Is teaching English the new restaurant job for actors?
Think about what you can do both for your students - and for yourself!
Teaching English is something that many people take for granted because they don’t realize how significant the role of an English teacher is. The point is that you, the teacher, are impacting many people’s lives, and they will remember you for a very long time.
Perfectionists: stay away from English teaching
Some rules of the road
There are some businesses you’ll get into in Asia as a teacher where the best you can hope for is a good one year and then you leave either because the environment is just so toxic or because you are going to get burned out or maybe you’ll just get sick of living in a rural area.
Powerball TEFL
Sometimes we have to do what is ridiculous
As I lament the last 20 years of my life in and out of the TEFL industry, I can't help but wonder how I haven't completely lost my mind. Have things in the Powerball TEFL industry changed over the last 15-20 years? It depends on who you ask, who you believe, and what you believe, or choose to believe.
Home or away?
Where is the best place to do a TEFL course - Thailand or your own country?
A good question that occasionally pops up on social media is “should I take a TEFL course in Thailand or in my home country (USA, England, etc)? I’ve noticed that the question never really gets a decent answer, so I turned to a dozen or so of Thailand’s TEFL course providers and asked them for their input.
Discrimination against Filipinos
Are the Filipinos getting a fair crack?
Straight-talking Australian teacher Ajarn X has written an excellent article on racial discrimination in Thailand, and also what makes the good Filipino teachers very good and the bad ones extremely bad. Not just a good read for Filipinos, but anyone who teaches in Thailand.
Fashion redux
Fashion tips for the female EFL teacher
What to wear and what not to wear in the classroom. A guide for lady teachers.
The real heroes of the TEFL industry
I raise a glass to those teachers that simply keep on going
There is an old joke in the TEFL industry: "What's the difference between a school administrator and a brain surgeon? A brain surgeon doesn't walk around thinking he's a school administrator!"
It does matter if you're black or white
The blatant discrimination in TEFL job ads
Although it is rarely mentioned in job ads, most if not all Asian recruiters on the lookout for teachers are after whities. And let’s make no mistake about it: the prize specimens are Caucasian white, not some locals having overindulged in skin-whitening products.
Becoming a TEFL 'lifer'
Into my third year as a teacher in Myanmar
What happens in year two and three of an ESL journey is up to you, but it's probably going to include getting more serious about what you do.
Going with the flow
Getting a teaching job in rural Thailand
I'd always had a dream to teach in Thailand. I'm a fully qualified teacher with nearly twenty years teaching experience. So why not? Life's too short right?
