Non Native Speakers

Hi everyone,   Since I started my journey by doing a TEFL course I have found myself facing the challenge of trying to get a teaching job in China as a non native speaker. Does anyone have any good contacts who would be happy to take non native speakers (with fluent English of course)? I am planning to go around August/September so I still have time. Am looking to go to a bigger city and...

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Greetings :D   Well, let me just introduce myself then. I am Tina and I am (hopefully) starting a TEFL online course soon. I come from a smallish country called Croatia (I wouldn't be suprised if no one's heard of it), and I belieive it's obvious by now that I am a non native speaker. English is actually my third languge. That being said, I am fresh out of high school (just graduated, got a...

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Hi all....I just want to know if anyone knows about the job opportunity after doing TEFL. Am an Indian and most jobs require a native speaker of English....does that mean there is no point in doin TEFL for others? I recently contacted TEFL worldwide Prague and was told that it would be difficult for Indians to get a job or any other non native speaker of english. Is this true? Does any one know?

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Let’s face it, taking the plunge and jetting off to teach English abroad is probably the boldest move you’ll ever make! It’s going to be something completely different to you and most likely be the most amazing thing you’ve ever done! Here are some tips to ensure you have the time of your life: 1- Don’t spend all your time with fellow foreigners! It’s tempting just to spend all your time with people who are...

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Teaching English abroad is a confusing business – all those different courses and opportunities, and that’s before we even get started on the grammar! So it’s only natural that we get asked lots and lots of questions. To help clear things up, we’ve put together a list of the most common misconceptions about teaching English overseas you know just how easy it really is! 1/ Do I need to speak another language? The most popular...

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Well I went on a visa run for Astrid at the weekend to Hong Kong. Luckily I had Friday evening free so we took the 6pm coach there, arriving at about 10pm. We didn't take many things, just her big handbag for a change of clothes and a small one for her money so we decided to walk to look for hotels in Nathan Road which is famed for cheap hotels, especially hourly hotels! I...

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The title says it all, Since arriving in China just over 4 months ago I haven't had much time to write on the chalkboard site. But now things are changing, I am leaving my job at EF and moving to work for a kindergarten in the same city, the hours are better and the pay is more which folks gives me more time to start blogging on a regular basis again.   So starting from...

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This wonderful guest post comes courtesy of Lindsay Clandfield, an English teacher, teacher trainer and author. He is the co-author of the award-winning Dealing with Difficulties (Delta Publishing), The Language Teacher's Survival Handbook (iT's magazines publishing) and lead author of Macmillan's new course series for adults Global. Lindsay is also an avid blogger, you can follow him at www.sixthings.net. 1. “I am not a real teacher.” This is very common, especially if you have taken...

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Now, I am in China. Yes, I landed safely at BaiYun International Airport, GuangZhou, China on July 19, 2010. Now I live in Dongguan City, which is a nice city. With all my appearances, I blended with local people and NOBODY believes straight away that I cannot speak Chinese. I will speak Chinese, but not in my first day here. So every time they speak Chinese to me I just shake my head and tell...

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If you’re thinking about getting TEFL certified, there’s a bewildering number of TEFL course providers out there, all trying to get their hands on your hard-earned cash. To help you make sure your TEFL certificate is worth the paper it’s printed on, here’s what your course provider should be: 1. Independently accredited It sounds incredible, but because there’s no international governing body for TEFL course providers, any man and his dog can start giving out...

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