Native In English

How many of the students learning English as a foreign language have had the chance of having native teachers' I don’t believe they are that many. The reasons are various: not many of them (students as well as native teachers) are willing to travel; costs are usually much higher; the students are afraid that their English level is not strong enough to have a teacher that can only communicate in English, etc. This last reason is one of the most common because learners are so used to having a teacher that speaks their mother tongue and explains in their own language different expressions, words, grammar issues, etc. They do not know that even if the teacher does speak their native language, it is much better if he doesn’t use it at all. Any other method of explaining...  [Read more]

TEFL or Teaching English as a Foreign Language refers to teaching English to students for whom it is not their mother tongue. TEFL can take place in English-speaking regions, for example in language schools or summer camps or before the start of a university degree, but usually occurs in the student´s own country. There, TEFL can be either within the state school system, or private, either in an after-hours language school or with a one-on-one tutor. The teachers may be native or non-native speakers of English. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)Taking a TEFL course as a non-native English speaker was a great experience, with a wild awakening. Life has a way of bringing surprises, not bad or good, they become what you make them to be, and the outcome depends on how you embrace...  [Read more]

The human mind loves simplicity and to generalize complicated matters. Talking about non native English speaking would assume that at least our English would be on the same level.The truth is that even among native English speaking people there is huge difference between understanding and knowledge about the language. That's why I can only share my thoughts on the course. Quick look on my background, I am 22 years old guy from Sweden that grew up with two Swedish parents.Understanding the courseA few days in the course we were asked to perform a simple task. We had one hour and I got in the same group as two native English speaking persons that both were 10 to 20 years older then me and with teaching background. We spent our first 30 min to discuss what we were supposed to do. ...  [Read more]

(From own experience as a volunteer English and French teacher, different forums and talks with other native and non-native teachers)All over the world more and more EFL schools advertise their courses highlighting that they only employ native speakers and reject applicants on the ground that it is the customers' expectation, opening the gates wide for native teachers and giving more obstacles to non-native ones (until they find themselves in a desperate need for a teacher'). But is it really the customers' expectation' Unfortunately teaching ability is not part of the mother tongue package! Non-native teachers could be compared with young new teachers of any subject they have just graduated: depending on their teaching ability, their skills in the subject, their personality, ...  [Read more]

  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 down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. Unit 5 is about a number of different teaching themes that can be applied to a range of contexts and situations. The unit covers information about Case studies, Frameworking, Problem-based learning, Games, Computer Aided Language Learning and Speech Act Theory. I have learned about the techniques that can be applied to these teaching themes (mainly the process of the activities and how to put the theory into...  [Read more]

The human mind loves simplicity and to generalize complicated matters. Talking about non native English speaking would assume that at least our English would be on the same level. The truth is that even among native English speaking people there is huge difference between understanding and knowledge about the language. That?s why I can only share my thoughts on the course. Quick look on my background, I am 22 years old guy from Sweden that grew up with two Swedish parents. Understanding the course A few days in the course we were asked to perform a simple task. We had one hour and I got in the same group as two native English speaking persons that both were 10 to 20 years older then me and with teaching background. We spent our first 30 min to discuss what we were ...  [Read more]

TEFL or Teaching English as a Foreign Language refers to teaching English to students for whom it is not their mother tongue. TEFL can take place in English-speaking regions, for example in language schools or summer camps or before the start of a university degree, but usually occurs in the student´s own country. There, TEFL can be either within the state school system, or private, either in an after-hours language school or with a one-on-one tutor. The teachers may be native or non-native speakers of English. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Taking a TEFL course as a non-native English speaker was a great experience, with a wild awakening. Life has a way of bringing surprises, not bad or good, they become what you make them to be, and the outcome...  [Read more]

Home > TEFL Videos > Video FAQ We at ITTT have made it our goal to offer high-quality TEFL certification courses to people who are looking to work as English language teachers in classrooms around the globe. We will guide you every step of the way from choosing the right course to applying for your first TEFL job. We know that you have a lot of questions regarding our TEFL courses and future job possibilities. That’s why we have set up the FAQ video selection below to answer the most common questions. Should you have any questions we fail to answer here, please do not hesitate to contact us.  [Read more]

Definition of TEFL: The acronym means the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language, usually in a country where the first language is not English. It could therefore be applied to any teaching situation where the English Language Learner (ELL) has a first language which is not English. The profession of teaching is regulated throughout the world, although the level of regulation varies from country to country. This is also true of the EFL teaching sector, however, there are some differences. The teaching of EFL has two main sectors, public and private. The public sector mainly includes government institutions such as schools and higher education institutions. The private sector includes private schools and language centers and a large number of self employed freelance teachers. Each of...  [Read more]

  "Your" and "you're" often get confused, not only by English learners around the world but also by many native English speakers. Let's break it down. "Your" is a possessive adjective that indicates ownership, while "you're" is simply the contraction of "you are". Let's take a look at this example sentence: Your grades are great this semester. In this case, we use 'your' as we use it to indicate ownership. You're the best student in the entire school! This example require us to use 'you're' because it is the short form for 'you are'. Should you not be sure which one to use, think about if you want to express ownership or of you want to say "you are". Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online...  [Read more]

  The three words lightening, lightning and lighting are easily confused by English learners and even native speakers. Let's take a look at the differences. Lightening is the present participle of the verb to lighten describing the action of making something less heavy. A good example would be "I was lightening the load on my horse because it was exhausted." Lightning refers to a streak of static electricity through the sky usually accompanied by thunder, as here "I was struck by lightning while playing golf in a storm." Lighting is the arrangement of light especially in photography. A suitable example for this would be "The photo was dull because the lighting wasn't good enough". Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL...  [Read more]

I would like to briefly consider the complexity of a non ' native English teacher in contrast to a native English teacher. My curiosity in this area has stemmed from participating on a TEFL course as a native English speaker. The diversity of students resulted in the course consisting of several students where English is their second language. It also highlighted the immense difference between 'American English' and 'British English'. The initial perception the non ' native English speakers generally voiced, was that the 'natives' had a head start. The more this was unravelled the benefits soon became a rather grey area.'A non- native teacher is a learner for life' Malgorzata Swwaj,English Unlimited, Poland. 1999The fine line that can potentially exist when teaching English to ...  [Read more]

  In this video, Linda explains the difference between "then" and "than" two words often confused by native and non-native English speakers alike. "Than" is a conjunction used for comparisons, such as here: "Her car is faster than yours". "Then", on the other hand, is an adverb used to situate actions e.g. "I did my homework, then I had a nap?. As you can see, the usages of the two words is very different and cannot be used interchangeably. Keep their differences in mind and you'll not make any mistakes in the future. 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 down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly...  [Read more]

  Ben taught English in South Korea for four years before returning to his native California. In this TEFL review he describes how after returning home, he decided to seek out further qualifications in teaching English and found ITTT’s online TEFL course was the right one for him. Despite teaching English for several years, Ben found that the course had several new things to teach him including new methods and techniques. 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 down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the...  [Read more]

Within the English Language there are many problems that as native speakers we don't really think about but when learning the English language as a second language there are many common misunderstandings and problems that arise. These can be divided into lexical and structural problems.One of the most common lexical problems is that of ambiguity. This is evident in idiomatic speech, homographs and homonyms within the English language.'Kick the bucket' is a classic idiom that describes death and someone physically kicking a bucket. 'This ambiguity cannot be resolved by syntactic structure' because they both have exactly the same structure so the only way to analyse the meaning of this sentence is to look at the context that it is said or written in. ...  [Read more]

For the native Japanese speaker, English poses a couple distinct problems in pronunciation. The first being the basic pronunciation of l and r. As is stated in Nakama 1: 'the [r] sound in Japanese'is neither [l] nor [r] in English(p. 12).' The Japanese speaker has difficulty separating and pronouncing the sounds of l and r as he or she has a predisposition to pronounce them as a hybridized sound being both l and r. Another difficulty in English pronunciation for Japanese speakers is the non-phonetic/non-pictographic nature of English. The twp basic Japanese alphabets, the Hiragana and Katakana, are phonetic alphabets, the Hiragana used for Japanese words and particles, while the Katakana is used for foreign words transferred into Japanese. Given these two alphabets,...  [Read more]

While teaching English abroad you are unlikely to face any type of discrimination from fellow teachers as most are like-minded people who are easy-going and accepting of the world in all its diversity. However, it can be a different story when it comes to employers. In some parts of the world, including some of the most popular teaching destinations, traditional, conservative views and opinions are still commonplace and this can lead to some uncomfortable situations. Many people still have the mistaken belief that all you need to teach English is to be a native English speaker and those that aren’t will never be as good at it. However, this view on teaching couldn’t be more wrong. To be an effective TEFL teacher you need to have a solid understanding of the workings of the language...  [Read more]

IntrodutionEnglish Pronunciation: How does it differ and why' We''re all native English speakers aren''t we, what''s all this about sounding different' Everyone knows that a guy from the states sounds different to a fellow from England. But, can we break it down' Can we state a few simple rules that are continually repeating' Rules that a country''s native always follow when pronouncing a word. The rules which determine their accent. Let''s try. MainAccents vary within countries, so as a starting point, let''s just take the standard English that is spoken. This is considered to be ''General American'' for the US and ''Received Pronunciation'' for England.Rule 1: American is rhotic (i.e. pronouncing all r''s) and English is non-rhotic (pronouncing r''s only when followed by a...  [Read more]

Teaching English abroad is an increasingly popular career option for native English speakers of all ages. Knowledge of the English language and the ability to use it are also in increasing demand all over the world. Because of the high demand for teachers and the growing popularity of teaching abroad, certification to be a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) teacher is fast becoming a requirement for most schools. This certification is often referred to as a TEFL or TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate. 'A TEFL certificate is the standard international EFL qualification for working abroad as an English teacher' (International TEFL Teacher Training, http://www.teflonline.net/). The training provided in a TEFL course prepares the...  [Read more]

Reach To Teach is ESL Teacher Placement Agency placing thousands of happy native English teachers into schools around the world. Whether you are looking for a government teaching program or want to work at a private language school, the professional recruiters from Reach To Teach can help you make the right decision and find a suitable teaching position in your desired location! Reach To Teach places teachers into the following regions. If you want to teach English in China and immerse yourself in Chinese culture and learn Mandarin Chinese, teaching with Reach To Teach is the perfect opportunity for you. Reach To Teach currently works with many exciting young learner, adult, and online schools for teachers that want to teach in China. Your salary as an English teacher in China will be...  [Read more]

EPIK stands for the English Program in Korea, a scheme run by the South Korean government that places foreign teachers into schools across the country to work as English language instructors. EPIK is one of the largest and most popular schemes of its kind as it offers a competitive salary, a good range of extra benefits, and the chance to experience living and working in a unique cultural environment. If you meet the specified criteria then you could be one of the thousand plus teachers heading to South Korea this year to join the program. If you are interested in the EPIK program, we recommend reaching out to our TEFL recruitment partner Reach To Teach. Reach To Teach is an official partner of the EPIK program (English Program in Korea) and works with the Korean Ministry of Education...  [Read more]

Every year, thousands of new and experienced teachers head to Europe looking for adventure while working as an English language teacher. A large number of these will arrive in the usual hotspots across Italy and Spain where the competition for jobs can be very high. If you are looking for something a little different that is slightly off the beaten path, then the Central European Teaching Program (CETP) may be worth a look. The CETP is a long running program that places applicants into schools in Hungary to work as English language teachers. The CETP is open to native English speakers from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., or any other EU country. As the scheme has no official upper age limit it is a particularly good option for older teachers who might find it difficult to secure jobs in...  [Read more]

Vietnam is one of several booming destinations for teaching English in Southeast Asia. In recent years the demand for teachers has grown enormously and the salaries on offer have also improved due to increased competition among schools looking to employ the best teachers. Teachers who have spent time in Vietnam overwhelming say it is a great place to live and work, so if you want to find out for yourself, how do you go about it? In order to get a work permit to teach English legally in Vietnam you will need to be a native English speaker with a bachelor’s degree. Many employers will also insist on a TEFL/TESOL certificate of at least 120-hours duration. Some jobs at the top end of the pay scale will also require some level of classroom experience, although these are relatively small in...  [Read more]

Portugal is one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations, with miles of unspoilt beaches, a warm Mediterranean climate and some of the best cuisine in the region. The country’s booming tourism industry is one of the main reasons why there is a strong demand for English language teachers as knowledge of English is necessary to find work in what is Portugal’s biggest job sector. Unfortunately, Portugal’s economy is currently quite weak so teacher’s salaries are not particularly high. However, it is the local lifestyle that attracts people to this corner of Europe rather than the pay scale. If you want to teach English in Portugal in any type of school you will need a university degree and a TEFL/TESOL qualification. Most employers also expect at least one years teaching...  [Read more]

I would like to briefly consider the complexity of a non ? native English teacher in contrast to a native English teacher. My curiosity in this area has stemmed from participating on a TEFL course as a native English speaker. The diversity of students resulted in the course consisting of several students where English is their second language. It also highlighted the immense difference between ?American English? and ?British English?. The initial perception the non ? native English speakers generally voiced, was that the ?natives? had a head start. The more this was unravelled the benefits soon became a rather grey area. ?A non- native teacher is a learner for life? Malgorzata Swwaj,English Unlimited, Poland. 1999 The fine line that can potentially exist when teaching...  [Read more]

In today's world the term 'global' takes on an entirely new meaning. Initially termed to mean in reference to the world as a whole, as opposed to individual countries, but today, while still holding true, it also means something more. The internet, modern media, email, and even to a lesser extend telephones, have made it possible to communicate with almost every person on the planet, a thought not even considered possible one hundred years ago. People separated by thousands of miles have never been closer and it takes nothing more than a touch of a button. The French can talk to the United States of America, the Brazilian to the United Kingdom, Africa to Asia; you could probably even speak to someone studying in the Antarctic if you tried hard enough. Or at least these people ...  [Read more]

English is the 'trade language' of the world'used in over 135 countries to communicate business transactions and international politics. Around 1 billion people in the world speak English. As of the year 2000, 750 million people, 350 million of whom speak it daily, were said to speak English. Millions of world citizens are now using what has been coined, 'Offshore English', to conduct business with other speakers of English as a second language. It has become evident after many failed business deals that native speakers of English must adapt their language to better suit their overseas colleagues.One example of an unsuccessful business venture due to miscommunication is found on Using English.com, in an article titled, 'What is Offshore English'' The article offers an...  [Read more]

I am a ?Purist? at heart. For me the only acceptable, the only correct, the only ?propah? way to speak (and spell) English is as illustrated in the Encyclopedia Britannica ? the British English, so to speak. I have always been a staunch champion of Dr. Doolittle and all the other guardians of the English language. However, being a teacher of the English language, I can no longer turn a blind eye to the ?globalization? of English, which is - ?now a mish-mash of words incorporated from over 350 languages, and is still undergoing constant change, with hundreds of words/phrases coming into existence every year, some fading away, but many finding their way into dictionaries and thesauruses! One can pronounce words in many different ways and still be understood!! The...  [Read more]

I am a 'Purist' at heart. For me the only acceptable, the only correct, the only 'propah' way to speak (and spell) English is as illustrated in the Encyclopedia Britannica ' the British English, so to speak. I have always been a staunch champion of Dr. Doolittle and all the other guardians of the English language.However, being a teacher of the English language, I can no longer turn a blind eye to the 'globalization' of English, which is - 'now a mish-mash of words incorporated from over 350 languages, and is still undergoing constant change, with hundreds of words/phrases coming into existence every year, some fading away, but many finding their way into dictionaries and thesauruses! One can pronounce words in many different ways and still be understood!! The emergence of so ...  [Read more]

English has become the global language of choice in this world. What other language can you easily find in any corner of the globe that you choose to travel' From Chile to Japan to Egypt to Russia and beyond English is the one language you can count on finding in your travels.So how did English become the language of choice for the world' Are there more native English speakers than that of other languages' Is English the easiest language for non-native speakers to learn, or are other speakers in love with the language for its eloquence and grace'The answer to the globalization of English is none of the above. A more astute answer would be to say that English, much like Microsoft Windows, was in the right place at the right time when standardization was badly needed due to...  [Read more]