering letter l Use unusual paper, fonts, illustrations,

l Highlight the skills you have that perfume, etc.
they’re specifically asking for
l Keep the format simple and professional
2.2 Let’s look at what this means in practice.
-
Look at the job advert below.
What two things do they want?
1 _________________________________________________________________________
2 _________________________________________________________________________
ENERGETIC TEACHERS WANTED IMMEDIATE START!

Established school in Osaka seeks motivated and energetic English teacher to teach
teenagers. You will need to work with Japanese teachers to provide conversational
English lessons, and run activity programs (sports and games) in English.
TEFL qualification desired but not essential – energy and enthusiasm a must!
Please send application and resume to:
Ms Sawako Wakita
Principal, Foundation English Kindergarten
3-2-6 Ogimachi, Kita-ku
Shinagawa
Osaka Japan
! We Suggest: Section 4: Getting Good Work
l The employers clearly want some who can teach English and run activity programs.
Clearly, you always need to work out what they want before you can highlight it in your application.
l What the company wants – the ‘selection criteria’ - may be:
l Stated clearly in the advert

l Hidden in the advert (you may want to email them to clarify what the job needs)
l Listed on a separate position description – if this is the case, the ad will usually direct
you to a website or state ‘contact us to receive a detailed position description’.
63 l
2.3 Look at the application below from Janet Baldwin for the position.
Why are the words in bold?

a. They are the most sought-after skills in the TEFL industry
b. They are what the advertisement asks for
What is the purpose of the sentences after the bolded words?

a. To give examples which support her statement
b. To describe other skills she has
Ms Sawako Wakita
Principal, Foundation English Kindergarten
3-2-6 Ogimachi, Kita-ku
Shinagawa
Osaka
20 July 2009
Dear Ms Wakita
This is an application for the position of English Teacher, as advertised on

www.eslcafe.com.
I am a qualified and experienced English teacher. I have an i-to-i TEFL Certificate, and
have been working for six months as a TEFL teacher at the Universal English College,
Kyoto.
In addition, I have designed and organised sports and activity programs. While at
university I worked for the Student Activities Committee, coordinating a number
of sports clubs for students.
I would be very grateful for the opportunity to discuss my application further. Please
find my resume attached.
! Yours sincerely
J.Baldwin Section 4: Getting Good Work

Janet Baldwin
Answers:
l The words in bold (b) are what the advert asks for. That’s all they want to know – nothing
more, nothing less.
l The following sentences are (a) examples which support her statement. It’s proof.
In other words – tell them what they want to hear, and nothing else. Don’t cloud the message.
64 l
2.4 What do you notice about the language & formatting?
-
Greetings: ___________________________________________________________________
Length: ___________________________________________________________________
Complexity of Language: _______________________________________________________
Directness: ___________________________________________________________________
Punctuation: ___________________________________________________________________
Paragraphs and Indents: _______________________________________________________
Justification: ___________________________________________________________________
Font: _________________________________________________________________________
! We Suggest:
l Use ‘Dear …’ with the person’s name, and finish with ‘Yours Sincerely’.
l Keep your letter as short as possible.
l Keep the language simple and clear (and you, as an English teacher, will be judged on the clarity
of your writing).
l Be courteous but direct – there is no need to grovel. ‘This is an application for …’ is better
than ‘I would like to apply for …’.
l In contemporary business letter styles, do not punctuate dates, ‘Dear …’ or ‘Yours Sincerely’.
Leave a line space between paragraphs and do not indent the first line. The text is left-justified.
l Use a clean, businesslike font, such as Arial.
There is no right or wrong answer regarding formatting application letters – but the style above works
very well in the TEFL industry.
Most importantly, get someone else to check what you write! Errors in a letter look very bad for an
English teacher.

Go to one of your bookmarked jobs and type up an application letter. Model it based on the example
we have given you.
65 l
= SUMMARY
l Keep your application letter brief and professional-looking
l Highlight the selection criteria so they can see straight away you are the right person for the
specific job
E
KEY RESOURCES
Useful advice for application letters and resumes
http://www.eltworld.net/blog/2009/04/6-simple-reasons-why-your-tefl-resume-sucks/
For more application letter ideas, the difference between email and post etc:
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/jobapplications/Job_Applications.htm

66 l
3 Creating A
Teaching Resume
‘
After more than a year of retired life, I became bored and

learned of native English speakers teaching in Korean English
language schools in Subic Bay and within other select cities in
the Philippines. I submitted my resume at Sky Language School
in November of 2007 and was given a quick interview by the
Korean supervisor. I was hired and began teaching on December
26, 2007 and have been teaching there for well over a year
now. It is both intrinsically satisfying and helps with finances.
Prior to the Philippines, my experience only included six months
Ralph Francis from the USA of teaching English in Quito, Ecuador in exchange for Spanish
classes. However, with my i-to-i TEFL certificate and humble
associate degree in liberal arts, I was hired to teach Koreans
English! I teach in a cheerful air conditioned private room within
‘
a well kept building with a brilliant staff. All resume experts say
different things.
? DID YOU KNOW?

l Your resume should support your application letter
l Once you have a basic resume, it’s easy to tailor it for any particular teaching job
l There is no right or wrong resume, but there are some principles that work well in the
TEFL industry
1 First Thoughts
Are these true or false for you?
I have skills a school would want. TRUE / FALSE
- Section 4: Getting Good Work
I have qualifications a school would want. TRUE / FALSE

I have experience a school would want. TRUE / FALSE
We suggest the answers for all three of these questions can be yes for you. If you speak English
fluently (you probably do!), that’s already an enormous skill. Also, you’re sure to have some
experiences or qualifications that you can shape to your advantage by showing how they are relevant
to a teaching position.
67 l
2 The Facts

2.1 Look at Janet Baldwin’s resume which she sent with her application.
What do you notice about the ‘key skills’ box?
RESUME
Janet Baldwin 412 Iseya-cho, Kamigo-ku Kyoto 602-0873
Telephone: 075-212-6342
Email: janet_baldwin999@gmail.com
KEY SKILLS
• Qualified and experienced TEFL teacher
• Coordinator of sports and activity programs
QUALIFICATIONS
2009 TEFL Certificate
i-to-i
Melbourne
2008 Bachelor of Arts (Major: History)

Monash University
Melbourne
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Jan-Jul 2009 TEFL Teacher , Universal English College, Kyoto
• Teaching Conversational English at all levels
• Teaching Business English to executives
• Organising out-of-class language activities
Mar-Oct 2008 Activities Officer, Student Activities Committee, Monash University

• Planned and managed sports clubs and events
• Designed promotional materials and checked for errors
• Completed records in a timely and accurate manner
Jul-Nov 2007 Freelance Tutor

• Tutored high school students in English and History
INTERESTS
Japanese language & culture; sport & outdoor activities
REFEREES
Professor Jane Scott Mr Tim Michaels
History Department Tutor
Monash University i-to-i TEFL Certificate
jane.scott@monash.edu.au tim_michaels_1978@hotmail.com
(+613) 9275 2978 (+613) 9352 3998
68 l
‘Key skills’ is a powerful way of restating what the employer needs and supporting your application letter:
JOB ADVERT APPLICATION LETTER RESUME
Identify selection criteria Highlight selection criteria Restate selection criteria

in bold in ‘key skills’
In fact, you can keep your teaching resume the same for most jobs, but just change the ‘key skills’ for
each specific teaching job.
Some resume writing guides suggest listing ‘personal goals’ or ‘career objectives’. We’d suggest avoiding
this for the TEFL field. In some cultures this seems strange and egotistic. ‘Key skills’ shows you can do
the job rather than describing what you want out of life.
2.2 Let’s look further at the layout of the resume.
1 The resume is (long/short)

2 The font (is/is not) the same as in the application
3 Qualifications and experience start from the (oldest/most recent)
4 The words in the key skills box are (nouns/verbs)
5 The description of the current job uses verbs (in the dictionary form/ending in –ing)
6 The descriptions of past jobs use verbs in the (present/past) tense
Again, there’s no right or wrong way to format a resume; however, in the TEFL industry, the model
above works well.
! We Suggest:
l Make sure everything on your resume is relevant. Remove anything that doesn’t shout ‘I can do
this teaching job well’. Keep it succinct and punchy.
l Use the same font as your application. It creates a good impression – you’ve made an effort to
present a professional package.
l Start with most recent qualifications and experience.

l Key skills should be nouns.
l For current responsibilities use verb + ing.
l For past jobs use past tense.
l Make sure you are consistent with word forms and punctuation. For example, make sure a list
of past responsibilities is all past tense, not a mixture of past tense and verb + ing. Use full
stops after all or no items in a list – not just some of them. Care and consistency is especially
important for an English teacher. If your resume is sloppy, an employer will think your work in
class will be sloppy.
69 l
2.3 Some people suggest a professional-looking photo helps to personalise an application – it
makes it more than an anonymous piece of paper.
Think of photos you have of yourself. Which would you choose for teaching at a Japanese
kindergarten and which would you choose for teaching German businesspeople?
2.4 Why did Janet Baldwin include the interests she has?
Imagine she also likes electronic music. Should she include that?
-
_________________________________________________________________________
2.5 What do you think about the following questions?
What jobs should I include in my resume?
_________________________________________________________________________
Should qualifications always come before experience?
_________________________________________________________________________
What if I have no TEFL qualifications or experience?
_________________________________________________________________________
! We Suggest:
l Include any jobs that required skills and personal attributes of value to a school. These could be,
for example, anything involving responsibility, dealing with the public, or language and writing.
l Whatever sells you… put it first. If you have considerable experience but no degree, consider
putting your experience first.
l As we’ve mentioned, there are many jobs that do not require qualifications or experience.
However, sell your experience as being relevant to the classroom.
2.6 If you see a job that you know is right for you, but you don’t have something they ask for (e.g. a
TEFL qualification), what would you do? Section 4: Getting Good Work
a. Apply anyway and apologise for not having what they want
b. Apply anyway and not mention the issue
c. Not apply
! We Suggest:
l Apply anyway and not mention the issue. For better or worse, the TEFL field is demand-driven.
If you can sell yourself as the perfect candidate, the school may ignore the stated requirements.
70 l
l Having said that, when it comes to legal requirements (e.g. needing a degree to get a work visa)
there may be no way around it.
l If you don’t have something quite specialised that they ask for (e.g. ‘must have postgraduate
degree in business’), perhaps consider a different job? There are plenty of others to choose
from.
3.1 List some or all of your current and former jobs.

Include any experience you have from your former jobs which might be valuable to the school. Think
about the following:
l Dealing with the public

l Working independently
l Being responsible for children
l Being trusted (e.g. with opening a building, looking after money)
l Working with books
l Working with language
l Training
For example:
SHOP ASSISTANT
l Dealt with customers
of different nationalities
l Trained staff
l Was responsible for
-
cash
1. 2. 3.
Write your teaching resume to support your application from Part 2.

3.2
Make sure the verb tenses are consistent (e.g. all past jobs use past tense) and get someone to
3.3 check for typos!
71 l
SUMMARY
l Use a ‘key skills’ box and change it depending on the selection criteria
l Keep your resume succinct and relevant
E
KEY RESOURCES
For TEFL resume tips:
http://www.tefl.net/esl-jobs/resume-tips.htm
For suggestions regarding tricky issues such as lack of experience:

http://susanireland.com/resumework.htm

72 l
Section 5
Resources
Introduction
1 Print Resources
Learn the benefits of different
teaching materials and which
ones are the best to take with
you when teaching abroad.
2 Online Resources
Understand how online
computer activities can help you
prepare lessons and get your
students practising.
3 Teaching With No Resources

Get a plan for what to do
when you’re faced with limited
resources in the classroom.
Section 5: Resources
73 l
1 What Do You Think?
Which of the below statements do you think are true?
1.1
l There are many great TEFL resources in print and online
l In some countries it’s difficult to find good print materials
l Good resources really help a teacher
1.2 What are ‘good resources’ for teaching EFL?

Brainstorm some ideas. -
1.3 Why do you think authentic materials - reading and listening materials not designed for language
students, such as menus, newspapers, brochures, timetables, songs, adverts from the radio – might be
some of the best resources you can use?
Finish the sentence below. -

Authentic materials motivate students because:
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
74l
We Suggest:
l Students often talk about the gulf between the classroom and the real world. They say the
course book is irrelevant to their real lives, and they worry that that they understand their
teacher but not people on the street. Authentic materials are motivating because they bridge
the gap. They bring the real world into the classroom.

2 Resources – The Situation
There are lots of great resources because TEFL is such a huge market. There’s great variety, and the
approach is often cutting edge, with emphasis on enjoyment and interaction in the classroom. And
many online materials are free.
Most cities will have at least one bookshop with TEFL resources. However, the range may be limited.
We’ll be suggesting the essential materials you might want to take with you – especially considering
you may not be able to carry too much on your travels!
We’ve said we want our students to do things with language, so they need activities and materials to
support this. These could be, for example, photocopied handouts (which teachers sometimes rely on
too much), or simply ideas for things students can do. The more activities you have up your sleeve the
better.
75 l
1 Print Resources
‘
Definitely take the opportunity to teach abroad it if you

have it. Try to bring many ideas for teaching with minimal
supplies. Also, be willing to provide materials at your own
expense if you want to make some of the lessons more
‘
elaborate. TEFL books are so much better than textbooks
we had at school.
Kathryn Neigebauer from the USA
? DID YOU KNOW?

l Most schools have some sort of syllabus and prescribed texts
l The TEFL publishing industry is massive
1 First Thoughts
1.1 The foundation of many courses is a ‘course book’.
Go to a specialist TEFL bookshop or have a look at an online bookseller like www.amazon.com or

www.barnesandnoble.com.You can also search for some well-known TEFL course books such as:
New Headway English Course (John & Liz Soars)

New Cutting Edge (Sarah Cunningham & Peter Moor)
New English File (Clive Oxenden, Christina Latham-Koenig & Paul Seligson)
Language In Use (Adrian Doff & Christopher Jones)
Reward (Simon Greenall)
76 l
Make some notes. Think about:
l Your overall impression – are they different from textbooks you used at school?
l Why they have different ‘levels’ (beginner to advanced)
-
l What supplementary resources they have
Good course books, in theory, contain everything a student needs. They are colourful and engaging.
They generally teach a balance of the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and have
grammar and vocabulary activities. Usually each unit will be based on a topic (such as food, travel or
education).
A course book series usually also contains a teacher’s book (with suggestions for the classroom,
and grammar explanations), a workbook (for homework), audio CDs, and possibly DVDs and online
resources.
-
What do you think about the following statements?
1.2 Why? Think back to your own experience when you were in school.
Students like having a course book

_________________________________________________________________________
Typically students have a course book prescribed by their school

_________________________________________________________________________
Course books are the only resource you need

_________________________________________________________________________
Knowing where to get good resources will reduce my preparation time dramatically
__________________________________________________________________________
2 The Facts

2.1 The principles
! We Suggest:
l Most students like having a course book because it makes the course feel organised. They can
see a plan and go forwards and backwards as they need to.
77 l
l It depends. In most schools (in particular, the big well-organised chain schools) you’ll need to
follow the course book. However in some schools, especially in developing countries, there
may be no materials or just materials in the local language, so you’ll need to consider whether
to buy resources and/or create your own.
l Many course books are engaging and self-contained, but you may find some that are dull or
irrelevant to the students.You may want to supplement a course book with activities (there
are many activity books that you can photocopy legally) and – what is especially motivating to
students – authentic material (e.g. real magazine articles, brochures, songs etc). However this
can seem chaotic unless you plan this well. They should match the content of the course book,
for example, by addressing the same topic as the unit they’re studying. A little bit of additional
material goes a long way – use it less frequently but to a more memorable effect.
l Yes. The biggest problem most new teachers have is preparation time. Accessing good
materials (and knowing how to exploit a course book fully, which we’ll discuss in Section 6)
will greatly increase your quality of life!
2.2 Again, go to a TEFL bookshop or online bookstore.

Match the following books with their function.
Publication Function
1 New Cutting Edge l Dictionary for students

(Sarah Cunningham & Peter Moor)
2 Communication Games l Reference grammar for teachers

(Jill Hadfield)
l Reference & practice grammar for
3 Teaching Large Multilevel Classes students
(Natalie Hess)
4 English Grammar In Use l Activity book (to photocopy for use in class)
(Raymond Murphy)
l Course book
5 An A-Z Of English Grammar and Usage
(Geoffrey Leech, Benita Cruickshank and Roz Ivanic)
l Skills practice
6 Oxford Learner’s Dictionary
l Ideas for teaching (to help plan lessons)
7 Impact Listening
(Kenton Harsch and Kate Wolf-quintero)

2.3 Which sorts of publications would you find most useful as a new teacher? Why?
Incidentally, these are not particular recommendations – just examples. Choice of materials is a
very individual thing and should be tailored to the needs and interests of your students. Spend time
browsing and looking at the range available.
78 l
2.4 What should you take?
Which of the above would you probably not buy to take overseas? Why?
! We Suggest:
l Don’t take course books because you may not know what students and schools require.
l New teachers often like to have a reference book for grammar, books providing ideas for
teaching and some resources to photocopy.
l Before you buy, try to get some idea of the language level of your students, as activity books
come in different levels. If you have arranged work with a school, ask them.You can also
research a country – for example, Chinese post-secondary students will normally be pre-
intermediate to intermediate level in spoken English.
l Printed materials can be quite expensive. Ask potential schools what resources they have.
Consider sharing. Remember materials will be tax deductable in some countries.

Research and make a list of resources you would like to have and how much they would cost.
= SUMMARY
l Most students have a course book
l Supplement the course book, but in an organised way
E KEY RESOURCES
TEFL publishers:
http://www.cambridge.org/elt/
http://www.pearsonlongman.com/
http://www.macmillanenglish.com/
http://www.oup.com/elt/select?url=/eltnew/
79 l
2 Online Resources
‘
I took my TEFL course in Dublin 3 years ago. The girl that gave
the course (I believe her name was Michelle) was absolutely
brilliant. I just kept on remembering everything she said to us
and my confidence grew and grew. I came back to Holland
and began making preparations to begin my English teaching.
I advertised in the local papers and began with a course for 6
people for 10 weeks. I was so nervous the first week, but the
Ralph Francis from the USA

most important part of this was I was very well prepared. I did
what Michelle said and I had plenty of back up material to
get me through it. My course was for 1 and a half hours. My
confidence grew and grew and every time I went to Ireland I
‘
bought new materials and books to teach with.
? DID YOU KNOW?

l Computers can help students practise all four skills, including speaking
l There is a lot of free material on the internet, for teachers and students
1 First Thoughts
1.1
-
What’s your opinion – why would computers be useful for you and your students?
Circle the answers with which you agree.
FUN INTERACTIVE AUTONOMOUS


FREE LISTENING RANGE
PAIRWORK VISUAL AUTHENTIC
SPEAKING VIDEO MUSIC

80 l
! We Suggest:
l Computers have revolutionised language learning.
l Students can work at their own pace on what they need to practise – which is truly student-
centred.
l Visuals and sound bring learning to life. The new exciting developments are voice recognition
(so students can practise speaking on their own) and virtual reality (so students can practise
speaking and listening in simulated real-life environments).
l Presenting old written materials as PDF’s on screen does not work well – presenting written
books on screen does not give it an edge or advantage at all.
l Despite the potential uses of technology, students still want human interaction. Think of using
computers as just one part of a language course. Many larger schools have computer labs you
can book for classes.
1.2
-
Google ‘Free Online ESL’ and ‘Computer Assisted Language Learning’.
What’s the difference in focus?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2 The Facts
1.1 There is an enormous amount of material online that includes:
l Resources for you as a teacher (in particular ideas for activities, lesson plans and worksheets)
l Programmes that students can do in and out of class – called CALL (Computer Assisted
Language Learning)
2.1
-
What are the risks of using TEFL materials you find online?
Make some notes below:
Mistakes in materials
Like any unapproved and unedited material on the web, you can’t be sure of quality and accuracy.
Aim to use moderated lists like the ones we recommend below or ask other teachers for sites they
recommend.
81 l
2.2 Follow some of the CALL links you found earlier.
Are many available for free?

-
__________________________________________________________________________
Do you think students like CALL? Why?
__________________________________________________________________________
Could students use social networking sites, such as Facebook or MySpace, to develop their English?
__________________________________________________________________________
What other websites could you use in class?
__________________________________________________________________________
We Suggest:
l There are many online CALL activities for free. However, the better ones are by subscription
or sold as CDs.
l Students like interactive programs – but not if it’s just a time filler and an excuse for the
teacher not to teach.You need to use your teaching skills to run CALL – e.g. plan what you
want students to achieve, prepare students with vocabulary for an activity, get them to work
on one computer as a pair so they need to interact verbally.You can also recommend CALL
programs for students to do outside class.
l Any form of interaction is useful.
l Use any websites that are in English and engage students appropriately. They don’t have to be
designed for language learning. If the topic in the course book is food, get students to browse
recipe websites.
3.1 Use some of the links below and look at some:

l Printable materials for teaching
-
l Online activities for students
Make some notes below:

Website Name of Activity Engaging? Doable? Accurate?

82 l
SUMMARY
= l There are both very exciting and very dull computer-based learning exercises
l Computers are a useful part of a language course, but students still need human interaction
as well
l Be adventurous. Get students to work in pairs and groups using computers
E KEY RESOURCES
Free worksheets
http://www.esl-galaxy.com/
ESL Café idea cookbook

http://www.eslcafe.com/ideas/
About.com lesson plans

http://esl.about.com/od/englishlessonplans/English_Lesson_Plans_for_ESL_EFL_Classes.htm
One Stop English lesson plans and activities:

http://www.onestopenglish.com/
Reflections on online resources:

http://www.tefllogue.com/in-the-classroom/online-efl-resources.html
CALL links:
http://iteslj.org/links/TESL/CALL/
http://www.edvista.com/claire/call.html
Recommended books with ideas:

Bringing technology into the classroom
http://www.oup.com/elt/catalogue/isbn/0-19-442594-0?cc=gb
700 classroom activities (many incorporate using the internet)
http://www.macmillanenglish.com/Course.aspx?id=28618&producttypeid=28254
‘
This is the best website for quick, printable conversation cards
for speaking activities! http://esldiscussions.com/
* There are currently 650 discussion topics to choose from.
* Use for ESL lessons, speaking practice, debate clubs, lesson
add-ons, and more. * Students can form discussion groups for

independent speaking practice. * The speaking activities are
Lesley Voss from the UK

on everyday themes, controversial issues and just plain funny.
* Each conversation lesson has ready-to-print Word and PDF
downloads. * There are also Grammar discussions and Idiom
discussions. The grammar involved varies, but the questions
‘
can be adapted to suit each level!
83 l
3 Teaching With
No Resources
‘
I spent four weeks teaching English in a small primary

school in Santiniketan, West Bengal. The children were
delightful; they came from low-income families and had very
few material things but nonetheless seemed very happy. The
school was poorly resourced and it was a real eye opener
Jean Marshall from the UK

for me as I’m a primary teacher in the UK and used to
working in a classroom with a laptop and an interactive
whiteboard! We spent a lot of time on craft activities, playing
games, singing and role playing in order to improve their
‘
spoken English skills
?
? DID YOU KNOW?
l Many schools around the world have few, if any, resources
l Less material in class can be a blessing
1 First Thoughts
Can you imagine being asked to take a class with no preparation and no materials? How would you
-
feel? What would you do?
Make some notes.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Where do you think that might happen?

84 l
2 The Facts
2.1 Where?
Many schools in the developing world are under-resourced – for example, some schools don’t even
have paper or a blackboard, let alone a photocopier. So it is essential you are prepared and confident
to deal with that scenario.
2.2 Do you agree with the below statements?
As a rule, the more material

you can give students, the
For any teaching situation,
better.
even a well-equipped school,
knowing how to teach with no
resources can be a plus.
The best speaking activities

need photocopied handouts.
Rather than photocopying
everything, get students to copy
from the board.
! We Suggest:
l We can sometimes overwhelm students with handouts. It can seem chaotic. The focus can
become ‘getting through the material’, rather than listening to and responding to the students.
l In Part 1, we saw that there are books containing ideas for teaching. A lot of these activities
don’t need photocopying or special materials.
l Teachers are kind-hearted and will, for example, photocopy an empty grid, which students will
use to conduct a class survey. Why not just draw the grid on the whiteboard and get students
to copy it into their book?

Which of the following would be effective activities if you wanted or needed to avoid
2.3 using materials?
l Talk to the class for an hour

l Write questions on the whiteboard for students to discuss in groups
l Play hangman with the class
l Get students to write down one thing they like and one thing they don’t like, so they can then
find fellow-students with the same feelings
l Ask students in turn to say what they did yesterday
l Write three numbers on the board and ask the class to guess why the numbers are important
l Divide the class into pairs and ask each pair to write the first part of a story that the other
pairs will continue
85 l
! We Suggest:
l One person talking for a whole hour of a lesson is not an effective way to maximise student
practise.
l Expand your range of interactive activities. Don’t fall back on the same lame handful each time
(like hangman and bingo).
l Explore resource books containing ideas for teachers. We’ve listed some links below, including
a review of the very aptly named Lessons from Nothing.

3.1 Explore some of the publications in the links below.
Try some of the activities out with your friends. They’re often just as engaging for native speakers as
for learners.
= SUMMARY
l There are great books containing ideas for teaching without resources
l Limit the amount of material you hand out – exploit materials and texts fully
E KEY RESOURCES
General links, regularly updated:
http://iteslj.org/links/
Cambridge University Press ideas for teaching:

http://www.cambridge.org/elt/catalogue/catalogue.asp?cid=15
Oxford University Press ideas for teaching:

http://www.oup.com/elt/catalogue/teachersites/rbt/?cc=gb
Review of Lessons from Nothing:

http://www.developingteachers.com/books/review_lfn.htm
‘
I was very much in at the deep end when I started in Brazil.
Although there had been a teacher there previously there
had been a gap of 5 months. I was well prepared, and had
to design a course from scratch for 3 levels of students. I

had to plan my own lessons from a selection of old books,
Nicola Simpson from the UK

which then had to be photocopied. There were no overheads,
only chalk and myself. The main things I learned were to
laugh at myself and to have fun teaching the students. I was
prepared, especially to use mime initially.
‘
86 l
Section 6
Instant TEFL
Introduction
1 Making A Contribution
Reflect on the responsibilities
you’ll have as a teacher and the
cultural differences to be aware of.
2 What Students Want

Understand what your students
want from you as a teacher and
learn how to effectively deliver it.
3 Getting Students Talking

Learn practical approaches for
getting your students talking.
4 Being An Effective Teacher

Check out some simple ideas
for bringing your class to life
and communicating with your
students.
Section 6: Instant TEFL

87 l
1 What Are Your Aims As A Teacher?
1.1 What should the aims of a TEFL teacher be?

Mark a number from 1-5 from ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’.
strongly
- strongly
disagree agree
I can teach people how to live. 1 2 3 4 5
I can learn what students’ language needs are and try to meet them. 1 2 3 4 5
I can convince people to believe certain things. 1 2 3 4 5
I can help people learn English. 1 2 3 4 5
I can tell students about my country. 1 2 3 4 5
I can motivate students to learn English. 1 2 3 4 5
1.2 Think back to Section 1. What makes a class good or bad?

Cross out the things you want to avoid when you teach.
The teacher talks a lot.
-
One student talks at a time.
The students talk to each other.
Students learn a language that is relevant to their lives.
Remember – students need the practice, not you.

2 The Role Of The TEFL Teacher

As an EFL Teacher, your focus should be on what your students need and how you can motivate them
to continue learning. Students need to learn useful languages and practise it with your guidance and
expertise.
88 l
! We Suggest:
Our role is not to:
l Teach students about the world (apart from how language is used).
l Convert students to our beliefs.
On the contrary, we can give students opportunities to:

l Teach us what they know, teach us about their ‘world’.
l Express what they believe.
This section is like a crash course in TEFL.You are going to reflect on your role as a teacher, and work
out what works and doesn’t work in the classroom. While approaches to teaching are varied (which is
what makes it interesting!), there are some basic beliefs and practical rules of thumb you will find right
across the profession.

89 l
1 Making A Contribution
‘
Do it! It’s, without a doubt, the most worthwhile and

enjoyable thing I’ve ever done. Parts of it are hard but
generally the experience is amazing. It’s a great opportunity
to travel the world as well as benefiting a community. It’s
the best way to actually live in a community, an experience ‘
you might not have if you were just backpacking. The
satisfaction comes from knowing you have survived in
a culture so different from your own, and made a huge
Richard McMahon from the UK
difference in doing it.”
? DID YOU KNOW?

l Many learners take English incredibly seriously
1 First Thoughts
1.1 Why is English so important for many people?
______________________________________________________________________
-
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
English, as the international language of business and communications, is a vital skill for getting ahead
and connecting with the international community.
90 l
1.2
Do you think a TEFL teacher fits the following descriptions?
l Makes a significant contribution to a community
l Shows the same level of professionalism as a teacher in your home country
-
l Has particular responsibilities
Note down your thoughts about the previous statements:
2 The Facts

2.1 What do you think is important in being ‘professional’?
l Be serious; don’t smile

l Wear appropriate clothing
l Be organised in class
l Prepare your lessons
l Don’t play games
l Don’t talk to students outside class
l Don’t socialise with students
! We Suggest:
l Being professional means taking the job seriously. So dressing appropriately, preparing classes,
and being organised with your materials, are all very important.
l Taking a job seriously does not mean looking serious. It means trying to help your students
meet their goals. All students want warmth from their teachers, inside and outside class.
Knowing your students’ names and chatting outside class can contribute greatly to rapport
inside the class.
l Games are fabulous. But they need to have a serious purpose – e.g. to break the ice so
students feel less inhibited, or to help students practise speaking. They should not just be time
fillers (if you’re teaching executives, you might want to call games ‘practice activities’ instead).
l Whether you should socialise with students depends on the situation. Just consider the
factors carefully. Generally, going out with the whole class is fine, but there are risks if you
only go out with a select few - it can seem like you have class favourites for example.
91 l
2.3 Look at these real quotes from students in Thailand.
Why do you think they mentioned these issues?
Why don’t foreign teachers

dress for work?
Why do foreign teachers
sit on the desk?
She said I was lazy in front of

the whole class.
He put his hand on my head.
2.4 Think of when you’ve been overseas or ask someone who has.
Have you noticed foreigners clearly not being aware of local sensibilities?
What happened? -
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2.5 Which of these do you think are effective and reasonable ideas?
BEFORE YOU GO: WHEN YOU’RE THERE

l Read about social dos and don’ts l Don’t worry about it, they know you’re
(e.g. in a guidebook or on the internet) a foreigner
l Do a course in cultural awareness l Observe what locals do
l Take particular care with certain areas

(e.g. religion and physical contact)

l Ask other foreign teachers
l Ask local teachers
l Ask your students
92 l
! We Suggest:
l People are forgiving if you make a naïve mistake
l The main thing is to be aware. Observe what people do
2.6 Below are the areas that tend to have the most cultural issues (add more if you like).
-
Think of a country you’re interested in teaching in and note down any really important
social rules you can think of:
Religion
Gender
Physical Contact
Dress
Food

Complete the sentences below:
My most important aim as a TEFL teacher is to

-
______________________________________________________________________
I’m going to
______________________________________________________________________
I’m going to avoid
______________________________________________________________________
93 l
= SUMMARY
l Teaching TEFL can transform your life
l Have a professional attitude
l Be aware of your environment
E
KEY RESOURCES
Cultural differences in TEFL:
http://esl.about.com/od/esleflteachingtechnique/a/culture_dif.htm
Interesting ideas on taboo topics in the classroom:

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/taboo-classroom
‘
The lack of English speakers was difficult and took me some
effort to adjust to. However, by the end of my stay, I got so
accustomed to this different way of communication (lots of
hand signals, acting out, and even sketching and pointing to
things!) that it was my preferred way to communicate with
most everyone! When I’d meet someone who spoke English
fluently, I felt a little disappointed that I wasn’t faced with the
challenge of body language and the challenge of using my
drama skills!! I even found that I was communicating on this
Daisy De Windt from Australia level with my fellow volunteers - I learned to speak slower,
clearer, and with more active body language. Unfortunately,
since being back in Sydney, I’ve readjusted to my previous way
of communicating (i.e. speaking fast and mumbling at times!).
‘
I can’t wait to speak to a non-English speaker again!”

94 l
2 What Do Students Want?
‘
The most memorable experience I have when teaching English

to my students is my everyday teaching & every time I see my
students speaking the language… or when their parents tell
me that their children are speaking English at home… or when
they come to me and I can see that they try hard to talk to ‘
me in English; that to me is memorable because I can see that
I am reaching my students interest in applying their knowledge
Monica Viteri from China of the language with me or other people.
? DID YOU KNOW?

l There is a lot of research on what students like and don’t like in the classroom
l The teacher is the most important factor in motivating students
1 First Thoughts
1.1 Think back to when you were a student.
What sort of teaching did you like? What didn’t you like? -
I liked it when the teacher … I didn’t like it when the teacher …

95 l
1.2 Consider these questions.
l What does the above mean for your teaching?
l How can you do the things you liked, and avoid the others?
l Are you ready to teach now, or do you need some sort of training or further professional
development?
2 The Facts
There are a number of studies regarding what motivates and de-motivates students.
2.1 Here are the main problems that TEFL students can have in the classroom.
How would you solve these problems? -
Problem Solution
It’s boring.

The teacher talks too much.
We don’t get enough speaking practice. Each

student just reads out one sentence at a time.
The teacher doesn’t like us.
The teacher always praises one student.
The teacher always criticises one student.
We can’t follow the instructions.
We don’t know what the point of the lesson was.
The teacher doesn’t know the material.

The CD player is poor quality.
The book is boring.

96 l
! We Suggest:
l We all remember how hard it was to stay awake in a class, sitting in the same seat for hours.
Plan a range of activities with different skills and different interactive patterns. Encourage
physical activity. For example, students first mingle and survey each other; they then work in
groups; they then form two teams and race to the whiteboard to write something relevant to
the activity.
l Stop talking! Get students to do activities, not sit and listen to you.
l Get students talking in pairs and small groups.
l This can come from nerves (remember the students are more nervous than you are). Get to
know the students before class and in the breaks. Change the class dynamic, so it’s not just
you out in the front talking. As students do activities, move around the classroom and don’t
forget to smile!
l Treat all students fairly and spread your attention and interaction evenly. Don’t have any
classroom favourites.
l Don’t ever single out students and make them lose face.
l Keep instructions really short and clear. Demonstrate an activity rather than explaining it
(for example, it would be crazy to explain to someone how to play chess without showing
them the board and how the pieces move).
l Have a clear aim for your lesson.You can write it on the whiteboard.
l Prepare your lesson! Course books generally explain language really well, but make sure
you’ve read the unit beforehand and understand it.
l Somehow get good equipment. There is nothing more demoralising for a language student
than hearing a recording and not understanding a word.
l Try to supplement a course book with interactive activities and with authentic materials (as
we discussed in Section 5).
Almost all of the above are issues you can control in the classroom.

What qualities will you bring to the classroom that students will like?
3.1 Draw three circles which represent three positive aspects of your character. Then brainstorm what
this will enable you to do with your students.
For example: - Section 6: Instant TEFL
Won’t favour certain students
I am fair
Will encourage students to give their opinions
97 l
= SUMMARY
l Build rapport with students by showing you like them and are interested in them
l Keep your classes active with different types of tasks and interaction patterns
l Have a clear aim, and be prepared
l Learn what de-motivates students and avoid it
E KEY RESOURCES
On student motivation in TEFL:
http://teflbootcamp.com/Student-Motivation-in-EFL.htm
http://www.englishclub.com/tefl-articles/motivation-motivating-efl.htm
‘
It seems that conversational English is valued with the students
more than you trying to grill grammar into them. In fact, their
grammar was probably better than mine because they’ve learnt
it through memorisation and continual practice of proper English.
Whereas, us, in everyday ‘spech dun talk properly and dun spell
stuff right either - so its prolly harder 4 us.’
Rhonda Tang from Australia

Most university students in China are hardworking and earnest in‘
learning what you have to teach, but it does take a while to tune
into what they want to learn and the class’ mastery of English is
at all different levels - you’ll get some really good ones and get
some students who just don’t get it, all in the same class.

98 l
3 Getting
Students Talking
‘
It so happens that I have been to China, before I took

a TEFL course, on a mission trip. There, I was able to
implement some English language teaching in local
classrooms and in conversation corner settings that helped
the students hear an American and ask questions in English.
‘
The food, though mostly delicious, was different and hard to
adjust to using chopsticks, but I managed to use them quite
well as time went on.
Karen Smith from the USA
?
? DID YOU KNOW?
l You need to plan activities to get students to talk to each other – students won’t usually talk
without a purpose
l Whole-class discussions often don’t work – try smaller groups instead
1 First Thoughts
If you were an English student, which beginning lesson would you enjoy most? Why?
The teacher asks one student The teacher says ‘Today we’re Students stand up, mingle, and
at a time ‘How are you today?’ going to learn about the past greet all the other students in
tense. In English usually it is English.
formed by adding –ed …’

You can guess we suggest the third option. But is it just about enjoyment, or is there a serious purpose
as well? What sort of atmosphere is created when the class begins with a student-to-student speaking
activity?
99 l
2 The Facts
2.1
-
Why do you think many students have had little speaking practice when they’ve learnt English?
Select true or false for the below statements.
a. Students don’t want to speak. TRUE / FALSE
b. Speaking isn’t in their final exam at school. TRUE / FALSE
c. They’ve had teachers who were non-native English speakers.

Non-native-speakers can’t teach speaking as well as native speakers. TRUE / FALSE
d. Many teachers aren’t sure how to maximise speaking practice. TRUE / FALSE
! We Suggest:
l a. This is rarely true, although their priorities may have been elsewhere while at school – see b.
l b. Often the case. For example, there is no speaking test in some countries’ university
entrance exams. Therefore, speaking in class can be seen as a waste of time by some students,
teachers and parents. However, these students often later want to improve their speaking skills
for further study and work.
l c. Absolutely not – because speaking practice isn’t something the teacher does. It’s a matter of
how to organise it – see d.
l d. Sadly this is true. But it’s easy to fix. It comes down to a couple of simple principles, which
are coming up next.
2.2 Choose the answer you think is best.
Start your lesson with a student-to-student ice-breaker because:

a. It reduces students’ anxiety, and gets them feeling confident speaking
b. It’s fun
Students should generally speak in small groups, rather than one at a time to the teacher because:
a. They can speak at a lower volume
b. More students get to practise at the same time
If you want to have a whole-class discussion, do it:

a. Before students talk in small groups
b. After students talk in small groups
! We Suggest:
l a. It may well be fun, but the main goal is to reduce anxiety and build confidence.Your
students may not have spoken a word of English since the last class.
l b. Unless the school or surrounding classrooms object, generally the louder a class is the
better! It means students are practising. Small group and pair work is important to enable
students to get as much practice as they can.
100l
l b. Start with small groups, and then finish with a whole-class discussion. Students are then
warmed up and confident. It’s very high risk to start a lesson with a whole-class discussion –
there will often be deathly silence.
2.3 Students need structured speaking activities.

Few classes will respond if you just say ‘talk’. Ideally, speaking activities should be related to the topic
of the lesson.
Types Of Speaking Activities

Here are some classic types of speaking activities. Of course, any one has hundreds of variations.You’ll
notice they involve as many students talking as possible, and each one has a goal – students are not
just talking for the sake of it.
l
Mingling Students mingle and find someone with, for example, the same likes/
dislikes about a topic.
l
Brainstorming Divide students into groups. One person in each group writes.
They brainstorm a list (this could be to recall vocabulary in preparation
for a discussion).
l
Discussion Divide students into groups. Write some controversial topics on the
board. Each group should try to come to an agreement about the topics.
l
Role-play Divide students into pairs. Assign each person a role (e.g. customer and
shop assistant). Give them life-like goals (e.g. the customer has to buy
everything on a shopping list for as little money as possible, and the shop
assistant wants to make as much money as possible).
l
Games Divide students into groups. One person thinks of a person (or a thing).
The other students have to ask yes/no questions to work out who or
what it is.
There are many more ideas for speaking activities in the Key Resources section at the end of Part 3.
2.4 What do you think might be the risks allowing lots of student speaking practice?
Note down your thoughts. -

Students reinforce their errors if I’m not listening & correcting
You might think that at lower levels students won’t be able to say much, and the teacher will have to
talk more. Counter-intuitively, you can argue the opposite. The beginner level is exactly when we need
to help students develop confidence with speaking. Also, students won’t understand a lot of teacher
talk – it fact it might confuse and demoralise them. So it’s a matter of choosing topics for speaking
activities that beginners can cope with.
101l
2.5 Students do want us to correct their speaking.
A number of studies have shown students want a lot more correction than they receive. In fact, this
is the help many students most appreciate.* So when is it appropriate to correct students?
To begin with, what’s the moral of this story? (It’s apparently true!)
A student missed a week of classes. The following week he came to class and said to the teacher
“I am very sorry, my friend die”. The teacher replied “That should be ‘died’. My friend ‘died’.”
We’d suggest it shows there are appropriate and inappropriate times to correct. If a student is trying
-
to express meaning, that is not the time to jump in and correct.
So when do we correct students?

Yes No
During an ice-breaker
When they have just learnt some grammar (e.g.past tense)

and are practising forming sentences with past tense in pairs
When they are role-playing as shop assistants and customers

and trying to buy everything on their shopping list at the best price
When they are discussing their opinions
! We Suggest:
l There is a difference between accuracy and fluency practice
l Accuracy is when students are trying to say something right, so you should correct at
this stage (consider not correcting everything, but focus on a particular type of error – e.g.
some grammar they have just learnt)
l Fluency is when they are trying to get the words out to express themselves, so avoid
correcting students at this stage as it inhibits them

How do you feel about stepping back and letting students speak? Does it feel like you’re not doing
your job if you’re not up at the front talking? How do you think the students feel?
Talk to a student (in English or another language) and ask them.

= SUMMARY
l Start any class with a student-to-student ice-breaker
l Maximise student-to-student practice throughout the lesson
l Minimise teacher talking time
l Correct students when they are speaking for accuracy, but not fluency
* Leki, I. (1991) ‘The preferences of ESL students for error correction in college-level writing classes.’ Foreign Language Annals
102
24 203-18. Ur, P. (2000). ‘Teaching grammar: what can we learn from research.’ The TESOLANZ Journal 8, 14-22.
l
E
KEY RESOURCES
Speaking games and activities online:
http://www.squidoo.com/esl_icebreakers
http://www.eslcafe.com/idea/index.cgi?Ice:Breakers
http://www.esl-galaxy.com/speaking.html
http://www.eltgames.com/
Recommended books with speaking activities:

Talk Your Head Off
http://eltcatalogue.pearsoned-ema.com/Course.asp?Callingpage=Catalogue&CourseID=RU
React – Interact
http://eltcatalogue.pearsoned-ema.com/Product.asp?Callingpage=Catalogue&ISBN=9780130220578
Five-Minute Activities
http://www.cambridge.org/elt/elt_projectpage.asp?id=2500403
Discussions That Work
Keep Talking
‘
I taught English in the National High School, Galapagos. I had
been learning Spanish for some months previously but my
Spanish was not good enough to communicate effectively and
the people in Galapagos did not speak much English.
Apart from the communication problem, it was a wonderful
experience and I found living and working in the local community
to be vastly different from being there as a tourist. I think my
Sheila McAllister from Australia

greatest contribution was working with the English teachers
in Galapagos who were very keen to better their English and
bombarded me with questions, some of which were very
‘
challenging. I felt they would be able to pass their increased
knowledge of the language on to future generations.”

103l
4 Being An
Effective Teacher
‘
Go for it. Even if you just do it for a month or two and it

doesn’t work out, at least you know you tried. There is nothing
worse than ‘what if ’. If you’ve learned foreign languages
yourself, that’s a great help as you already have a good
understanding of how language is built up and the kind of
‘
problems you can encounter when learning a new language.
A course is really good as a base to get the grammar clear in
your head, get ideas for lessons and so on, but nothing beats
Louise Clark from the UK the practical experience.
? DID YOU KNOW?

l You can energise a class and motivate students with some simple principles
1 First Thoughts
-
1.1 How sure are you about the following?
(1 = sure , 5 = unsure,)
Sure Unsure
I get the idea that students need to practise together 1 2 3 4 5

I could walk into a classroom right now and make it happen 1 2 3 4 5
This part is designed to give you some easy rules of thumb to make lessons work well and maximise
student-to-student practice.
104l
2 The Facts
2.1 Imagine you are teaching a beginners’ class.

Each student has a course book and the unit is about food. Students will learn some basic grammar in
this activity, as they are told to add an “s” when there is more that one item.
Write the nouns in the correct form.
a Sally bought three (banana) _____________ and one (orange) _____________.
b We need some (tomato) _____________ to make the sauce.
c I want a kilo of (apple) _____________.
-
What could you do to bring this lesson to life?
Write some ideas.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
THREE EASY IDEAS

FOR GREAT LESSONS
Get students Do this by bringing in visuals or real objects. Get the students to talk
interested in the topic to each other about the visuals or objects (for example, in our food
lesson, bring in some real ingredients, and ask students to discuss
in groups what they could make with them. Alternatively, bring in
some cooking magazines, give one to each group, and ask students to
discuss what recipes they think look good).
Get students to Put students in pairs. Tell one to put their book away.
work together
Personalise everything Make everything meaningful and relevant to the students (for
example, after students complete the ‘Sally’ exercise in pairs, tell
them to change the sentences to make them true about THEM).
105l
3.1 What would you do with the food lesson to make it engaging?
Be creative. Ensure there’s lots of student-to-student interaction.
I would …
-
SUMMARY
l Apply these three simple principles to make a course book engaging and effective
E
KEY RESOURCES
Ideas for getting the most out of a coursebook:
http://www.thornburyscott.com/tu/MET3coursebook.htm_
‘ ‘
Make sure to try and learn some of the basic vocab of the
country you are teaching in. Have a lesson plan, but be
prepared for this to change while in the class. The children
love crosswords, colouring and worksheets.
Aoifie Scallan from Ireland

106l
Section 7
Country Guide
Introduction
1 Country Guide
This section gives you specific
information about jobs,
conditions and requirements in
different regions and countries.
Section 7: Country Guide

107 l
1 How To Use The Country Guide
For each region we’ll show you:
1.1 l What attracts teachers
l The main types of work available
l When most work is available
l Challenges and possible solutions
For each country, we’ll list:

l Most common types of positions
1.2 l Official requirements
l Useful insider information
l Recommended country-specific websites
We haven’t specified exact salaries and conditions, as these circumstances can change. However, we do
suggest you research these for any countries you are interested in. Under each country there’s a space
for listing monthly and hourly pay rates, other benefits provided by employers and living expenses.
Regions Covered Are:
1 North Asia
2 South-East Asia
3 Western & Mediterranean Europe
1.3 4 Central & Eastern Europe
5 Central & South America
6 Middle East & Central Asia
7 Africa
8 Sub-continent
E KEY RESOURCES
For all countries we do suggest starting with the major websites.
Jobs Country Information Teacher Forums

www.eslcafe.com forums.eslcafe.com/job www.transitionsabroad.com
www.tefl.com
All the best in your search!

108l
1 North Asia
China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan
Why Choose North Asia?
l

Possibility of saving money in Japan, South Korea,
Taiwan, Hong Kong
l Good teaching packages in China

(airfare, accommodation, travel bonus)
What Jobs Are There? l Private schools & universities
l Enormous demand in China and South Korea
l Not so much in Japan (after recession, collapse of Nova,

the largest private English teaching companies in Japan)
Times of Year? l Private schools: year-round

l Universities:
Japan/South Korea/Taiwan – before start of semester Aug/Feb
China/HK – before start of semester Sep/Feb
Challenges Solutions Section 7: Country Guide
l Conservatism l Don’t fight it - first impressions are crucial

(e.g. dress, respectful manner)
l Sexism l Status as teacher and foreigner helps
l Stories of badly l Do research (e.g. teacher forums)

managed schools
l Stories of bad agents l No need for agent, go to schools directly
l Political sensitivities l Avoid them

109l
China ‘ Ni hao! ‘
Types of Work
l Huge demand
l Government middle schools and ‘normal’ (teacher training)
universities
l Private language schools (for adults, students and children)
l Chain private schools (English First, Shane, Wall Street etc)
l Some opportunities for teachers with a degree & CELTA
l Foreign campuses
Conditions Official Requirements

Monthly salary: l Employment visa (Z Visa). Need visa notification from an authorised
Chinese employer
l Degree
Hourly rate:
Insider Information
l Such demand that schools may not require a degree – stress
Other benefits: your experience as an alternative.
l Many expats find work on a tourist visa and the school
arranges the employment visa while you remain in the country.
Living expenses:
Hong Kong ‘ Lay ho! ‘

Types of Work
l Strong demand for teachers willing to sign one-year
contracts
l Most demand at private schools with children
l Part-time teaching on top of a full-time job especially
lucrative

Monthly salary: l Degree
l
Working visa
l Working holiday visa available for 18-30 year olds from Australia
Hourly rate:
Insider Information
Other benefits: l Anything to sell your expertise is useful – TEFL/TESOL certificate,
experience with children.
Living expenses:
110l
Japan ‘ Konnichi wa! ‘
Types of Work
l Demand for English exists but less because of recession,
and competition for work after collapse of Nova
l Numerous private schools and chains (e.g. GEOS & ECC)
l Conversation classes
l Private tutoring (especially after making contact, e.g. while
working at a school)
l Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET) when you
work as an assistant in a junior or senior high school (must
have degree and be under 40)

Monthly salary: l Work visa sponsored by employer
l Degree
Hourly rate: Insider Information

l Enter Japan on a 90-day tourist visa and look for work. Once you’ve
agreed your contract, your employer will arrange your work visa.
Other benefits: l We do not advise that you work until your visa is finalised, but many
teachers choose to, and schools may call it ‘training’.You then need to
apply to an embassy outside Japan (e.g. Seoul).
l You can enter Japan on a ‘cultural visa’ for study, which allows you to
Living expenses: work up to 20 hours per week.
South Korea ‘ Annyong hashimnikka! ‘

Types of Work
l Huge demand for a English teachers
l Most work opportunities are teaching young children and
adolescents
l Private hagwons (language schools) in cities
l English in South Korea Program (EPIK), similar to JET,
which places native speakers in schools & education offices

Monthly salary: l Need E-1 Visa (for large schools) or E-2 Visa (as conversation
instructor) sponsored by employer

l Evidence of fluency in English (if you’re not from an English-speaking
Hourly rate: country)
l Degree (four-year degree, or three-year degree plus TEFL/TESOL
certificate
Other benefits: Insider Information
l Most teachers recommend job hunting on the ground to find better
schools and conditions.
Living expenses:
111l
Taiwan ‘ Ni hao! ‘
Types of Work
l Huge demand for teachers willing to sign one-year
contracts
l Most work is with children in private language schools and
cram schools. Seem willing to sponsor teachers
l Government schools often advertise

Monthly salary: l Working & residency permit, only obtainable with a one-year contract
l Bachelor’s degree with TEFL/TESOL certificate
l Passports only from English-speaking countries
Hourly rate:
Insider Information
l You can enter on a 60-day Visitor Visa, and then apply with a signed
Other benefits: contract.
Living expenses:
E
KEY RESOURCES
China South Korea
www.eslcafe.com/jobs/china www.eslcafe.com/jobs/korea
www.tefljobs.cn hiteacher.com/
www.worknplay.co.kr
Hong Kong
www.hkjobs.com Taiwan
www.eslisland.com
Japan www.englishintaiwan.com
www.eltnews.com
www.jobsinjapan.com
112l
2 South East Asia
Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam
Why Choose South East Asia?
l
l
l
Low cost of living
Relaxed lifestyle
Many countries allow foreigners to stay up to 90 days
without a visa
l Students respect teachers and see value of education,
so class management is rarely a problem
l Travel opportunities
What Jobs Are There? l Many jobs in private schools (but lower pay than North Asia)
l Most demand for English for Business
NB It’s very difficult to find work in The Philippines and the Indian
Subcontinent (as most students learn English at school). Singapore,
Malaysia, and Brunei source teachers from Britain through official
channels
Times of Year? l Year-round, especially school holidays, when many secondary

and university students take extra English classes (Thailand
mid-Mar to mid-May)
Challenges Solutions
l Schools may insist on a British or l Sell your different accent as ‘international’

American accent
l First impressions are very important l Dress smartly with a professional resume
– bad for teachers to lose face and references
113l
Indonesia ‘Selamat siang! ‘
Types of Work
l Medium demand
l English First chain schools
l Otherwise largely ‘back-street’ private schools

Monthly salary: l No degree required
l Employment visa is 90 days max
l For longer work and stay (VITAS) permit you need sponsorship
Hourly rate: l Passports only from English-speaking countries
l TEFL course very useful

l Authorities are very strict about visa regulations.
l However, schools like English First generally arrange VITAS for you.
Living expenses:
Thailand ‘ Sawatdi krap! Sawatdi ka! ‘

Types of Work
l Strong demand, especially in cities other than Bangkok
e.g .Hat Yai, Chiang Mai and Songkhla
l Chain schools
l Small private schools
l Many opportunities with universities, teachers’ colleges
and private business colleges
l Private tutoring (especially after making contact, e.g while
l Most schools source teachers locally rather than arranging
jobs in advance

Monthly salary: l Required: teacher’s license, working permit, and one year working visa
l For work at a university/college, you need a bachelor’s degree in
Education + Thai cultural awareness course OR any bachelor’s degree +

Hourly rate: Thai education exam
l If you do not have a university degree, you need a letter of acceptance
from a school
Other benefits:
Insider Information
l Most EFL teachers in Thailand teach on a tourist visa but there is threat
Living expenses: of a crackdown.
l Universities and larger language schools might apply for a work permit
for teachers willing to sign one-year contracts.
114l
Vietnam ‘Chào ông! Chào bà! ‘
Types of Work
l Strong demand
l Universities
l Chain schools e.g. ILA
l Many small private schools, often specialising in business
English, TOEFL etc
working at a school). Lucrative with children of expats
from Japan, South Korea etc

Monthly salary: l Degree in any field
l Sponsorship from employer for work visa

l Tourist visas can be changed easily to work visas in-country.
Other benefits:
Living expenses:
E
KEY RESOURCES
Indonesia
www.eslbase.com/jobs/indonesia
Thailand
www.esl-teachers.net
www.ajarn.com/
Vietnam
www.eslbase.com/jobs/vietnam

115l
3 Western &
Mediterranean Europe
France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal,
Spain, Switzerland, Turkey
Why Choose Western & Mediterranean Europe?
l
l
High salaries (esp. Northern Europe)
Cosmopolitan lifestyle
What Jobs Are There? l Many chain schools (e.g. Berlitz, Wall Street, International
House)
l Summer schools (but this is now hard to get a hold of)
l Universities
l Freelance work (esp. for companies and private tutoring,
often through an agency – very useful to have contacts and
to know the local language)
Times of Year? l Private schools/freelancing: year-round, but peak in most

countries Sep/Oct
l Summer schools in Mediterranean: Jul-Aug
l University: depends on country’s academic year
l Very difficult for non-EU passport l Working holiday visas for 18-30 year-olds
holders as workplaces are reluctant to (from Australia, NZ, Canada)
l Student visas often allow part-time work
sponsor them (employer must prove

no EU national is suitable) l Build relationships with potential
l Employers (esp. in Mediterranean) employers when in the country for other
may offer cash-in-hand with no work purposes (e.g. during a holiday in Spain)
l Be very cautious of employers offering
permit
you cash-in-hand – you may be exploited,
l Strict requirements regarding
and if you are caught it’s big trouble
qualifications & experience l Worth considering other options if you
l High cost of living (and housing rarely haven’t got any qualifications or experience
supplied) l Teachers often combine one main job with
freelancing
116l
France ‘ Bonjour Madame! Bonjour Monsieur! ‘
Types of Work
l Private language schools
l University language centres

l EU nationals preferred

l Business qualifications and/or experience is useful.
Other benefits:
Living expenses:
Germany ‘ Guten Tag! ‘

Types of Work
l Agencies delivering corporate work
l Language assistants in government schools
l Adult education courses

l Specific requirements for different states

Hourly rate:
Insider Information
l It’s easier to find work than it looks.
Other benefits:
Living expenses:
117l
Greece ‘ Geia sou! ‘
Types of Work
l Frontisteria (secondary cram schools)

l EU nationals or teachers from Greek background preferred
l Certificate of Proficiency in English
Hourly rate: l Application for work permit must be in applicant’s country of residence
(can be a slow process)

l Most teachers say it is better to look for work on the ground in Greece
and then leave the country to apply officially.
Living expenses:
Italy ‘ Buon giorno! ‘

Types of Work
l Chain schools

l Work permits for non-EU nationals now almost impossible

Hourly rate:
Insider Information
l Many teachers work illegally but this is very risky.
Other benefits:
Living expenses:
118l
Portugal ‘ Olá! ‘
Types of Work
l Frontisteria (secondary cram schools)

Insider Information
Hourly rate: l Because of demand, degree may not be necessary. When you find a
teaching job you can apply for permits locally.
Other benefits:
Living expenses:
Spain ‘ ¡Buenos días! ‘

Types of Work
l Boom for teaching adults has passed
l Private language schools (but most unwilling to arrange
official permits and will pay you cash)
l Growing area: pre-school and children

Monthly salary: l No degree required
l Application for work permit must be in applicant’s country of residence

Hourly rate: (can be a slow process)
Insider Information
Other benefits: l Many teachers work illegally but this is very risky.
Living expenses:
119l
Switzerland ‘ Guten Tag! Bonjour! Buon giorno! ‘
Types of Work

l CELTA/TEFL + teaching experience
Hourly rate:
Insider Information
l The law is strictly enforced.
Other benefits:
Living expenses:
Turkey ‘ Merhaba! ‘
Types of Work
l Strong demand (especially for evening and weekend work
teaching adults)
l Many private language schools
l Chain schools
l Colleges/universities (require MA)

l Work permit

l Schools rarely help with work permits.
l Many teachers are on 3-month tourist visas, which is illegal.
Other benefits:
Living expenses:
120l
E
KEY RESOURCES
France Portugal
www.tefljobsinfrance.com http://www.lisbon-guide.info/facts_visitor/working
Germany Spain
www.tesall.com/germany.html www.eslbase.com/jobs/spain
Greece Switzerland
www.tefl.edu.gr/faq.htm#a9 http://www.jobsabroad.com/Switzerland.cfm
Italy Turkey
jobstefl.com/esljobsitaly.asp turkeyjoblink.com

121l
4 Central & Eastern Europe
Czech Republic, Hungary, Russia
Why Choose Central & Eastern Europe?
l
l
Low cost of living
Good lifestyle with cafes, nice food, beer and wine
What Jobs Are There? l Many private language schools

l Strong demand for teachers outside the big centres
(i.e. Prague and Budapest) and especially in the former USSR
l Business/technical English with corporate clients (through a
school or as a freelancer)
Times of Year? l Year-round, but especially winter when tourist teachers

return home
l In much of the region, standard of l Supplement school salary with freelancing
living is low, so you’ll receive low
salaries
l Be professional (in appearance and
l Locals have high expectations of approach to teaching)
teachers and are wary of foreign
hooligans l Specialise (e.g. in English for Business or IT/
network with other teachers)
l Competition – lots of UK and
American teachers, especially in
Prague
122l
Czech Republic ‘ Dobrý den! ‘
Types of Work
l Chain schools
l Freelancing with companies
l Lots of opportunities in provinces, but stiff competition
in Prague
l Lots of stories of badly managed schools – do some
research

Monthly salary: l Any bachelor’s degree (but TEFL helps)
l Work permit

l Where demand is strong (e.g. small cities), a degree may not be
necessary and schools will arrange paperwork.
Other benefits:
Living expenses:
Hungary ‘ Jó napot kívánok! ‘

Types of Work
l There’s demand but language schools rarely provide
full-time work – many teachers need to work at several
schools
l Chain schools

Monthly salary: l Most schools say TEFL/TESOL certificate + year’s teaching experience
l Work permit

l Smaller schools find it difficult to get teachers. Degrees may not be
necessary and schools will arrange paperwork.
Other benefits:
Living expenses:
123l
Russia ‘ Zdravstvuitye! ‘
Types of Work
l Chain schools
l Strong demand for business English. Private schools send
teachers to client’s workplace

Monthly salary: l Most schools say degree + CELTA
l Work permit

l Demand for teachers is so strong that many schools will hire native
speakers without qualifications.
Other benefits: l Good references are as important as qualifications.
Living expenses:
E
KEY RESOURCES
Czech Republic
www.eslbase.com/jobs/czech-republic/
Hungary
http://www.esljobs.com/teach-english/hungary/
Russia
www.englishfirst.com/trt/esl-jobs-in-russia.html

124l
5 Central & South America
l
l
Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico
Why Choose Central & Eastern Europe?
l Low cost of living

Slower pace of work
Colour & excitement
What Jobs Are There? l Many private schools

l Universities & colleges (better conditions but may be strict
with qualifications)
l Companies may employ English teachers (for Business/
Technical English) directly
Times of Year? l Private schools: year-round, but especially autumn

l Universities: school year generally starts at the end of March
l Low pay, rarely with accommodation l Latin America is for lifestyle, not making
money
l Security
NB once you start working at a school, it’s often
possible to negotiate a higher salary
l Act sensibly
125l
Brazil ‘ Olá! ‘
Types of Work
l Chain schools
l Government schools

Monthly salary: l Bachelor’s degree
l No TEFL required as all hired teachers must do in-house training by law
l Need sponsor
Hourly rate:
Insider Information
l There are a lot of Brazilian students studying in English-speaking
Other benefits: countries. Ask them for recommendations and contacts.
Living expenses:
Chile ‘ ¡Buenos días! ‘

Types of Work
l Private language schools, especially in Santiago
l Chain schools

Monthly salary: l Bachelor’s degree
l Need signed contract for work visa

l Most teachers start teaching on a 3-month tourist visa (which is illegal
but widespread) while they look for a longer-term contract which will
get them a year-long work visa.
Other benefits:
Living expenses:
126l
Costa Rica ‘ ¡Buenos días! ‘
Types of Work
l Chain schools

Monthly salary: l Only bachelor’s degree required if you undergo an interview in person
l If apply from offshore, you need a bachelor’s degree and TEFL/TESOL
certificate
Hourly rate:
Insider Information
l Making contact in person is effective.
Other benefits:
Living expenses:
Mexico ‘ ¡Buenos días! ‘

Types of Work
l Strong demand because of NAFTA (North American Free
Trade Agreement)
l Chain schools

Monthly salary: l TEFL/TESOL certificate
l No degree required
l Need a sponsor for work visa

Hourly rate:
Insider Information
l Some private language schools will take teachers with the certificate
only while others require nothing more than native-level fluency.
Other benefits: l Schools often prefer to interview teachers in person. Many positions
are never posted online.
Living expenses:
127l
E
KEY RESOURCES
Brazil
www.eslbase.com/jobs/brazil
Chile
www.teachingchile.com
Costa Rica
www.escapeartist.com/efam/64/Teaching_English_In_Costa_Rica.html
Mexico
www.teachenglishinmexico.com

128l
6 Middle East

Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE
Why Choose The Middle East?

l Can be highly lucrative. May be tax free. Often
accommodation is supplied and free schooling for
children
l Sponsoring schools arrange all paperwork
l Longer contracts 2-3 years (but only 1 year in Saudi)
What Jobs Are There? l Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and
Jordan have the highest demand
l Most jobs through colleges & universities
Times of Year? l Sep/Oct is the start of the academic year in most countries
l Laws are strictly enforced (e.g. no l These laws are no joke! You have to accept
pork or alcohol is allowed in Saudi) them before accepting a job
l Strict social ‘rules’, especially in Saudi l Again, you have to accept this if you want
Arabia & Kuwait – e.g. no public to live there
display of affection between a man and
a woman, no discussion of family l Many jobs ask for a male or a female
members in class, no reference to teacher, depending on the gender of
decadent behaviours in class students – both men and women will
receive respect in a teaching context
l Sexism
l Israeli passports and teachers with ‘Jewish’
l Anti-Semitism sounding names may be refused a visa
129l
Jordan ‘ Marhaba! ‘
Types of Work
l Sep/Oct is the start of the academic year in most
countries

Monthly salary: l Generally a degree is required
l Must be sponsored

Other benefits:
Living expenses:
Kuwait ‘ Salaam! ‘
Types of Work
l Colleges & universities
l Some foreign institutes

Monthly salary: l Generally a degree is required
l Must be sponsored

Other benefits:
Living expenses:
130l
Saudi Arabia ‘ As-salam alaykum! ‘
Types of Work
l The demand for native-English speaking males is strong.
Colleges offer high tax-free salaries, free transportation
and accommodation, along with other perks
l You will have to organise a job before going there because
there are no tourist visas for Saudi Arabia

l Must be sponsored

Other benefits:
Living expenses:
UAE ‘ Aahlan wa sahlan! ‘

Types of Work
l Private schools

l Must be sponsored

Other benefits:
Living expenses:
131l
E
KEY RESOURCES
Jordan
www.esljobs.com/teach-english/jordan/
Kuwait
www.esljunction.com/TEFL/TEFL_Jobs_Kuwait.html
Saudi Arabia
www.jobsabroad.com/SaudiArabia.cfm
UAE
www.eslbase.com/jobs/uae/

132l
7 Africa
Egypt Sudan
Why Choose Africa?

l

l
Volunteering is very fulfilling work – teachers report
Africa is ‘life-changing’
You are directly helping people in difficult circumstances
l Sense of adventure
l Because of lack of resources, Africa will quickly develop
a teacher’s skills & creativity
What Jobs Are There? l Demand for volunteer teachers is very high
l Some international schools are present, but the
requirements for qualifications & experience is very strict
Times of Year? l Year-round
l Very few well-paid teaching positions l Do not consider Africa for making money
in Africa
l This will be a meaningful experience – just
l Difficult living conditions have realistic expectations
l Hard to get work permits in many l Volunteering is a much easier option

countries (employer needs to show
no local can do the job and there are l Learn about possible classroom activities
many high-level English speakers in with limited resources – check out any
Africa) training courses that specialise in this
l Lack of teaching resources l Act sensibly
l Security (crime and terrorism)

133l
Egypt ‘ Ahlan wa sahlan! ‘
Types of Work
l Private schools
l Volunteers for various international organisations
l Foreign institutions like the American University in Cairo
and the International Language Institute Heliopolis

Monthly salary: l Work permit & work visa (school arranges) before arriving
Insider Information
Hourly rate:
l Making contact in person is effective.
Other benefits:
Living expenses:
Sudan ‘ Salaam aleikum! ‘

Types of Work
l High demand for volunteers through various international
organisations that work directly with Sudanese institutions

Monthly salary: l Work permit plus letter of recommendation
Insider Information
Hourly rate: l Ensure you are emotionally prepared if you’re volunteering – as much of
the population is below the poverty line.
Other benefits:
Living expenses:
E
KEY RESOURCES
Egypt Sudan
www.elgazette.com/teach_in_egypt.cfm www.eslbase.com/jobs/sudan/
www.volunteerabroad.com/Sudan.cfm
134l
8 The Indian
Subcontinent
India, Nepal
Why Choose The Indian Subcontinent?

l
l
l
Culturally exciting
Cities like Mumbai are booming
You can directly help people in difficult circumstances
What Jobs Are There? l Volunteering

l Niche jobs such as accent modification
Times of Year? l Year-round
l Paid jobs are scarce. There are many l Have a point of difference – e.g. Business
local English teachers – English is a English experience
national language in India – and many
foreign teachers looking for work l Low cost of living
l Low salaries l Be emotionally prepared
l Poverty & crowded conditions

135l
India ‘ Namaste! ‘
Types of Work
l Strong demand for volunteers
l Business English
l Interesting work such as accent training for call centres

l Work permit for paid work
Hourly rate:
Insider Information
l Most teachers are volunteers and have entered on a tourist visa.
Other benefits:
l Not many paid positions are advertised on the internet.You generally
need to be on the ground and look for opportunities. To get a work
Living expenses: permit you need a letter from your employer.
Nepal ‘ Namaste! ‘
Types of Work
l Strong demand for volunteers
l Short-term work at private schools
l Interesting work such as teaching at monasteries

Monthly salary: l Work permit for paid work
Insider Information
Hourly rate: l Most teachers are volunteering and have entered on a tourist visa.
l Established schools may help you get a work permit.

Other benefits:
Living expenses:
E
KEY RESOURCES
India Nepal
www.esljobs.com/teach-english/india/ http://www.tefl365.com/country/nepal
136l
1
Section 8
Are You Ready To Start TEFLing?
l 137 Section 8: Are You Ready To Start TEFLing?

1 Are You Ready
To Start TEFL-ing?
Congratulations!
You should now have a clear understanding of the TEFL world and so, there is much to reflect on.
What do you wish to do on the basis of all the TEFL information you have worked through? A useful
structure for reflection and decision–making can be the ‘5 W’s’.
l Who?
l What?
l Where?
l When?
l Why?
Addressing those 5 questions can help us become very clear about our ambitions, our motivation, our
action plans, our preparation and our timescale. The value in those questions is that they cannot be
answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’, they require an amount of thought and analysis which should be the basis for
any important decisions. They also have to be answered in clear, practical language.
Having absorbed much data on TEFL, it is now, as all good game shows conclude, ‘make your mind up
time’!
Jot down your thoughts on the following.
Section 8: Are You Ready To Start TEFLing?

Who can tell you what you need to know? Think about anyone you know with TEFL experience or any
organisation with TEFL expertise. Plan your data search thoroughly?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
What have you decided to do about TEFL? Think about whether or not you want to be involved, if so
in what way. Think about anything you might have to do ahead of starting any TEFL project.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Where will your plans take you? How different would your lifestyle be in the place you choose to
work? What would be the challenges for you in that context? What could you do to meet those?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
138 l
When will you implement your decision? Think about the timescale of your plans. What will you have
to do in preparation, in what sequence? What might you have to bring to a close before you start?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Why have you decided this? Think about what you are looking for in making that decision, think about
how realistic those ambitions or aspirations are, how achievable they might be. What skills will you
need to make your plans successful, what skills might you need to develop? What might you be giving
up, what would you be looking to gain?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Travel, Earn, Find-meaning and Learn

So, ahead of embarking on a TEFL adventure:
l Ensure you have all the information you need

l Ensure you have reflected thoroughly on what you are seeking and hoping for and have
also considered the challenges that could be involved
l Be clear about what you will be taking on and what you might be leaving behind
l Be confident you have talked through the contract and are clear what support is
available and from whom
l Be ready for a life-changing experience and hopefully one which will enhance your
happiness beyond expectations
‘ I came to Italy four odd years ago to try out a totally new
experience. I didn’t know any Italian and I didn’t have
any teaching experience. All I had was an TEFL certificate
and no more than ten survival expressions in Italian. I’m
currently the Director of Studies at the same institute where
I started off and as for my Italian.....well, I can survive!”
‘
Section 8: Are You Ready To Start TEFLing?
Ioannis Latsis from the UK
139 l
1
Glossary
l 140 Section 9: Glossary
Section 9
1 Teaching Terms
Activity book A book containing activities for the classroom, often including handouts that
you can photocopy
Communicative classroom A classroom where students often interact and speak with other students
Course book The main book used in a class, often set by the school
EAP English for Academic Purposes; teaching students planning to study at university
ESP English for Specific Purposes; teaching students in a specialised field,

e.g. engineering or health
General English English with no specialised focus
Handout A worksheet or other activity a teacher gives to students in class
Ice-breaker A student-to-student speaking activity at the start of a class; also

called a warmer
Learner A language student
Learner’s dictionary A dictionary specially designed for learners
Methodology An approach to teaching (e.g. the communicative methodology

believes students should speak to each other in class)
Reference grammar A book where you can look up grammar rules
Resources Print or electronic materials
Role-play Students pretend to do something in real life (eg shop assistant and customer)
Student-centred Focussed on what the students want and need
Student-to-student Happening between students; e.g. in a student-to-student ice-breaker students talk

to other students (rather than the teacher)
Section 9: Glossary
Teaching practice A lesson a trainee teaches on a teacher training course
Test Preparation A course for students who are going to take an important test
Young Learners Teaching English to children

141
l
2 Language Terms
Accuracy Saying or writing something correctly
Error A mistake a learner makes in speaking or writing, caused by their language

knowledge
Fluency Saying or writing something without unnatural pauses
Language analysis Examining the structure and meaning of language
Macro skills The four primary language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking
Native-speaker Someone who learnt a language from early childhood
Non-native speaker someone who learnt a language after early childhood
Vocabulary Words
Section 9: Glossary
142
l
3 The
TEFL Profession
Agent A person or company who arranges teaching work
Application letter A letter sent to an employer to apply for a job together with a resume
CELTA The Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, run by Cambridge

University
Certificate The entry level of qualification for the TEFL industry
Chain school A school with a number of branches in different cities or countries
Diploma A higher level of qualification than a certificate; only required for positions of
responsibility in a school
EFL English as a Foreign Language; generally used to mean English for work or study
ESL English as a Second Language; generally used to mean migrant English
ESOL English as a Second or Other Language (used mainly in the UK); any English
teaching to non-native speakers
Networking Making contacts in the industry
Resume A document showing your qualifications and employment history; used

interchangeably with CV
Selection criteria The skills and attributes an employer looks for to choose someone for a job
Split shift A work schedule with a long break in the middle (e.g. 2 hours in the morning
and 2 hours in the evening)
Teacher forum A page on a website where teachers post comments
TEFL Teaching English as a Foreign Language (used mainly in the UK); generally used
to mean English for work or study
Section 9: Glossary
TESOL Teaching English as a Second or Other Language (used mainly in the US,
Australia and New Zealand); any English teaching to non-native speakers
Trinity The Certificate in TESOL, run by Trinity College, London

143
l

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TEF

What James Has To Say

Any tips for first time TEFL/TESOL teachers?

talking, the better. They need the practice, not you!”

l being involved in activities that have ‘meaning’ for us

l having opportunities to use our skills to make a difference

All the best!

The i-to-i TEFL Team

the i-to-i team

A Life Changing Choice

3 What Is Teaching English Like?

4 Types Of English Teaching

… you are right!

2 Is TEFL For You?

I’d like to travel and earn

Ashley Griffiths from the UK

For yourself: ___________________________________________________________

2.2 Imagine you could be somewhere different in three months.

I would like to be in _________________ because

2.3 Answer yes, no or not sure to the following:

l There are TEFL jobs in my dream destination

l I can secure a job there before I go

l I do not need a teaching qualification to teach there

l I don’t need to know the local language to teach there

l I will be there in three months

Let’s look at the facts to see if you were right.

South America Middle East

look at the pros and cons of each later.

* British Council Learning. August 1 2009. < http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-faq-the-english-language.htm>.

I put my TEFL qualification to use within a few months as

? DID YOU KNOW?

Think of the pros and cons of both. - Section 1: Welcome to TEFL

Which has the greater appeal for you? __________________________________________

Write down your thoughts about this.

How do you feel about those possibilities? __________________________________________

Fill in the following

Teaching is just a means to an end – to be able to travel.

You can lead a luxurious life teaching abroad.

Locals look up to you as a foreigner.

It’s too late if you’re locked into a contract and you

TEFL experience will be useful for my future,

l No they won’t – respect and appreciation have to be earned!

2.1 It’s essential to be mentally prepared.

How could you deal with them? -

3 Reflection & Action

3.1 Think seriously. Is living abroad still right for you?

3.2 Where would you like to go and for how long?

l Be realistic and be prepared for challenges

For an overview of the plusses and challenges of teaching abroad:

For a range of articles on teaching and living abroad:

See what TEFL-Travellers have to say!

Peter Wickman from the USA

Section 1: Welcome to TEFL

DID YOU KNOW?

By 2025 this should double to two billion

1.1 Do you agree or disagree with the below facts?

I am optimistic about finding a job.

Contracts Available ___________________________________________________________

l Certain countries require a degree, a TEFL qualification, or both.

l Schools typically want teachers to stay for as long as possible.

2.2 In view of the above, which countries look attractive to you?

Why? - Section 1: Welcome to TEFL

Top 3 Countries . Why?

3 Reflection & Action