Hi Guy, how's it going?  Have you decided what to do yet?

Hiii Guy

Thank you so much for your message, never heard of that so will definitely look into it, all help towards teaching in Turkey is much appreciated :)

Hi Guy!

I didn't want to clog up your wall with my mega long message so I've posted it in your inbox... :-)

Hey Guy,

you know it's hard for me to answer those questions cos it seems to me that the countries that won't accept this course will want you to have a degree and some tteaching experience too.... I mean, yes, you should always shop around!  Check out all the deals you can find.

But remember this - those internet forums are full of moaning minnies who didn't get nursed along as muchas they'd wanted and want to vent their frustrations to the world.  people who've had a positive experience are rarely moved to write about it.  You'll find mostly negative reviews about everything on the internet!  My sister, a career teacher warned me of this when I spoke to her about this very subject, and she's now head of a nice school in Devon, so I trust her advice on all things teachery!

I personally had no problems with I-toI.  Yes, some of the questions are abit ambiguous, but teaching is like that... there is never a really clear path.  You can either use your imagination and strength to get you through or you can't teach, it's that simple.  If you can't do the course and sort yourself out in a foreign country then TEFL isn't for you.  Some people don't like to admit that they failed so they blame it all on someone else.

In Ecuador I had next to no support at all, yes, you're on your own! Welcome to the world.... Ecuador isn't an internship and most of the people I met there were having a great time travelling south America, getting in loads of great adventures on the way and picking up valuable teaching experience that will help them get a job more 'fussy' places later.

If you want to know about the internships, ask someone in China.  I think Rin went over on spec ages ago and is still loving it.  You have to be independent.  All I can say is... suck it and see.. what have you got to lose anyway??? It might not work out - so what?

If you want to apply for a visa you'll need a legalised copy of your tefl cert and a criminal record check - look to your local police station for 'disclosure'.  I took both but used neither..... you'll get further with a few dollars and the right connections - see my new blog ;-)

Hey Guy.. sorry for  the late reply!

I'm more than happy to help with any queries about the internship. Am I liking it? Flip yes!!! Loving it is a better way to put it. Yea I miss home sometimes but I am over the moon about where I am in my life right now .. China is amazing and after taking that leap to get here I feel like the world is at my feet. How is the course going? Oh I remember the days of answering questions on grammar and planning lessons online..that feels so long ago I must say.

I love abel tasman.. So beautiful.. good old Kaiteri beach!

Anyway hope you are well... let me know if you have any specific questions or anything

Annah :)

Hi Guy, yes I would definitely learn some Spanish, but it's not too difficult so don't worry!  I've been getting a podcast called 'notes in Spanish' which is really useful as it gives you lots of expressions and conversation stuff aswell as teaching you about the different tenses, which aren't always used in the same way as English tenses.  Same with pronouns and prepositions.  They have an awful lot of reflexive verbs in Spanish, often ones where we'd say 'get' first, like get married, get dressed, get home, but some you'd never think of... it's worth getting your head round!

Also, it really helps you to understand the students' mistakes and main points of confusion.  The difference between 'say' and 'tell' can be hard to explain to students that have only one word for both verbs - decir, although there are others they use, there's no direct translation that is applied in all the same contexts. 'do' and 'make' are also covered by the verb hacer - but it has other uses too, like "hace un calor que te mueres!" means that today is so hot it could kill you (not seriously!!).  This is because different cultures think differently and it's reflected in their language.  I've really enjoyed this process of seeing into another way of thinking, I really envy people who can learn lots of languages - imagine the sheer range of concepts they can now understand!  Learn it whilst you're young is best, now I'm over 40 I find it much harder than when I first came to Spain 15 years ago... unfortunately I've forgotten lots, so go for it, it benefits you in countless ways!

Hi Guy!

Ha that’s ok, I was being a super Chalkboard geek the other day!

There is absolutely no requirement for previous teaching experience if you'd like to go on the China Internship-don't worry!

Have you downloaded the guide to the China internship?

You can find it here:
http://www.onlinetefl.com/teaching-internships/china/?source=chalkboard

If you have some questions you'd like to discuss with us then you're more than welcome to call us for a chat! You can reach our team on: 0800 093 3148

Hope this helps!

Please don't hesitate to get in contact with me if you need anything, there's a lot to think about when considering moving to the other side of the world! (Both fun and scary!)

Erin :-)

Hi Guy!

I stumbled upon your profile this morning actually, course I don't mind! I'd recommend you take a look at this article called 'No Degree? No Problem! You Can Still teach abroad!' It includes some more information about the options available to you.

http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/honor/posts/4023-no-degree-no-problem-you-can-still-teach-abroad

With regard to the China Internship, you're in luck! We have got one of our lovely TEFLers Denise answering any questions you may have. She is currently on our China Internship and is the best person to ask!

You can find her here: http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/i-to-i/posts/6501-send-us-your-questions-about-the-china-internship

Hope this helps and don't hesitate to drop me a message if there is anything else I can help with! :-)

Erin

hey alix, thanks for your reply :) yeah im just a bit undecided whether to do an online course or a class course, and also which tefl/tesol/etc...theres so many different ones i dont know which one is best for someone without a degree??

one more question, would you recommend learning a bit of spanish??

well keep me posted if you get to make that 'proper' blog, ill surer have a read of it :) thanks again alix :)