Category Archives: Teaching English in Western Europe

Slogans for crappy English schools Part Three

Posted on 29/09/2008 by alexcase

96. “Sick of our dirty classrooms? Home lessons available for just 50% more!” 97. “And your thought only pizza delivery boys would travel all the way to your house！” 98. “Our 100th international branch right here in your town is … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council accreditation, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL, TEFL in the UK | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

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

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

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

The benefits of teaching in Japan

Posted on 12/05/2008 by alexcase

Number one is that the status of English teachers is not so obviously low that when I met the love of my life and asked her to marry me she actually agreed! You won’t hear a lot about it on … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming a Director of Studies, Cross cultural training in EFL, Cultural differences/ cultural training, Discipline in the classroom, Eikaiwa, ELT management, English Teachers in Japan, IELTS, Job security, Teaching English Abroad, Teaching English in Asia, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching English in Spain, Teaching Japanese primary school children, Teaching older students, Teaching shy students, TEFL, TEFL working conditions, TESOL, TOEIC | 7 Comments

The TEFL Civil War Quote of the Day

Posted on 28/03/2008 by alexcase

“even universities do not insist on any proper teaching qualifications but rather MAs and PHds.”

Posted in MA Applied Linguistics, MA TESOL, Teacher training, Teaching English in Asia, Teaching English in Korea, TEFL, TEFL in the UK, TEFL qualifications | 5 Comments

An appeal to TEFLers everywhere

Posted on 13/03/2008 by alexcase

I would be grateful if you could help me and TEFLers everywhere by sparing ten minutes to read this and do one of the actions suggested below Some background: 2 weeks ago a certain Paul Lowe of Windsor Schools/Windsor TEFL … Continue reading →

Posted in Teacher training, Teaching English in Europe, TEFL, TEFL heroes- Sandy McManus, TEFL qualifications, TEFL scams, TEFL villains- Paul Lowe, TEFL working conditions, Windsor Schools | 7 Comments