Certificate courses

6 chocolateless activities to try with your English classes this year

Easter is a festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, which is celebrated all over the world by Christians. Easter is also closely linked to the Jewish Passover. Church services, decorating of Easter eggs (symbolizing Jesus’ empty tomb), egg hunts and chocolate eggs are just a few of the customs that are observed, but did you… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, ESL activities

9 mistakes you need to stop making with your teaching

Having been a teacher trainer for a few years now, I’ve had opportunities to observe and reflect on the good and bad things teachers do in the classroom (including my own teaching skills!) while looking back on those first terrifying (and exhilarating) teaching years with a more experienced eye, and maintaining an understanding of that first foray… All categories, Certificate courses, Diploma courses, Careers in TESOL, TESOL Masters

The ultimate guide to finding your first TEFL job

You’ve passed your CELTA or CertTESOL, you’ve recovered from sleep loss. You’re pencils are all sharpened, and mum has starched all your shirts…. you’re ready to start looking for your first teaching job? What next? Since I started teaching I estimate that I have applied for nearly 30 teaching jobs and I can honestly say there is no one-size… All categories, How to..., Certificate courses, Diploma courses, Careers in TESOL

What is it like to work in Hong Kong?

  Hong Kong is an amazing city and I’m often asked why I moved here, but to be honest it was purely by chance. I applied for jobs in The Ukraine, Lebanon, and Hong Kong. I said whichever British Council Centre employs me first, I’ll take it. Ideally I wanted to go to Lebanon or Ukraine but neither hired me, at that time I didn’t have the… All categories, Careers in TESOL, 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, How to..., ESL activities, 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, ESL activities, Certificate courses, TESOL Masters

5 creative activities for Chinese New Year

Sssss! By the Lunar calendar, this year (2025) will be the Year of the Snake and will fall on Wednesday, 29 January. 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… All categories, How to..., ESL activities, Certificate courses, Theme based learning

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, How to..., ESL activities, 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, How to..., 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, ESL activities, Five ways to, How to..., Certificate courses, Theme based learning