Blogs

Travel the world and get paid for it!  teflhub is recruiting an ambassador / travel writer to provide a written- and video- window to the opportunities for TEFL teachers all over the globe.  This non-teaching 9-month contract includes a basic salary of £1,200/month, an £800/month allowance, as well as three international flights to enable the ambassador to return home for two weeks paid vacation at Christmas and at Easter.  From September this year (or any following year as this will be advertised every year) you could be jetting off to places you’ve dreamed of visiting – not to teach, but to find out what teaching is like in the far corners of the Earth.

Have you ever considered volunteering as a TEFL teacher?  teflhub is running a series of articles and interviews to help you decide if you’d like to take the next step in what must be an incredibly rewarding experience. This is an updated version of an interview with the Peace Boat which is an international NGO based in Japan.  Teachers of English (and Spanish) help the international group of passengers communicate and in doing so, help achieve the Peace Boat’s goals:  promoting peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment. To find out more, read on…

Would you like to work in Spain? The country has been a favourite destination for TEFL teachers for years – drawn by the rich history, beautiful scenery, remarkable architecture, delicious cuisine, the famous wines, and of course by the friendly people. One means for TEFL teachers to find work is by visiting job fairs, so teflhub interviewed Stuart from Spainwise to find out more about their upcoming jobs fair in Bilbao. 

Vietnam is a favourite destination for TEFL teachers.  The country with a population of nearly 100 million runs along a 3,440 km stretch of the Indochina Peninsula.  Mention Vietnam and people usually conjure up images of James Bond-like island scenery, terraced rice paddies climbing misty mountains, and news reel footage of its remarkable history.  Here teflhub asks one of its staff, Delv, to reflect on his experience there in order to find out more about this intriguing country.

TEFL teachers can usually reflect on the wonderful experiences they have had teaching around the world.  There is another opportunity to experience a very rewarding teaching position right on your doorstep:  by volunteering as an English teacher. Demand for government funded, full time ESOL courses far outstrips supply so thousands of migrants (refugees and asylum seekers) across the UK are placed on waiting lists. For such people, desperate to learn how to communicate in English, third sector organisations (charities) are where they turn to. Such organisations are able to deliver ESOL classes only through the goodwill of volunteer ELT teachers. Here teflhub interviews Dr Mike Chick who volunteers on such a programme with the Welsh Refugee Council.

This is an interview with Conversations with Foreigners (aka Volunteer in Cambodia) which is a voluntary organisation based in Cambodia who run three-month contracts for their teachers.  Mention Cambodia to most people and they automatically conjure up images of the temples of Angkor Wat, but there is a lot more to this fascinating country – the beautiful varied scenery, the mouth-watering food, and an aspect which is mentioned again and again: the wonderful people.      

We may not have access to a computer lab or have internet access so we might have to use a more traditional means of preparing for our lessons:  books.  There are numerous high-quality TEFL resources out there so we thought we would introduce you to some of the publications we’ve found particularly useful.  

There are a range of courses out there, so which one is the right one for you?  Should you take the weekend course, one of the online courses, a week-long course or a 4– 5-week course?  Should I take a CELTA, TESOL or other TEFL course? teflhub looks at the options to help you make the right choice.

Have you ever considered volunteering as a TEFL teacher?  teflhub is running a series of articles and interviews to help you decide if you’d like to take the next step in what must be an incredibly rewarding experience. Here we interview a teacher from the Red Sweater Project which is based in Tanzania.  A position here would offer you the opportunity to go on safari in the Serengeti with Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, as a backdrop.  Does that whet your appetite? Then read on: