Category Archives: first TEFL job

Development, blogs, books and Japan- An interview with Darren Elliott of Lives of Teachers blog

Posted on 09/01/2010 by alexcase

We all seem to be seeing your name around a lot recently. A masterplan to become the next Thornbury/ trying to keep yourself busy while your wife watches Japanese television/ sleep disorder/ other? I think it takes more than a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge Delta, CELTA, Critical Mass ELT, Eikaiwa, Experience of Language Teaching, first TEFL job, MA TESOL, Teacher training, Teaching English in Japan, TEFL, TEFL blogs, TEFL conferences, TEFL heroes- Rose M Senior, TEFL heroes- Scott Thornbury, TEFL qualifications, TEFL reviews, TEFL villains- Jennifer Jenkins, TEFL workshops | Tagged | 8 Comments

A fireside chat with Sandy McManus

Posted on 22/09/2009 by alexcase

He’s been the most famous/ notorious online TEFL figure for around five years, and the age of Twitter doesn’t seem to have calmed him down at all. In this exclusive TEFLtastic interview, Sandy shows his sensitive side

Posted in Dogme, EL Gazette, first TEFL job, getting out of TEFL, Guardian TEFL, Humanistic language teaching, NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming), Teaching English in Spain, TEFL blacklist, TEFL blogs, TEFL career planning, TEFL chains, TEFL heroes- Mario Rinvolucri, TEFL heroes- Sandy McManus, TEFL heroes- Scott Thornbury, TEFL in the UK, TEFL villains- Paul Lowe, TEFLtrade | Tagged , | 13 Comments

How can we increase TEFL pay?

Posted on 17/09/2009 by alexcase

The question in the last blog post “Does better pay lead to better teaching?” seems more or less agreed on- maybe, but probably less so than other ways of investing that money and anyway we can never prove it well enough … Continue reading →

Posted in finding good TEFL jobs, first TEFL job, International House, Teacher training, TEFL career planning, TEFL chains, TEFL pay, TEFL strikes, TEFL unions, TEFL working conditions | Tagged | 22 Comments

How to choose a good summer school

Posted on 19/06/2009 by alexcase

If teaching is more important than saving money or accommodation being included, the first thing to do when choosing a summer school is to avoid actual summer schools altogether. If I was in the same position of looking for a … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council accreditation, EF, EL Gazette, finding good TEFL jobs, first TEFL job, links, Teaching English Abroad, Teaching English in Europe, Teaching English in Turkey, TEFL, TEFL blacklist, TEFL blogs, TEFL career planning, TEFL chains, TEFL in the UK, TEFL Tradesman, TEFL working conditions, UK summer schools | 5 Comments

The other side of Oxford Street

Posted on 16/06/2009 by alexcase

A guest piece by “Holden Coalfield” “‘No thanks’, I said to the leafleter who offered me and everyone else a flyer for an English school as I walked out of Oxford Circus tube into this crowded and surprisingly tacky centre … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative teaching techniques, Cambridge Delta, CELTA, Dodgy TEFL school owners, ELT management, finding good TEFL jobs, first TEFL job, Job security, Learner motivation, Oxford Street schools, Teacher training, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL certificate, TEFL in the UK, TEFL qualifications, TEFL scams, TEFL working conditions | Tagged | 6 Comments

Live a TEFL dream

Posted on 09/06/2009 by alexcase

A guest piece by the first person to take me up on my offer to be “exploited”, Stevie Jobbers of TEFL course provider EOLCI. “Many people reading about TEFL think it is too good to be true that you can … Continue reading →

Posted in finding good TEFL jobs, first TEFL job, Teacher training, Teaching English Abroad, Teaching English in China, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL certificate, TEFL qualifications, TEFL scams | Tagged | 6 Comments

How’s your ultimate job and/ or life going?

Posted on 04/06/2009 by alexcase

Not got either, you say? Well, maybe you should try a job with is “the most exciting employment opportunity of your life” which is “not hard” and “pays well”. Apparently you can “forget the commute, over-time …missed lunches… jammed photocopiers and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bruce Veldhuisen, Dodgy TEFL courses, finding good TEFL jobs, first TEFL job, links, Teacher training, Teaching English Abroad, Teaching English in Thailand, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL celebs/ TEFL heroes and villains, TEFL certificate, TEFL International, TEFL qualifications, TEFL scams, TEFL working conditions, TESOL | Tagged | 2 Comments

How to spot a bad TEFL job Part One

Posted on 05/05/2009 by alexcase

– Job ads that start with descriptions of the place instead of the school. Here is a particularly extreme example: “You may have heard of the world-famous Bogor Botanic Garden in Java, Indonesia. This is Indonesia’s first and foremost botanic … Continue reading →

Posted in EF, first TEFL job, Teaching English in Asia, Teaching English in Indonesia, Technology, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL chains, TEFL working conditions | 4 Comments

Letter from a reader- TEFL for oldsters

Posted on 20/04/2009 by alexcase

I’ve already replied by email (see below), but I’d be very interested to see what others had to say about it- as would he! “I am interested in becoming a TEFL teacher but before training I would be interested to … Continue reading →

Posted in first TEFL job, Teacher training, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL, TEFL career planning | 5 Comments

TEFL jobs glossary

Posted on 08/04/2009 by alexcase

“Enthusiastic” = Will work split shifts without complaint “Energetic” = Won’t get sick just because of a lot of work and lack of holidays “Passionate” = Will act like a clown in kids’ classes to make up for a complete … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge ESOL, CELTA, Dodgy TEFL school owners, finding good TEFL jobs, first TEFL job, TEFL career planning, TEFL certificate, TEFL qualifications, TEFL scams | 8 Comments