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TEFL Lemon began in 2014 as an ESL blog on the WeChat platform in China, quickly becoming the biggest ESL blog on WeChat. TEFL Lemon provided English teachers with ELT articles to read and share, as well as free ESL lesson ideas, ESL games and fun speaking activities which TEFL Teachers could use in their classes. English teachers in China could also download free ESL flashcards on a variety of themes. Following their success on the WeChat platform, in 2018, TEFL Lemon decided to build their own website to offer their ESL Flashcard Games for Kids, ESL Warmers, ESL games and speaking activities for teens and adults for free to TEFL Teachers around the world. You can visit their website here. Not only do TEFL Lemon offer teachers brilliant ESL games and teaching ideas, but they also have...  [Read more]

Teaching EFL in the 21st century increasingly involves teaching students how to sift through and evaluate information in English using the Internet and other new technology. This is especially important for English-language students who plan to study or work in countries with knowledge-based economies. &ldquo;[T]he vast amount of information available on the Internet means that critical learning and literacy skills are more important than ever before,&rdquo;Mark Warschauer wrote in a recent U.S. State Department publication. &ldquo;We as teachers should help learners think critically at the microlevel, for example, by analyzing the perspectives and biases of individual World Wide Web sites.&rdquo;1<br /><br />As a teaching and learning tool, the...  [Read more]

Deciding to leave your old life behind and head overseas to teach English is a big move to make and one that can come with a few issues. One that many people encounter is how to stay in regular contact with friends and family. However old and independent you might be, the people you leave behind are likely to have some concerns and it certainly helps them and yourself if you are able to keep everyone informed of your experiences. While it is easy to make excuses and pass the buck, it ultimately is down to you to maintain relationships while you are teaching English abroad. The people you leave behind will have little understanding of the time difference, or your new work schedule, which means it is up to you to find the best time to make a phone or webcam call and to make the necessary...  [Read more]

  John is currently teaching in Seoul, South Korea in a local school and at his home. John completed the TESOL course with ITTT. In this TESOL review video, John tells us what he gained from taking the course. The knowledge he gained from the course has already helped to improve his lessons and he is getting positive feedback from his students. John runs all of his own classes and is responsible for creating and choosing the materials for his classes as well as planning the lessons. Having completed this TESOL course, John is now considering taking further courses including a TESOL diploma and possibly a master’s in TESOL. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken...  [Read more]

If you do not want to be tied to an individual English teaching platform and would prefer to be your own boss, you can potentially set up your own online teaching business. There are many different ways to set up your own online teaching service, although it obviously helps if you have some previous experience in the field of online language teaching. Former ITTT alumna Bri did just that and shared her story and top tips with ITTT on our TEFL blog: How To Start Your Own ESL Teaching Service  [Read more]

First we will look at the different levels of study currently available and how they relate to the world of TEFL qualifications. Taking the UK as an example, there are nine qualification levels; examples of actual UK qualifications at each level are given below: From the above, we can see that a degree in TEFL/TESOL is at level 6 and is therefore a very high level of study in the English teaching world. A few examples of such Level 6 courses are shown below: https://www.bachelorstudies.com/BA-English-Language-Linguistics-and-TESOL/United-Kingdom/York-St-John-University/ https://www.bachelorstudies.com/Bachelor-of-Arts-in-TESOL/USA/Great-Northern-University/ https://www.bachelorstudies.com/BA-TESOL/Thailand/Thongsook-College/ If you have a TEFL/TESOL degree the most obvious use of it would...  [Read more]

Phonetics has been defined by Roach (1992) as the 'scientific study of speech' (Roach, 1992: 81.) It is concerned with how speech sounds are formed, how we use them in our spoken language and how we can record these speech sounds using written symbols. Phonology on the other hand has been defined by Roach (1992) as 'the study of the sound systems of languages' (Roach, 1992: 82.) According to Roca and Johnson (1999), the way in which we speak is somewhat similar to playing a recorder. This is because when you play a recorder you have to blow air from your lungs, as you do when you speak. However, to play a tune, you cannot simply blow air into the recorder; you must have your fingers over specific holes. Therefore, when we speak, we have to interfere with the air that comes out...  [Read more]

Linda is a passionate traveler and English teacher exploring the world one country at a time. After studying Mandarin Chinese, she moved to Guangzhou, China, to pursue an internship at a German online marketing company. She loved it so much that she decided to move back to China after finishing her Bachelor’s degree in Management in California. After working in online marketing for a while, she got into English teaching. Teaching English overseas has enabled her to experience life in different countries and fund her passion for travel. She taught English in China for a year and also during my her year in South Korea. She’s been living in South Korea since 2015 and returned to working in online marketing and teaching online in 2016 remotely. On her Website, she shares her tips and...  [Read more]

Some people who head overseas to teach English grow to love the lifestyle so much that they never return to work in their home country. However, for the majority, the move back home will come at some stage, whether after a single year or much longer. For some it can be a difficult experience as you are no longer the person you were when you first left home. Everything can feel different, from the everyday language to the time zone, from the climate to the cuisine. Reverse culture shock can be genuinely unsettling. One way you can combat this, and continue the international focus of your new found way of life, is to find a job that allows you to use the new skills and knowledge that your time abroad has given you. One obvious step for many teachers is to simply continue working as an...  [Read more]

All ITTT TEFL courses result in a certificate that can be used when applying for ESL teaching positions anywhere in the world. Our TEFL courses range from 120-hours up to 550-hours. The majority of ESL teachers select an online course due to the flexibility of a self-paced course and its cheaper price. While these two factors make the courses ideal for most people, there are some real benefits to taking an in-class course over 4 weeks. The in-class courses are structured 4-week courses with face-to-face instruction from professional TEFL trainers. During an in-class course, trainees cover the same teaching techniques as the 120-hour online course with the added advantage of being able to put them into practice at local schools. After each class is taught by a trainee, the TEFL trainers...  [Read more]

Some people who go abroad to teach English fall in love with their new life overseas and never return to their home country. The majority, however, will return home at some point, whether after a single year or much longer. It can be a difficult experience for some because you are no longer the person you were when you first left home. Everything, from the everyday language to the time zone, the climate to the cuisine, can feel different. Reverse culture shock can be frightening. For many teachers the obvious next step is to continue working as an English language tutor. If you live in or near a relatively large city you are likely to come across language schools and community colleges that provide English lessons to international students, immigrants, and refugees, among others. With...  [Read more]

Of the tens of thousands of people who head overseas every year to teach English abroad, the vast majority will have some level of anxiety about meeting new people and making new friends. The good news is that most teachers soon forget these concerns once they are immersed in their new environment. The chances are high that you will not be the only foreign teacher in your new school, apartment building, or neighborhood. As well as other teachers, you can also expect to meet friendly and welcoming people from the local community who will be more than happy to help you settle into your new home. One obvious source of friendship in your new life overseas will be your place of work. The majority of teachers will find there are other foreign teachers working in the same school, many of whom...  [Read more]

The world of English language teaching is well known for its love of acronyms and unfortunately this can lead to a large amount of confusion amongst potential teachers, as well as those with plenty of experience in the field. Websites for course providers, job boards, recruitment programs, and any other teaching related information you might look at are likely to be littered with acronyms, including TEFL, tesol, and CELTA. So what is the difference between these terms? Short for Teaching English as a Foreign Language, TEFL is probably the most common acronym you will come across when conducting research for teaching English abroad. TEFL does not refer to a single training program, certification, or program provider but is simply a catch-all term for training courses and certification...  [Read more]

It is a common misconception that teaching English abroad requires a large amount of money up front before you even start earning. While you will need to cover the cost of your TEFL certification and get yourself to the destination you have chosen to work in, you should soon start earning enough to get those outlays back quickly. However, in some destinations the cost of living is so high that it can seem like you are constantly hemorrhaging money. So where can you teach English and live well on just a small budget? Here we look at some of the cheapest destinations for teaching English abroad. Thailand makes an appearance on many lists of the best places to teach English abroad for various reasons and one is its relatively low cost of living. Although the average salary for English...  [Read more]

South Korea is a small but incredibly beautiful country, and during the 4 week TEFL you will have fantastic opportunities to experience the rich culture and history. Not only will you have the chance for local excursions, but based in Incheon, you will be less than an hour away from the lively city of Seoul on the express train. The first week of your program includes in-depth cultural orientations, ensuring you deeply understand the Korean way of life and culture. This includes a welcome dinner, tour of the local neighbourhood and the “Grand” Palace (Gyeongbok Palace), taekwondo class and learning South Korean cookery and language. Incheon is home to Korea’s only official Chinatown, where you can try jajangmyun (noodles with black bean sauce) at the Gongwachun restaurant and for...  [Read more]

Throughout the ITTT course, the main suggestion for finding supplemental materials is to search through the school's resource library. There are obvious benefits to this: the staff may be able to direct you easily to what you are looking for, the materials can easily be photocopied (if that is an option), and the materials can be chosen as the need arises during the class. However, there is a whole other world of materials available on-line as well. While there are many places where Internet access is impossible, the teacher will probably be aware of this before arriving and could do some preparation and bring ideas and materials with them. For an isolated school, the teacher can also then cheaply and easily provide the resource library with new and updated activities, ...  [Read more]

I have been living in Malawi for the past several years, and, though I am definitely far from being an expert on any of the subjects mentioned here, I would like to share a few of my observations on the difficulties that Malawian students of English as a second language may encounter. Of course, these difficulties vary in intensity among the different sectors of the population, even to the point that, for some, one or more of these do not apply at all. Areas we can consider include social, educational, and economic challenges.One of the struggles that Malawian students can face from the social side is the fact that Chichewa is unofficially the 'national' language even though English pretends to hold that position. English is taught in all the schools, but if you just...  [Read more]

Whether you are just looking to earn some extra cash during a gap-year or are planning a more serious move into the world of education, teaching English as a foreign language has many benefits. The demand for TEFL qualified teachers is continually growing in many parts of the world and opportunities for making teaching a career are abundant. Also, if you decide that it is time to head back home, there are many directions in which your overseas teaching experience can take you. Although for many TEFL course graduates the aim is to head overseas to experience living and working in a foreign culture, it is not the only option. Plenty of people use their teaching qualification within their home country as increasing levels of immigration have led to a rapid increase in demand for ESL...  [Read more]

These acronyms are used when referring to training courses that English language teachers undertake, as well as the certification they receive upon completion. TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and tesol stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. As these terms are essentially the same, they are often used interchangeably, however, TEFL is most commonly used within the UK and tesol is usually preferred in the USA. Although some countries may favor one acronym over the other, it is important to remember that a TEFL certification and a tesol certification are exactly the same thing as the training involved is identical. Although TEFL and tesol training courses are identical and the acronyms are generally used interchangeably, there is a technical...  [Read more]

Teaching English abroad is a great way to see the world and get paid while doing it, but what does it actually involve? Before you buy a plane ticket and jet off across the world it is a good idea to research as much as possible about TEFL qualifications, the possible restrictions you might encounter when applying for jobs, and the long term prospects this path might lead to. Here we look at the answers to all these questions and more. These acronyms are used when referring to training courses that English language teachers undertake, as well as the certification they receive upon completion. TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. As these terms are essentially the same, they are often used...  [Read more]

If you are bored with the everyday grind and want a new life that is full of travel and adventure, TEFL could be the perfect option for you. First you need to choose the right TEFL course to suit your situation and then work your way through the training. Once you have completed the course and you have your TEFL certificate in hand you will be ready to head overseas to start work as an English language teacher in the country of your choice. These acronyms are used when referring to training courses that English language teachers undertake, as well as the certification they receive upon completion. TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. As these terms are essentially the same, they are often used...  [Read more]