Cactus Language Training Blog - Cactus Tefl
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Fabulous TEFL Spring Sale!
- Thursday, 26th January, 2012
Want to kick-start your TEFL career this year? Cactus is offering discounts on an exciting range of international Trinity Cert TESOL and Cambridge CELTA courses starting in February. With up to £190 off courses in the heart of London, Seville and Prague, there’s sure to be a course to suit every teacher. Simply click on the links below to find out more!
4-week Trinity Cert TESOL Course in London - Only £845 in February & March
4-week Trinity Cert TESOL Course in London - Only £800 in March & April
4-week Cambridge CELTA Course in Prague - up to £190 OFF February-June
4-week Cambridge CELTA Course in Seville - £59 OFF in February
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English Language Awareness: why TEFL teachers still need help with grammar
- Thursday, 8th September, 2011
About twenty years ago I was being interviewed for an intensive four-week course in teaching English as a Foreign Language. It felt like a real make or break situation. I’d given up my day job and saved enough money to live on for a month. Then I was going to head to the first country with a language school that would take me. The Training Course Director asked what most worried me about taking the course? I had no doubts about the answer: “Teaching grammar”.
Years later, having taught EFL in many different countries, I also found myself interviewing and training would-be teachers for intensive TEFL courses. And, in most cases, people’s concerns still echoed my own: their lack of knowledge and confidence with grammar. Like me, they’d never had much formal education at school into how the English language works, so wondered how they would be able to teach it.
Three years ago, Cactus TEFL set about changing this situation by offering a grammar course either to help people before taking a TEFL course or for existing teachers who wanted to brush up their skills. Perhaps one reason why no one had really offered this kind of quality language awareness training before was because there had never been the opportunities suddenly provided by the internet and online training. In terms of course content, the online format allowed us to present aspects of language in conjunction with video extracts of how a teacher might present the language to students. We were also determined that – unlike many other online courses at the time – our course would have a ‘real’ tutor who could help participants with questions and queries as well as facilitate and moderate discussion in the forums.
Now, Cactus TEFL’s first ever online course is three years old. The course has evolved and grown over time which is what we’d hoped for. As a writer of courses both in book-form and online, the key advantage for me of online courses is that they are much more organic than a book-based course. Course participants can post feedback and suggest improvements which help with the process of writing and developing the course. Over time the Cactus course has expanded from being an introduction to the English language into also covering areas of methodology and classroom skills.
Having said all that, what surprises me most is that the basic format of the course remains more or less the same as it was three years ago. There are thirty lessons in each course and we use a combination of readings, video and audio to present language items. Then there are exercises which follow to help consolidate what has been learned. The tutor support has always been a key feature of the course and it’s the area which receives more regular praise.The best part about being involved with these Cactus courses is that you know so many of the people taking them will go on to take TEFL courses (such as CELTA or the Cert TESOL) and then go off to teach in every corner of the world. Raising your language awareness and then teaching English as a Foreign Language really will change your life. Take me, for example. When I completed my first TEFL course I expected to travel and teach for a few years and then do something else. Now, I find myself still heavily involved in TEFL - and as for my concerns about grammar? Well, my third grammar textbook for language learners comes out later this year, so at least I’ve finally laid that fear to rest!
Cactus TEFL is the only international admissions and jobs service for TEFL. It works with over 125 TEFL course providers in 35 different countries. Its English Language Awareness course has been nominated for a British Council Innovation Award.
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The Guardian Careers - 12 July 2011
- Tuesday, 12th July, 2011
Cactus’ Jenny Johnson once again joined the panel at Guardian.co.uk to contribute towards a live discussion about finding TEFL jobs. Jenny provided expert help and tips across a range of TEFL queries, alongside other industry luminaries: http://careers.guardian.co.uk/careers-blog/tefl-jobs
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Cactus TEFL: Answering all your TEFL queries
- Wednesday, 15th June, 2011
The Cactus TEFL website contains lots of information about the different courses that are available, the different capacities in which you can teach EFL, and where in the world you can work. This information has been gathered from various sources over the years – from industry bodies, from partner schools and from teachers who have applied for a course through us and kept in touch after gaining a qualification.
All of the Cactus TEFL team have worked within the TEFL industry, including Jenny Johnson, our most experienced member of staff. Jenny worked as Head of Teacher Training at a prestigious school in Barcelona for many years and is still involved in many of the large EFL conferences, events and committees. She also represents Cactus TEFL at regular TEFL Q and A sessions with The Guardian newspaper, which you can find links to below:
Live Q&A: A beginner’s guide to TEFL, Mar 23 2011
TEFL careers — A graduate guide, 21 July 2010
Teaching English Abroad, Oct 7 2009
We have chosen five of the most frequently asked questions to post below, but would encourage anyone with another TEFL-related question to leave us a comment below. One of our specialist advisers will get back to you with an answer or some advice.
1. What is the difference between TEFL, CELTA and Trinity CertTESOL?
TEFL is the name of the industry you would be working in - Teaching English as a Foreign Language. In order to gain access to this industry, there are two key qualifications which stand out as being quite special in their international recognition - the Cambridge CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults) and the Trinity College CertTESOL (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Both the CELTA and CertTESOL courses are types of TEFL courses.
2. Will a 2-day/online TEFL course give me a certificate in teaching EFL?
Courses such as these do award a certificate of completion. However, it is important to recognise that it is not the TEFL qualification that a lot of employers will require. When prospective employers ask, ‘have you got a TEFL certificate?’ what they are usually referring to is the Trinity Certificate TESOL, the Cambridge CELTA or a certificate gained from doing a course of equivalent length and value as these two.
The short courses, however, are ideal if you want a basic introduction to TEFL. If you are looking to teach on an informal basis, or if the kind of teaching that you are planning to do is voluntary or temporary, these courses are perfect. They are particularly beneficial to anyone who is looking to do a few months travelling, and perhaps pick up some casual work along the way.
There are some schools that will employ teachers permanently who have done a short or online course, but in Europe they tend to be smaller, locally-run schools or schools that are in locations slightly off the beaten track. In countries like China where there is a huge demand for teachers, it’s more common to be able to find work with a shorter course behind you – it’s sometimes more important in Asian countries for teachers to have a university degree than a four-week TEFL course certificate.
3. What are the requirements to get on a CELTA/Trinity CertTESOL course?
For native speakers of English, ideally you need to have the qualifications which would allow you to access a degree course - i.e. A-Levels or an equivalent. Having said that, certain schools may require you to hold a degree, whilst others will consider your application if you just have relevant life experience.
If you are a non native speaker, you will also need to be able to demonstrate your ability to use English to a very high standard - ideally you will need to hold something like Cambridge Advanced English (CAE), Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) or IELTS level 7. If you don’t have an external qualification, the school will be able to test the level of your English, often by providing you with an additional language task to complete.
You need to be at least 18 years old, though some schools prefer you to be at least 20. There is no upper age limit for these courses.
4. Which countries have the most TEFL jobs?
You could, visa permitting, arrive anywhere your heart desires and offer your services as a TEFL teacher. Whether or not people wanted, or needed to learn English though, is another matter! In general, Asia tends to be the region with the most demand for English teachers – particularly China, Thailand and Vietnam. The Middle East is another region where there are lots of jobs to be found, and also European countries like Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal. Russia is also a plentiful source of work, as is Australia, although the regulations and qualifications required there can be stringent. South America is another area of the world where it is relatively easy to find TEFL work, with Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Chile seemingly top of the list for jobs. The hardest places to find paid EFL work tend to be Africa and North America, where unless you have a green card it’s almost impossible to get work. Opportunities in the UK mainly exist within summer schools – competition for year-round TEFL jobs can be very high, and opportunities for paid ESOL work are now also relatively few and far between.
5. What happens if I’m a mature applicant? Can I still do the course/get work?The impression given by the industry websites and many forums which discuss TEFL issues is that TEFL is an industry designed for the younger generation. There will of course be specific situations where schools will prefer younger staff, for example during summer residential programmes where students tend to be in their teens. There are also certain countries where you are unfortunately quite likely to encounter discrimination on account of your age.
However, if you are flexible and open-minded, and you’re not intent on earning a fortune, then TEFL is arguably more suited to more mature teachers. As far as employers are concerned your wealth of experience will probably mean that you are more at ease with groups and individuals from diverse walks of life, and you will better relate to, for example, the life issues that students face.
Also, a more senior teacher may have the business experience and knowledge which comes in very handy for a school’s company clients, who will not take too kindly to a very young teacher without much life experience.
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Live Q&A: A beginner’s guide to Tefl - 23 March 2011
- Wednesday, 23rd March, 2011
Jenny Johnson, Cactus’ own TEFL expert, was asked to join the panel for a live TEFL Q&A with The Guardian in March. The session was designed to help would-be English teachers to ask a variety of questions about the TEFL experience: http://careers.guardian.co.uk/careers-blog/tefl-careers
“So, if you are considering a TEFL career - and you want to know how it all works - we’ve invited a panel of experts to offer their advice to anybody taking their first steps in the industry. As well as giving you the low-down on locations, our experts will be on hand to share their advice about everything you’ll need to get qualified and progress your Tefl career. Join them on 23 March from 1pm - 4pm.”
“Jenny Johnson has 30 years experience of the TEFL world. She is academic director at Cactus Language Training, head of TEFL at Cactus TEFL, and was also head of TEFL teacher training at International House, Barcelona. She is author of Teaching English in Spain, a Guidebook for TEFLers.”
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Cactustefl.com recognised as one of the ‘100 publications that most changed TEFL’
- Friday, 11th March, 2011
Cactus TEFL has been in existence for almost a decade now, and right from the start has offered a unique service to prospective and existing EFL teachers.
Our unbiased approach to advice and admissions, and our huge network of respected contacts within the TEFL industry helped us to produce a comprehensive, up to date and neutral website, which continues to attract a large number of visitors each week.
Whilst there are lots of TEFL related websites around today, when the site was first launched this was not the case and it was relatively hard for anyone interested in TEFL to find the information that they needed.
Our aim was always to provide visitors to the site with the facts to allow them to make an informed decision about whether TEFL is for them, and about the type of course that they should take. In addition, our course listings have provided practical help in comparing locations, start dates and prices. In this regard, our format was an early version of the price comparison sites that have become so popular today.
Over the years, thousands of would-be TEFLers have used the site as a resource to research TEFL and how to become qualified before making the decision to take a training course. Thousands more have gone a step further and used the site as a free admissions portal to apply for the TEFL course of their choice.
We’re delighted that the site has been recognised for its worth, and are happy that we have been able to help so many people begin their TEFL journey over the years.
To read the full listing of the top 100 publications that have changed TEFL, please visit the tefl.net website.
For more information on TEFL courses, and details of TEFL opportunities around the world, please visit www.cactustefl.com.
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