Category Archives: TEFL career planning

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

Letter from a reader- DoSs as a sociological curiosity

Posted on 12/05/2009 by alexcase

“Hi Alex, I am currently researching the TEFL industry from a sociological perspective, and notice that you seem to be quite prominent in discussing the more social phenomena of the industry on blogs, etc. As someone who has been involved … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming a Director of Studies, Dodgy TEFL school owners, ELT management, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL career planning, TEFL scams | 6 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

The TEFL mentoring experiment has begun

Posted on 23/04/2009 by alexcase

It took a while, but after reading Louise Lee’s guest piece calling for an online system of TEFL mentoring, we leapt into action (well, staggered to our feet like we had a makkoli hangover) and a mere 2 months later … Continue reading →

Posted in CPD, links, mentoring, Teacher associations, Teacher training, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL forums | 2 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

The secrets to being happy as a TEFL teacher

Posted on 11/04/2009 by alexcase

1. Low expectations Working as a care worker when I came out of university and in chicken nugget and packaging for Chinese takeaways factories nights in the holidays certainly helped for that, as did having a family for whom working … Continue reading →

Posted in TEFL career planning, TEFL working conditions | 34 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

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