Category Archives: British Council

The Best of Chasing TEFL Ladies

Posted on 06/05/2010 by alexcase

No, not the history of trying to find a Liz to my John Soars in the teachers’ rooms of the world… One of the reasons my last post was even more untopical than usual was that when I went to … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A typical TEFL biography (and one big difference)

Posted on 04/01/2010 by alexcase

The typical bit: “I did not know what I wanted to do but I did know what I did not want to do.  I did not want to work in the UK. “ and the untypical bit: “A panel of misguided … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council, TEFL, TEFL heroes- Alan Maley | Tagged | 1 Comment

What was the biggest change in TEFL in the Noughties?

Posted on 21/12/2009 by alexcase

If you’d asked me in 1999, I probably would’ve predicted that Task Based Learning was going to take over the TEFL world, for better or worse. What a damp squib that turned out to be, with apparently even Cutting Edge … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council, Dogme, Electronic dictionaries, ELT publishing, Humanistic language teaching, IELTS, Interactive whiteboard, International House, Pilgrims, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching English in Thailand, teaching online, Technology, TEFL blogs, TEFL in the UK, Twitter, Wall Street | 10 Comments

A big change at the BC

Posted on 04/12/2009 by alexcase

British Council Chennai only employs local teachers. I wouldn’t be surprised if it has been imposed on them by visa restrictions, but if it works I can see them trying to spread the idea elsewhere. A welcome change? Likely to … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council, Teaching English in India | Tagged | 13 Comments

Proof of a TEFL oligarchy??

Posted on 18/10/2009 by alexcase

I’d always scoffed at such conspiracy theories before, but I could have sworn that there were more than this many publishers of EFL materials in the UK. Maybe Delta Publishing etc have all been taken over by Saudi oil princes like Premiership … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council, ELT publishing | 14 Comments

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

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

The disadvantages of teaching in Japan

Posted on 18/05/2008 by alexcase

“My first two years in Japan were spent teaching English… The students… studied English- or should I say, English was taught in their presence. Nothing ever seemed to sink in. Years of classes and endless tests and still they couldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in becoming a teacher trainer, British Council, Business English and ESP, Cambridge Delta, CELTA, Cultural differences/ cultural training, Dave Sperling's ESL Cafe, Eikaiwa, English Teachers in Japan, Functional language, JALT, Materials, Mixed ability classes, Pairwork and groupwork, Problem students, Teacher forums, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching low levels, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL working conditions, TOEIC | 22 Comments

You know your school owner has got delusions of grandeur when…

Posted on 03/04/2008 by alexcase

…the school’s founding documents start with “Now, therefore, know ye that We, by virtue of Our Royal Prerogative and of all other powers enabling Us in that behalf, do, of Our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, by these … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council, TEFL | Leave a comment

Sustainable TEFL blogging Part One

Posted on 11/02/2008 by alexcase

I really should wait until I’ve been blogging for 3 or 4 years before I presume to give lessons to the overly keen and/ or angry TEFL bloggers who have quit the game recently, but haven’t got anything else to … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council, Teaching English in Japan, TEFLlogue, TEFLtrade, TESOL | Leave a comment