How Can I Learn A Foreign Language

Do TEFL teachers need a second language? The simple answer is no, you do not need to have any knowledge or experience of languages other than English to take a TEFL course or to become an EFL teacher. The ability to speak other languages is not required as the vast majority of TEFL classrooms around the world rely on the communicative approach to English teaching that specifies that English is the only language used in the classroom. Table of Contents How can I teach English if I don't speak the student's language? Does it help if a teacher has learnt a foreign language? Should I learn the local language while teaching English abroad? How can I teach English if I don't speak the student's language? In a diverse EFL classroom, where students may hail from varied linguistic...  [Read more]

Wed, 25 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Is Peer Learning Useful in an ESL Classroom? I believe that peer learning can be very helpful in English as a Second Language classroom. I believe that as a language learner there is nothing more helpful than learning from people around you. I have found that humans are very social beings just by the nature of being human. I believe that we learn best by interacting with people and that this translates especially when learning other languages. I think that it is very beneficial for students at any level to learn from each other to build their skills in every way. I think that having students talk to each other is important for improving verbal communication and that having peers correct each other's papers is a great way to help all...  [Read more]

Can I learn a foreign language while teaching English abroad? Yes. One of the many benefits of teaching English abroad is that it can provide a great environment for learning a foreign language. It is no secret that being fully immersed in a different culture, where you are constantly surrounded by a new language, is the most effective way to quickly develop your understanding. Throughout your time living and working as an English teacher abroad, you will inevitably have endless opportunities to practice your language skills. What are the benefits of learning a foreign language when teaching English abroad? As well as using the language as you go about your daily life, there is also a good chance that you will have access to local language courses that are far cheaper than those...  [Read more]

Do TEFL teachers need a second language? The simple answer is no, you do not need to have any knowledge or experience of languages other than English to take a TEFL course or to become an EFL teacher. The ability to speak other languages is not required as the vast majority of TEFL classrooms around the world rely on the communicative approach to English teaching that specifies that English is the only language used in the classroom. How can I teach English if I don't speak the student's language? In multilingual classrooms where the students could have a dozen or more different first languages, being able to communicate in one or two of them would obviously be of no particular advantage. In monolingual classrooms you may also find that students are more inclined to revert to their...  [Read more]

Can I learn a foreign language while teaching English abroad? Certainly! Teaching English abroad uniquely positions you for rapid foreign language acquisition. Immersion in a new culture, surrounded by native speakers daily, is one of the most effective methods to grasp a language. As an English teacher abroad, every interaction - from daily errands to classroom engagements - becomes an invaluable opportunity to hone your linguistic abilities. Table of Contents What are the benefits of learning a foreign language when teaching English abroad? Can I learn Chinese while teaching English abroad? Can I learn Arabic while teaching English abroad? Can I learn Spanish while teaching English abroad? Can I learn French while teaching English abroad? What other languages can I learn while...  [Read more]

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Why complete a TEFL course: Why do you need a TEFL course, if you already know how to teach a foreign language? This is a question I've asked myself. I'm looking at it from the point of view of an established foreign language teacher. Table of Contents How well do you know English? Get professional guidance You'll be more successful with getting your students ready to speak in English. Being a native speaker is not enough Your credentials say a lot about you. Are you ready to take a TEFL course? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post For years, I've been thinking about learning to teach English as a foreign language. I've wanted to teach more than just French, so I could find more work, and because TEFL...  [Read more]

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences The Benefits of Foreign Language Experience When Traveling the World In April 2018 I quit my job and began traveling around the world. Since then, I have taught myself Russian and improved my teaching skills by helping others with languages I am familiar with. The more places I visited on my journey, the more I became interested in foreign languages. I had the chance to teach people German and English, while also learning other languages and alphabets from them. I realized that while helping others, I developed a passion for teaching. I then decided to travel to Southeast Asia and acquire a TEFL certificate, which will enable me to teach English and live in a foreign country. Table of Contents My First Experiences Overseas How Travel...  [Read more]

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences How Traveling The World Inspired Me To Teach English In April 2018, I quit my job and began traveling around the world. Since then, I taught myself Russian and improved my teaching skills by helping others with languages I am familiar with. The more places I visited on my journey, the more I became interested in foreign languages. Table of Contents "Learn from locals while teaching them." "Traveling is one of the best ways to improve and educate yourself." "Once you're able to communicate, there will be new opportunities!" "It's not just about providing knowledge but also gaining knowledge while teaching." Are you ready to get inspired to teach while traveling? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post I had the chance to teach...  [Read more]

Locations Local TEFL Check out tefl tesol about Locations Local TEFL and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: Check out ITTT's Blog Posts D.C. - U.S.A. said: Why Complete a TEFL CourseWhat is TEFL? It is a course used to train English speakers learn the proper skills specifically for teaching foreign learners. Many people take this program in order to work in foreign countries. With this certificate you are a qualified English teacher. This course is a rewarding, valuable, and helpful course to complete. Why is this course rewarding? Well I guess it is a matter of opinion but I feel that it is good. Not only...  [Read more]

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences How English as a Mother Tongue influences Foreign Language Acquisition When I chose this topic, I asked myself what a foreign language is. Is it just a language spoken in another country that's not similar to one's own? Or does a language spoken in another city or district in one's country qualify as a foreign language? According to Wikipedia, a foreign language is originally from another country than the speaker. Table of Contents English as a Mother Tongue French Experience Exposure to Chinese Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nafuna M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of...  [Read more]

Agency Legitimate TEFL Check out tefl tesol about Agency Legitimate TEFL and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: Check out ITTT's Blog Posts T.P. - U.S.A. said: Common Linguistic ProblemsWhen is comes to learning new languages there are many common linguistic problems. I am currently Studying Spanish as a middle aged adult. I never thought learning a language would be so challenging. I had always wanted to learn Spanish, and figured it would be easy. I have been learning Spanish now for almost 18 month, and I feel like I will never learn the language completely. I plan on moving to peru to help me learn and...  [Read more]

Tue, 21 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Foreign Language Experience in The Teaching Practice Although many ESL teachers do have foreign language experience, many are not aware of how much this experience benefits them. Sure, if they are teaching English in Japan, having Japanese language experience is helpful for daily life situations, but how could it bleed into the classroom as well? And the language experience doesn't necessarily have to involve the first language of the students, either. Having foreign language experiences allows the teacher to understand just how hard learning a language is, can understand where certain errors may come from, see English from a different perspective, and gives them a stronger grasp on English grammar. Table of Contents Having...  [Read more]

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Most Effective Vocabulary Teaching Methods I think vocabulary is something that should be taught at the very beginning of the course. When you're starting with a brand new language, the hardest part of learning a foreign language from scratch is vocabulary building. This is because when one starts a new language, they typically don't know where to start. For example, should they learn how to say "Hi, how are you?" first, or should they learn some of the more substantial, yet basic vocabulary terms, such as "I give" "I eat" etc? At what point should you introduce grammar? Table of Contents Language Learning Experience Using a Target Language to Deliver New Knowledge Core Vocabulary Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL...  [Read more]

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 Mary Blancaflor Alumni Experiences Building Confidence in Speaking English in a Non-Native Speaking Country I have been teaching English to local and foreign students and for the most part, I noticed that no matter how much the learners would like to polish their English, some things hinder them to accomplish their goal in speaking the language. Studying a foreign language in a non-native speaking country requires more discipline and motivation. Learning a foreign language is not acquired overnight. It has to undergo a specific type of training and the amount of time to learn. For this reason, I came up with a list of why students find it hard to learn a foreign language and what they must do. Table of Contents Hindrances in learning: Fear of Committing a Mistake...  [Read more]

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences How Learning Another Language Can Benefit Your Career Prospects Learning a second language, whether its English, Mandarin, or any language at all, can help you in regards to your future career prospects and/or opportunities. Many people from non-English speaking countries move to English speaking countries in the hopes of finding better employment or to provide their children with the opportunity to learn English and thus increasing their chances to be successful. Table of Contents English in Business World English for Adults English for Younger Learners Job Opportunities and Perks Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: Listen to this blog post This post was written by our TEFL certification...  [Read more]

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Qualities of a Good ESL Teacher Becoming a teacher of any nature requires a good amount of skills, but becoming an English as a foreign or second language teacher requires a special batch of skills. All types of teachers should have the same general qualities; communication skills, patience, good listening skills, the ability to connect and build relationships with students, hard work ethic, preparation, and organization, and be friendly, personable, and approachable. Being a teacher means interacting with people for most of, or part of the day, and understandably sharing your knowledge, with the students. Table of Contents Classroom Style Understanding Students' Challenges My View on Teaching Qualities Do you want to teach English...  [Read more]

All TEFL Lessons Check out tefl tesol about All TEFL Lessons and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: Check out ITTT's Blog Posts U.B. - U.S.A. said: Teaching (and Learning) VocabularyAs a mother of three I noticed that learning a foreign language at school very often means learning lists of vocabulary (the traditional way) : Memorizing them, then covering one side of the list and reproducing the ?partners? - a frustrating experience for all parties involved and perfect to destroy any interest in learning a foreign language. There is a lot of information how to teach and also how to learn vocabulary. But the...  [Read more]

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The Necessity of Understanding An EFL Student's Learning Experience As teachers, we often assume that we understand what our students are going through and that we can relate to the experience of learning in school because we have been there ourselves. However, many of us who teach English as a foreign language require a different empathy element to relate to our students truly. Learning a new language is a humbling experience, and doing it as a foreigner in a foreign culture is even more humbling. The question is, how many language educators can relate to this? Personally, though I do not know how many TEFL teachers have experienced a foreign language and culture for an extended period, I have had the privilege to...  [Read more]

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Why Non-Native English Speakers Can be Good TEFL Teachers As a Belgian born citizen, I was brought up with different languages. Belgium is officially a trilingual country: French, Dutch, and German are all official languages. Dutch is my mother tongue, I have been learning French since primary school. Later, in high school, German and English were added to my curriculum and in college, I extended my language skills by taking a Spanish course. This means I have been studying foreign languages since primary school until my university degree when I was 25 years old. This made me decide to write on the following topic: why non-native English speakers can be good TEFL teachers. Table of Contents Teaching qualities important for...  [Read more]

Mon, 06 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences How Learning Languages Help Me In Teaching I have had the opportunity to study several foreign languages, some in a formal setting, some self-taught. Through my personal experiences learning other languages, I have developed some insights into language learning. I would like to describe some of my experienc| ITTT | TEFL Bloges, and some of my thoughts on what I have learned from them, and from this course. Table of Contents How I started learning languages How my job influenced the language interest Challenges of learning on your own Benefits of the ESA teaching approach How to distinguish a skilled teacher Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences How Learning a Foreign Language Makes You an ESL Student’s Best Friend My first language was French –-the language of my Cajun-born mother. She wanted to pass on her cultural heritage and therefore spoke to her first-born child, me, only in French. However, once I was put into kindergarten and was unable to communicate or understand any of my teachers or classmates, my parents reverted to English because they feared to set me back in school. Table of Contents Personal Experience Different Learning Modes Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Madeleine K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs...  [Read more]

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences My Experience of Learning a Second Language as an American Second language acquisition in native English speakers from the United States is one aspect of American culture that is not widely discussed and seemingly overlooked in terms of its importance. Many factors contribute to the United States' largely monolingual culture despite have a "melting pot" of sorts with a population comprised of multiple ethnicities and nationalities. This culture of English speakers points to strong geographic features of its continental location and debatably its position in the world's economic index and political landscape. Table of Contents How language learning in Europe differs from America The difficulties for second language learners in America...  [Read more]

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences 4 Things To Keep in Mind When Teaching EFL in a Kindergarten As a kindergarten teacher working in China I have a lot of experience dealing with students, fellow teachers; Chinese and foreign, management and parents. Table of Contents Potential problems you might face in a Chinese kindergarten You can call on other foreign teachers for advice and support Getting to know your students will help you teach them Parents like to be involved Start your journey as an English teacher in China today! Related Articles: Listen to this blog post A few years ago I came to China to learn Chinese. To pay for my living expenses I started teaching young learners. Pretty soon I got a full-time job in a kindergarten and I fell in love with the work and I...  [Read more]

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences From Student to Teacher - My Language Journey It was the last day of Japanese class and my teacher's last day of teaching at our school. We were all standing up getting ready to bow him one last time. It was dead quiet but I could still hear sniffles around me and felt the sadness of the moment. I never thought I would care so much about a teacher leaving. To this day, the words and wisdom my Japanese teacher taught me still ring in my head. Flash forward to a few years ago, I went to Japan for the first time, after a hiatus of not studying Japanese, but amazingly I still had all the skills my teacher had taught me in high school. How did this person have such an impact on me? The answer I have come to realize is that because he truly...  [Read more]

Do you need to be bilingual to teach English? The straightforward answer is NO. Aspiring TEFL instructors often wonder about this, but the primary requirement is a profound mastery of English. While knowing the native language of your destination country can offer advantages in daily life and understanding cultural nuances, it is not a prerequisite for most employers. Your expertise in English will foster an immersive learning environment, encouraging students to actively engage with the language. Table of Contents What will I need to teach English as a foreign language? How will I teach English if I don't speak the local language? What are the benefits of learning the local language? How to learn another language while teaching English abroad What will I need to teach English as a...  [Read more]

Qualifications Easy TEFL Check out tefl tesol about Qualifications Easy TEFL and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: Check out ITTT's Blog Posts G.R. - Canada said: TEFL for non native English speaking teachersLearning a language is learning a language. As a child, we hear and listen and listen again before we dare utter our first word. We first babble and hope we are going to be understood, making sounds which only Mom can guess the meaning of because she sees the crying need more than understands a linguistic expression. Some few years later, the baby can teach English. I went through this process, except...  [Read more]

The Best Teaching Ideas for TEFL Teachers The Principles of Establishing Rapport in the Classroom Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How to establish rapport in the classroom? Our TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on how to do it effectively. How to Establish Classroom Management? Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Classroom management may be daunting. In this blog post, our TEFL graduate shares their ideas on how to establish discipline and control over your class effectively. 3 Ways How to Be a Good Teacher Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post is devoted to the problem of teaching qualities and skills. Our TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on how to be the best teacher for your students. How to Motivate Students to Learn a Foreign Language Elizaveta...  [Read more]

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Challenges For Students of Different Nationalities I am from the United States and my native language is English. I am currently living in the Philippines, so I have been encountering language issues a lot lately. I have desperately been trying to learn Tagalog, and it is a major challenge. Table of Contents Teacher's experience of learning a foreign language Rapport Rules Weird exceptions Phonetic challenges Spelling challenges Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Gabriel T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teacher's experience of learning a foreign language Along...  [Read more]

Are schools still recruiting new teachers? Schools internationally are still recruiting. Many countries have changed their school start dates, but teachers are still being hired. With travel restrictions in many countries, we advise all students to check government advice on traveling abroad in your country and the EFL country of your choice. If you are considering a TEFL course or have just completed your course, you can certainly start applying for jobs.   How do I get a job teaching English in Turkey? |  Will I lose touch with family and friends while teaching English abroad? |  Is TESOL certification accredited? |  Can I learn a foreign language while teaching English abroad? |  How much can I earn teaching English in...  [Read more]

Are schools still recruiting new teachers? Schools internationally are still recruiting. Many countries have changed their school start dates, but teachers are still being hired. With travel restrictions in many countries, we advise all students to check government advice on traveling abroad in your country and the EFL country of your choice. If you are considering a TEFL course or have just completed your course, you can certainly start applying for jobs.   How do I get a job teaching English in Turkey? |  Will I lose touch with family and friends while teaching English abroad? |  Is TESOL certification accredited? |  Can I learn a foreign language while teaching English abroad? |  How much can I earn teaching English in...  [Read more]