Comments for TEFL Teacher Training http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog How to Teach English Sun, 22 Aug 2010 20:37:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Comment on Most Common Teaching Errors of New Teachers by Alex Taylor - TJ Taylor http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/most-common-teaching-errors-of-new-teachers/comment-page-1/#comment-233 Alex Taylor - TJ Taylor Sun, 22 Aug 2010 20:37:31 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=517#comment-233 These are all good points. In my experience I've found that with newer teachers one of the most overlooked parts of any lesson is the very start. They are so eager to get started with the lesson that they soon forget to communicate to the students not only what they will be doing, but why, and how this all fits in. In the end, we need to get their permission to teach them - we can teach, but only they can learn. Alex These are all good points. In my experience I’ve found that with newer teachers one of the most overlooked parts of any lesson is the very start. They are so eager to get started with the lesson that they soon forget to communicate to the students not only what they will be doing, but why, and how this all fits in.
In the end, we need to get their permission to teach them – we can teach, but only they can learn.
Alex

]]> Comment on Experienced Teacher Teaching English Abroad by Ted http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/experienced-teacher-teaching-english-abroad/comment-page-1/#comment-218 Ted Tue, 13 Jul 2010 03:38:32 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=472#comment-218 Hello Katherine, If UAE is where you want to go, then be prepared for some difficulty. Not impossible of course, but I am speaking relative to teaching in the eastern Asia countries where respect for teachers is an aspect of the culture. Your best bet to minimize difficulty would be to go to the best quality college/university you can. Also, check with the other foreign teachers BEFORE you go and ask them about discipline in the classroom and at the school and if rules are enforced. It can make a huge difference. The UAE will likely be easier than some of the other Gulf countries. I would not recommend teaching high school or lower grades. I hope that helps! Enjoy! Ted Hello Katherine,
If UAE is where you want to go, then be prepared for some difficulty. Not impossible of course, but I am speaking relative to teaching in the eastern Asia countries where respect for teachers is an aspect of the culture. Your best bet to minimize difficulty would be to go to the best quality college/university you can. Also, check with the other foreign teachers BEFORE you go and ask them about discipline in the classroom and at the school and if rules are enforced. It can make a huge difference. The UAE will likely be easier than some of the other Gulf countries. I would not recommend teaching high school or lower grades. I hope that helps! Enjoy! Ted

]]> Comment on Experienced Teacher Teaching English Abroad by katherine laskey http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/experienced-teacher-teaching-english-abroad/comment-page-1/#comment-217 katherine laskey Tue, 13 Jul 2010 03:06:48 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=472#comment-217 this is not the first time I have read the students in the middle east can be difficult. I have taught for 15 years and am interested in teaching in UAE , but I really don't want to deal with the same type of students I have in Miami, FL. Any suggestions. this is not the first time I have read the students in the middle east can be difficult. I have taught for 15 years and am interested in teaching in UAE , but I really don’t want to deal with the same type of students I have in Miami, FL. Any suggestions.

]]> Comment on Teaching in the Middle East – for Good Money! by Ted http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/teaching-in-the-middle-east-for-good-money/comment-page-1/#comment-175 Ted Mon, 22 Mar 2010 03:49:50 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=414#comment-175 Good comments, thank you! Having spent over twenty years abroad, I would tend to disagree about the behavior of students in the classroom in Saudi Arabia. After teaching in four other countries at a variety of levels, I found the students in the KSA to be disruptive, immature, sometimes even infantile. And I am talking about the ADULT students. However, once a teacher implements very strict control things do work very well. But not every teacher is able to master that and I saw more than a few wilt under the pressure. I agree that wages are not now what they were perhaps 20 years ago. But when everything is provided and even your electric bill is heavily subsidized, you have almost nothing to spend money on except food. My point was not - and never is - making a lot of money. It was SAVING money. The Middle East still provides an opportunity for teachers to save MORE than they could just about anywhere else. Ted Good comments, thank you!
Having spent over twenty years abroad, I would tend to disagree about the behavior of students in the classroom in Saudi Arabia. After teaching in four other countries at a variety of levels, I found the students in the KSA to be disruptive, immature, sometimes even infantile. And I am talking about the ADULT students. However, once a teacher implements very strict control things do work very well. But not every teacher is able to master that and I saw more than a few wilt under the pressure.
I agree that wages are not now what they were perhaps 20 years ago. But when everything is provided and even your electric bill is heavily subsidized, you have almost nothing to spend money on except food. My point was not – and never is – making a lot of money. It was SAVING money. The Middle East still provides an opportunity for teachers to save MORE than they could just about anywhere else.
Ted

]]> Comment on Teaching in the Middle East – for Good Money! by TeddyBOYS http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/teaching-in-the-middle-east-for-good-money/comment-page-1/#comment-174 TeddyBOYS Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:58:37 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=414#comment-174 Dear Ted, Appreciating the fact that you have been out there for five years and so at least have spoken from a position of some experiance, i still find your comments blindingly one sided. I would say that in my experiance which is a tad more than your own, white westerners are pretty much treated with kid gloves and given lots of reasons to choose to stay and work in KSA. Firstly they will with any decent employer be generally housed with other westerners or if not within a compound at the high end contracts. They will generally be paid much more than anyone else even darker Muslim westerners with a similar CV. they will in public mostly be granted the greatest levels of hospitality and manners generally veiwed as they are as guests in the country and in need of Guidence to Islam, thus to be treated extremely kindly. As for teaching then no doubt anyone teaching Saudi children in a classroom then they will have some discipline issues but non more than else where at this level. Really for those with a BA and CELTA and at least the skin to win then they should not be going to teach in a school anyway. The many contractors ovr there that have training contracts with major businesses and Unis and colleges means you can avoid that sector altogether. Further to add and this is true throughout the GULF the big issue for us from the west (don't know about it being chritsian these days) is teh Kafeel or your sponser - basically he invests to bring you and is responsible and so they have extrondinary rights when it comes to you place of work and also what you can go at teh end of the initial contract. Mostly either you sign on with them again or its see ya !! and you leave on that return flight home. Freedom of movement in tehemployment sector is non exsistant really for guest workers. This is the issue to bear in mind and so choose well. Basically anyone who is either thinking that they can have a western lifestyle the same as in London or new york should think again but in major cities its easy enough to have a fairly liberal life as long as you confine those activities against the law to your own home. But then again that goes for London too right REMEMBER Islam is not just the religion in KSA it formulates the Laws and all who reside their are expected to abide by those laws just as you are expected to abide by the laws in teh country you are from. The difference only is that as a non muslim some will not apply to you, such as having to attend to your daily prayers and fasting in ramadhan. the Money in KSA is no longer great so make sure that your changes in your lifestyle are worth what you will be getting cos if not then go elsewhere and have the life you want with just a little less cash in your sky rocket ! Dear Ted,

Appreciating the fact that you have been out there for five years and so at least have spoken from a position of some experiance, i still find your comments blindingly one sided.

I would say that in my experiance which is a tad more than your own, white westerners are pretty much treated with kid gloves and given lots of reasons to choose to stay and work in KSA. Firstly they will with any decent employer be generally housed with other westerners or if not within a compound at the high end contracts. They will generally be paid much more than anyone else even darker Muslim westerners with a similar CV. they will in public mostly be granted the greatest levels of hospitality and manners generally veiwed as they are as guests in the country and in need of Guidence to Islam, thus to be treated extremely kindly.

As for teaching then no doubt anyone teaching Saudi children in a classroom then they will have some discipline issues but non more than else where at this level. Really for those with a BA and CELTA and at least the skin to win then they should not be going to teach in a school anyway. The many contractors ovr there that have training contracts with major businesses and Unis and colleges means you can avoid that sector altogether. Further to add and this is true throughout the GULF the big issue for us from the west (don’t know about it being chritsian these days) is teh Kafeel or your sponser – basically he invests to bring you and is responsible and so they have extrondinary rights when it comes to you place of work and also what you can go at teh end of the initial contract. Mostly either you sign on with them again or its see ya !! and you leave on that return flight home. Freedom of movement in tehemployment sector is non exsistant really for guest workers. This is the issue to bear in mind and so choose well.

Basically anyone who is either thinking that they can have a western lifestyle the same as in London or new york should think again but in major cities its easy enough to have a fairly liberal life as long as you confine those activities against the law to your own home. But then again that goes for London too right

REMEMBER Islam is not just the religion in KSA it formulates the Laws and all who reside their are expected to abide by those laws just as you are expected to abide by the laws in teh country you are from. The difference only is that as a non muslim some will not apply to you, such as having to attend to your daily prayers and fasting in ramadhan.

the Money in KSA is no longer great so make sure that your changes in your lifestyle are worth what you will be getting cos if not then go elsewhere and have the life you want with just a little less cash in your sky rocket !

]]> Comment on Teach English in the Middle East by Ted http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/teach-english-in-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-171 Ted Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:44:03 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=403#comment-171 Hi Virginia, First, I am not really familiar in depth with the university you reference, but Jeddah is probably the preferred location in the KSA. Generally speaking the housing is very good for teachers at government schools, but you should ask to communicate with someone actually at the school. Housing is usually broken into married or "family" housing, single male housing and sometimes single females are housed in married housing and sometimes in their own setting. Find out from the school. They will not be surprised by such a question. You will be teaching females, so your experiences with students will be different from what mine was. The five years I was there though, my wife taught at the women's branch of the same school where I taught. I believe she would say that her students had a LOT of emotional problems as one might guess women would have in such a culture. Adult students can be not so much unruly as just very argumentative and can even have tantrums that would make a two-year proud. However, if you are a very firm and consistent disciplinarian, things can go very smoothly and you students WILL respect you. But you will have to earn it - I promise. But mostly it is up to you and how you manage your class. Go to the forums, maybe at Dave's ESL and ask about teaching in the KSA, but take it all with a grain of salt though. There is a lot of BS on most forums and unhappy people who got fired often populate them. Some teachers just can't survive the culture, the students or the school. If you go determined to survive your first year, you will find your second and later years MUCH easier. The KSA is a good place to save some serious money and to find out just how poorly our schools educated us in learning about that part of the world. You will be very very blown away. But it is a great life lesson. Good luck! Ted Hi Virginia,
First, I am not really familiar in depth with the university you reference, but Jeddah is probably the preferred location in the KSA. Generally speaking the housing is very good for teachers at government schools, but you should ask to communicate with someone actually at the school. Housing is usually broken into married or “family” housing, single male housing and sometimes single females are housed in married housing and sometimes in their own setting. Find out from the school. They will not be surprised by such a question.
You will be teaching females, so your experiences with students will be different from what mine was. The five years I was there though, my wife taught at the women’s branch of the same school where I taught. I believe she would say that her students had a LOT of emotional problems as one might guess women would have in such a culture. Adult students can be not so much unruly as just very argumentative and can even have tantrums that would make a two-year proud. However, if you are a very firm and consistent disciplinarian, things can go very smoothly and you students WILL respect you. But you will have to earn it – I promise. But mostly it is up to you and how you manage your class. Go to the forums, maybe at Dave’s ESL and ask about teaching in the KSA, but take it all with a grain of salt though. There is a lot of BS on most forums and unhappy people who got fired often populate them. Some teachers just can’t survive the culture, the students or the school. If you go determined to survive your first year, you will find your second and later years MUCH easier.
The KSA is a good place to save some serious money and to find out just how poorly our schools educated us in learning about that part of the world. You will be very very blown away. But it is a great life lesson.
Good luck!
Ted

]]> Comment on Teach English in the Middle East by Virginia http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/teach-english-in-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-170 Virginia Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:03:52 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=403#comment-170 Hi Ted, I appreciate your honest remarks concerning your time teaching at the university in Saudi Arabia. I have been offered an Associate Professor positon as English Instructor for King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences--College of Medicine. I'm wondering if you are familiar with it? I believe I will be teaching at the Jeddah campus. Can you share what your experiences were with the housing? Is it adequate? Also you mentioned the high school students being unruly, but I'm wondering what the demeanor of the university students is? Thanks for this blog--it is a real service to others..! Best, Virginia Hi Ted,

I appreciate your honest remarks concerning your time teaching at the university in Saudi Arabia. I have been offered an Associate Professor positon as English Instructor for King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences–College of Medicine. I’m wondering if you are familiar with it? I believe I will be teaching at the Jeddah campus. Can you share what your experiences were with the housing? Is it adequate? Also you mentioned the high school students being unruly, but I’m wondering what the demeanor of the university students is? Thanks for this blog–it is a real service to others..!
Best, Virginia

]]> Comment on International Standards for TEFL Certification by Ted http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/international-standards-for-tefl-certification/comment-page-1/#comment-155 Ted Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:56:01 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=55#comment-155 Hi Suzie, You can use the five checklists that I wrote for determining if a school is the right one for you. Go and take a look at <a href="http://www.TEFLprogram.com" rel="nofollow">www.TEFLprogram.com</a>. Enjoy! Ted Hi Suzie,
You can use the five checklists that I wrote for determining if a school is the right one for you.
Go and take a look at http://www.TEFLprogram.com.
Enjoy!
Ted

]]> Comment on International Standards for TEFL Certification by Suzie http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/international-standards-for-tefl-certification/comment-page-1/#comment-154 Suzie Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:18:54 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=55#comment-154 Hello Ted, I would like some guidance, if you have the time. I am looking into CELTA at the AVO-Bell School of English in Sofia, Bulgaria, do you have any words of wisdom? Hello Ted,
I would like some guidance, if you have the time. I am looking into CELTA at the AVO-Bell School of English in Sofia, Bulgaria, do you have any words of wisdom?

]]> Comment on English Teaching Methodology by Ted http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/english-teaching-methodology/comment-page-1/#comment-149 Ted Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:13:00 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=63#comment-149 Look in the Archives on the right side of the page - particularly start here: www.teflteachertraining .com/blog/2009/08/ and off you go! Good luck! Ted Look in the Archives on the right side of the page – particularly start here:
http://www.teflteachertraining
.com/blog/2009/08/ and off you go!
Good luck!
Ted

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