What Do You Need To Be An English Teacher

  Having some knowledge of the local language may provide a more fulfilling experience when teaching English abroad, but it is not necessary in order to be an effective teacher. At ITTT we provide TEFL courses based on the principle that English is the only language used during lessons.  [Read more]

After completing a TEFL certification course and working as an English language teacher, some people look to branch out into other avenues of the teaching profession in order to gain more experience or to earn a higher salary. One such route is to become a TEFL trainer. Teaching people to become classroom teachers can be a very rewarding and well paid job and a route into management positions or even setting up your own language school. The first and most obvious requirement is to successfully complete a TEFL course. This experience will give you the basic knowledge you need to teach English and also a valuable insight into what it takes to be a good teacher trainer. Crucially, it is not necessary to be at the top of the class when taking your course, as many of the best teacher trainers...  [Read more]

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a global center of trade, finance, and travel, thanks to its vast oil wealth, major ports, and thriving tourism industry. With cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi offering lavish shopping, world-class dining, and some of the most stunning architecture in the world, the Emirates have become a popular tourist and investment destination. These attractions, combined with some of the most lucrative salaries and benefits in the world, make the UAE one of the most desirable destinations for teaching English abroad. Generally speaking, simply having a TEFL certification does not guarantee you a job in Dubai or the rest of the UAE. If you want to teach English in Dubai with a TEFL certificate, make sure you meet the other requirements, such as a degree and relevant...  [Read more]

The NET (Native-speaking English Teachers) Scheme is a recruitment program initiated by the Hong Kong Education Bureau that places qualified teachers from overseas countries into state run schools. The scheme recruits hundreds of teachers every year to work in either primary or secondary level schools across the territory. The stated goal of the scheme is to share and promote innovation in teaching practice, and to provide an authentic classroom environment for local students. Participants on the scheme will receive a generous salary and extra benefits, as well as a unique opportunity to live and work in one of the most vibrant and cosmopolitan parts of Asia. To be eligible, you must be a native-English speaker or possess an exceptionally high standard of English language competence....  [Read more]

The demand for TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) teachers in Africa is significant and continues to grow rapidly. As English becomes increasingly important for international communication, many African countries are prioritizing English language education in their schools and universities. This has created a strong demand for qualified TEFL teachers across the continent. In countries where English is not the primary language, such as many African nations, there is a particular need for skilled English teachers to help students develop proficiency in the language. This demand is driven by a variety of factors, including the desire to improve economic opportunities, access to higher education, and participation in the global economy. In addition to formal education settings, there...  [Read more]

  If you want to teach English as a foreign language abroad or online, you will need to obtain certain qualifications. One of these is a TEFL certificate with at least 100 hours of study. Requirements for teachers vary from country to country, but a TEFL certificate is almost always a requirement.  [Read more]

Due to government restrictions or work visa requirements, there are several countries where English language teachers without a 4-year university degree might find it difficult to secure employment. However, the good news is there are still plenty of great opportunities for those without a degree if you are flexible and willing to go where the demand for your services is high. To increase your chances of landing a position in the country of your choice, it is highly recommended that you first complete an internationally accredited TEFL/TESOL certification course. Those who are TEFL qualified will find they have a big advantage over non-qualified teachers in most countries worldwide. Although China has the largest market for TEFL qualified teachers in the world, the regulations for...  [Read more]

Choosing a TEFL course that meets your needs is a crucial step in starting your career as an English language teacher. With the wide range of options available, it's important to consider several factors to ensure you select the right course for you. Firstly, consider the accreditation of the course. Look for courses that are accredited by recognized bodies such as ACCET, CEA, or the British Council. Accreditation ensures that the course meets high standards of quality and will be recognized by employers worldwide. Next, think about the course format that suits your learning style and schedule. Some courses are offered online, allowing you to study at your own pace from anywhere in the world. Others are in-person courses, which provide hands-on teaching practice and immediate feedback from...  [Read more]

General English classes are commonly taught all over the world and in many language centers and private companies you will also find business English classes being taught to a wide range of corporate clients. The need for business English classes is driven by the continued march of English as the language of international trade and industry, and there are no signs of this slowing down anytime soon. So what exactly is business English and how does it differ from general English teaching? Business English is a unique area of teaching that comes under the banner of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Business English courses are designed for employees of any type of company who need to communicate using English in the workplace. Business English classes can cover a range of areas including:...  [Read more]

The requirements for teaching English in China have changed frequently in recent years. They are also frequently misunderstood and the situation has become even more complicated due to COVID-19. So let's dive into it. The main requirement for teaching in China is a valid Z-Visa in your passport. This is the only type of visa that allows you to work in the country legally. This means that those who want to teach English in China must meet the Z visa requirements. To obtain a Z visa you must meet certain requirements, which range from nationality and age to qualifications and a few other crucial details. It is critical to understand that many of the rules outlined below have exceptions. The following are the primary Z Visa requirements: You must be a citizen of one of the seven approved...  [Read more]

A TEFL certificate can be a valuable asset when teaching English to special needs students. Special needs students may require different teaching techniques and strategies to effectively learn English, and a TEFL certificate can provide you with the necessary skills and knowledge to adapt your teaching methods to meet their needs. One of the key benefits of a TEFL certificate is that it equips you with a solid foundation in teaching English as a foreign language. This includes understanding language acquisition theories, classroom management techniques, lesson planning strategies, and effective communication skills. All of these are essential for teaching any group of students, including those with special needs. Additionally, many TEFL programs offer specialized training in teaching...  [Read more]

Before we look at this question closely, we should first make an important distinction. The number of hours you teach in the classroom (often called contact hours) are not the same as the number of hours you will be expected to be in school, often confusingly called contract hours. Next, it is important to appreciate that different teaching jobs have different typical hours. There are basically three types of jobs available. Most schools abroad work normal office hours so you will probably need to be in school, Monday to Friday, from 7:30 a.m. (in many Asian countries) until 4:00 p.m. This equates to around 40 hours per week. You will not have to teach for all of those hours but a typical teaching load would be around 20-25 hours per week. When you are not teaching you will be expected to...  [Read more]

While teaching English abroad you are unlikely to face any type of discrimination from fellow teachers as most are like-minded people who are easy-going and accepting of the world in all its diversity. However, it can be a different story when it comes to employers. In some parts of the world, including some of the most popular teaching destinations, traditional, conservative views and opinions are still commonplace and this can lead to some uncomfortable situations. Many people still have the mistaken belief that all you need to teach English is to be a native English speaker and those that aren’t will never be as good at it. However, this view on teaching couldn’t be more wrong. To be an effective TEFL teacher you need to have a solid understanding of the workings of the language...  [Read more]

The good news is that you do not need a degree to teach English online in many situations. We will expand on this throughout this article. The general qualification required to teach ESL either in person or online is a 120-hour TEFL or TESOL certification. This is seen as the entry level qualification and is usually required by most employers. Other qualities they will be looking for include, in no particular order: (i) Experience: Any formal teaching experience is highly regarded by employers. This may be just a few hours from your TEFL training with real classes, or volunteering at a summer school for example. The more your experience matches the type of teacher they are looking for (such as children or adult teaching) the better. Make sure your C.V or resume indicates all teaching...  [Read more]

Many fully certified teachers choose to teach abroad rather than stay in their home country. Some newly qualified teachers may find it difficult to find suitable employment, so they travel abroad to obtain useful classroom experience, while others may simply be looking for something different. Whatever your motivation, teaching is one of the few professions that allows you to develop your skills and knowledge, gain experience, and increase your employability while traveling the world and seeking out new countries and cultures. If you believe this is the right path for you, the next step is to consider how you will differentiate your CV/resume when applying for the best opportunities in the most exciting locations. A TEFL certificate is required in many cases, even for qualified teachers....  [Read more]

TEFL teachers can certainly teach English for Specific Purposes (ESP) as part of their teaching repertoire. ESP is a specialized branch of English language teaching that focuses on teaching English for specific industries, professions, or academic fields. It is designed to meet the specific needs of learners who require English for their work or studies in a particular area. This type of teaching goes beyond general English language skills and targets the language and communication skills needed for specific contexts. One of the key principles of ESP is that the content and materials used in the lessons are tailored to the learners' needs and goals. This means that as a TEFL teacher, you would need to design your lessons around the language skills and communication tasks that are relevant...  [Read more]

Online English teaching is an area of English education that has exploded over the past few years. More and more online teaching platforms are popping up offering a variety of English language classes to students all across the globe. There are group or 1 to 1 options, lessons that focus on speaking and pronunciation, and some that are entirely aimed at business professionals. The world of online English teaching is seemingly limitless. Due to this huge variety, the demand for online English teachers from all sorts of backgrounds is immense. The beauty of online teaching is you can be based wherever you like. This means you do not have to move to another country or even leave your own home to earn a competitive salary and meet students from all across the world. Many people from...  [Read more]

The market for ESL teaching books is very large and all the major publishers have some form of involvement in the production and selling of these resources. There are many different types of books and resources that are used in ESL teaching and we will consider three main categories. 1) Book series 2) General teaching theory books 3) Activity resources There are a number of well known book series. These are specifically written for the ESL teaching market and are generally set at the five levels most often taught. These levels are Starter or Beginner, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, and Upper-Intermediate. A typical book series at each level will contain three books. These are the teacher book, student book and resources book (or similar names). The teacher book gives an...  [Read more]

It is possible and even routine for TEFL course graduates to start a new career teaching English online without any previous classroom experience. Due to a huge demand for online English language teachers that is set to grow year-on-year, it is perfectly normal to set foot into a virtual classroom as a teacher despite having never worked in any kind of teaching role before. As an online English teacher, students from all over the world will want to connect with you and knowing their native language is in no way necessary. As with most English language classrooms, online teachers teach their students using a method known as total immersion. This teaching methodology simply implies that no other language other than English is used between the teacher and the student for the duration of...  [Read more]

Asia and Latin America are two of the most popular regions for teaching English abroad. Both have a strong demand for English language instruction, and there are always plenty of employers ready to take on experienced and newly qualified teachers in a wide variety of countries. If you are undecided on which destination would suit you best, take a look at the following points as they might help you to make an informed choice. In general, most people who head to Latin America will find that they can live comfortably on their earnings, but are unlikely to save much (if anything at all) of their monthly salary. Paying rent and other bills, socializing, and exploring the region should be affordable for most, but if you have debts to pay off or need to save to fund further travel, it may not...  [Read more]

EPIK stands for the English Program in Korea, a scheme run by the South Korean government that places foreign teachers into schools across the country to work as English language instructors. EPIK is one of the largest and most popular schemes of its kind as it offers a competitive salary, a good range of extra benefits, and the chance to experience living and working in a unique cultural environment. If you meet the specified criteria then you could be one of the thousand plus teachers heading to South Korea this year to join the program. If you are interested in the EPIK program, we recommend reaching out to our TEFL recruitment partner Reach To Teach. Reach To Teach is an official partner of the EPIK program (English Program in Korea) and works with the Korean Ministry of Education...  [Read more]

When it comes to accents we all have one no matter where in the world we were brought up. Most of us are familiar with the basic differences between British and American accents, but what about accents from Australia and New Zealand, Canada and South Africa? And within each of these countries there are dozens of regional accents, just to complicate things further. So, we all have an accent, but is it a problem when teaching English as a foreign language? The first thing to remember is that there is no right or wrong accent when it comes to teaching and learning English. When teaching it is fine to speak naturally, just be sure that you always speak clearly and that all your instructions are fully understood by the whole class. Whether there is one accent that is better to teach than others...  [Read more]

Vietnam is one of several popular destinations in Southeast Asia for teaching English as a foreign language. Foreign English teachers have been in high demand in Vietnam in recent years and salaries have risen due to increased competition among schools looking to hire the best teachers. Teachers who have spent time in Vietnam unanimously agree that it is a wonderful place to live and work, so how do you go about finding out for yourself? To obtain a work permit to legally teach English in Vietnam you must be a native English speaker with a bachelor's degree. Many employers will also require a TEFL certificate of at least 120 hours. Some jobs at the top of the pay scale will also require classroom experience, though these are few and far between. Even if a job is advertised as requiring...  [Read more]

When considering this question it is important to first outline the different types of class levels found in English language classrooms worldwide. A fairly common classification of EFL teaching levels is indicated by the book resources available. If you consider book series such as, Reward, New Headway, and many others, you will find five levels. These levels are, Starter (or Beginner), Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, and Upper-Intermediate. Now we have established the general language levels of students, we can now consider the four skills of English. It is very important to remember that there are four skills that are required by any language user. These four skills are, reading and listening (known as the receptive skills) and writing and speaking (known as the productive...  [Read more]

In the modern age where working online has become a common way to make a steady living, the opportunities for qualified English teachers have further branched out into what we call the ?virtual classroom?. There are countless online platforms and providers that offer English lessons online allowing students from all over the world to learn how to speak English from the comfort of their own home. There are two main options for online English teachers. The first option is to set up your own teaching website. This allows teachers to be completely independent and free to set their own hours. However, it can take quite some time to find regular students and setting up a professional-looking website requires a certain budget and time commitment. A much more popular alternative, especially for...  [Read more]

As demand for ESL teachers is continually high in many parts of the world, there are several countries where you can realistically expect to find employment at any time of the year. However, some regions and individual countries have specific seasons when the majority of hiring is done. If you have particular areas where you want to work as an EFL teacher, it is important that you are aware of these seasons so you can plan your job hunting strategy effectively. Language school season: year-round: Across much of Asia there is such high demand for English language instruction that private language schools often hire throughout the year. This is generally the case with all the most popular destinations in the region for teaching English abroad such as China, South Korea, Thailand,...  [Read more]

Volunteer English teaching has been an important part of the TEFL world for many years, with countless schemes operating in many parts of the world. Most of these opportunities are located in developing countries where access to affordable language lessons is not widespread and where people often see improving their English as a clear path towards better jobs and a better future for them and their families. However, while these schemes provide a very valuable service, there are now increasing numbers of online volunteer based teaching platforms that are able to provide help to even more people worldwide. There are many individual reasons for wanting to offer your services as an online volunteer English teacher. For many people the reward of helping someone in need and seeing them make...  [Read more]

The high demand for English language teachers worldwide offers English speakers from all walks of life exciting opportunities to live and travel abroad. In most cases, you do not need any prior teaching experience to teach English overseas. Moving to another country to live, work, and travel, on the other hand, will necessitate careful planning and foresight. Good research is also essential to ensuring that you do it correctly. Teaching English abroad, like any new endeavor, can present challenges, and you will most likely be nervous at first. However, your TEFL certification training will provide you with the skills necessary to lead your own classroom, where you will teach the fundamentals of grammar and conversation, as well as prepare lessons and manage a classroom. You must meet...  [Read more]

We can say in general terms that all teachers are important, English teachers among them. However, the requirement for specialist teachers who are able to teach English as a second or foreign language is particularly important. What makes specialist ESL teachers so necessary? Globalized industry has led to an explosion of the use of English as the lingua franca. This trend looks as though it will continue in the near future. Whilst English is a mainstream curriculum subject in many countries, teachers of English are not necessarily equipped to teach English as a second or foreign language. Teachers trained in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) are therefore in great demand. Whilst it is generally true that Native English Speakers (NES) have a good working knowledge of the...  [Read more]

Thailand is one of the most attractive destinations in Asia and it is a popular stop for many backpackers. The good news for those who want to stay for an extended period of time is that there is a big demand for English language teachers in many parts of the country. Although wages may not be as high as those in other Asian countries, you can still earn enough to live comfortably and enjoy everything this beautiful country has to offer. It used to be almost the norm for teachers to work "under the table" without a proper work permit; however, those days are long gone and you must now have the necessary paperwork in order to earn a good salary in Thailand. A degree in any subject is required to be granted a work permit, it is also helpful to complete a TEFL training course before applying...  [Read more]