Category Archives: Teaching English in Europe

Another 25 quotes from advertising for schools with a quality disability

Posted on 21/09/2008 by alexcase

70. “If you want to chatter away in your own language, what the hell- you’re paying!” 71. “We’ve found the dead rat under classroom 7B” 72. “We will keep your teacher’s passport until you pass the FCE” 73. “You just never know what will … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgy TEFL school owners, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL, TEFL chains, TEFL in the UK, TEFL working conditions | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The dream dictionary for TEFL teachers

Posted on 15/09/2008 by alexcase

What elements of your dreams tell you about your TEFLing future: Suddenly realising you have no clothes on – you will realise halfway through your next improvised grammar explanation that it doesn’t make any sense   Water – You will … Continue reading →

Posted in Grammar, Teaching English Abroad, Teaching English in Spain, TEFL working conditions, Warmers | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

An alternative A to Z of ELT Part 15

Posted on 14/09/2008 by alexcase

Innateness hypothesis- The theory that studying English is inherently boring, so why bother with games. See also “Inaneness hypothesis”* Input- The theory that the language we expose students to should be as carefully chosen as when programming a computer or … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge Delta, Linguistics, applied linguistics and SLA, Teaching English in Spain, TEFL heroes- Scott Thornbury | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Slogans for crap English schools

Posted on 07/09/2008 by alexcase

1. “Officially the blondest teachers of any school in Japan/ China/ Taiwan etc” 2. “We’ve never changed because we are perfect” 3. “Come and see the new batch of teachers, fresh off the plane” 4. “The youth of our teachers … Continue reading →

Posted in Humanistic language teaching, Job security, Teaching English Abroad, Teaching English in Asia, Teaching English in Europe, TEFL, TEFL working conditions, TESOL | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

The Alternative ELT Jargon Dictionary Part 14

Posted on 27/07/2008 by alexcase

UPDATE: Complete collection now here. ARELS- Association of Reasonably good English Language Schools BAAL- The false god of Applied Linguistics Direct method- A system of language learning aimed at making Japanese students say what they really mean Ditransitive- verbs often … Continue reading →

Posted in ARELS, English for Academic Purposes, International House, Linguistics, applied linguistics and SLA, TEFL | Tagged , | Leave a comment

TEFL International's Bruce Velhuisen- Interview Part Two

Posted on 20/07/2008 by alexcase

TEFL International is not only often quoted as one of the largest TEFL training organisations (see the stats below), it is also almost certainly the one most likely to set off a firestorm by mentioning it on the internet- hence … Continue reading →

Posted in ARELS, Bell, British Council accreditation, Bruce Veldhuisen, Cambridge ESOL, CELTA, IATEFL, IATQUO, MA TESOL, Teacher associations, Teacher training, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL certificate, TEFL in the UK, TEFL International, TEFL qualifications, TESOL | Tagged | 100 Comments

The conundrums of being an ETP Part One

Posted on 22/06/2008 by alexcase

With all the problems I have had with TEFL teaching dossers (especially dossing DoSes) over the years, I have to admit that their philosophical position does at least have logic going for it- if they are going to be treated … Continue reading →

Posted in English Teaching Professional, finding good TEFL jobs, Guardian TEFL, links, Opening, TEFL career planning, TEFL CV/ TESOL resume, Wall Street | 1 Comment

TEFLing quote of the day

Posted on 29/05/2008 by alexcase

“Our profession is notorious for exploiting its most valuable asset – language teachers – for financial gain. I remember a teacher recalling taking a summer job where he and his fellow teachers struggled to teach competently in a school with … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative teaching techniques, Cambridge University Press, Class-centred teaching, Classroom dynamics, Classroom management, Dodgy TEFL school owners, ELT publishing, Humanistic language teaching, Job security, links, TEFL, TEFL celebs/ TEFL heroes and villains, TEFL heroes- Rose M Senior, TEFL in the UK, TEFL working conditions, UK summer schools | Tagged | 1 Comment

Question from a reader: DELTA, CELTA or RSA Trinity?

Posted on 28/05/2008 by alexcase

Hi, I’ve just read your DELTA experiences and wondered if you could advise me on the best course to take. I’ve been teaching for 12 years (PGCE and Degree in English) – 6 years in Comprehensives in the UK and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge Delta, Cambridge ESOL, CELTA, MA TESOL, PGCE in TEFL, Teacher training, TEFL, TEFL certificate, TEFL in the UK, TEFL qualifications, Trinity | 2 Comments

The TEFLtastic Blacklist of Shame Guardian Watch 3

Posted on 25/05/2008 by alexcase

You can’t do much reading about TEFL on the Net without coming across stories of dodgy geezers and their nasty little business schemes, and then you can’t read much more without coming across the nasty little TEFL teachers with their … Continue reading →

Posted in Bruce Veldhuisen, Dodgy TEFL courses, Dodgy TEFL school owners, Teacher forums, Teaching English Abroad, Teaching English in Asia, Teaching English in India, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching English in Thailand, TEFL, TEFL certificate, TEFL International, TEFL scams, TEFL villains- Paul Lowe, Windsor Schools, Windsor TEFL | 14 Comments