Category Archives: EF

China Radio International investigation of EF

Posted on 30/11/2013 by alexcase

Some of the criticism is a bit random, but the reports of refusing refunds and Western-looking but non-native teachers seem genuine: Behind the Foreign Brand Name (radio programme and transcript)

Posted in EF, Teaching English in China | 5 Comments

Is a TEFL diploma worth more than a relevant MA?

Posted on 04/01/2012 by alexcase

EF in China and most British Council branches think so (though they are both involved in running diploma courses), whereas I don’t know of a single university which would agree (though they are all involved in peddling MAs). I have … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council, Cambridge Delta, Diploma in TESOL, EF, MA TESOL | 32 Comments

Can performance-related pay work in TEFL?

Posted on 02/01/2012 by alexcase

EF think so. The way they do it with young learner teachers in China is explained here: Kids performance management system What do you think of the concept? You can also see all their videos here if you are thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in EF, TEFL pay | 10 Comments

Applications to EF up 30%

Posted on 08/12/2011 by alexcase

Oh dear, young Americans (and the American economy) really must be in a desperate position… Data from this bit of PR fluff pretending to be an article: Americans travel across the world for jobs

Posted in EF | Tagged | Leave a comment

Substandard TEFL tied to another international sporting event

Posted on 29/10/2011 by alexcase

That’s right, EF (“EF English Frenchfries – the world’s most notorious ‘educational’ group”) have proven that they are indeed the Macdonalds of TEFL by being signed up to teach the entire population of Tatarstan before the Sochi Winter Olympic Games … Continue reading →

Posted in EF, Teaching English in Russia | Leave a comment

The EF English Proficiency Index rankings

Posted on 09/04/2011 by alexcase

There are all kinds of problems with the methodology of this survey, but it is certainly better than the ranking of countries by TOEIC scores that we have to put up with every year. It also gets a nice quote … Continue reading →

Posted in EF | 1 Comment

Host family horror stories

Posted on 30/07/2009 by alexcase

Actually, this very nice article on EF and Kaplan in California  is far more fair than my scandal raking post title (note to The Guardian- real journalism on TEFL is possible!), but thought it might be a good chance to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural differences/ cultural training, EF, Kaplan, links, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL chains, TESOL in the US | 1 Comment

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

Maybe British host families aren't the worst

Posted on 20/05/2009 by alexcase

This American family borrowed 1000 dollars off their Norweigan exchange student and then he got booted out of the country! Still, I still think host families in London win the prize. One Brazilian student told a hilarious story of rushing … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural differences/ cultural training, EF, links, TEFL, TEFL chains, TEFL in the UK | 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