Getting your students to write confidently and accurately can be difficult. Here are a few great writing activities that will keep your students enthusiastic and excited about writing:   1. Chinese Whispers   This activity is sometimes known as "Consequences", but it is also a version of "Chinese Whispers". The teacher writes a sentence and secretly shows it to student A in the class. For example: "The cat climbed onto the table." Student A has...

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TEFL courses are a great ‘nest’ for you to grow in, but as with anything it’s when you build up the guts to get the heck out of the nest when you will truly start learning!  But the question is, will you fly in the classroom or will you die an awkward death to the delight of your students?  Here are a few tips to trick death and at least make it to land with...

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Click here for 20 free examples of lesson activities!!! There are lots of newly qualified teachers on chalkboard who are about to embark not only on the adventure of a lifetime, but also on an exciting new career.  I know as a new teacher I had lots of anxieties such as: - Oh my god, what am I doing??!   - Is this the right choice for me?   - Will I be a good teacher?   -...

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Sometimes you will have planned a fabulous lesson and you’re amazingly confident that this is going to be the best lesson EVER!  But then it all goes to pot!  Sometimes too few students turn up, equipment doesn’t work, students aren’t in the mood, or some students finish activities before others and start to disrupt the others to name a few of the possible problems!  So it’s always good to have some back up activities –...

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Whether you require inspiration, lesson plans, resources, pictures or advice on how to teach a grammar point -  have no fear…there are plenty of resources available for free on the internet!!  It’s important to remember to adapt the things you get from the net to suit your classes needs – remember no two classes are the same!  Here are my top 5 websites that I have found useful: ESLbase.com For me, this is one of...

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If you think that TEFL job interviews are difficult, scary and worth losing sleep over, then you might be happy to know that they aren’t!  Interviews vary according to the institution you are applying for, but unless you’re applying for top schools or universities, you will find TEFL interviews a breeze compared to the formal interviews you get in your own country.  Nevertheless, you still have to make a good impression, so here are 7...

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Teaching English is a challenge, teaching large classes is the challenge of all challenges! By large classes, I’m talking 30 students and above. In fact in the TEFL world, generally anything above 20 is regarded as large and unproductive. In an ideal world everyone would teach smaller classes so students get the attention they deserve (and for the peace of the teacher’s mind and sanity!), but in some countries this is just not possible. So...

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Ni how!   In light of the internship being underway, I thought you guys might like a few games to keep your TEFL lights burning and give you some ideas.   I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know what works/doesn't work.  Also ask away if you don't understand the logistics!   Thanks, Emma Your i-to-i TEFL helper! Name of game: Calmer English skills: Speaking, Listening and Vocabulary.Objective: To practice/revise vocabulary This is a good...

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Teaching from a course book can get a bit stale if you don’t utilise it and inject some fun.  Some teachers avoid using their course book like the plague, whilst others confess to relying on it too much.  Balance is the key.  Students can also tend to groan when asked to open their course books as this usually signals a ‘boring’ activity.  What’s more students (and teachers) often don’t know what extra resources are in...

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Running out of money before pay-day... we've all been there! Here's how to make sure it doesn't happen while you're teaching abroad! Find out what the locals pay for things Chances are you are getting paid the same as the locals – so you don’t want to pay tourist rates – so go to the places where the locals go for cheap meals, shopping etc. Budget If you really want to go on that holiday...

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