Cactus Language Training Blog
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The Times - 13 February 2010
- Wednesday, 17th March, 2010
This article by Will Hide at The Times discusses Chinese New Year 2010, the Year of the Tiger. Will recommends Cactus’ courses at locations in Beijing, Shanghai and Xian, as well as Chinese evening courses around the UK. He also offers advice on which airlines to fly with if you want to practice your language skills with the locals in Taiwan. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/
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The Sunday Times Travel - 7 February 2010
- Wednesday, 17th March, 2010
This article by veteran solo adventurer, Fleur Britten, takes a look at how to get the most from travelling alone. She offers tips about how to blend in, suspend Britishness and network to ensure that travelling is hassle-free. She also recommends going back to school and learning a language to really adjust to life abroad - “Cactus has 500 destinations in 60 countries, teaching 30 languages. It gives the socially challenged an ‘in’ and something to talk about.” http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/singles/article7016539.ece
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The Guardian - January 2010
- Wednesday, 17th March, 2010
TEFL salaries are not great, though they are enough to live on for the single and the frugal: I do however know a lot of people who have made TEFL their career, but usually by staying in one place (most schools do not have the policy of moving teachers on every two years). The reasons why pay is not better are based around market forces and the professional standing of the TEFL industry. Market forces: language schools have to compete for students and this is usually on price, therefore staff salaries have to be kept low. Professional standing: unlike ‘real’ education, teaching English has still not gained respect as a serious profession, so cannot command high fees and salaries like lawyers IT professionals and so on. Yes, progressing almost always means moving out of the classroom. Ironic, isn’t it.
You don’t need a degree to do a TEFL course: You need a university entrance-level academic qualification, such as A levels. The work regulations in the country where you want to work is the deciding factor and there are many countries even in the east where you don’t need a degree. The best way to make TEFL teaching a career is to get a good course qualification. Cambridge CELTA or Trinity Cert TESOL or an equivalent length (120 hours plus) course with at least six hours observed and assessed feedback. With such a qualification under your belt, the world is your oyster. These courses are initially to teach adults, but as there are so few teaching young learners courses, employers don’t expect you to have a specific young learners course. If you want to add an extension course specialising in young learners later, for your own good, you can.
A CELTA or Cert TESOL is a big investment for someone who isn’t sure TEFL is for them. Why not start off with a taster day to see if you like the idea? Or/and try an online or short course as a taster. After that you should know whether it is for you or not. You can always go for the real thing (CELTA or Trinity Cert TESOL) later.
TEFL teaching primes you for work where presentation skills and dealing with groups of people is important: When you return, you will have experience of teaching so you could move over to teaching ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) to immigrants and refugees, for example, in further education or community colleges. If you don’t want to teach, TEFL teaching prepares you for work in training, publishing, theatre and a host of other areas where presentation skills and dealing with groups of people is important.
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Avatar fans learn to speak Na’vi
- Wednesday, 24th February, 2010
With James Cameron’s science-fiction epic Avatar taking global box offices by storm, fans everywhere are learning the Na’vi language to help them get closer to the action. Professor Paul Frommer from the University of Southern California was the brains behind the alien language and developed it over four years, making sure it would have an authentic but exotic feel.
The result is a unique language which currently has about 1000 words and a distinct Polynesian feel, although other people claim it’s more like German or Japanese. Professor Frommer designed the language so that it could be spoken by human actors, and then spent hours on set helping the cast perfect their pronunciation to really bring the language to life.
The incredible success of the film has created a groundswell of interest in Na’vi, with numerous blogs and forums dedicated to learning the alien language. Professor Frommer hopes that one day, Na’vi could be as popular as Klingon, sci-fi addicts’ top alien language.
Cactus is interested to hear from anyone wanting to learn Na’vi in the UK. So avid Avatar fans - get in touch!
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Cactus awarded gold standard in Quality Management
- Wednesday, 24th February, 2010
Cactus Language Training is delighted to announce that its Quality Programme has been approved by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance to ISO 9001:2008. Cactus passed the in-depth auditing process with flying colours, illustrating its commitment to consistently meeting and exceeding the needs of its customers around the world.
Operating a quality management system is crucial for businesses who want to understand their customers’ needs and meet and exceed those needs effectively and efficiently. The Cactus Quality Programme ensures every aspect of what Cactus does can be looked at in depth to ensure it meets the required criteria, quality objectives and outcomes, to ensure the best possible service to its customers, from enterprises to individuals.
Richard Bradford, MD of Cactus UK, comments: “The decision to be audited by Lloyds Register was critical to our commitment to making a genuine difference to how we deliver language training in the UK and worldwide. The auditor went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that not only our systems and processes all worked, but also that we had academic integrity and strong procedures in place to deliver top quality courses.
We’ve worked hard to make sure that Cactus is a customer-focused organisation, and what makes it special for me is that everyone at Cactus has been committed to attaining this international quality standard, from the team in our Brighton office, to our trainers and partner organisations around the world.”
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FREE Language Taster Sessions in London!
- Tuesday, 23rd February, 2010
Not sure whether learning a language is for you, or want to brush up on existing skills before heading off on holiday?
Come to Cactus’ FREE language social evening in London on Wednesday 24th March and you’ll be able to enjoy free wine and nibbles whilst trying your hand at a choice of four exciting languages – Spanish, French, Mandarin or Japanese.
Whether it’s to get ahead at work or be inspired before your holidays, there’s never been a better time to learn. You’ll meet new, like-minded people and be taught the basics by Cactus’ experienced teachers. You’ll also get the chance to win a free 10-week Evening Course in London!
So come along after work and see what learning a language is all about – no commitment, no fee, just an evening of fun, chat and gentle learning!
Where: Malvern House, 200 Pentonville Road, London N1 9JP
When: 7-9pm, Wed 24th March 2010
Nearest Tube: Kings CrossRegistration: The event is free but we have limited spaces! Visit www.cactuslanguagetraining.com/taster or call Lucy Bradt on 0845 130 4775 to reserve your place.
