What Is Cologne Germany Known For

For EU citizens looking to teach English in Germany it is relatively straightforward as they are able to work freely without a visa, while others such as Australians, New Zealanders, and Canadians can apply for a working holiday visa. However, for Americans and other non-EU citizens, there are fewer options when looking to live and work in the country. That being said, if you are patient it is definitely possible to obtain a work visa that allows you to fulfill your dream of teaching English in Germany. The application process can take up to two months and must be done from within Germany, so most teachers enter the country on a tourist visa. As the process is quite slow you will need to be able to support yourself financially while you wait for your application to be approved. It will...  [Read more]

In the 1990 United States census , 60 million Americans identified themselves as being of 'German' descent. Native speakers of German made up almost half of all immigrants to the United States between 1821 and 1893. These settlers had an almost immediate impact on the language. German borrowings such as sauerkraut, noodle and loafer came into common use as early as the 1820s . As these new arrivals and their descendants gained proficiency in the host language, they modified the usage of English words or substituted German words to fill perceived gaps in English expression. These later, more subtle influences have helped shape modern American English.Some German words were translated into English and retained the same usages, even if they did not apply in English. The use of the...  [Read more]

When I decided to get TEFL Certified, through ITTT, I did not think, that as a person who holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, completing the course work would be very challenging. After all, I studied wrote about and debated complex aspects of the language and literature all through out college. How could it not be easy' I really believed that I would breeze through the course work and it would take the minimal amount of time to be completed. I had finished the first three units quite quickly, in my arrogance I really did believe they all would be finished just as fast.Then I began Unit 4 (Present Tenses) and had a very rude awakening. It was with this unit, I realized that all my college training had not prepared me in any way shape or form for what lie ahead in future grammar...  [Read more]

I chose to write my article on this subject because I feel like I have so much to say about the course and how great I think it is. Wow! I don’t even know where to really begin because there is a lot that can be said about the course, but I will keep it to a minimum. I guess I would begin by saying that when I first registered for the course I thought it was going to be a breeze, because how could it not be' I am a native English speaker after all. I will say now that anyone who thinks this is in for a rude awakening. This course is very in depth and has taught me things that I would never have even considered before in the subject of teaching English as a foreign language. The first few lessons seemed to be pretty straight forward and I still thought it would be fairly...  [Read more]

It has always been my ambition to be a teacher and specifically to teach English as a foreign language. I have lived in London for 16 years, having moved from Portugal when I was eleven. My career up to this point has been in a totally different direction although I harboured secret ambitions to pursue my dream. I finally decided to take control of my future and looked for a course which could help me achieve my ambition. After much searching I came across this course on the internet which would fulfil my needs. I looked forward to starting the course and personally felt that being Portuguese, having attended an English Comprehensive school and living in the UK for so many years that I would find the course quite easy. However that was not the case it soon become apparent that...  [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]

To embark upon yet another career at the ripe old >?age of 51, may seem like madness to most people. However, most >?people would not have given up a successful 27 yr career in Nursing >?as I had done 7 yrs previously. This was to take a fitness >?qualification that enabled me to have??a “midlife” crisis, and >?become a fitness professional and eventually a Club Manager. >?However, the realization that advancing middle age was not >?conducive to teaching aerobics classes forever, led me to the >?beautiful island of Phuket in March 2007. My plan was to qualify as >?a TEFL teacher and remain on the island for a year at least, >?practicing my newly aquired skills. Yes, I could have done...  [Read more]

  Manuel from Germany took ITTT’s online 120-hour TESOL course. In this tesol review video; Manuel describes how, as a father of two small children, the format of the course enabled him to study on his own terms. With six months to complete the course, ITTT’s online TESOL courses are a great option for those with busy schedules, allowing you to study whenever and wherever you are able to do so. 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. ...  [Read more]

IntroductionWhen I decided I wanted to compare of course materials used for adult students here in Germany I contacted a teacher that has been working in Munich for over 15 years and asked here if she could help me. I did lend several books from here but in the end I chose to use two books. My chose depended on that these books where suitable for a comparative study because they aimed for the same level of students. The first book is called 'Network' and is a stage 1 book printed in 2001. The other book I chose to use is also a stage 1 book and is called 'First choice'. The reason for me choosing this book is that it is the newest book I managed to get a hold of and it is printed. My aim was to see how these books matched what I have been taught during the TEFL course and how...  [Read more]

In the 1990 United States census , 60 million Americans identified themselves as being of ?German? descent. Native speakers of German made up almost half of all immigrants to the United States between 1821 and 1893. These settlers had an almost immediate impact on the language. German borrowings such as sauerkraut, noodle and loafer came into common use as early as the 1820s . As these new arrivals and their descendants gained proficiency in the host language, they modified the usage of English words or substituted German words to fill perceived gaps in English expression. These later, more subtle influences have helped shape modern American English. Some German words were translated into English and retained the same usages, even if they did not apply in English....  [Read more]

  Mohamed from Morocco is living in Germany and has completed an ITTT TEFL course. In his TEFL review Mohamed explains how despite already having several years experience as an English teacher in China, he still found that he benefited from the course many different ways. 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. If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect)...  [Read more]

  In her TEFL review video Francesca from Germany talks about her 120 hour TEFL/TESOL online course. The course gave her a greater understanding of grammar and phonology. It also gave her many insights into how to structure her lessons. She now feels very confident in her ability to be able to deliver productive lessons to her students. She now plans to further her job prospects by completing ITTT's Teaching English to Young Learners course. 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...  [Read more]

Job interviews are notorious for causing anxiety, but if you know what to expect and you prepare accordingly you should find they are not as bad as you are expecting. The essential nature of any interview is to show that you are confident in your teaching ability, keen to get started, and able to fit into the existing workforce. By doing some research and planning in advance, you should be able to demonstrate all of this and land the job on the spot. The worldwide market for teaching English abroad covers dozens of countries and many types of employer. In some situations it is normal to complete the recruitment process before leaving home, including an interview conducted via Skype or phone. However, in many of the most popular destinations employers prefer to recruit their teachers...  [Read more]

  In this TESOL review video Eva from Germany talks about the reasons why she decided to do ITTT's 120 online TEFL/TESOL course with tutor support and how happy she was to achieve her certification. Eva also outlines the many benefits she gained from the course and how she is now planning to further enhance her qualifications by completing ITTT's Business English course. 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. In this unit, I learned about three...  [Read more]

The phenomenon known as globalization has been called by some "Americanization" (Hook, 2005, p. 288). American culture is the driving force creating the desire for acquiring English language skills. Several characteristics of the United States have made it the center of globalization (Nye, 2004, p. 41). The internet is anchored predominately in American culture. In addition, America is a multiethnic society and has connections with various parts of the world. Notice how Joseph Nye (2004) clarifies this point:America has borrowed freely from a variety of traditions and immigration keeps it open to the rest of the world. This makes the United States a laboratory for cultural experimentation where different traditions are recombined and exported. In addition, because of the...  [Read more]

  This particular methodology is known as a straight arrow ESA lesson. If every single lesson that we undertook with our students was a straight arrow ESA lesson then it is quite possible that the students would be able to predict what is going to come up next and whilst this is good for the lower level students, then it could potentially become a little bit boring for our higher level students. So what Harmer did in his ideas about ESA, was to generate two other types of ESA lesson that we can use to try and generate a little bit more interest. So, the other two types of ESA lesson that we can follow: The first is known as a boomerang lesson and the second is known as a patchwork lesson and what we're going to do is to have a look at those other types of ESA lesson in a little bit...  [Read more]

The following paper is a variation on the “What I wish I had known before the course” topic. I have decided to focus on what I can do with what I have learned. I am not certain I will enter into the field of English instruction. In my traditional business courses, and if I enter into English instruction I plan to focus on the following three areas.•Advocate for the use of high quality, Standard English•Use grammar instruction carefully•Encourage writing proficiency in all subjects/courses When teaching English—Quality CountsAdvocating for Standard English The launch speech of Professor Koh Tai Ann, Chairman of the Speak Good English Movement of Singapore is a wonderfully crafted document that spells out the economic and social advantages of...  [Read more]

Vocabulary is a set of words known to a person that are part of a specific language. The set of words are used by a person to construct a sentence and a form of communication needed to interact with another person. Increasing one´s vocabulary is considered to be an important part of both learning a language and improving one´s skills in a language. According to the National Reading Panel, to develop vocabulary, students should be taught both specific words and word-learning strategies. Familiarizing students with vocabulary rich in contexts provided by authentic texts, rather than an isolated vocabulary drill, it can produce a stronger vocabulary learning experience. Knowing vocabulary goes beyond definitional knowledge; it gets the students actively engaged in using and...  [Read more]

  Our final methodology is accredited to Jeremy Harmer and it's known by the letters ESA. Around 1998, Jeremy Harmer produced a book called "How to teach English" and basically what Harmer did, is a background to this book is to do what we have done today and to work through all of the different methodologies that have come about over the last 300 years. He highlighted for each of those methodologies what was good about it, what was positive and what didn't appear to work and then put all of the positive things into a melting pot and came out with this methodology, which he called ESA. It's a three-stage methodology, where each of the letters represents a particular phase of the lesson. The first one being called the engage phase, the second the study phase and the final one the...  [Read more]

In certain European countries such as France it can often be difficult for non-EU citizens to find teaching jobs. Employers generally prefer to hire EU passport holders who require no official clearance, rather than go through the long and complicated process of applying for a work permit. One option open to non-EU teachers is to apply for a student visa that also allows you to legally work a certain number of hours per week. Although your legal working hours are limited, it is common practice for teachers to supplement their income by taking on private students in their free time. This combination should allow you to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle while living and working in France. It is recommended that you allow a minimum of four weeks for the application to be processed. You should...  [Read more]

If you plan on heading to Europe to teach English it is important that you are aware of the regulations regarding visas and work permits in your chosen destination. The visa situation varies from one country to the next and may also depend on your own nationality. Because of this, we recommend that you visit the relevant embassy website to get the most up to date information before you make any final travel plans. As Spain is a member of the European Union, teachers from other EU member states do not need a visa to live and work legally in Spain. However, you will still need to apply for a residency permit and a tax number on arrival in the country. The application process should be straightforward and you can usually expect your employer to help you through it. For non-EU citizens,...  [Read more]

In recent years Cambodia has emerged as a popular destination for teaching English abroad. The capital Phnom Penh has plenty of great opportunities year-round, while other cities including Siem Reap, Battambang, and Sihanoukville also offer a significant number of teaching positions. A major attraction for some teachers is that, unlike many other countries in the region, there is no requirement to possess a 4-year degree. Whether you are a newly qualified TEFL graduate looking to gain classroom experience, or an experienced teacher looking to get off the beaten track, Cambodia is well worth considering. The figure you can expect to earn while teaching English in Cambodia will vary depending on your previous classroom experience and the type of employer. As a rough guide, a teacher with...  [Read more]

As it is one of the few countries in the world that overlaps two different continents, Turkey has long been a popular destination for international travelers. Due to a steadily growing demand for the English language across much of the country, it is now also an increasingly popular destination for teaching English abroad. Job opportunities can be found in many parts of the country, but the big markets for ESL teachers are located in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. Technically a degree in any subject is required for all teaching jobs; however, there are often not enough teachers to fill vacant positions so a TEFL certificate is sufficient for many employers. The monthly salary you can expect when teaching English as a foreign language in Turkey will vary from around $800 to $1,800 USD per...  [Read more]

Japanese people are known to be well educated. In the case of English, most people have at least six years of English learning experience in school. However in reality, the majority of those people are not able to hold a short, basic conversation in English, even just a few lines of greeting. A language is a communication tool. If you cannot communicate with it, it is pointless to spend so much time and effort on learning it' Thus, clearly something is ineffective in the way that English was taught in Japan to my generation or to the generations who are old enough to prove this inefficient result. In this article, I try to describe the problems that Japanese people have and the appropriate teaching aspects in terms of their English fluency and pronunciation, from the...  [Read more]

Motivation is fuel for learning. What motivates us to learn what we know' The answer to this question creates a foundation for our subject matter, which in the end will determine the permanence of that knowledge. As TEFL teachers, we should all look at our own experience as students and analyze what motivates us in a classroom. Let’s look to personal experience for evidence of the impact motivation has on the permanence of a foreign language and examine three main motivators for learning a new language: recognition, curiosity, and necessity. In school, we study for recognition. When I studied French at the university, I memorized many terms simply for the grade I desired; however, I was not able to communicate with French people I met. For many students the...  [Read more]

I suspect that most of us know that having a plan when we walk into a classroom is better than not having a plan. However, we may need to be reminded just how much having a plan can contribute to the quality of the class experience for the students, as well as the learning goals we have set for ourselves.In fact, the lesson plan acts as a framework for the time spent together. It helps us be clear about what we hope to accomplish with this particular class, or a series of classes, and outline how we are going to achieve that learning goal, step by step.Sometimes the plan will get tossed out the window, (figuratively speaking), when an urgent reason to deviate from the plan arises during class. Special situations may make it inappropriate to insist on sticking to a plan, and it...  [Read more]

I went to France when I was fourteen and I didn?t speak any French. I lived in Toulon where barely anyone spoke English; I was therefore forced to speak French everyday at home and at school. Being surrounded by French resulted in me being able to speak it fluently with no knowledge of French grammar. After ten months, I returned to Australia speaking French as my second language. I continued to study French at school, but in a completely different approach. The lessons were carried out in English and we studied the French news and French current affairs. I learnt a lot more complicated vocabulary and was able to form more complex sentences. I also studied beginner Spanish at school. From the first class, we were only allowed to speak Spanish. This approach...  [Read more]

In a world full of languages how does one place the English language' Most languages have a full history going back thousands of years. Can this really be said of English' No, but we can say that the history is full, one full of war and violence as well as compromise and inclusion. We might start in the year 449 AD in the island of Britain. At this time the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain as the Romans left to defend their homeland. The local Celtic people quickly adapted the ways of the German tribe and we saw the beginning of English, it is said that the majority of its words can be traced to this. As the next thousand years progressed we saw the invasion of the Danes, French Normans as well as the influence of the Church. This leads us up to the time when this...  [Read more]

There is often much confusion surrounding these acronyms but essentially they mean the same thing. TEFL = Teaching English as a Foreign Language tesol = Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages The above are generally used interchangeably, however, TEFL is most commonly used within the UK and tesol is usually preferred in Australia and 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 difference between the two. The general perception is that speakers of English as a foreign...  [Read more]

With a very convenient location right in the heart of Central Europe, Slovakia offers plenty of options for TEFL certified teachers. It is not yet on the radar of many teachers looking to live and work in Europe, but it should certainly be considered as it is a modern and progressive country that is rapidly developing. In its current form, Slovakia is a very young nation, but its overall history goes back centuries. Across the country you will find ancient castles, medieval fortresses, and a rich cultural heritage. Since joining the EU, the country has seen a rapid rise in the number of English language students, so if you are looking for a peaceful and safe country that is a little off the beaten path, why not look at Slovakia? Salaries in Slovakia are not large by European standards,...  [Read more]