Going on an adventure teaching abroad takes some planning. If you plan properly and go through the 5 steps listed below your time overseas is likely to go more smoothly and you’ll be able to make more of the opportunities that come your way. Welcome to guest blogger...
Welcome to Ally - a former ICAL student - writing this guest post. Ally began her TEFL life after a career in banking; here she talks about her first experience teaching English which happened in a small town in northern Italy. Living in Italy had been my dream for...
Anyone who has taught English abroad knows that TEFL is a fantastic way to travel and experience life in different countries. I started teaching three weeks after I graduated from university. I got on a plane and headed off to Spain and the start of an incredible...
This article answers a question we're asked quite a lot: do you have to give up your nationality or citizenship when you go and work in another country? The simple answer which applies 99.9% of the time is: No. The rest of this article explores this topic in more...
Do you want to travel the world? Experience what other cultures have to offer? Visit the greatest sights on Earth? Well English teachers working abroad get to do that. As a teacher you can work right across the world and experience some incredible places and cultures....
There are many reasons why people move abroad, but it often happens that someone abroad is looking for work and stumbles over the idea of teaching English. This article is a quick guide for expats thinking about teaching English as a part-time or full-time job while...
Central America is a very popular destination for American teachers (but you will certainly find other nationalities there). Conditions tend to be fairly basic and sometimes you will find schools lack the most essential facilities, especially in poorer districts....
Shanghai (Hu for short, also known as Shen) has again topped the list of preferred cities in China for expats. The survey was published by the Beijing magazine International Talent Monthly and the China Association for International Exchange of Personnel. Some 72,000...
There have been a lot of problems with teachers getting ripped off in China by unscrupulous agents and illegal agents. In fact, one reliable estimate from the CFTU (more on them later) is that only around 20% of agents in China are authorized and legal - the other...
Do you want to teach English in India? With ICAL TEFL you can become qualified to teach English. The ICAL TEFL Certificate is your key to getting a teaching job, earning money and making a difference! This course is ideal if you want to teach English in India. It is...
First off let me say I'm a cat lover. And a dog lover. But this English teacher goes one step further. She was teaching English in China and adopted a stray cat. Then she spent £2,500 (about $3,800 USD) to take it back to the UK when she left the country. I don't...
When you work in a school in China your details are registered with the authorities. If you leave this school and want to move to another you must obtain a Release Letter from the school. With this, your new employer will be able to register you. Without it, you will...
There have been rumors floating around about the recent changes made for any teacher joining the EPIK scheme to teach in South Korea. This blog post explains exactly what those changes are and exactly what you need to join EPIK. What is EPIK? EPIK is a program run...
Diabetes is a medical condition where a person has high blood sugar (glucose) levels. There are 3 types of diabetes (see below) and the incidence of diabetes is increasing significantly in developed countries. It has been described in terms of "epidemic" proportions...
This simple flowchart graphic shows where you can work as a TEFL teacher. It's general in approach and there are many exceptions. (For more on this, see the useful links under the graphic.) Useful Links Where to Teach English as a Foreign Language - general...
So, you've got your qualifications, had your interview and now you've been offered a job teaching abroad. And you suddenly realize that in just a very short time you'll be climbing aboard an airplane and heading off into the unknown and suddenly you're thinking, What...
The language spoken predominantly in the Philippines. It is a "prestige" version of Tagalog and alongside English one of the national languages. The video shows a few basic phrases (greetings and suchlike) in Filipino.
The world of teaching English is full of acronyms. One question which pops up all the time is: what is the difference between TEFL and TESOL and TESL and CELTA and... and also: should I get a TEFL certificate or a TESOL certificate? This article explains what these...
Korea is a unique country that has a lot of offer. But one thing the country does lack is diversity. As a result, you feel isolated, belittled and often times, hated as a foreigner. Especially a black foreigner... We'd like to welcome Tate Nanje as a guest author of...
To teach in Italy you need: to have a degree (a BA/BSc in almost any subject is fine) to have a TEFL certificate to be a native English speaker The ICAL online TEFL Certificate Course will give you a thorough grounding in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)....
This article looks at the practicalities of being a single parent and working as a TEFL teacher abroad with your child living there with you as either a single mother or single father. At first glance it may seem very difficult but there are solutions to many of the...
This is a first-hand account of what it's like to teach English in Greece written by an English teacher who went out there many years ago... and never got around to leaving! What's it like? Damn fine! Teaching English in Greece is one of the better choices one can...
TESL Canada is a national federation of teachers based in Canada. They are a well respected organization who have, amongst other things, developed a set of minimum standards for training teachers working in Canada. Programs which meet these standards are recognized...
Taking Pets Abroad is generally not a good idea when you as a TEFL teacher go away to teach and this article explores when it's best to leave them behind and then those rare occasions when it's actually a good idea. Above all, remember that the well-being of your dog,...
TESOLANZ - Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Aotearoa New Zealand - is the New Zealand association of ESL teachers in all areas of education. They are a major representative of the sector lobbying for the language needs of migrants and refugees. ...
ALTE is the Association of Language Testers in Europe. It has developed a set of descriptors for language exams which say what a language learner at a particular level is able to achieve (i.e. understand or produce, etc). ALTE was founded by the Universities of...
Generally speaking, we can divide language classrooms into two types: monolingual and multilingual. In a monolingual TEFL class all the students speak the same mother tongue and are learning English. In a multilingual TEFL class, however, the students speak a...
Tax for TEFL/TESOL Teachers Unless you have a lot of money, tax is unavoidable. This article discusses the tax situation for teachers working abroad. Please note that information here, whilst true to the best of our knowledge, is not legal advice and when dealing with...
The English language was heavily influenced by French in the past and there is a great deal of overlap between the two languages, both in terms of vocabulary and grammar. However there are a number of major issues that French native speakers have when they learn...
TEFL teachers head abroad all the time to spend a year or more teaching in a new country. During that time it's important to stay connected by phone and email and on the internet, not only to keep in touch with family and friends back home, but also to access the...
