Teaching English to large, multi-level classes is the norm in Hong Kong. When you are in charge of teaching a large group of ESL students, one major aspect that you must consider is that it is highly unlikely that all of your students will be at the same place in their English learning, so it is very important to recognize and address the varying abilities in your classroom. Students who aren’t working at their appropriate level struggle to learn the material, are easily distracted from the task at hand, and may become disruptive for the whole class. If you are teaching English in Hong Kong, i ..read more

Life is funny because I never really thought I would move to Spain, but after meeting a young Spanish girl I decided I wanted to go check it out. I immediately fell in love with the culture and the people. However, I must clarify that I am actually in the Basque country which some locals do not consider it to be Spain. There is a very strong sense of Basque pride and separatism here. Donostia-San Sebastian When I first came to the Basque country, it was for love and vacation. I spent the first few days enjoying the sun, surfing, and spending quality time with my Basque girlfriend. Then it was ..read more

When I found out I would be working with a co-teacher I was very excited, but also wary. Some of my friends had told me stories about standing in the corner of the room, only being called upon by their co-teacher to say something a few times per class, just running a game for the last ten minutes of class, and doing none of the lesson planning. This can and does happen, but only until you earn the trust of your EPIK co-teacher. In many other cultures, it is important to be incredibly respectful to your elders and your superiors. It would be a terrible faux-pas to undermine an older (even if th ..read more

I have been teaching English for over 2 years in north-western Madagascar. I was hired by a large aquaculture company to implement an English training program for their 900 employees. I also work directly with the people and children in the neighboring village with a foundation named Fondation Ecole de Félix. This foundation brings to access to education and healthcare for the Ankarana people. In this OnTESOL graduate blog, Jessica Whitehorne explains how to supplement the ESL textbook with authentic material to increase student motivation. The Life of an English Teacher in Madagascar Madagasc ..read more

So, you’re thinking of teaching English in Mexico? Your experience can change tremendously depending on where you live in this vastly varied country of 128 million. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mexico’s proximity to the United States means that you can find examples of Uncle Sam’s influence in pretty much every aspect of Mexican life. From the names of stores or even taco stands to international call centers, children’s names, and common English phrases which have now worked their way into everyday Mexican speech. As a result, Mexicans are always looking to improve their English skills. I’ve had st ..read more

If you’ve taught English in Japanese public schools, you already know the obvious reason why Japanese students can’t speak English. They don’t actually practice speaking! But there is another hidden reason why Japanese people struggle to speak English, and this reason prevents them from learning to speak even when they use methods that are designed to teach speaking. Knowing the problem and how to solve it will shave years off the amount of time your students need to start talking confidently in English. In this OnTESOL graduate blog, Erica Derrickson shares a valuable solution she perfected o ..read more

Extensive reading lessons are useful to supplement the ESL textbook with authentic material for a meaningful, integrated, and long-lasting language learning experience. Extensive reading differs from intensive reading in that students do not get tested on all the details of the plot and they do not stop on every new word they learn. The aim of extensive reading is for students to be exposed to new language in a context they enjoy reading to improve their reading fluency and develop their communication skills more naturally. Very often students feel a little at a loss with this kind of activity ..read more

Our life is largely taken up with receiving information from outside sources, most of which enters our consciousness via our eyes and our ears. ESL lessons focusing on reading or listening require a variety of teaching strategies and activities, so there are many ways to design a lesson plan for these receptive skills. Despite the many ways in which reading and listening activities can take place, there are nevertheless general stages we can follow to plan a receptive skills lesson. This OnTESOL graduate blog shows quick steps to plan a receptive skills lesson. Need TEFL? Learn practical lesso ..read more

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages When people think about a career in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), they imagine taking off a year or two to relax on sunny beaches, find inspiration in ancient ruins, learn a new language, or get lost in an exciting location abroad. While that’s not so far from the truth, there is more to TESOL than teaching English abroad during your gap year. There are plenty of lucrative jobs in over 30 countries and plenty of career advancement opportunities to choose from. Table of Contents: What is the Difference Be ..read more