Blog

Applying for a qualified teacher position that you seen advertised does not mean you will be appointed to the role. When is a teacher not a teacher?  When you do not have the specific qualifications and past experience in the subject area that the employer is looking for. This information is based on my personal experience and input from others.
As a qualified/certified high school teacher in the UK, native English speaker, BA, MA holder and years of teaching experience I am suitable for various teacher roles. Business & Economics specialist, although I have also taught English first language in England to 11-18 year old pupils.
Attending an interview for an English teacher job in the Middle East with one of the best employers is an achievement for many people.  They have looked at your resume/cover letter and matched skills, personal characteristics, traits and your command of the English language.
 
Difference between a language teacher of English and a high school teacher:
...

~~Facing a class of under fives can be a very frightening experience. What do you do when they start crying, crawling under the table, throwing things, won’t participate etc?
It is important to remember that learning English can be a frightening and destabilising experience for a young child and it is vital that rapport and trust is established quickly. Greet them when they come into the classroom, and use their names as much as possible. Sometimes having children’s music/songs playing quietly in the background can reduce the stress felt by the learners.
Sometimes small toys/teddies etc can be used to distract nervous or tearful learners who can be asked to “look after” the toy for the lesson. It is important to set this up clearly or the child may become distressed at the end of the lesson when they have to return it. For this to work well the same group of toys should be available every week and there should be at least one available per learner. These toys can also be used to ...

~~Teaching very young learners (under 5s) can be particularly daunting for many teachers. For most it is the first time they have had to cope with children this young, and many are concerned or worried about how to approach the class.
Teaching very young learners can be a lot of fun and very rewarding however, there is no doubt that it presents a set of unique challenges.  Young learners are not interested in English per se they are more focussed on having fun, playing games and being entertained.
Initially, most young learners are very shy of their new teacher; especially as to them the new teacher is a strange and scary looking foreigner. It is not uncommon for them to become fixed to their mothers and barely acknowledge your presence. One thing that works in your favour is that small children are innately curious and by making funny faces, silly noises etc will make them smile or laugh winning half the battle. Perseverance however, will pay off and before long the little ones will ...

~~Talking about the future in English can be difficult as technically there are no future tenses in English. The future is not fixed – it does not exist yet. So in English we use a number of forms and structures to express the future. It is usually the degree of certainty about the future decides our choice of structure or tense. But the distinction between choices is not always clear.
Native speakers of English vary their future forms depending on:
* variety, to avoid repetition
* formality, use “will” instead of “going to”
* type of text, “will” is generally used to make weather predictions
Ways of talking about the future in English.
* Will
For unplanned future events/instant decisions – I’ll get it!
For expectations/predictions that are not based on present or past evidence – England will win the match
To make promises – I’ll see you tomorrow
* Going to (be + going to + verb)
For predictions based on past or present evidence - She’s going to have a baby
For pre-meditated ...

Even though I’m not a millionaire, YET, I have learned to interact with the most successful teachers I know here in H.K, and just from the conversations we had and the stories they shared, I managed to draw out a few lessons and here’s some of the most important stuff I learned from them, it could also be useful to you in your teaching journey.
Focus on the Demand
 
In your teaching career here in Hong Kong, you have to focus on what the students and parents actually need. Recently, I have seen a lot courses being developed that do not address any specific need but are just there as a collection of topics ruthlessly forced into unsuspecting students’ heads, I only realized the importance of studying trends in demand when I took a more in depth study of these millionaire teachers and it became clear that these guys always teach their student to pass their exams. Everybody needs to pass an exam right? So when you work, or when you train for being an HK tutor, it is important to do as ...

Best PTE Coaching India engaged in Exclusive PTE Academic Coaching since 2013. This article is written just to give you some basic perspective on PTE Academic test.
Make sure you’ve prepared enough for the test in terms of question intelligence and also put in the adequate effort in practice. The amount of practice needed for getting 79, 65 or 58 marks in PTE varies from test taker to test taker. On the test, day reach your respective PTE Academic test center at least 30 minutes in advance. If you are going to test centre just on time can impede your performance. You don’t have to carry any stationary items like pen, pencil papers to the test center as PTE Academic is a computer-based test. For rough work, they give either an erasable notepad or booklet. You are not even allowed to carry your watch or any gadget inside testing room.
The first module you’ll attempt is speaking in PTE Academic, after speaking writing and after writing, Reading and at the end, you will have the listening ...

When it comes to teaching, it may seem challenging to aim for new perspectives related to refining the Learning Process. In this context, phenomena like Globalization and the advent of the Internet exemplify that students' minds have constantly changed, showing that school subjects have to be taught under a new glance. Opposing to individualistic practices, Cooperative Learning is an excellent way to introduce 21st century students to a changing world, letting their voices be heard and bringing back interaction to the classroom.
Whenever teamwork is valorized, a more meaningful knowledge is produced. By working together, students can get effectively involved with the issues they study and be stimulated to share resources and information with each other, so that everyone's learning is maximized. Rather than being shy and not asking questions, through Cooperative Learning students are invited to expose doubts that enrich the learning environment.
Adopting Cooperative Learning, however, ...

Language teaching is a unique field which has seen a tremendous amount of change in recent years. Emerging technologies have fundamentally altered the language teacher's role and opened up instructional opportunities undreamed of just 15 years ago. Government policies have mandated bilingual education programs, fostered the development of a Common European Framework, and acted to protect endangered languages. Theoreticians have moved to a post-method era in recognition that language teaching and learning is a dynamic system with the teacher as autonomous agent in the classroom, responsible for making calculated decisions based on experience, professional training, and the immediate needs of his or her learners.
While our field's rapid evolution is exciting to watch, it also signals the importance of ongoing professional development. For teachers with limited resources (monetary, time, or access), the challenge comes in the form of weighing options. There are five paradigms of ...

The IELTS Academic Writing Test is regarded as the toughest test out of the four sections of the IELTS test. In the Writing Test. There are two tasks to do - Task1 and Task2. Candidates should first collect some free study materials from the Internet, and follow the instructions and tips given there about how to write an essay. But this is not a skill to develop without expert help, because apart from writing the essay in the correct format, the candidates need to know how to write error-free complex sentences, using a wide range of vocabulary appropriately. Execution of grammatical skill is a big factor. The essay writing job falls in Task 2, and candidates need to write in minimum 250 words, with hardly any spelling mistakes while chasing for a high Band Score. 
1.      A candidate should study at least a 'High Standard Essay Book' for gathering adequate knowledge on how to compose a top quality, perfectly structured essay.
2.     The candidates should always follow the basic ...

There could hardly be a profession more unique than TEFL. A candidate may be a fresh biology graduate or someone who has never left their hometown; choosing the profession of a TEFL teacher will help make these factors a thing of the past. An online TEFL/TESOL course in Bangalore is unique in that it is easy to qualify and offers valuable employment prospects in exciting locations. Moreover, if an individual happens to possess these 4 qualities, then they are sure to hit instant success in the TEFL teaching profession.
Adaptability
The TEFL industry is a rapidly developing one so there will be plenty of opportunities for the interested candidates. However, no two teaching positions are likely to be the same as every company has an ideology of its own and will want things done in their own way. Candidates should look upon this as a valuable learning experience rather than arguing over it with the employers. There is no end to improving one’s teaching skills.
TEFL professionals are also ...