If you want to teach English abroad then the two basic qualifications you need are a degree* and a TEFL certificate. Twenty years ago if you wanted a TEFL certificate this meant spending several weeks at bricks-and-mortar school, attending class in the traditional...
It's doing the rounds of the internet - an Italian YouTube chef shows how frustrating and impossible the English language can sometimes be. In the video quite simply he just wants to say "Worcestershire Sauce". https://youtu.be/YwTT8YQFJDQ But Pasquale Sciarappa fails...
When we talk about the future, most often we'll use words like will or be going to: They will arrive tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to see the match. However, there is an alternative: shall. These days, people often talk about shall as though it's on its way out and...
An octopus has 8 legs. Or arms, depending on your point of view. The name octopus comes from Ancient Greek and is made up of 2 parts: ὀκτώ = okto = 8 πούς = pous = foot/leg So octopus is originally Greek. Remember that, it has implications later in this article! Now...
Oh language! Do we want to go down the route of there being no rules, just a few nebulous suggestions which change over time? Are we like the freethinking parents at sports day who declare that every child wins because they are all special? Or are we on the side of...
This article looks at a few ideas you should bear in mind if you have blind or visually impaired students in your TEFL class. Over the years we at ICAL TEFL have had a number of blind and visually impaired teacher trainees taking our course and we have worked with...
For many Americans teaching abroad, the first year away can be both exciting and challenging. Hopefully, however, filing your US tax return will not be one of the challenges! The following FAQ addresses some basic tax-related questions for American teachers. (Note,...
From October 31st, 2014 new regulations come into force in China which will affect all TEFL teachers. Notably teachers will now need a TEFL certificate to prove they have qualifications to teach English. In future, all English teachers will need: a bachelor's degree a...
Chinese Central Television CCTV, went undercover to report on how English schools in the country often employ under-qualified teachers without the official paperwork. This video report from CCTV shows what happened and promises further official crackdowns on illegal...
Using Thai security concerns as an excuse, the Teachers' Council of Thailand (TCT) has announced (on 5th August 2014) that they will be setting up a database of foreign teachers in Thailand. Meanwhile The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has voiced concerns...
