Category Archives: Teaching English in Western Europe

How to really improve the standard of TEFL courses

Posted on 01/05/2009 by alexcase

The Guardian reports (uncritically, as ever when it comes to TEFL) on the setting up of yet another organisation meant to, apparently, boost the standards of TEFL in the UK- this one called The Association for the Promotion of Quality … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council, British Council accreditation, Cambridge ESOL, CELTA, Dodgy TEFL courses, Guardian TEFL, links, Teacher training, TEFL, TEFL certificate, TEFL in the UK, TEFL qualifications, TEFL scams, TESOL, Trinity, Trinity CertTESOL | 6 Comments

Why are EFL classes so cheap?

Posted on 24/03/2009 by alexcase

Not something I’d ever thought about, so instead of giving my usual instant opinions I am going to yet again break copyright law to quote the fabulous Melanie Butler, editor of EL Gazette, at length: “David Graddol argues that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Accreditation UK, British Council accreditation, EL Gazette, links, Oxford Street schools, TEFL celebs/ TEFL heroes and villains, TEFL heroes- Melanie Butler, TEFL in the UK | 16 Comments

Is TEFL recession proof?

Posted on 22/03/2009 by alexcase

March’s EL Gazette (electronic edition) leads with the story “Crunch is good for UK TEFL” and then there’s Private English Education Cost Rises 12 Percent in very much recession (and devaluation) hit Korea. And if we can just get into teacher … Continue reading →

Posted in becoming a teacher trainer, EL Gazette, links, Teacher training, Teaching English in Korea, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL certificate, TEFL in the UK | 5 Comments

Six things to do as soon as you finish your TEFL course

Posted on 08/02/2009 by alexcase

A bit of that SixThings magic on TEFLtastic with a guest piece from the author of  that blog, Lindsay Clandfield: “1. Celebrate and decompress Especially true if you’ve done an intensive course in English language teaching. It’s probably been a … Continue reading →

Posted in first TEFL job, links, Teaching English in Spain, TEFL career planning, TEFL certificate, TEFL qualifications | Tagged | 25 Comments

TEFL by numbers Feb 2008

Posted on 05/02/2009 by alexcase

78 pounds How much capital you need to set up an English school in Ho Chi Minh City. Wouldn’t rush out there to set up your own, though, as there are already 474 (!) registered language schools there. At least … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council accreditation, EL Gazette, Guardian TEFL, Oxford Street schools, Teaching English in Korea, Teaching English in Saudi Arabia, Teaching English in Vietnam, TEFL in the UK | Tagged | Leave a comment

TEFL joins the North South divide

Posted on 18/01/2009 by alexcase

“International House Newcastle – The only school in the North of England that is accredited by British Council” All the other school oop North were banned because of health and safety concerns with the presence of racing pigeons and whippets … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council accreditation, International House, TEFL, TEFL chains, TEFL in the UK | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Interview- Jason West Dishes on Guardian Languages and Sets the TEFL World to Rights!

Posted on 04/01/2009 by alexcase

It’s a great interview, stimulating, controversial, and full of TEFL insider tidbits. So many ideas did the CEO of English Out There have, in fact, that it takes a good 10 minutes to read. Please feel free to leave questions … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative teaching techniques, British Council, British Council accreditation, Distance learning, EFL exams, ELT publishing, Guardian TEFL, Job security, Linguistics, applied linguistics and SLA, links, Materials, self employed TEFL teachers, Teaching English Abroad, Teaching methods and methodologies, teaching online, Technology, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL celebs/ TEFL heroes and villains, TEFL chains, TEFL in the UK, TEFL scams, TEFL working conditions, textbooks | Tagged | 9 Comments

TEFL quotes of the year 2008

Posted on 24/12/2008 by alexcase

In reverse order by when they appeared on the blog (the first two are new): “Now Skinner did reign in the land of psychology, and it came to pass that Chomsky smote Skinner and begat Krashen, and Krashen begat Long, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALT, CELTA, History of English teaching in Japan, Kaplan, KOTESOL, Linguistics, applied linguistics and SLA, Teaching English in Asia, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching English in Korea, TEFL chains, TEFL heroes- Scott Thornbury, TEFL in the UK | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

23 Experiences of Language Teaching

Posted on 22/11/2008 by alexcase

Finished reading the Experience of Language Teaching a week or two ago, and here are some of my favourite quotes: on continuous enrollment “like teaching on a moving bus, or in the middle of a railway station, with people coming … Continue reading →

Posted in CELTA, Cultural differences/ cultural training, Experience of Language Teaching, Grammar, Lesson planning, MA TESOL, Problem students, Teacher training, Teaching young learners, TEFL, TEFL games, TEFL in the UK, TEFL qualifications, TEFL working conditions, textbooks | Tagged | 6 Comments

The greatest TEFL soap opera?

Posted on 02/10/2008 by alexcase

Candidate number one Involves me, and Paul Lowe’s threats to sue me for never mentioning him on my blog (!?) or something, still can’t quite work it out. “Bizarro!” as TESall.com put it. I thought, what the hell if I’m going … Continue reading →

Posted in Bruce Veldhuisen, Dodgy TEFL courses, Dodgy TEFL school owners, ELT World, Grammar games, IATQUO, links, Teacher forums, Teaching English in Thailand, TEFL blogs, TEFL celebs/ TEFL heroes and villains, TEFL certificate, TEFL heroes- Sandy McManus, TEFL in the UK, TEFL International, TEFL qualifications, TEFL scams, TEFL School Reviews, TEFL villains- Paul Lowe, TEFLtrade, TEFLwatch, Usingenglish, Windsor TEFL | Tagged | 8 Comments