Places That Speak Chinese

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 Linda Dunsmore Destinations 8 Amazing Places to Celebrate Lunar New Year in Asia Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in a variety of Asian countries. This holiday marks the beginning of a calendar year whose months are cycles of the moon. Typically, the Lunar New Year is celebrated in January or February depending on the lunar calendar. Table of Contents Here are 8 amazing places to celebrate Lunar New Year in Asia. 1. China - Chinese New Year 2. South Korea - Seollal 3. Japan - Shōgatsu 4. Mongolia - Tsagaan Sar 5. Tibet - Losar 6. Vietnam - Tết nguyên Đán 7. Singapore - Lunar New Year 8. Laos - Pi Mai Are you ready to teach English in Asia? Related Articles: Teaching English in Asia is a great way to experience Lunar New Year...  [Read more]

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences How Learning Chinese Made Me A Better English Teacher In China The following blog post is about an ITTT graduate who shares his story on how learning Chinese helped him to become a better English teacher in China. Table of Contents What do you call someone who speaks only one language? "My insights into their language and culture were incredibly helpful." "Many Chinese are anxious about speaking English with natives - more so than is to be considered normative." "The best ESL teachers are the ones with experience with the native language of their students." Listen to this blog post Now it's your turn to get TEFL certified! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joseph S. What do you call someone...  [Read more]

Mon, 16 Jul 2018 Linda Dunsmore Destinations The 5 Best Places to Learn French When Teaching English Abroad It's no secret that one of the best ways to immerse oneself into a new culture is by learning the local language. Teaching English abroad is the perfect way to learn a new language, which will also come in handy when looking for a job back home if you decide to return. Table of Contents 5. Geneva, Switzerland 4. Quebec, Canada 3. Antananarivo, Madagascar 2. Mons, Belgium 1. Montpellier, France Listen to this blog post Are you Ready to Live and Teach English In a French-Speaking Country? Related Articles: French is widely spoken in parts all across the world and is ranked the sixth most spoken language worldwide after Mandarin Chinese, English, Hindi, Spanish and Arabic....  [Read more]

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences This Is Why Parents Say It's Vital to Travel To Learn A Language Travel had benefits for all of us. Particularly for our children. Our twin baby boys are mixed-race and mixed-cultured and equal importance will be placed on both sides of their heritage while maintaining a truly international worldview. We plan to raise them as true world citizens. Table of Contents Developmental Plan Cultural Exposure Holidays Final Thoughts Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mingke R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Developmental Plan We plan to focus on a few areas to strengthen their...  [Read more]

Thu, 06 Sep 2018 Linda Dunsmore Destinations Why Beijing Is the Ideal Place to Teach English China is the largest EFL market in the world. Beijing is not only the country capital but also one of the fastest-growing cities in Asia and the world. Beijing is a commercial, educational and cultural hub in China and has a lot to offer to anyone coming to visit. On top of that, Beijing is home to thousands of foreign English teachers, many of whom are not ready to leave and have made the city their permanent home base. Table of Contents Vibrant Culture and History UNESCO Sites Galore Unique Food Options Education Paradise Competitive Salaries Allow Teachers to Save $$$ Are you ready to live and teach in Beijing? Related Articles: Listen To This Blog Post Vibrant Culture and History...  [Read more]

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Difficulties and Rewards of Teaching Chinese Students For the past twenty years, I have had the pleasure of teaching English to Chinese students of all ages in both Taiwan and mainland China. The following are my observations: Table of Contents Listen to this blog post: Ancient Culture Differences in Students' Behavior Lack of Confidence Acceptance Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Eugene E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Listen to this blog post: Ancient Culture If one were to argue that Socrates was the beginning of modern Western Civilization, one could...  [Read more]

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Problems for English Learners in China versus Zulu-Speaking Learners I have been fortunate enough to have taught English in South Africa to Zulu speaking learners and for the past six years to Chinese students. The ability to acquire the language differs greatly between the two. There are multiple reasons for this which I will briefly discuss. Table of Contents School timetable Family support The lack of English environment Extra-curricular activities Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tania C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. School timetable The students in China have...  [Read more]

Fri, 27 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Problems for Young English Learners in Public Schools in China Since the opening of China to the Western world, Chinese society and economic prowess have both continued to grow at exponential rates. This has led to its status as a rising power, culturally and economically, and an international power increasingly interconnected with many parts of the globe. As Chinese educational infrastructure tries to match pace with the rapidity of the country's progress, one educational mandate that has persisted in importance over time has been that of English learning for all young learners across the country. The government sees English proficiency as a matter of national economic competitiveness, in fact requiring that English is taught as...  [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]

Accreditation Course TEFL Check out tefl tesol about Accreditation Course 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 A. J. & J. S. - USA said: English as a global language English is used all around the world. Most commonly, it has dominated the business world. As someone with an anthropological background, this is a very difficult concept to rationalize. Currently there are approximately seven thousand spoken languages in the world. This number is constantly dwindling as the last speaker of that language dies. This is evident when looking at the Native American tribes. When...  [Read more]

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 Dorothy Brown Smith Destinations Alumni Experiences Ten Things I Have Learned During My First Year Teaching in China I have always wanted to travel and go abroad. I talked about it with family and friends on many occasions. When the opportunity came for me to teach in China, I immediately said, "NO!" I was thinking of traveling to places like South America, France, Italy, Greece, etc. because I had romanticized these places in my mind from what I had seen on television and read about in magazines. China was not even a thought in my mind! The opportunity kept coming to teach in China. I would see advertisements, run into people who had just came back from China. I even met someone studying Chinese to be an interpreter! I kept running into people who had some kind of...  [Read more]

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Common Difficulties in Teaching English to Native Mandarin Speakers Learning a second language can be difficult, and this is especially true when the learners L1 and their target language are completely different in structure, sound, and tones. An English as a second language student who speaks French, German, or any other European language will have an easier task than one who speaks a language that is not of European origins. One such language is Mandarin Chinese. Table of Contents State of The Problem The Chinese Language Structure Tenses Sentence Structure Do you want to teach English in China? Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ashley L. Please note that this blog post might not...  [Read more]

Wed, 25 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences My Foreign Language Experience and Why I Want to be TEFL/TESOL Certified As someone of mixed heritage, I have always had an interest in learning about cultures other than the one I live in America. My father is Colombian and my mother is American, so growing up I felt obliged to learn more about the Colombian background I was fairly unfamiliar with. Table of Contents First-Language Background Interest in Foreign Cultures Work Abroad English Teaching Plan Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Catherine P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. First-Language Background I never...  [Read more]

Tue, 14 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences How I learned Basic Teaching Skills in China I have been working in China for more than six months now and it's been a very interesting time for me not just to learn more about the country and its people, but also to enrich my teaching skills and grow professionally as a teacher. Table of Contents Specific Approach Assistance Teaching an extremely large classroom Total physical response Do you want to teach English in China? Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Evgeniya S. Specific Approach When I arrived in China, I hardly knew anything about specific features of teaching in that country, so I thought that the knowledge I had was quite enough to handle the classes in kindergarten or primary...  [Read more]

Thu, 16 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Common Troubles of the Chinese Students You’ll Definitely Notice English is one of the most widely spoken languages and it is taught in a lot of countries. Globalization, fast economic development makes many people study English. People learn English for different reasons: business, education, life abroad, traveling, personal interest. Chinese students are not an exception. With the growing economies of China, the need for learning English increased dramatically. What challenges do Chinese students face when learning English? What challenges does the teacher meet teaching Chinese students? What teaching approach can be found? Table of Contents 1. Motivation 2. Education 3. National character 4. Language difference 5. Grammar 6....  [Read more]

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How I Was Introduced to the World of Foreign Language Teaching My interest in ESL began without the intention of becoming an ESL instructor in the first place. It was mostly born out of curiosity and interest in relocating to a foreign country which at the time (2009) was China. At the time I had been deeply contemplating a career living abroad. The contemplation came more from a cultural motivation than from a financial or career-minded motivation. Throughout my childhood and beyond, my parents were both avid travelers. Both my Mother and Father had spent considerable periods traveling in Asia, East Asia and Central Asia in particular. Table of Contents Parental Supervision Real Inspiration Chinese Experience Do you want to teach...  [Read more]

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Destinations Top 4 Tips How to Find a Teaching Job in China China is a great destination to start your ESL teaching career as the country offers a lot of job opportunities, high salaries and employers usually don't require many years of teaching experience. Table of Contents Where to Search for Job Openings How to find a job directly Be prepared for offensive job offers Choose a job that suits your preferences Listen to this blog post Are you ready to teach English in China? Related Articles: However a lot of teachers wanting to teach there have no idea how to look for a suitable position in China. Here are the top 4 tips how to find a teaching job in China. Also read: 5 Reasons Why You Should Teach English in China Where to Search for Job...  [Read more]

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How I Solved the Pronunciation Problem of the Voiced 'TH' with Chinese Students In my experience with teaching Chinese students, most pronounce the unvoiced 'TH' sound correctly. To account for the difference in sound between the unvoiced 'TH' and the voiced 'TH', most students seem to have developed the habit of placing their tongue either on the back of their front teeth or on the roof of the mouth immediately behind the front teeth to create a plosive 'TH' sound which sounds most closely like and' sound. Table of Contents Defining the problem Understanding physiology of the sound How to work on pronunciation online Memory games Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our...  [Read more]

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 Federico Riva Destinations TEFL Information Top 4 Asian Countries for Teaching English Abroad Mainland China and Taiwan form a very large part of the Asian ESL market. There are obviously many similarities but also many differences. In this blog we will look at some of the major differences in job requirement in these two regions. Table of Contents Watch the video about this topic China Taiwan Japan South Korea Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! Watch the video about this topic China It is said that there were around 100,000 foreign teachers working in China until recently, so that's a huge number. China is a vast country with huge demand for EFL teachers. There...  [Read more]

Easy TEFL Lessons Check out tefl tesol about Easy 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 C. P. - U.S.A. said: Problems for Learners in ChinaTeaching English in china presents a unique set of difficulties to an expatriate teacher from a western country, as there are numerous difficulties facing learners of English in china. Some of these problems are cultural, while others are caused by lack of exposure to English and English speakers, or the enormous differences between English and Mandarin chinese (for the purpose of this article, it should be assumed that references...  [Read more]

Thu, 28 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Drastic Problems of Chinese Learners in English Language has always played an important role in communication between people. Today, in the globalization, the importance of mastering a foreign language has become increasingly prominent. English is the most widely used language in the world. Table of Contents English Status in China Reasons for Low Results in English Economical Challenges Differences in Two Languages Cultural Background Lack of Proper Study Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Xiao W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. English Status in China In the 21st...  [Read more]

Fri, 08 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Why the Chinese Accent is so Difficult to Minimize in English As an aspirant teaching English to Chinese children, I chose 'Pronunciation problems of Chinese people' as the most attractive and the most useful topic for my summative task at this moment. Table of Contents So let's begin from the very beginning. The Second difficulty in pronunciation is so-called dark L or L's with no vowel sound after them. How can the teacher help students to correct this? Different Approaches Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: As resources of this joyful and useful research on the internet, I have used three videos on Youtube made by the three experienced teachers of the English language. Only one of them...  [Read more]

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 Linda Dunsmore Destinations TEFL Information 10 Female Travel Bloggers You Should Be Following Right Now Are you planning on quitting the 9-to-5 and embark on an adventure of traveling the world? The following 10 women have done exactly that. Most of them got their TEFL certificate and are teaching English abroad, while others started out teaching and are now full-time travelers. Here are 10 female travel bloggers you should be following! Table of Contents @curiositytrav @lindagoeseast @ginabearsblog @milesofsmiles @lifeofbrit @thatbackpacker @eternalexpat @wander.dolls 9 @courtneylikkel 10 @feministglobetrotter Are you ready to live and teach English abroad? Related Articles: @curiositytrav Jessica from @curiositytrav is from San Diego and has visited 40 countries...  [Read more]

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching English at a University in China Teaching English is a challenging undertaking, and your students are looking to you for guidance. I am writing this summative to the reference to my teaching journey in China at a university. I was a master's student in English language and Applied linguistics at Central China Normal University. One day, I have been offered by the dean of the English department, if I can teach English in the department to some group of Chinese students. It was my first experience of teaching abroad and enthusiastically, I accepted and started teaching English. Therefore, I have taught the English language in various levels, ages, and different nationalities such as Africa, France, Bahrain, Turkey,...  [Read more]

Thu, 12 Apr 2018 Linda Dunsmore Destinations Top 10 Cities in Asia with the Highest Demand for English Language Teachers Asia is the most popular destination for teaching English in the world with dozens of exciting regions to choose from. Moreover, Asia offers teaching jobs to people of all backgrounds, including native and non-native English speakers and those with or without a degree. Here are the top 10 cities in Asia with the highest demand for English language teachers. Table of Contents Bangkok - The City of Angels Hanoi - The City of Lakes Hong Kong - The Pearl of the Orient Kuala Lumpur - The City of Contrast and Diversity Seoul - The City of Fortune Shanghai - The City That Never Sleeps Siem Reap - The City of Temples Singapore - The Lion City Taipei - The City of...  [Read more]

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching at a University in China In China, there is the option to teach in either private or public institutions. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Public institutions such as universities tend to be well resourced with time set aside for lesson planning but are less well paid than their private counterparts. Although this appears to be balanced, as those who work at the universities receive more benefits and a more generous holiday allowance that allows the university teachers to make the most of being in China with ample opportunity to explore. Table of Contents Requirements for Teachers Students' Life Teaching Styles Exams Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was...  [Read more]

Sat, 03 Aug 2019 Jon ITTT Destinations 6 Facts about Teaching English in China Teaching English in China is as popular as ever and is one of the best places to put your TEFL certificate to use. In 2014, 7.26 million students graduated with Bachelor's and Master's degrees and the numbers were expected to rise in 2015. There are over 30,000 organizations or companies offering private English classes, with the Chinese market having nearly doubled in size in the last five years and is now worth around $3.1 billion. Table of Contents Money in China is good for English teachers Head away from the famous cities to save money China is increasingly diverse in its metropolitan areas There is an excellent transport network The country is ideally situated for exploring the wider region Chinese...  [Read more]

Fri, 27 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Pronunciation Problems for Learners Speaking Chinese as their First Language This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sheneil J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Table of Contents Problems with Consonants Problems with Vowels Problems with Rhythm and Stress Problems with intonation Minimal Pairs Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: Problems with Consonants Chinese does not have either of the "th" sounds (like "that" and "this"). Most other languages do not have these sounds and they are problematic for most learners of English. The difficulty is the point of articulation- the tongue has to be between the teeth, not...  [Read more]

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Top 8 Misconceptions About Teaching ESL In this blog post, we will look at 8 of the most widely held misconceptions regarding the teaching of ESL worldwide. Table of Contents Watch the video about this topic Misconception #1: It's really hard to find a job Misconception #1: You need a degree to teach English abroad. Misconception #3: Teaching English abroad doesn't pay well Misconception #4: You need to speak another language to teach ESL abroad Misconception #5: You have to teach kids Misconception #6: Teaching ESL is only a job for young people Misconception #7: You don't need a TEFL qualification, if you're a native English speaker Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out...  [Read more]

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Problems for ESL Learners in China The English language has become so essential in china because the country wants to successfully promote internationalism and keep the lines of communication open for trade and business matters. As one of the global powers, it's in the country's best interest to keep afloat of shifting trends in international matters. Table of Contents Governmental decision Spelling Pronunciation Singular / Plural Aspect Gender Articles Lack of opportunities to practice Word order Individual differences Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ramy M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the...  [Read more]