Certificate courses

How to teach vocabulary: making your lessons more effective

Vocabulary is an important part of language study, especially for younger learners and low levels of ability. However, teachers often gloss over opportunities for deep practice with new words and phrases – we often only have time to teach things once, and then we are flying on to the next thing without giving sufficient chance for students to… All categories, Certificate courses

Experienced teachers: are you ready to take a DipTESOL or DELTA?

Article by Bryan Holmes and Tom Garside If you have been teaching for a few years you may be thinking it’s time to complete a Trinity DipTESOL or a Cambridge DELTA. Doing either one will broaden your professional horizons while making a huge leap in your professional development.  This is considered a rite of passage in the… All categories, Diploma courses, Certificate courses, TESOL Masters

5 creative activities for Chinese New Year

By the Lunar calendar, this year (2026) will be the Year of the Horse and will fall on Tuesday, 17 February. Some parts of Asia, like Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Korea and Japan also revel in New Year and Spring festivities around the same time. If you teach in an Asian country or have students with an interest in other cultures, engage your… All categories, Certificate courses

5 things you didn't know about language teaching

Let's start with some common myths about TEFL We think it’s time for you to settle down and get a proper job. This was what welcomed me in the weeks after I initially complete my teacher training TESOL certification in 2008, having decided I didn’t want to go back to university to complete an Honours or MA, and needed some time to… All categories, Careers in TESOL, Certificate courses, Diploma courses

Teaching reading: why it's important for TEFL teachers

Why teach reading? EFL teachers in Hong Kong don’t have enough time to teach reading. Reading is about so much more than comprehension questions. Reading is a chance to learn a language the way all languages are learned in the beginning. Reading is a skill that allows independent learning. So why don’t we do more of it?… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, TESOL Masters

A letter to my inexperienced teacher self

Hey there, It’s been a while since we’ve had a chat. Since that day early on in the scheme of things. The young student who thought it was ok to yawn loudly, 15 minutes into a reading lesson. This is so boring. They looked at you, you looked at them and shrugged it off. But we all know it was wrong, and it hurt. It was uncomfortable. Things… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, Careers in TESOL

Taking a career break: the easiest ways to take time out to travel, work and volunteer abroad

Have you ever considered taking a step back from your job and pursuing something *else*.....what ever that may be? The benefits of taking some time out on a regular basis are indisputable. But many people don’t take time to unwind regularly or effectively enough.  Recently the BBC wrote about the advantages of additional time away … All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, Careers in TESOL

Christmas lesson ideas: 5 great activities for English classes

* This article was written by the entire Teacher Training team at EFA The Christmas season is nigh upon us and it’s a great time of year to focus on building classroom rapport and bring some light relief into learning.  We’ve rounded up a few of our favourite TEFL Christmas lessons and activities from our team of CertTESOL trainers for you… All categories, Certificate courses

We need to talk about teacher burnout

Okay, we’re now about halfway through the first term of school and most of you are probably in your teaching groove, so you might be thinking this may not apply to you. But it does. As Benjamin Franklin says, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Burnout is a gradual thing, not happening overnight and making sure you are aware of the… All categories, Certificate courses, Careers in TESOL, Diploma courses

Teaching jobs in Hong Kong: the secret life of a teacher trainer

Some of the most common questions I hear include: Hey, how did you get your job? What do you need to do to become a trainer? So do you get all summer off? Contrary to what many people assume about language teaching, most of us work within the constraints of the private sector. This has many advantages – and many facets that people new to the… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, Careers in TESOL

5 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Teaching Teenagers

Just do the thing... The advice I got from a colleague early on in my teaching career.  Her advice while not exactly motivating, ended up being the best advice I was given for everything, not just teaching. At the time I was struggling to motivate a class of teenaged learners and went home each day feeling like a failure. Even back then,… All categories, Certificate courses

5 things you didn't know about grammar

One of the more common beliefs that teachers and students bring to the classroom, especially in Hong Kong (which tends to favour classroom activities based on memorization and declarative, as opposed to procedural knowledge) is an obsession with grammar.  Yes but they need to know the grammar, teachers often say. Yes, the students didn… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses