BeccaLyn7

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Wow, I've not been on this for ages and I've not used my TEFL qualification yet either. So what has been going on? Well I got out of my admin job and am currently covering maternity in a school in Wales, teaching Welsh. This comes to an end soon, so the hunt starts again. The plan as it stands is - End of November New Zealand here I come! It's the 1st place me and...

Barcelona!

It's been a while, but I think I've reached a decision! After a week in Barcelona I think it's the place for me, I mean it has everything I could want from a place, weather, beaches, culture, art, nice people oh I love it, so here we go, any tips/jobs anyone knows of in Barcelona or sites where I can find a job let me know!!! :) I am excited! I don't think I'll...

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Recent Discussion in BeccaLyn7’s Groups

Group	Topic	Activity	Posts
Spain	Where to work in Southern Spain	May 20	5
Help! I’m Stuck on my TEFL Course!	Teaching English to Young Learners Question 5	May 19	2
Help! I’m Stuck on my TEFL Course!	Checkpoint Five clarification	May 19	2
Help! I’m Stuck on my TEFL Course!	Help please!!!	May 18	2
Help! I’m Stuck on my TEFL Course!	Grammar assessment	May 17	5

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Hi Becca

Portugal is a really nice country to live and work in. The cost of living is pretty cheap, people are generally friendly (although being able to speak at least a little Portuguese or Spanish helps) and the weather is pretty nice. That said, the north of Portugal is prone to fairly torrential rain, so bring a good umbrella! :)

I had never heard of Sao Joao da Madeira so I Googled it. According to Google maps, it's a 40 min drive south from Porto (probably slightly longer on the bus). It's within easy enough reach of nice towns like Aveiro and Coimbra, and beaches such as Espinho, so location-wise, it looks good.

So, what about the teaching? The biggest problem I've faced is a complete lack of respect from students. They quite simply never shut up, not even when you're talking, or doing a listening. I've even had kids having a chat in the middle of a test! They are also incredibly loud, never speaking in anything less than a dull roar. If you were prone to migraines, Portugal would be a very bad choice!

In general the students have excellent listening skills, and by virtue of that, speaking skills. This is because films in Portugal are subtitled rather than dubbed (the exception being children's films) so the kids are used to hearing English being spoken. They are not especially keen on reading, and they hate writing. Much of the teaching is with young teenagers (NOT my favourite age group!). Nonetheless, I survived my first year in teaching, and I have enjoyed living in Portugal. I'd definitely recommend it.

If you have any other questions, please ask. :)

Hey,

I hope the grammar is starting to stick. If you're looking for a good grammar book you might want to take a look at this one:

http://www.onlinetefl.com/essential-tefl-book

This has a really good guide to grammar in it (i've actually used it myself to help me get my head round grammar!), plus loads of lesson plans and activities that you might help you when your doing the checkpoints and for when you start teaching!

Laura

I'm trying to live the dream!

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