My New Friends Are American In Spanish

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences English is my first language, however, I studied Spanish throughout high school growing up in the Midwest and eventually received a Master’s degree in Spanish Literature. I learned to speak Spanish very well after becoming a high school Spanish teacher for eight years and then a principal for elementary and secondary schools for 26 more years speaking Spanish to new immigrant students and parents the whole time. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Rex P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In reflecting on the title question I first asked myself how Spanish had influenced me over the years. The first obvious answer was that I became bilingual and began communicating...  [Read more]

Julia Erbacher Alumni Experiences I am American. My hometown is Buffalo, New York. 26 I have an Associates of Science in Music and Bachelors of Arts in Spanish. I also have been TEFL certified and DELE certified with a C1 level of Spanish speaking from the Cervantes Institute. My first experience abroad I went to Peru, then Madrid, Spain, and finally back to Spain in another region of the country. I studied at the International Institute in Madrid through the University of Albany. In my hometown, I graduated from the University at Buffalo. I was looking for the next learning adventure in my life, as well as the desire to improve my Spanish speaking skills. That is why I made the decision to apply for the Conversation Auxiliar Program through the Spanish government. I was concerned that...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Qingshu Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Hanzhong Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. As a native English speaker, my first major foreign language experience began in 8th grade, where I had the option of studying either Spanish or French. I chose Spanish, as I’d always been drawn to the language and Latin American culture, and hoped to one day live in a Spanish speaking country. I studied the language throughout high school, but in the years...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences As a native English speaker, my first major foreign language experience began in 8th grade, where I had the option of studying either Spanish or French. I chose Spanish, as I’d always been drawn to the language and Latin American culture, and hoped to one day live in a Spanish speaking country. I studied the language throughout high school, but in the years afterward, it wasn’t much of a priority and wasn’t something I used on a regular basis. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Lauren M. In high school, our language classes were mainly structured around learning grammar and following the textbook. From time to time, we would listen to and translate songs in Spanish, or watch a movie in Spanish, and in some classes we would...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Being an American living in France has given me firsthand experience as to what it is like to struggle with learning a new language. I studied Spanish for six years, in Junior High and High school. Language acquisition was easier then. I can attest to the fact that younger learners learn more quickly. For me, the two major problems with learning French are the tenses and not being able to understand what people are saying. I get stuck in the present tense, often forgetting to change tenses in conversation. I also need to hone up on my listening skills. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Patricia J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. To find out, I questioned eight of...  [Read more]

Lulu Johnson Destinations TEFL Information Alumni Experiences The Fulbright program is a great way to travel abroad and work as an English language teacher in an exciting new country. It allows you to experience a new culture, meet lots of new people and discover something new about yourself. This article will go over what Fulbright is, their English teaching program, and how to apply to Fulbright in this blog post. My name is Lulu, and I am currently a Fulbright recipient in South Korea for the next year (2021). A little about me: I was originally born in China but was adopted into a USA family. I grew up knowing I wanted to become a doctor and went to college in the Midwest and majored in Nutritional Science Pre-Med. Initially going into college and throughout most of college, I...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The difference between formal and informal grammar is very apparent both in everyday life and during ones time as a teacher of English as a foreign language. These differences, I believe, play an important part in why many language learners find it so difficult to understand and become fluent. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Daniel B. As a native English speaker and an ongoing learner of Spanish I find myself struggling with these differences as well. Much of the English grammar we learn in school in America is grammar that the person knows they are likely to use very sparingly. This is why most students fail to truly pay attention in their literature class. People speak more commonly in short form and with well...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Lijinshitang Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Heze Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. The difference between formal and non formal grammar is very apparent both in every day life and during ones time as a teacher of foreign language. These differences, I believe, play an important part in why many language learners find it so difficult to understand and become fluent. As a native English speaker and an ongoing learner of Spanish I find myself...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Most people consider English to be a global language because it is the one language that is spoken and understood by the majority of the population in almost every region of the world. What is a global language? While there is no official definition, it refers to a language that is learned and spoken internationally by native and second language speakers (Mastin, 2011). There are approximately 360 million native English speakers and almost twice as many speaking it as a second language, making English one of the topmost spoken languages in the world (Klappenbach, 2019). English is undoubtedly in just about every sector whether it is in education, medicine, business, technology, tourism, communication, and so on. It is perhaps this worldwide...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Hello everyone, how are you doing? Linda from ITTT, back again with another live session. I’m super excited to be here today to talk about this exciting topic, teaching English abroad and how it enhances your career prospects. I'm just going to wait for a couple more people to join, you know how it usually works. Once we are a good sized group of people we can start diving into this topic. If you can hear me and if you can see me please leave a comment. We are live on Facebook and on YouTube at the same time, so wherever you're watching from just leave a quick hi or hello in the comment section and also let me know where you are watching from. I am in South Korea about an hour and a half south of Seoul in a city called Cheongju. I've...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Zhaidian Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Yuncheng Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. English is considered a global language. But what is a global language actually? Aren’t Chinese and Spanish global languages too? First there is no official definition of ‘global’ or ‘world’ language, but it is commonly agreed to refer to a language that is learned and spoken internationally. It is characterized not only by the number of its native and...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Visa and Legal Spain is traditionally one of the most popular destinations in Europe for teaching English abroad due to the great climate, fascinating culture and large number of jobs on offer year round. However, as the process of obtaining a work visa for non-EU citizens can be a bit of a hassle, many employers choose to only hire teachers with an EU passport. If you are not from an EU country you can apply for a student visa which enables you to legally work as an English language teacher for a set number of hours every week. If you like the sound of a student visa you need to visit your nearest Spanish Consulate to begin the application process. As it can take a while to process the application we recommend that you contact the consulate at least three months before you...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas Hi my name is Linda from ITTT, international TEFL and TESOL Training and I'm back again today for another live session. If you can hear me and see me please let me know as I'm trying out a new mic today so if that is working well it would be good to know. So please leave a quick comment to say hi and where you're watching from. I have been living in South Korea for five and a half years, so for me right now it's 10:00 a.m. Friday morning. Let me know where you are tuning in from and what time it is where you are. We can get started on today's topic which is the best government programs for teaching English abroad. If you're interested in teaching English abroad then you should definitely keep watching as there's a lot of good stuff coming...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Hengshui Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Baoji Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. First of all I would like to take a moment to thank The Staff of ITTT for putting together this highly informative and enlightening program. It is well written easy to understand and structured well for the new and experienced ESL Teacher alike. I would like to to Write my summation on Learning Techniques. Learning techniques will vary depending on race, sex...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Cultural sensitivity is important to bear in mind as we all face situations daily: whether in our working environment or on a personal level. Within the Western English speaking world, we can see that there is the presence of a dominant culture (such as European American, or Western Culture) and a secondary culture (such as African, Chinese, or Eastern European culture). It is always important to bear in mind that while the English language may be widespread over the globe, the differences in culture even between people living within the same country has a profound effect on how interactions take place. In the environment of the classroom, the same examples can be seen. Whether the students are of the same age group or live in the same area, there...  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Bayuan Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Xi'an Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. Benefits and Challenges of Being a Volunteer Teacher "Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves." - Horace Mann Volunteering is one of the most satisfying human experiences. It gives one a feeling of relevance, of giving freely to those whose live those skills one has will be of an immense benefit to. A volunteer has been defined by the Business Dictionary...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Destinations TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Hi everybody wherever you are right now. I'm in South Korea and it's 10 a.m. Friday, so good morning. I'm back here again today, my name is Linda from ITTT if you've been here before hi and if this is your first time watching thanks so much for tuning in and taking the time, we really appreciate it. If at any time during this live session you have any questions, feel free to drop your comments in the comment section from whichever platform you're watching from. We are streaming live on Facebook and on YouTube at the same time. If you can see me and hear me just leave a hi in the comment box, that would be highly appreciated so that I know that everything is working well. For the first couple of minutes let's just have a chat...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas English to me and I'll answer them to the best of my ability. We have a first time watcher Sebastian watching from Cameroon and it is 2:00 a.m. there, wow thanks so much for staying up and watching our live stream, that's awesome. We are actually streaming live on Facebook and also on YouTube at the same time, so wherever you're watching from you can throw your questions at me at any time and if you don't want to miss out on any of our live streams don't forget to like and subscribe so that you always get notifications. I go live every Friday morning my time, depending on where you're watching it might still be Thursday, and then my colleague Liza does her live sessions every Tuesday. If you have already watched our joint...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Since my childhood, I have been frequently asked the same question "what kind of teacher do you want?" At different life stages, I have different answers. When I was a kid, I would say a teacher who dresses neatly and smiles nicely; when I was a teenager, I would prefer a "cool" teacher as a good teacher, who behaves differently from other boring and stereotyping adults; until I grow up, I think a good teacher should have sound subject knowledge, be fair and consistent with all of the students as well as being sensitive to the students’ reactions and providing necessary support, and until now I know being a good teacher has nothing to do with his/her appearances and dressings. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Feifei W....  [Read more]

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Heijiabao Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Yan'an Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. When I first began my career of teaching internationally I remember a very distinct moment. I was sitting at a dinner restaurant with friends who were all from different countries: Germany, Netherlands, the US, Columbia, Viet Nam, Thailand, and Montenegro. While we were all from very different and faraway places we could all talk and share with each other. The only...  [Read more]

  Our tefl certification center in Seville is an absolutely wonderful choice to gain the qualification needed for most efl teaching positions around the world. Seville is the capital of Andalusia, Spain’s southern region, and also one of Europe’s most historic cities. Beautiful buildings and majestic monuments can be seen around every corner of Seville’s winding streets and main avenues. From the minaret of La Giraldo, to the Alcazar Palace, the city’s monuments stand as proof of Seville’s fascinating heritage. Seville is well-known for its exuberance as well as being one of Europe’s most captivating cities. Seville’s vitality comes from its witty and gregarious citizens. Stylish, ancient, intimate and fun-loving, Seville and its people will delight you. Seville also...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The introverted Nathaniel struggled immensely through primary, high school, college, and music school. His first battle was learning how to read. At this point, no one knew he possessed a learning difficulty. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nathaniel F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Although he had an impressive spoken vocabulary for a boy, when he looked at words on a page he could not match them to their sounds, therefore pronunciation was not possible. This struggle with phonetic decoding was overcome over a few years by reading books borrowed from the library, tracing the words with a finger while listening to the audiobook version until the words were...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When I first began my career of teaching internationally I remember a very distinct moment. I was sitting at a dinner restaurant with friends who were all from different countries: Germany, the Netherlands, the US, Columbia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Montenegro. While we were all from very different and faraway places we could all talk and share with each other. The only way that was possible was because of our one connected, global language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Taylor K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The term “global language” has never officially been defined. There has never been such a connection of everyone around the globe before our time. A...  [Read more]

What does TEFL mean?    The acronym TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. It is commonly used to refer to training courses that almost anyone can take to learn the skills and knowledge required to teach English to non-native speakers in countries all over the world. What is the difference between TESOL and TEFL?    TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. These descriptions are generally used interchangeably, however, TESOL is more common in the USA and TEFL is more common in the UK. Do I need a TEFL certificate to teach abroad?    Although it is possible to teach abroad without a TEFL certificate, we recommended that you complete a TEFL...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Budget and Salary TEFL Information Teaching Ideas Today, we are going to talk about the “biggest misconceptions about TEFL and TESOL and teaching English abroad”. We get a lot of questions here at ITT, and a lot of people are confused and I just want to clear a few things up, some myths here and there, and I think I've narrowed it down to eight misconceptions that we're going to look at and you can throw your questions at me at any time. I would also really like to know where you are like in your TEFL journey, are you currently taking a TEFL or TESOL course? Are you thinking about it? Are you already certified? Or are you already teaching abroad? Let me know, that would be interesting to know. Let's jump right into the biggest misconceptions about TEFL and TESOL and...  [Read more]

  Colombia's capital Bogotá is an extremely unique city. Situated in the Andes Mountains at a height of 2,640 meters, not only is it one of the highest capitals in the world, it is also home to people from all over Colombia. Bogotá is the energetic centre of a number of different Colombian and other South American cultures. Visitors to Bogotá are spoilt for choice when it comes to finding interesting things to do in the city. From soaking up the local culture in the cobbled streets of the old downtown area to heading off to the city’s outskirts and beyond to experience the country’s beautiful landscapes and wildlife, you will never be bored here. Bogotá has a large number of quality restaurants, clubs, cafes and bars as wells as old houses, churches and convents dating back...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information Teaching Ideas All right, looks like we're live! Awesome! This is great. So thanks so much for tuning in today for our actually very first Facebook live and I'm super happy to be here with Jessica today from GoOverseas. We're gonna talk today about all things teaching English abroad, online, and everything in between. All things TEFL and TESOL and all that good stuff and I'm actually tuning in live from South Korea where it's 9 00 am Friday and I think Jessica is in Southern California. Right, yep it's 5 p.m here so just starting to get dark. I've actually just realized I'm probably going to need the light before the session is over so i'm going to run and do that now while Linda just explains today’s topic. No problem, cool. Well actually before we...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Budget and Salary Destinations TEFL Information Hello, Linda here from ITTT for another weekly live session on Facebook and YouTube at the same time as always. If you've watched one of my sessions before thanks so much for tuning in again and if this is your first time watching, hello and welcome. If you are listening to this as a podcast episode, thanks so much for downloading the podcast, it means a lot to us as we always turn our live sessions into podcast episodes and you can find them on Spotify, Google Podcasts, itunes, all those podcast places out there. Today's topic is teaching English in Europe. So two weeks ago I talked about teaching English in Asia and I focused on seven of the most popular countries in Asia and today we're going to do the same thing for...  [Read more]