Blogs are an excellent way to get to know a sector and understand people’s experiences. If you’re new to TEFL/ESOL or seeking new insights then check these blogs out. More ..read more

Finding the best resources for teaching or learning English can be an overwhelming experience. A brief internet search brings up countless options, but where do you start? To make life a little easier, we’ve trawled the internet and put together two top ten lists of YouTube channels which we think are worth checking out. The first list is for TEFL teachers and the second is for English language learners. Top YouTube Channels for TEFL Teachers Whether you are looking to start a career in TEFL, are a newly qualified teacher or are on the lookout for new ways to teach English, then this list of t ..read more

Let’s be honest, encouraging children to read is not always that easy. It can often feel like a chore to them when there’s such a focus on learning, so here are ten quick tips to promote reading for pleasure for teachers and families. More ..read more

Let’s face it, part of the reason for becoming a TEFL/ESOL teacher is the joy of travelling itself and the desire to learn about neighbouring countries by working there. In the last few years, the possibilities for this kind of lifestyle within the European Union have diminished due to Brexit and the COVID Pandemic. But there are signs of hope and the possibilities for work-related travel are starting to open up again. In this article, we highlight the things you need to look out for if you are planning to work somewhere in the EU and we’ll give some tips and tricks to help you on your TEFL/ES ..read more

Observations are part of the TEFL/ESOL Teacher’s life. They can take many forms and few of us really enjoy them. They can be very stressful and when we are observed we seldom feel that we are being ourselves. Things often feel a bit false, forced and generally unnatural. It is hard to get away from the feeling that we are being judged; and indeed, in many cases, we are being judged. I have been observed more times than I can remember but in recent years I have also done a lot of observing myself, so I have experienced the process from both sides. In the following article, I will try ..read more

Here we have listed a few ideas for using a board spinner in class. These activities work best with a simple arrow spinner. See below for instructions on how to make your own! 1. Random number generator.  Use the spinner in place of a die by dividing the board into six segments and positioning the spinner in the centre.   Label each section with a number and spin to generate a random move. Remember you are not limited to six numbers, so you could use more or fewer sections to generate numbers within any range.  You might want to generate random numbers for a number of reas ..read more

At one point or another, most of us have used songs as a teaching resource. Students generally enjoy listening to music, and songs provide a natural way of exposing our learners to various types of language. They help learners get a sense of the rhythm of the language in a way that is natural and accessible – particularly because they often use elisions and shortenings, repetitions, and colloquial language. Songs can be used to create a great lead-in activity to introduce a new topic or theme and to generate an initial discussion. Certain songs may also be used as input to help students identi ..read more

Anyone who has been in the ESOL or TEFL world for a while will know that one of the first and most persistent stumbling blocks learners encounter when trying to grasp English Grammar is the Present Perfect Tense. No matter how you try to explain it, lower-level students often look dazed and confused. Even with more advanced students, misuse of the Present Perfect is one of the most common mistakes in exams and tests. In this article, I will look at some of the reasons the Present Perfect is difficult to teach and why students are often perplexed by it. I will try and convince you that it can a ..read more

Starting a course with a new group of TEFL/ESOL students can be daunting for all teachers of English as a Foreign or Second language, especially those new to the profession. The students are bound to be curious about meeting a new teacher and may well be anxious themselves. But they come to the lesson expecting the teacher to take charge and be in control. They probably have no idea that you are as nervous (or more so) as they are! You will have studied the coursework your students have to cover while in your class. There may have been some linguistic issues, some areas of grammar or vocabular ..read more

Two Types of Extension Activities There are two types of extension activities you can use in the TEFL/ESOL classroom: Activities that are planned as part of the lesson to extend and underline the language point you are teaching. These activities form part of the lesson plan and should flow logically from the previous section of the lesson. Spontaneous, seemingly off-the-cuff activities usually occur towards the end of the lesson when the students have finished the main part of the lesson more quickly than expected. Another way to think about these two types of extension activities may be to ..read more