Should you Take your Training in the Country Where you Wish to Teach?

A reader wrote:

I are interested in completing a CELTA course in order to teach English in the UAE.  Would it be better to study the CELTA in the UAE or in London where I currently live?

I know you’ve previously recommended to study in the country in which one wishes to teach, but would studying in the UAE limit our prospects in other countries?

Will completing the course in London look more attractive to employers globally?  Considering the cost implications London would be the preferred choice.

It is almost always better to take an in-classroom course in the country in which you first intend to teach.

While it may seem more cost effective to take it where you are currently located, taking your course there does little or nothing toward your end goal of landing a job in the UAE.

Taking your course in the UAE immediately gets you into the environment and on the trail of good jobs.

Better TEFL schools will have employers coming by the school looking for you.  That won’t happen in London.  It will quite likely happen in Dubai.

For most people a TEFL cert or a CELTA, etc is a tool to get the job they want, not the end goal.  So purchase the tool that gets you closest to your goal, a course in Dubai or elsewhere in the UAE.

No one will really care if you took the course in London, Dubai, Saigon or even Yangoon.  In fact, when they see that you took it outside your home country, they will see that you can survive and thrive in a culture different than that of your home country.  To me that is a bonus.

Employers, not infrequently, have difficulty with people who have not yet lived and worked outside their home country.  It is a very real risk factor in hiring.  Some people get homesick, others just can’t adapt.  It is an unknown factor that adds risk to a hire.

If you are already living in the culture where you want to be hired, it greatly reduces that perceived risk by the employer.

TED’s Tips™ #1:   Taking a certificate is usually tied to an employment goal.  If you are taking an in-classroom course, take it in the country where you wish to teach.  You’ll be closer to your goal the moment you step off the airplane.

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Trained Teachers Maximize Student Talking Time

Teacher Talk Time vs Student Talk Time:  Teacher vs Student Centered Time in the Classroom

Trained teachers realize that the classroom is often the ONLY place their EFL students have an opportunity to speak in English and thus make provision for as much student talk time as possible.

Untrained teachers still often believe they are the center for the classroom and should bring photos of their family and home town and talk about that.  They assume that students will find them fascinating as the center of conversation.

Students will be polite and listen, but they aren’t learning much and they aren’t getting much speaking practice.

I read a LOT of lesson plans and one of the first mistakes newbie and untrained teachers make is believing that each student must talk directly with the teacher.   But in a sixty-minute class with twenty students that means, at a maximum, each student will be able to converse for only three minutes.

If you put them in pairs the maximum jumps to the full sixty minutes.  Both examples are extremes, but if we accept that they don’t get much opportunity to practice speaking and listening, we can see that pair work offers a huge advantage.

Of course students need to hear your natural speech, but that can happen in the presentation/engagement portion of the lesson, during the warm-up, wrap up and also incidentally at other times.

Try to organize your lessons to maximize the amount of actual speaking practice for your students.  Keep your lesson targeted on the students and what they need to learn.  A student centered classroom is a much more effective learning environment.  And take those pictures of your family back to your apartment!  Unless, of course, you are talking about families and the students will soon be talking about theirs.

TED’s Tips™ #1:    Keep your class focused on the target language and get your students talking.  Learning speaking skills is a lot like riding a bicycle.  You have to actually do it to get good at it.  The best way to maximize student talk time is with pair work – early and often in the lesson.

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TEFL Training for a Career Change

A reader recently asked:

I would like to become a TEFL or ESL certified teacher. Is this certificate necessary to teach abroad for an educated American?

If so, where is the best place online to study and affordable?

I was laid off so I don’t have extra income, but this is my dream to stop working for corporations and do something I’ve always wanted to do.  I enjoy helping people.

A TEFL certification is not a requirement to teach English in many countries, but knowing HOW to teach well is a nice idea.   It is only fair to your students who are spending money to sit in a classrrom with you.

You asked about an online course and you’ll find that China, Korea and Japan – three of the world’s four largest EFL employers accept them – so you will be in good shape.   I am a fan of the TEFL Boot Camp course, but that’s my bias.  I wrote it.  Fair warning!

There is a good amount of free information about teaching and how to teach on that website.  Give it a read even if you don’t wish to sign up.

I quite understand that the price of in-classroom courses can be prohibitive when you are first starting out and some colleges and universities do offer such courses, but they are often as costly as the commercially priced TEFL training schools that can run about US$1500-2500.  Add in the cost of not working for four to six weeks and room and board and it can begin to get expensive.

That is not always true though – so keep your eyes open!

Taking a course just for the certificate is not a bad thing. It does helps fluff up the resume and says you are at least interested enough to learn more and spend a  bit of money to do so.

Why not consider teaching in Korea, where you can save some serious money or even China where you will work a bit less, can have a university position and see a bit more of  the world?

Saying that, I am assuming you have a BA/BS degree? Lots of options are out there for you, take a look at:  TEFL Jobs in Korea and: TEFL jobs in China.

If you want a certification with a guaranteed placement offer – try TEFL Internships for a placement in China.

TED’s Tips™ #1:   It can be a lot easier than you think to actually get started teaching English abroad.  The most difficult part is making the decision to do it.

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How to Choose a TEFL Training School: What’s Best for You?

There are lots of generic statements out there on the web about a TEFL school must be this or must have that and on and on, but in fact, your personal factors are more important in the decision process.

There isn’t one correct answer.  The right answer is as individual as you and the reason  you are taking the training.  And you are, in fact, spoiled for choice.  That’s a good thing – as Martha Stewart would say . . .

A bit like real estate sales people “qualify” buyers, you need to qualify a school to see if it meets your needs.  Most school advertising talks about they are this or that, but they don’t tend to ask you what you think you might need or want.

The Best TEFL Training School for You is the one that best meets your needs.

Factors to consider before making a decision:

COST:   Can you afford what a particular school demands?  Price ranges can vary widely.   In-classroom courses can go from US$1200-1500 all the way up to $2800 or sometimes even more.  Even online courses have a wide range of prices from US$140 on up to US$1000 and sometimes even a bit more.

TIME:  How much time do you have to set aside for taking a course?  If it is an in-classroom course, remember to add in the cost of not having an income for four to six weeks while you are in training plus accommodation and other living expenses.  It is not realistic, unless you are already a somewhat experienced teacher, to work while taking a full-time in-classroom course.  If you can’t afford the time, an online course is a good option as you can study at your own pace while you remain on the job.

WHERE do you want to take your course?  Do you want to take the course near where you live now or in the city or country where you expect to begin teaching?

Where to you intend to teach?  This is important as certain countries may have requirements you will need to meet.  While most countries don’t require any TEFL training at all, if you want to teach in Europe, you can expect they will want a 100-120 hour program with at least six hours of observed teaching practice.  Some countries – like Thailand, will be less strict but still want 100+ hours of training.  China – requires a certificate, but will accept anything.  There is no minimum hours or any other requirement.  Just a certificate.

Since most countries do not require TEFL training, any training course you take is going to help you move to the front of the hiring line.

If you intend to teach in Europe, there is a name brand preference for CELTA and Trinity.  Most of the rest of the world is not name-brand conscious or will not even have heard of those two brands at all.

WHO do you want to teach?  Children, adults, business people?  Do you want to teach any specialties like TOEFL or IELTS?  Does the school you are considering offer options to help you with them?

 Which TEFL Training will Maximize your Employment Potential?

This is the concern that is really behind most people’s questions and it is important!  How do you maximize your employment possibilities while still paying attention to costs and time?

Options:

If you intend to make a long-term career of TEFL then teach for a year or two (make sure you like it!) and then go get a master’s degree in TESOL.  If time and money don’t matter, that is by far your best option.

Other options:  If you intend to teach for more than a couple years and time and money don’t matter – then take a good in-classroom course in the country where you intend to teach.  There you can do your teaching practice with EFL students who have similar grammar and pronunciation problems as the students you will be working with.  Learning how to deal with those issues will be a part of your training rather than a surprise the first day on the job.

If you intend to spend only a year or two teaching overseas and just want the experience – then an online course might be just fine for where you want to go.

If time and money are major considerations, consider a good online course to help you get the basics.  Do get some training though as students will be paying a lot of money to sit in a classroom with you.  It is only fair that you know how to deliver what they have paid for.

Is the School Responsive to you?

One last thing.  TEFL schools should have YOU first in mind.  Send them an email and ask about the program.  See if they respond.  Many programs won’t! What does that tell you about them?  About their interest in you?  What if an employer contacted them to determine if your certification was valid?!  But more likely you will have some questions and it is a good way to find out if a school has any real interest in their customers/students.  Give them an “F” for no response, a “D” for a generic cut-and-paste response and an “A” for having a real human get back in touch with you.

TED’s Tips™ #1:  Advocate for yourself and make sure that you take a course that will meet your needs and qualify you for the job you want.  Even if a training certification is not required, get some training anyway so you can provide a good service to your students.

TEFL Training: Is it really necessary?

English teaching wannabes and newbies often ask several questions here:

Is TEFL training required to get the job I want? Do I have to have it?

Would it make a difference if I had it?

. . . and the answers are: sometimes, sometimes and yes.

Some countries require a TEFL certification before they will approve your legal working papers. Thus – before you can work in Thailand, Indonesia and a few other places, you need to complete a good TEFL course.

Most countries don’t require any TEFL training at all, but the better employers will prefer their new hires to have had some training. So, in fact, TEFL training may be required for a move up the food chain or even give you the ability to start out in a preferred position.

And while many countries and some jobs that don’t require any training at all, it shouldn’t be about just getting by with the minimum and, if you are lucky, just doing a mediocre job.

Will TEFL training really make a difference?

You bet! There are several ways in which you may benefit from TEFL training. First is that many employers will pay a small premium to teachers that have some good training. While often not much on a monthly basis, it adds up across a year and tends to easily pay for itself.

Add that to the idea that you can probably land a better job than the one you would get without training and you might be seeing an even better return on your investment.

Those are the good practical reasons for getting yourself some training. There are also some ethical, moral and emotional issues to consider.

The first is that you owe it to your students to get yourself some training. Students, in most foreign countries, pay a lot of money to sit in your class. Wouldn’t it just be fair to know what you are doing?

While teaching English overseas is not “brain surgery” or “rocket science”, it does require some skill to do it well. And as long as you are changing your life and heading overseas – why not do it right and feel good or even GREAT about the service you provide to your students?

The days of just showing up at a TEFL job and “chatting with the students for an hour” are long gone. Language schools these days would like you to provide some real teaching in their classrooms. And students almost intuitively know when a teacher knows what they are doing – or not.

One of the best reasons for getting yourself some training is that you will find preparing your classes much easier and you will enjoy your work more knowing that you are providing a quality service and not just skating by on someone else’s money. Best of all, you will sleep better at night.

It’s about doing it right – and feeling good about it.

Now . . . not everyone can afford four to six weeks of not working and the costs of a full blown TEFL certification program.  Online courses are accepted in three of the world’s largest TEFL jobs markets: China, Korea and Japan.  That means there are some lower price alternatives available to you.

TED’s Tips™ #1: Get some training. You will enjoy yourself more and do a better job.  Remember how lousy teachers really turned you off when you were still in school? Yeah, don’t be one of those.

TED’s Tips™ #2: If you can’t afford the “Full Monty” of a four-to-six-week course, check out a good online course.

The BEST EFL Teaching Jobs in China: Government Colleges, Universities and Secondary Schools offer the most reliable and worry-free jobs in China. Click on the Link if you would like to Teach English in China

Why TEFL is Different from Teaching English

While it might not seem obvious and up front that teaching English as a FOREIGN language is different than just the regular teaching of English that occurs in your home country, it really is and today’s post is about the how and why.

Recently a reader over at our sister ship TEFL Newbie asked the following question (slightly modified to protect the innocent!):

I will graduate with a BA in English and Secondary Education.  Do I need to get TEFL certified, even though I am certified to teach English and am a native speaker?

What an excellent question! My answer was, Yes, it would be worth your while to take some basic TEFL training. If for no other reason but to get the methodology that is used, which is different than that used teaching English to native speakers.

Why is TEFL Methodology Different?

Mostly because your students are very different.

Remember in first or second grade when the teacher had to keep telling us to stop talking in class?  Because she was trying to teach something to us?  Well . . . in TEFL we are always trying to get our students to talk in class.

Why?  Because EFL students rarely get a chance to talk in English – except in their classroom.   In fact, it might be fair to say that for a good majority of EFL students around the world the ONLY place they ever speak English is in their EFL classroom.

Many Other Reasons Too . . .

EFL students are very different from English native speaker students.  Even just a first grade native speaker probably has a vocabulary that exceeds that of most intermediate EFL students who have been intensively studying the language for years.

An EFL student might get to listen to and speak English only a few hours per week.  And not at all when school is out of session or they are not taking special classes.  Native speakers . . . well – we speak English and hear it constantly – it never stops.

English is Relevant for Native Speakers

We use English to communicate and live our lives.

For many EFL students English often is irrelevant.  They take it only because it is required or because their parents put them in the class.

They often can’t see any reason to get going with English as they never use it.  And any real need is abstract, such as needing English “to get ahead in life” or “to get a good job” or “to get in a good university”.  Usually things later on in life that don’t seem too urgent at the moment.

To start getting a handle on EFL student motivation review the previous post:  How to Have Enthusiastic EFL Students

EFL Teaching Method

There you have it.  Our students don’t have much opportunity to speak, listen or use English, so we have to create a situation in the classroom to get them talking – and talking – and talking some more.

And, English is often not relevant for our students, so we have to work hard to create a link between the language that needs to be learned and a real reason for learning it.  One that has a sense of relevance to NOW and not just to a distant future.

TED’s Tips™ #1: Because you are a native speaker and/or even a teacher of English, don’t assume you will know how to teach EFL students.  Their needs, abilities and motivations are dramatically different than those of native speaker students of English.

Quality Online TEFL Training

The BEST EFL Teaching Jobs in China: Government Colleges, Universities and Secondary Schools offer the most reliable and worry-free jobs in China. Click on the Link if you would like to Teach English in China

Don’t Teach Grammar — Teach Functions!

I recently read a blog written specifically about what is wrong with PPP methodology.  And, sadly, the author stated:

PPP means that teachers will first present a grammar point

While I would agree that PPP has some limitations, I would never agree that PPP must be about teaching grammar.   And the writer would not think that if he had been in my training classroom!

Now I quite understand that MOST TEFL training programs around the world take that approach, but a thinking teacher never would.   And method should be about thinking your way through lesson, not just following a cardboard cutout over and over and over.

Why in the world would you make grammar the point of specific lessons?  I sure can’t think of any reasons beyond the banal, Because they need to know grammar.

Well . . . yes, students do need to know and understand grammar but this constant focus on grammar is one (of many) reasons why students come to hate studying English.  Why not teach students how to communicate about something they are interested in?  And then, inside of that lesson, teach them how to do that communication in a grammatically correct way?

Teach Functions

Functions are simply language that we use to exchange information.  Language that has a purpose or a function.

Simple examples:

Asking and answering questions about your favorite sport

Dealing with complaints at work

Asking someone for a date

Asking and giving directions around town

Asking for assistance at work

Giving your opinion in a meeting

Making a sales call

Disagreeing

Talking about your product

Introducing yourself

Describing your favorite toy (food, hobby, music, actor, and more more more)

and on and on.

What is important and or most relevant to your students?  Talk about that and teach them the language for that.   Do you really think your students talk about present perfect when they are away from school?  Not!

Notice the functions always start with Something-ING.  Asking and answering.  Offering, helping, assisting, complaining, talking about, directing and on and on.  Or you almost can’t go wrong with the simple: Asking and answering questions about ______ .  Just ask your students what they want to talk about and fill in the blank.  Wouldn’t your students be more interested in your class if THEY got to pick what they are going to talk about?  Of course they would!

If you teach them how to talk about things they WANT to talk about – things they are INTERESTED in talking about, you will have a much more motivated student.  One who just might enjoy their class rather than hate it.

Now I did say – Don’t Teach Grammar – but what I meant was don’t make it the point of the lesson.  Just teach your students the proper grammatical structures they need to talk about the topic at hand.  That’s all.  They will get it.  Certainly faster than just memorizing irrelevant grammar points.

TED’s Tips™ #1: Teach Functions!  Not Grammar.

TED’s Tips™ #2: This post is part of a series at: ESL Blog Carnival – the topic is Teaching Grammar Effectively

The BEST EFL Teaching Jobs in China: Government Colleges, Universities and Secondary Schools offer the most reliable and worry-free jobs in China.  Click on the Link if you would like to Teach English in China

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Will a Robot Replace you in the Classroom?

Still think you don’t need any training?

English teaching robots, operated remotely from the Philippines by Filipinos are now being used in Korea.  Read the story here.

While Korea – currently – does not require any training at all for the teachers they place in their schools, they have for many years had difficulty getting enough good teachers.  You can guess that as this technology improves the use will become more widespread.

I noticed during my last tenure at a university in Korea (’02-’04 academic years) that there were advertisements all over campus for people to study English in the Philippines.  During my previous visit (’92-94) everyone was going to the USA, UK, Canada and the trend was toward Australia.  But – now it is the Philippines and Singapore also.

This is not a happy trend for the industry – make sure you are BETTER than a robot from the Philippines!  Get some training.

TED’s Tips™ #1: Countries and even individual schools are growing fatigued with teachers that don’t know how to teach.  Get at least some basic training to help you know what to do in the classroom.

The BEST EFL Teaching Jobs in China: Government Colleges, Universities and Secondary Schools offer the most reliable and worry-free jobs in China.  Click on the Link if you would like to Teach English in China

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TEFL Career Path Questions #5

As often happens, questions from you – the readers – are better than any ideas I have for blog topics, so here is another thoughtful question:

I have my BA and have been looking into TESOL certifications. I’m trying to find the most appropriate track to teach English (most likely overseas or possibly in my local community classes, but I am not interested in public schools in my country.)

I am not sure I have ever said a degree is not necessary though I would say or agree that a degree is not always required. However, simply having a degree does not qualify you to teach English as a foreign language.  In your questions, you have asked about a couple different career tracks.  Teaching EFL abroad is a bit different that teaching ESL or even just straight English in a country where English is the first language.

He also asked:

From your experience would you say that it would benefit me to get a post-bachelors TESOL certification or some other type of similar certification, or even a master’s degree? There are so many different types of courses I’m confused as to what certification would be the most advantageous to look into since I currently have a BA.

First: If you want to teach in the USA/UK/Australia/etc in a community college setting or just community-type classes, you probably should consider getting an MATESOL.  Otherwise you will have difficulty competing for and landing such jobs as almost everyone applying will likely already have experience abroad and an MATESOL or similar qualification.

For teaching abroad, your options depend a lot more on what you intend to do, where you intend to do it and for how long you intend to do it.

If you are not sure about TEFL as a career path and are thinking of just heading out for a year or two to see if you like it – then one of the online programs will be just fine.  No need to spend a huge amount of money. They will give you some good simple basics that will significantly improve your teaching skills. Usually many things you would never have thought of if you had no training.

Get out in the world, get your feet wet, see if you like the occupation and if you do and if you decide to stay abroad for many years then you should take a good in-classroom TEFL certification course. Name brand does not matter much (in my opinion).  CELTA is often seen as the gold standard, but you will pay a lot of extra money for that course, sometimes twice as much.  Most generic TEFL courses are just fine. Most employers don’t care about one brand or another (unless they are selling it!).

IF you intend to stay abroad for a long time and wish to approach the field as a professional, get the best jobs, teach at universities and colleges, save some real money and get lots of paid time off – then RUN, don’t walk – to get an MATESOL (or an M.Ed. in TEFL is okay too – or an M.Ed. with a PGCE in TEFL or anything roughly similar).

Teaching at the college/university level is quite a different occupation from teaching at language schools. Language schools tend to offer only limited time off and the career path leads to supervisory or DOS type roles.

University positions can offer a much lighter work load, a more prestigious position that will allow you time to pursue other interests – professional or otherwise – and offers you a longer occupational lifespan.  I’ve spent many of the last 16 years with anywhere from ten to twenty weeks PAID vacation per year and much of that time was with four-day work weeks. It can be quite a decent career if done right.  It allowed me to explore websites, pursue further professional training and – at times – just take a well deserved rest.

TED’s Tips™ #1: Get some training no matter what you intend to do in TEFL. If you goal is short-term then an online course is fine. If it is longer term, get a good four-week in-classroom course. If you wish to teach at the college/university level, a graduate degree is a must.  This is true for the great majority of countries though not true for China, but you may wish to be able to work in a variety of countries in a similar capacity.

The BEST EFL Teaching Jobs in China: Government Colleges, Universities and Secondary Schools offer the most reliable and worry-free jobs in China. Click on the Link if you would like to Teach English in China

Where to Take your TEFL Teacher Training?

Deciding where to take your teacher training for Teaching English Abroad

A reader contributed this question for a topic:

I think I’d like to try eastern Europe (maybe Czech, Poland, or Hungary), but I’m not totally opposed to Asia. I know there are TEFL schools in those countries, but would you recommend getting certified in the country I would want to teach in or here in the US, then moving to the country?

It is almost always better to take your TEFL training in the country in which you first intend to teach. Many reasons, but the most important ones are that you will do your observed teaching practice with students similar to those you will teach on the job.

It just gives you a leg up on the competition especially if you need to give a demonstration lesson. It also helps you solve some problems that are often unique to a specific country. I’ve taught EFL in four countries and each had its own unique grammar and pronunciation problems.

Once you have some experience it gets easier to solve them, but doing your training with students with those problems will help you get up to speed much faster.

TED’s Tips™ #1: If you have the time and money for a full out four to six week TEFL Course, it is usually better to take your TEFL Training in the country in which you first intend to teach.

TED’s Tips™ #2: Take a look at http:www.TEFLprogram.com/ to help you evaluate any in-class TEFL course that you are thinking about taking.

What’s up in China? Learn what kind of jobs are on offer if you would like to Teach English in China

Where to take your TEFL Training

Where is the best TEFL Certification program for you?

People frequently ask me where they should take their TEFL Training. They also ask if it is best to take their EFL teacher training in their home country or in the country in which they intend to teach.

First issue: I usually recommend a TEFL Certification school that I know well and I know the teacher-trainer(s) well. I know the primary trainer is very well educated and has extensive experience in two countries, teaching EFL abroad since 1992 to a wide variety of students.

When I was a teacher trainer I was awakened to just how little experience, training and education many trainers have. One teacher trainer was hired directly from my class to set up and teach a TEFL Cert course for another company.

He had ZERO experience teaching. Wow. I won’t go into any further details, but it wasn’t a pretty picture and that was not a purely unique situation.

Second issue: It is almost always better to take your TEFL Training in or near the country in which you wish to teach. There are many good reasons why.

First, taking your training in your new country gives you some time on the ground to adapt to the culture and get to know your way around, instead of just arriving cold and heading out to look for work.

Also helpful is that TEFL Certification schools usually know the best and biggest employers, who to try first and who to avoid (just as important!).

One of the most helpful aspects of taking your TEFL Training in your new setting is that your observed teaching practice will likely be with students that have similar grammar and pronunciation problems as those you will face on the job. This is important for several reasons.

Every country’s students have different issues with grammar and pronunciation and while this is not a big problem, even well-experienced teachers take some time to get a good grasp of exactly how to solve these problems when they arrive in a new country.

A new EFL teacher, of course, will take much longer. Getting that experience during your training, with an instructor who knows exactly what to do, will make you a much more effective teacher, right out of the box.

It is common in some countries to request a “demonstration lesson” as part of the interviewing process. Don’t you think that lesson will go much better if you already know what kinds of issues are common in the classrooms of that country? Of course!

In countries where demonstration lessons are common, you should have the opportunity to build that lesson and practice it as part of your TEFL Certification training course. You will have plenty of opportunity to build, practice and polish that lesson under the guidance of an experienced teacher-trainer.

How do you think that lesson might go if you are just off the plane and have no idea what the common issues are with local students?

Last but not least, you can job hunt while you are taking your TEFL Certification course and hopefully have something lined up about the time you complete your training.

If you are taking your training in the developing world, TEFL Certification courses are often much cheaper than in developed Western countries are as your accommodation and food costs.

TED’s Tips™ #1: Take your TEFL Certification course in the country where you first intend to teach.

TED’s Tips™ #2: Practice and polish your demonstration lesson during your training.

EFL Lesson Planning

Lesson Plans for ESL EFL

If we get past the mystery and mystique, a lesson plan is simply a step-by-step guide to what an EFL teacher plans to do in the classroom on a given day.

Lesson plans can scare rookie TEFL teachers but once you know what goes into one, no problem.

The more detailed the step-by-step directions of an EFL lesson plan, the better. Ideally, you could not go to work on a given day and another teacher could read your lesson plan and know exactly how to teach your class on that day.

And they could do it with minimum preparation as handouts and activity sheets would be attached and even boardwork planned out.

A really good and detailed lesson plan might even include specific gestures and cues used for various parts of the lesson. That’s how detailed your plan should be.

There are literally hundreds of types of lesson plans and no one format is used by all schools. Many schools have their own set format, others will let you use whatever format you like.

There is; however, some general agreement about what should be included in a good lesson plan and we will review those here.

Generally agreed components of a lesson plan include:

Day/Date:

Lesson Name: What will you call the lesson?

Class/Level: Age, topic, skill level, class name

Materials: List everything you need to teach this lesson. List every possible thing you will need to take to the classroom and/or obtain from the school to complete the lesson.

This list can help you make sure you don’t forget any handouts or special materials that you need to take to the class. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to walk back across a university campus to get a critical part of a lesson. Bad teacher!

Textbook/Course book name: From what book are you working or drawing the lesson from?

Unit—title—page number: Specifically where in that book?

Goal/Aim: What are we working toward today.

Describe the final result of the lesson in this format – The students will be able to (do what?)________.
Example: The students will be able to ask and answer questions about their hobbies and interests.

Grammar Structures Employed: (How are they formed?): Show the structures. Use a structure chart if needed.

Questions and Answers Relevant to your Lesson: To be asked during the warm-up to elicit from students what they may or may not know about the topic to be covered.

Read the page about English Teaching Methods to get a better idea about elicitation.

Lesson Begins Here

Warm-up: This includes a review (revision) of the previous lesson linked to this new lesson; questions and answers you have written above, used to elicit conversation using the new structures and function; to show examples of what your students will learn in this lesson.

In some countries and with some age groups this may come in the form of a specifically designed game.

Presentation (or ESA format or Ted’s GRO method):

Note the target language to be taught – and how you will teach it. Include how you will stimulate the student’s interest in the language and how you might elicit from the students the language you are planning to teach.

Include details as specific as when you might model structures and dialog and when you will require a repeated response (choral response) from the students. Include a structure chart for the grammar and/or the dialog you intend to teach.

Practice:

Include the specific activities and attach any handouts to the lesson plan. Include up to three practice activities sequencing them from most to least structured, slowly giving the students more freedom.

Production:

This is where students really learn and generalize a new language skill.

Allow/encourage the students to talk about themselves, their lives, or specific situations using their own information while focusing on the target language that was taught in the presentation and practiced in the previous activities.

Be sure to include exactly what you will ask the students to do and that you (as throughout the lesson) intend to monitor students and encourage and correct them as needed in their use of the target language.

Conclusion:

Discuss/recap what you have studied and learned during the lesson. In some countries and for some ages this will be followed by a game that uses the target language.

Easy enough?

TED’s Tips™ #1: Many experienced teachers, once they have methodology set in their mind, write only minimally structured lesson plans as they will have developed a set routine for how they approach each lesson.

New teachers should develop the habit though of rigidly following a detailed lesson plan they have written for at least the first six months to a year. This will require some real discipline, but it will pay off in terms of skill development over time.

TED’s Tips™ #2: Sit down after each class and take a few notes about what went great, what went wrong and how you might have done a better job. This will help you a lot in refining your skills. Even very experienced teachers put some serious thought into problems that occurred during class and how they might best be corrected.

TED’s Tips™ #3: Save every lesson plan you write. If you teach a certain book or certain topics repeatedly to students of similar levels (and you will), you’ll find you need only a little polish on the lesson drawing from your notes in Ted’s Tips #2.

English Teaching Methodology

How to Teach English as a Foreign Language

I can’t possibly teach you everything about teaching English as a foreign language in one post, so the goal here is just to introduce you to some of the basic ideas about the methods commonly used in the EFL classroom and I will give you links for several good resources.

One of the best resources around for good solid basics is: Basic Teacher Training for EFL Teachers. Some of the material here on TEFL Teacher Training is drawn and expanded upon from TEFL Boot Camp

There are two most commonly followed methods taught by TEFL Certification schools. They are PPP and ESA. Advocates of each often think that the method they know is the holy grail – but they are both quite similar (though some authors think not!).

If you take a relatively flexible approach to how you teach, as that is what your students really need, you will see there are benefits of both methods and you can use a bit of both in every lesson.

These methods and my explanations here are primarily for teaching speaking skills, though the methods can be adapted to teaching reading, writing and listening skills as well. But we will address how to teach those skills individually in future posts.

We will start with PPP.

“PPP” – means Presentation, Practice, and Production

“Presentation” is where the target language, the language to be taught to the students, is “presented” to the students.

This is generally done through eliciting language from and cueing the students to see if they know it or how much of it they might know (often someone in the class knows some or all of it). The teacher provides the language if no one knows it. Usually a good portion of the target language can be obtained from the students.

The purpose of the elicitation and cueing is to get the students involved in the class and to increase the relevancy of the lesson – which in turn increases student motivation (the topic for another post).

The target language is usually put on the marker board either in structure, grammar-type, charts or in dialogs. The presentation stage of a lesson features more “teacher talk” than the other stages of the lesson – generally as much as 65-90% of the time. The presentation portion of the lesson may take as much as 20-40% of the total lesson time.

Less teacher talk in any part of the lesson, is better. Our goal is to have the students talk, not the teacher. You already have plenty of practice speaking and they don’t. So don’t hog the lesson – it is the classic symptom of a poor language teacher.

Next comes “Practice” stage of the lesson where the students practice the target language in one to three activities that progress from very structured, where students are given activities that provide little possibility for error, to less-structured as they master the material.

These activities should include as much “student talk” as possible and not focus on written activities, although written activities can sometimes provide a structure for the verbal practices.

Practice activities should have the “student talk time” range from 60-80 percent of the time – with teacher talk time being as little as possible. This portion of the total lesson can take from 30-50% of the total lesson time.

“Production” is the stage of the lesson where the students take the target language and use it in conversations that they create and structure (ideally) and use it to talk about themselves or their daily lives or situations.

The production stage of the lesson should involve “student talk” as much as 90% of the time – and this component of the lesson can/should take as much as 20-30% of the total lesson time.

As you can see, the general structure of a PPP lesson is flexible. An important feature is the movement from controlled and structured speech to less-controlled and more freely used and created speech.

Another important feature of PPP, and other methods, is the rapid reduction of teacher talk time and the increase in student talk time as you move through the lesson.

As mentioned earlier, one of the most common errors untrained teachers make is that they talk too much. EFL students get very little chance to actually use the language they learn and the EFL classroom must be structured to create that opportunity.

“ESA” – means Engage, Study, and Activate

The stages of ESA are roughly equivalent to PPP, though ESA is slightly different in that it is designed to and allows movement back and forth between the stages. However, each stage is similar to the PPP stages in the same order.

Proponents of the ESA method stress its flexibility compared to PPP. The ESA method as defined by Jeremy Harmer, its primary advocate, uses more elicitation and stresses more “Engagement” of students in the early stages of the lesson.

Both elicitation (drawing out the language from the students by use of questions, prompts and cueing) and Engagement are important in raising student motivation, but both tactics can just as easily, and should, be used in the Presentation stage of PPP.

ESA is superior method to PPP when both are looked at from a rigid point of view.

But, EFL is not rigid and you should not adhere to any one viewpoint or method. PPP is often an easier method for teacher-trainees to get a handle on.

TED’s Tips™ #1: Study and learn one method well – branch out to other methods as you increase your experience and skill level.

TED’s Tips™ #2: Don’t get hung up on terminology or too married to any one method. There are many ways to approach language instruction and PPP and ESA are used primarily as they are easy to teach in the relatively short four-week TEFL Certification or CELTA courses.

PS: I have developed the GRO method – just like but different from PPP and ESA – for helping my students improve. The GRO Method is more student focused, even in its description. “G” is for Growing student knowledge by Getting new information and Grasping the function of the target language of the lesson. “R” is the portion of the lesson for student Reaction to and Rehearsal or practice with the target language. And the “O” is for the students to Optimize their use of the language by making it more personal and relevant.

I know my method is effective and no other method is nearly as flexible. So there! Please allow my “tongue in cheek” approach.

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International Standards for TEFL Certification

Standards for TEFL Certification Courses

I am going to say something that is true, but that some people don’t want to hear.

There is not ONE organization or ONE standard in the world for TEFL programs. Period.

So . . . what does it really mean then when TEFL programs say they are “Internationally Recognized”? As we know most do, right there on their websites.

Generally, it means they belong to an organization or two, often just a paid membership. Other than that – don’t read too much into it. There are a few that belong to organizations that will check their course content and maybe even come by to see if it is done well. But don’t read too much into that either. Large fees are paid and well . . . one hates to bite the hand that feeds them.

Bottom Line:

What new teachers usually really want to know is this: If I take that course, will it help me get a job? Will it meet the standards of employers? Will it meet the standards of the Ministries of Education in countries where a TEFL Certification of some sort is required?

Employers and Departments of Education requiring TEFL certification are generally looking for a fairly standardized requirement: a minimum of 100 hours of in-classroom training and at least six hours of observed teaching practice (OTP).

The OTP must be with real students, not other teacher-trainees, not as demonstration lessons in the classroom, and must be observed by an experienced EFL teacher who will give you detailed feedback after each lesson.

Observed teaching practice is a critical part of the training and assures that you will have some real practice with real students and will provide you with some confidence the first time you are on your own in front of a classroom.

Is there one set international agency that has set this standard?

No, it just seems to be what is considered the minimum acceptable training for developing good basic EFL teaching skills. Will you be an excellent teacher by the time you finish such training? No, but you should have the knowledge you need to further develop your skills as a teacher.

What types of TEFL Certificates are out there?

You will see many types of certifications out there – but look for a good basic one that meets the above standards. Some organizations will add on a module for Business English or will give you a concentration in Young Learners – and those are generally helpful if those are areas in which you wish to teach.

In terms of terminology there are really only two types of programs out there that tend to meet the standards mentioned earlier on this page.

One is a TEFL Certification or “TEFL Cert” – more of a generic term meaning “Teaching English as a Foreign Language Certification”, and the other is the CELTA, the Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults. Some years back there was the Trinity RSA. Generally all of these can be considered equivalent and will have roughly similar content.

One important note – if you intend to teach in Europe of the UK there is strong preference there for the CELTA name brand. In most of the rest of the world employers don’t generally have a preference. Know that schools that sell CELTA or even their own name brand, often prefer to hire students who have taken their course.

TED’s Tips™ #1: If you spend the money and time to get a TEFL Certification (or CELTA) be sure it is one that meets the generally accepted international standards reviewed on this page. Otherwise you may find someday that you will need to take another course to meet the requirements of a job that you really want.

TED’s Tips™ #2: If you intend to work in Europe, the UK and/or for schools that sell the CELTA course, get a CELTA.

TED’s Tips™ #3: If you have the opportunity, there are many reasons why it might be best to take your TEFL course in the country in which you first wish to teach. Experience with the problems specific to that country is very helpful on your first job. I’ve taught in five countries and each one has their own unique problems. As you develop your skills you will get better at quickly finding solutions, but a newbie teacher fresh out of the box will often struggle with solving pronunciation issues and explaining common problems that their students have.

TED’s Tips™ #4: Check out TEFL Program dot com for the five checklists the website provides to help you select the BEST training for you.

Alternatives for TEFL Teacher Training

As we mentioned in the previous post, not everyone can afford to take four to six weeks away from work and pay the costs for a full blown TEFL certification or CELTA.

Following are some options to help you get a better idea about what to do in the classroom – without the “Full Monty” of a TEFL Certification.

First, any kind of training is better than no training. You can often find some free training as a volunteer from organizations like Literacy Volunteers of America [now known as ProLiteracy and working internationally].

There are online courses that are inexpensive. All of them will provide you with some beginnings of the knowledge and skill you need to do a decent job. Will you become a seasoned “pro” with such a class? No, but you will have a good idea of what needs to be done and how to continue to improve.

A free online TEFL course that I wrote is here: TEFL Boot Camp. The course is self study, roughly equivalent to the content for a full course – but no observed teaching practice is offered – nor is a certificate on offer.

What kind of training do employers look for?

Sadly, some employers in some countries, have no expectations that you have any training at all. Others, will have some very specific ideas about what training they would like you to have had. You won’t be able to please everyone in every country, but with a good TEFL training course you will have what 95% of employers will be satisfied with. And, enough training to feel like you are doing a good job and have some real satisfaction about the work you are doing. It’s a great feeling!

On-Line Training versus Full-Blown TEFL Courses

As mentioned above, any training is better than no training. If you don’t have the time or money to do a full course, or if you just want to experiment and see if it might interest you – consider a an online course. They are a good introduction to teaching and can tide you over until you get into a full program with observed teaching practice.

Free TEFL Certification Training?

There are some TEFL certification schools around the world that will offer you “free” certification training if you will work for them for a specified period of time. Approach these programs with caution as things that look too good to be true, often are.

Now . . . to protect myself from liability I am going to say that not all schools do what I am going to suggest – but know that some do.

Some TEFL Cert schools happily enroll you into their certification program and then place you in a job in which you are usually paid less than the going rate. The difference between the wages other people on the job are getting and your wage – will go to the TEFL school.

They, unfortunately, rarely tell you about this little “arrangement” they have going. And month after month, for as long as you work there, you are literally paying for your TEFL course. So . . . know that free things are rarely free.

If you stay at a job for a couple years you will have paid for the certification a couple times over or more.

No free time and no money?

TEFL Boot Camp is as good as it gets online – and it really is free.

Have a little money and want to study on your own? Check out TEFL eBooks for some options.

TED’s Tips™ #1: Get the full four to six week TEFL Training in residence if you have the time and money to do so.
The full course is worth your time, money and effort.

TED’s Tips™ #2: Get some training. Any kind of training to help you along.
You will enjoy yourself more and do a better job. Study a book, take an online course, sit in on classes somewhere.

Take an interest in becoming a quality teacher.