However, fortunately (especially in the east), kids have a fascination with playing cards. I’m not talking about playing poker or rummy, but more about the battle cards, power cards and top Car cards. Actually, they are keen to play any kind of card game … or even for paper scraps. Strangely, this fascination can produce amazing results in the TEFL classroom. Try it, you’ll be surprised!

Brett write more about this and TEFL here.

First, we want to learn English , we must determine first of all for which we want to learn. You must choose the field that interests us: English for students ( school ), English for Immigration ( conversation ), English for work abroad in a specific area (specialized technical language), English tests internationally accredited: TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge ESL / EFL etc.

Once we established what we interested in the English language, must decide on how much timeis needed to reach the desired result. Also, we must evaluate the level at which we know English (beginner, intermediate or advanced) and decide how we want to progress. There are several ways to learn English, but the beginning is always the hardest. So, we detail below the steps to follow depending on each situation.

Stages of learning English and they 

1. English school

In general, when we learn English for school, we need to cover some gaps (gaps). If the information does not have continuity, we can understand and learn English. Thus, we must know what information we do not master very well and insist on them. We need:

• A Dictionary of English – Romanian and Romanian – English, and more useful is an English dictionary – English

You really have to know how to translate words from English into Romanian and from Romanian into English. A dictionary is absolutely necessary. Given that English has many words with multiple meanings, an English dictionary – English would be more appropriate. This is a glossary with definitions in English. In addition, it also offers the family of words derived from the word, so we can learn much more vocabulary and definitions at the same time. In the link below you can find such a dictionary.

• Worksheets, exercises, grammar and vocabulary tests

Only the theory does not help in trying to learn English. We need more exercises, tests and evaluations that always tell us how we have progressed and where we need to insist. Tests can be combined (grammar and vocabulary) or directed Only a specific issue. The trick is to decide what you need and to work seriously. Also in the link below you will find these key tests, exercises and worksheets.

1. English tests and exams: TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge ESL / EFL

In general, when we decide to give such a test, we need to know what level, where we go where we want to go and how long. Need:

• A Dictionary of English – Romanian and Romanian – English and an English dictionary – English

Like the above, we need a dictionary to that otherwise can not learn a foreign language. Given that we intend to learn English on Long-Term, most helpful would be an online dictionary.

• Intestinal English Course

If the type tests and exams: TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge ESL / EFL most want to learn exactly what the exam is given and a short time. You must decide what level of difficulty according to the exam and prepare strictly for this purpose.

• Test structure – type tests, rubrics, assessments (preferably online)

To type an exam TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge ESL / EFL, we must know which is the structure of the test and what is required at the level of difficulty of our choice. Such models you can find in the link below for each type of exam or test.

1. English for immigration and work abroad .
   

In this case, we need to focus specifically on situations that we need in everyday life and job you will be abroad. The approach is different depending on the level of English that you have initially.

• Vocabulary

For a beginner level , we must begin to learn English name of the objects that you already know in Romanian. For example, presentation and personal data would be a good start, then the objects that surround us, the family and its members, etc.. It’s also nice to imagine some situations that occur in real life everyday: prezetare and politeness formulas, an information request from the airport, shopping, hotel, restaurants, etc..

Do not despair! In more than 2-3 months after installation in a foreign country you learn English at a satisfactory level, if not better. In other words, you learn that you will be.

If an advanced level , we can focus on specific vocabulary that we will use it at work. It’s also good to know how to write a letter to both formal and informal English. Some rules of writing are, again, welcome.
 
Grammar

In English, the verb is the biggest problem for many times do not have a correspondent in Romanian. Also, many verbs are irregular in their forms and we must learn by heart. This is much easier through more exercise.

However, it need only insist on the Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple Tens, Tens Continuous Past and Future. On this we will use most often.

• Need Dictionary English – Romanian and Romanian – English or an English dictionary – English

Whatever the purpose of learning a foreign language, we can not do without a dictionary. The reasons are listed above. A dictionary is perhaps the best investment. And do not forget to take it with you when you leave the country! If we opt for a dictionary Olin, we must ensure that we have access to it at any time.

• Conversation practice guide

A guide to practice English conversation – Romanians can be very helpful. The only condition is to be divided into situations that can occur in real life and in certain contexts (shopping, doctor, office, etc.).

• Tests, worksheets and intensive English course

All help to know English increasingly better. You might want to work these tests, worksheets and online exercises, so that we can check immediately when we can practice and satisfaction is immediate. In addition, we have access to them anywhere an internet connection! All these exercises in English worksheets, online courses and English tests, including an English dictionary online are very well structured and are available here ! Absolutely free!

The Americans introduced the English language in the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century when the Philippines underwent a brief period as a colony and possession of the United States after the defeat of Spain in the Spanish-American War. Since then, English has become the language of communication in schools, in the print media and in the transaction of official business in private and public offices. Most Filipinos however do not speak the language in their daily conversations at home.

Knowledge of English as a second language is beneficial to non-native speakers because it is the lingua franca in many fields of human endeavor. It also gives edge to those who seek employment to countries where English is the native language.

For the non-native speakers of English they have to learn by heart the language in terms of reading, writing, hearing and speaking to be proficient in it.

Study of grammar is a step in learning a language. Diction is also equally important. Each and every language has its own peculiar mode of expression to convey a message. If a sentence or a paragraph in one language were translated verbatim in English, the result would be unintelligible or even amusing. Diction means the choice of words, or mode of expression and enunciation or vocal expression. With proper diction non-native speaker can make his English sound natural.

Knowledge of grammar can make a learner proficient in reading and writing a foreign language. He should however comprehend the language in speech sounds especially if he heard them from native speakers. With the technology that we have today like the internet and the cable TV, it is not difficult to deal with the problem. Getting used to hear English sounds by watching news and programs on TV whose anchors and actors are native speakers and watching English movies and listening to English songs can make the learner easily grasp conversations when he hears them. In addition he could also learn the proper pronunciation of words.

Speaking the language is a greater challenge for the learner especially if he lives in a non-English speaking country because he has few opportunities to speak the language. A second language learner also has also to deal with his accent to have a natural English sound in his speech. There are “English as a second language” courses offered on line and in local schools. The course includes developing a learner’s accent.

There are many ESL (English as a Second Language) schools around the globe. And there are also the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) schools. ESL training can also be obtained online either for free of for a fee. Foreign nurses applying for a job in the US who took their course outside the US, U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Canada have to take and pass first one of the following tests for their language proficiency requirements: TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), IELTS (International English Language Testing Service) and TOEIC (Test of English in International Communication).

A beginner would might want to try free online English tutorials in websites such as TOP Online English where there is a free e-mail course. On this site you will come across quality courses in English. The site makes use of lessons that are easily understandable and readily available. As a result, the students are able to promptly arm themselves with skills and concepts of communication, such as basic conversation. Meanwhile, the comprehensive approach is reinforced with a more systematized course provided in the daily online lectures. The syllabus is divided into four levels: starter, elementary, pre-intermediate, and upper intermediate. As a beginner in the study of the language progresses, you will be able to go through each level with competence and complete the modules at your own convenience.

For brush-up courses such as general and executive English, you can check out TOP Online English. They have comprehensive and interactive programs that cover all areas of language including listening, reading, writing, speech, vocabulary, and grammar. During the course, they will identify your areas for improvement and simultaneously provide you with personal Feedback Lessons. You would also be able to keep track of your progress through periodical report cards and feedback from a personal online tutor.

If you are into hitting two birds with one stone, a good place to join free would be at www.englishclub.com or TOP Online English where you can learn and teach English at the same time. It provides other unique tools of learning such as forums and chat, educational games, teaching job searches, and online degrees. The site also contains numerous hot links that would bring you to other venues of learning and teaching. With the continuous evolution of technology and communication, learning English with the use of the Internet could be as easy as A-B-C.

Power of Culture = Power of Language

            It is not unknown that the American culture has invaded every home worldwide. Hollywood stars have become household names and losers are those who do not know what MTV is. Commercials become cool and sophisticated with the use of English taglines. People are influenced not by the language per se but by the culture of the native speakers of the language assumed by non-native users. It is a fact that the study of a certain language involves the inevitable study of the culture because its grammatical structure carries pragmatic functions which it owes to the social context where language is used.

Language of International Business

            English is very predominant in almost any kind or level of communication and correspondences among businesses. To avoid misunderstanding brought by the language barrier, they have to agree which language to use in all of the transactions they will have. For this kind of communication problem, English is preferred as the international language for business. The reasons for the position of English as such are the socio-economic power and political importance of English-speaking countries. Most of the multinational companies are owned by American and English businessmen. Also, majority of the first world countries have English as their native language or their second language.

Language of Internet

            Since it is the English-speaking countries that have more access to technology like the internet, it is more likely that English will be its universal language. A great number of people who search the net are native speakers of English and those who are non-natives know English because they have been taught English in school. Therefore, if one does not know English, he will not be able to access the internet or technology of such kinds because he will not understand it. And since “everyone” all over the world is using English, those “minority” are almost compelled to study English so that they would understand and would be understood in return by the “world”.

The Be-all and End-all of Everything

            English may have been acting as the communication bridge to almost every nation for the past decades. Children learn it because they know that in the future, knowledge of the English language would help them achieve a certain level of global competence and would land them a good-paying job. It is an opening because it accommodates all different kinds of idiolects and cultural influences among its non-native learners. It is a closing because it is where the world seals its global relations – if one is incompetent in English, he is out of the circle.

            English, as we see it, is not just one language but is now a combination of many languages. Quoting from linguist David Crystal, “English is not owned by anybody”. It is true that someday, English just might be the language of the world to which none is excluded to its benefits.

Some things that help with recordings are that they can be viewed or listened to more than once until the student feels that they have gotten everything possible from them. These can even be used to compare the student’s pronunciation with the announcer’s. Just use a portable recorder or your computer to record you playing the recorded TV or radio and you repeating after them. Then you can listen and compare so that you can make it better. Another way to use these is to listen to news in English and write down what you understand. Then listen in your mother tongue and compare the results. You can go back and forth until you get it all. You can even use the computer to plot your pronunciation and timbre (tone) using sound editing software. Also, try using a mirror as you watch TV and imitate the way the face, especially the mouth, looks. Sometimes it is that simple. If you can see how the words are made, you can make them.

One of the main reasons to use TV and radio is that the announcers are usually really good examples of Standard English. In fact, in Britain, there is a learned dialect of English called Received Pronunciation (RP for short) that is not localized. That is, the accent is not naturally occurring in the populace. There is no location for RP, because it is made up, created especially for use in public speaking. It is an ideal of British pronunciation and was favoured for many years. It may go out of fashion, simply because people with localized accents feel that they suffer from discrimination due to the use of RP. “My Fair Lady” is actually built upon this premise.

A third way to use radio and TV to help you learn English is passive environmental change. If you have English sound in the background all the time, your brain picks up on it, even if you pay no attention. Because of the psychological effects of not paying attention to ads, it might be better to use public broadcasting stations with no advertising if possible. However, if you remain aware of the effects of subliminal brainwashing by advertisements on radio and TV when you shop you will not suffer any ill effects, except, perhaps, a curious craving for junk food. Having English going on in the background while you do other things takes no time and after some weeks will actually produce tangible results. I know this from personal experience. I was away from my home in Montreal, and I was afraid that I would lose my French. So, I started playing my favourite radio station on my computer as I worked. As a technical writer I often stop between parts of a project to rest and clear my mind for a bit before going on to the next. After several weeks, I sat back to relax a few minutes and I noticed that I understood everything the singer was singing. Thinking that this might simply be an easy song I listened to a few more, and my comprehension had really risen. So when I returned to Montreal, my French was actually better than when I left.

Try these things and see if they do not help. They do not cost anything and they take very little time. If you cooperate with one or more other learners, you can even increase the learning by discussing TV and radio programs that you have all watched. Sharing your learning makes it last a lot longer.

I have taught and coordinated ESOL(English for Speakers of other Languages), otherwise known as EFL (English as a foreign language) or EAL (English as an additional language),in a High School in Scotland for 4 years. During that time I have had the privilege of being given enough time within my part-time timetable to organise, develop and create enough materials to offer all children in our school needing ESOL, a varied and interesting lesson. The range of pupils we have had in our school over the last 4 years has varied hugely from complete beginners to those fluent enough to enter straight into the Intermediate 2 level and starting Higher ESOL a year later. As coordinator of ESOL in my school I’ve also had the benefit of attending several training sessions where I have met and spoken to other ESOL teachers from schools and colleges around Scotland.

The diversity and inequality of both provision and support within individual establishments is worrying to say the least. This is why I have come to the conclusion that I am privileged in my role. Many of the schools have only one or two periods a week assigned to teaching ESOL and have no particular space in which to teach it and nowhere to store materials. Others have two or three teachers teaching two or three pupils between them and it becomes very difficult to coordinate it. Happily there are others in the same fortunate position as myself who have been given a realistic amount of time and space in which to develop this relatively new subject in Scotland. Of course EFL has been around for years but ESOL as a qualification in Scotland is still very new. It’s only been a couple of years since Universities in the UK agreed to accept Higher ESOL as an entry qualification, with Oxford leading the way.

EFL in other parts of the UK

I do not pretend to be an expert in EFL provision in the rest of the UK but the debate about budget provision is relevant for the whole country. I believe there is similar provision in schools throughout the UK and particularly in London and other major cities where there is a long standing record of multi nationalities living there.

Influx

In Scotland as well as the rest of the UK there was a sudden upsurge of Polish and to some extent Latvians, Slovakians and other Europeans when the Government made it possible for them to come and work here a few years ago. Eager to escape less favourable conditions and unemployment in their home countries they flocked here in their hundreds, if not thousands. The result of course was that schools suddenly found themselves in the position of having to cater for several children who could not understand the lessons. Provision had to be put into place rather speedily for these children – after all, the Government had welcomed them in, therefore the Government had to be seen to provide for every child’s needs as it promised.

Recession

What the Government hadn’t reckoned on was the extent of the recession that was soon to bite the heels of every honest citizen in this country. All the promises of provision for every child with special needs is all well and good in a healthy economy but in reality, there is no budget for ESOL – or at least it’s so small it’s almost ineffective. If my school had not taken the decision 4 years ago to use extra finances at that time, when it could, then we would not now have the ESOL department we have. Currently we have no budget at all for new books or equipment and my hours have now been cut by a third. Economic hardship is a reality felt by all schools. Front-line people such as myself are feeling it.

Debate

This brings us to the debate about whether or not we should be providing ESOL at all when these families have chosen to come and live here. Some of the arguments I’ve heard are:

“Would their country pay to teach us Polish, Latvian or whatever if we decided to go and live there”

“Scottish children (or any UK child) is losing out because there’s already a shortage of Special Needs provision so why should we use the budget to teach English to people who chose to come here”

or in favour of offering them even more provision -

“All immigrant children who don’t speak English should be sent to a 6 month ESOL boot camp in a specially provided building (one in each region) so they can learn enough to help them cope when they go to High school”.

I’m not saying any of these are my views, I’m just saying that people have valid reasons and concerns, particularly in trying Economic times.

From my own point of view, I have loved every minute teaching ESOL to my pupils. I currently have 18 pupils ranging from Access 3 to Intermediate 2. (that’s levels 2,3 and 4 out of 6 levels). I am happy there is provision for them and am delighted when I see them progress and become confident in their other subjects as they become more confident in English. It must be so difficult for them coming to school here and not understanding much. I believe it is right to support the needy, vulnerable and weak in society. I have seen nervous, stressed immigrant children flourish and thrive because of the care we give them at my school. I wish every school in the UK had this kind of provision but sadly it doesn’t.

A new trend

What I have noticed over the last several months though is that there are far less families coming over now. Word of mouth back to their native lands that the UK is not the El Dorado people thought it was has now slowed the influx almost to a halt, well at least in Scotland. The recession, unemployment, the reality of living in a country where you don’t understand the language, changing exchange rates…. are among the factors that have slowed down the influx. I haven’t had a new immigrant pupil in my class for several months whereas previously they were arriving at various times throughout the year. Because I have my own little room to teach ESOL in and a flexible timetable and the support of the LSS Principal as well as the Head Teacher, I was always able to accommodate them.

The slowdown in their coming to Scotland has affected me personally because my hours have been cut but even so I think it’s positive that there’s a slowdown. It gives us time to recover from the recession and it gives some schools the chance to catch up with good practice. What we’ve learned over the last 4 years will not be forgotten and when things speed up again as I believe they will ( as soon as the recession is over), we’ll be ready for them.

I for one will welcome them with open arms!

The instructions of the assignment posted on our Virtual campus basically tell us to consider the various caveats expressed about CLIL in section 5.6 entitled ‘Some problems’. It basically says to take those points and any others that I wish to consider from the whole subject and use them to form either a defense or a repudiation of the notion that ‘CLIL is the approach for the future’. In order to do a well defense or repudiation of this approach, this piece of writing should take the form of an appraisal of CLIL, in which the author must consider the arguments and the materials that have been seen in this subject, and then balance these with perspectives gathered from our own teaching experience. First of all I have to clarify something. I am not going to make a defense or a repudiation of this method. I do consider that everything has its positive as well as its negative effects and actually I feel no method has the last to be said on any field, so I am going to try to be very fair with CLIL. Just because I went to college to become an EFL teacher does not mean that I cannot deny the possibility of enlarging my job perspectives by enrolling on CLIL. However, I promise not to speak just wonders about this method because due to the experience of some teachers and mine, I can tell without hesitation that this approach has its drawbacks as any other method used in almost any field of knowledge.

The first caveat that is mentioned on that subsection of our study material is identified with a very provoking name: The Trojan Horse argument. The argument here is that CLIL can be used for politico-linguistic purposes, but disguised as a pedagogic philosophy. This is something that has not been said only about CLIL during history, but about the teaching of English as well. English is the language of the empire as Hugo Chavez might say, and it actually rules or at least is present where the power is; such as on mass media, all sources of communication, and it is even widely-used not only on the educational systems of the countries where is recognized as a mother tongue, but it is actually necessary all over the world. English is seen in many countries where the United States and Britain are not allies as a way of domination and particularly according to the argument expressed on our Study Material, in multi-lingual countries where there exists tensions between languages due to their relative status. CLIL can tip the balance in favour of one language in detriment to others whilst at the ministerial level the change is sold as being ‘educational’. However, there are some examples of multi-lingua languages where that tension has disappeared completely or at least has been diminished to a tolerable stage. In countries like India where so many languages are spoken and actually every single village has its own dialect, English has played a fundamental and necessary role not only in terms of day-to-day communication among people, but also in education. English and CLIL have allowed people from this overpopulated country to have an advantage in terms of job opportunities against many inhabitants of the planet. This Trojan Horse argument states that English is simply used as the Trojan Horse, introduced into the curriculum under the guise of CLIL, whilst in reality is used to squeeze out an ‘unwanted’ language. I know that maybe at this moment I am not denying at all that this caveat might be true, but English has been seen everywhere as a way of giving more opportunities for people even if that means they are going to have to cut on their use of their own language. There will be losers in the global drive for English warns David Graddol. Minority languages might be facing extinction, but maybe this is a kind of backwards linguistic process that is going to happen during the next years. Nowadays, there is a huge need for being able to communicate in order to fulfil several purposes that are quite important even for our surviving as species, and I think CLIL could play an important role in order not to let us lag behind. Of course there are political reasons but when is not politics influencing our daily life? As a linguist I could say that is paramount to preserve and even teach the native languages of our regions, but those groups that spoke those languages have currently become part of an ‘immense’ minority, and they cannot oblige a majority to speak their own language. They must adapt themselves to survive and the only way they can do it is by relying on the dominant language.

Another caveat that is mentioned is the one known as ‘Export’. According to Hugh Baetens Beardsmore, no one version of CLIL is ‘exportable’. (Profiling European CLIL Classrooms, 2001). CLIL is still too diverse and too diffuse because it is context-bound to individual politico-linguistic systems. Actually I do not see this as a drawback, but as something logical that it does not only happen with CLIL, but with nearly all approaches you might use for almost any specific knowledge field. We must be aware of the fact that is not the same teaching English in Bogotá, which is a populous cosmopolitan city of more than seven million people than teaching English in Villavicencio, which is only two hours from Bogotá, but where I had the opportunity of learning this. You cannot export without making the necessary changes according to the context where you are and you should not do it that way. In order for a method to be effective you have to adapt it to the environment, the situation, and even the people that inhabit that area. Teaching English in Colombia is not the same as teaching English is China because the cultures do not even match. Different cultures have not only different views of seeing knowledge and the way it should take place, but also different views about life, but you can do it if you just take into account those aspects and make a new starting point.

Another important caveat and the one that has caused most worries, comments, and even fights is the one that predicts the death of the English teacher as such. According to Graddol this is a serious threat, and well this is our profession and the one that many people state we must preserve at all costs. According to what professor Graddol said in an article that was published on the Guardian Weekly in the year 2004,

“English seems so much in demand in the world today that it may be perverse to suggest that English teachers are an endangered species. This, however, may be one consequence of a global shift towards clil”.

Yet, is it true that we are going to disappear and that our job is going to be just memories from the past? Actually I think that jobs, functions, and labours in the humanity do not simply disappear but transform themselves. When the television appeared everyone said that the radio had its days counted, but nowadays there are more radio stations ever, and there are important and influent figures who work on the radio. In Colombia, we have the lively example of a journalist called Julio Sanchéz Cristo who can boast that no one, even international political and show biz stars, dares say no to an interview on his radio station know as the W. Just to give a closer example to our lives, when Internet came to life as a mass media, many experts said that this was the time for the book’s death. We know as educators that literacy levels in many countries has gone down and as many writers say ‘every single day there are less people who are able to read complex sentences’. However, the act of reading and writing has not disappeared at all from our lives and I doubt very much that this is going to happen, it has just transformed and adapted in order to survive and reading is a skill that human kind are going to need forever. Actually Graddol corrects himself on the very same page of the article quoted when he says that:

“The trend is likely to transform the role of English teachers and their relationship to learners and institutions. As English becomes positioned as a generic learning skill, alongside basic literacy and maths, and is taught to ever-younger learners, English specialist may find themselves more marginalised and their professional knowledge and experience less influential in the way English curriculums are designed and delivered.”

Of course Graddol does not give us good news, but there is no need to fear when we know that everything can be subject of change. Everything and everyone has to evolve in order to survive and we as EFL teachers must be aware that the time will come when we are no longer going to be needed to teach the different forms of verb to be and its uses. In my mind, I see this shift of teaching English through content as something positive, not only for our learners, but for ourselves. As my English Linguistics Seminar professor from my university used to say “I taught English for communicative purposes for many years, but just spending my whole life doing that did not seem to be worthy or rewarding enough, so I decided to gain more experience and knowledge in other fields applicable to my career.” We are not dead, we have the possibility of transforming and enhancing our skills, the knowledge of the language has given us the chance of influencing on many people’s lives and I think that if we learn to cope with the difficult situations that are yet to come and we become subject teachers who can do their job on the second language, we can assure our future personally and professionally.

Another shortcoming that has been pointed about CLIL is a theory known as backsliding. According to this, in cases where CLIL does not function effectively, students learn the concepts more superficially and even experience retrograde performance in the L1, since they are not picking up a variety of new concepts in their mother tongue. This might of course be true in places where CLIL is applied in a rush and where there is no previous adaptation to the context where the teaching and learning is taking place. I think that in order to reduce the impact of a possible decrease on students’ range of concepts that they are supposed to have on their own language, we must use a little bit of translation. Notice I am not saying we should use a lot of Grammar Translation method practices when applying CLIL, but that we should provide students those key concepts in a bilingual way, we should give them the chance of learning the concepts in their mother as well as in the second tongue. I do not feel it is counterproductive, because I am not proposing it should be done regularly, but there are cases when this backsliding may take place and I think it is a serious matter we must be aware of how to tackle and diminish effectively.

Other experts say that there are important cultural items that are so stuck to their language of origin that should not be learnt in another language. This is a serious matter where people might be right. Though, I think that almost everything is susceptible of being taught in a foreign language. Just because it is Colombian History and all those guys who are part of it spoke Spanish does not mean that we cannot talk about them in English. If that were the case, I would not have learnt about American and European History at school, I would not have being able to be taught about the French Revolution in my own language. However, there is an important shortcoming that I cannot ignore and that does not basically have to do with the culture of a location, but the material available to teach. I remember that a colleague of mine used to teach in primary school, science and social sciences in English and her main concern was always the material available to teach these subjects. Although here in Colombia in the bilingual schools, students and teachers of science work with a text published by Richmond, there is no social sciences textbook designed by the local publishing houses that fulfil the curriculum requirements demanded by the Ministry of Education. Therefore, in the case of the colleague I mentioned above, she had to design the material for her classes. The school provided her with the topics she had to cover in each grade and some basic textbooks she could use in order to plan her classes, but all these textbooks were written in Spanish and she often found herself translating content and exercises from them, which in some cases is counterproductive because there might be important concepts that should be taught in the first language. I have already proposed a possible solution for this problem, so I have decided not to give further comments on this issue. However, the problem of the material still persists, and it is something that might not have a good solution in short term. The publishing houses in Colombia are still too sceptical of CLIL’s commercial possibilities, and although there are already public bilingual schools (at least in Bogotá), students who attend these schools are so poor and are not obliged to buy textbooks of their own. Therefore the demand is not as high as the publishing houses would like to and to publish a reliable textbook is not a cheap and quick process.

Another caveat mentioned is that some core studies such as mathematics are seen as too linguistically limited, in the sense that they do not help a student to express himself in other ways. However language can be taught through any subject though we cannot deny that there are some subjects that are more linguistically rich and where we can take more advantage of CLIL. In addition, there are some important studies carried out in the US that indicates that 60% of high-school failure in Mathematics was cause not by a misunderstanding of the Mathematics itself, but by a failure to understand the language of the mathematical operation and instruction. As Maths is a subject so rich on instructions and procedures, we can teach students how to comply with procedures and how to follow these instructions by taking advantage of the possibilities the language can offer us.

Another important shortcoming that I have just mentioned above, but that I did not give the importance it deserves, is the lack of training many teachers have in order to be able to teach the different subjects in the L2 and vice versa. What I mean is that there are many language teachers that just cannot teach a different subject in their language of expertise and there are also subject teachers who do not have the required level of English to teach their academic subject. There are some questions that we just should ponder before moving on, such as: Are there really enough resources around the world to train subject teachers to be more language-aware? And are students getting a good enough model from their non-native teachers? This is one of the most important problems that we face when trying to apply CLIL in a context like ours because there are no higher pedagogical institutions that train teachers to become CLIL teachers. They train teachers on a specific field and that specific field includes English. Actually there are many EFL teachers who are not well-trained to take the responsibility of teaching something that they merely didn’t study at all at university. The second question is as difficult to answer as the first one because the EFL teachers in our country are going under the process of being certified, as at least B2 proficient speakers, but we know that in order to assure a teacher can teach a subject like for example science in English, that teacher must have studied that subject at university and must be proficient in the second language, if we want to make sure students will be getting a high-quality education as well as a good model on the L2. Unfortunately there are few teachers in Colombia that I know can comply with that requirement. I remember a discussion we had at university with a professor when he said that although there are many schools in Colombia that have the label “bilingual”, none of them can be considered truly bilingual because the atmosphere is not totally in the language where the immersion is supposed to be done. He used to say, and actually he directs a master’s degree programme on Bilingualism in a very important university in Colombia, that a school in order to be considered bilingual has to provide a total experience of immersion in the second language,

‘Even the bus drivers should speak English to students and there is no school who does that in Colombia’.

An anecdote that someone told me while I was a novel teacher in Villavicencio had to do with the so called bilingual schools there. They looked for teachers who could teach the subjects and spoke English, but if they were not able to find one they often decided to hire teachers whose field of expertise were the ones they were looking for, but that unfortunately could not speak the language, at all. Therefore they did not accomplished what they promised and the only thing they did was to teach ten hours of EFL, so in fact we can say they were not bilingual schools, but just schools that had an intensive programme of English.

In conclusion, I do not think that CLIL is the panacea and that has to be applied everywhere with no adaptations, but I consider it as the evolution of our practice as EFL teachers and maybe as our prospect if we want to keep being part of this business. However, as any other approach; there are thousands of things that must be considered, well-thought, and taken into account if we want to have successful experiences with it. There are huge shortcomings that still must be tackled and solved in a country that has lagged behind as Colombia, and many things have to change if we want CLIL to work. Yet, the future is yet to come and we have to make it step by step because we are not prepared to apply CLIL as it is done naturally in Austria and Scandinavia. We lack the programs to train our teachers to do this and the first step we have to do is to prepare ourselves as teachers to be able to put CLIL into action effectively.

There are two routes to pursue when looking for work; teaching jobs in the established schools and private work such as “one on one” with private individuals in their homes.

The first, schools, is important for new teachers who need to work in a structured environment and want to develop their new found skills as a teacher. You will be surrounded by more experienced teachers and probably find that the school has regular workshops on teaching.

The time to look for school employment is starting July, when many of the schools begin to advertise for positions starting in September/October.

The offers are varied and can mean nothing more than a start at least with just a couple of hours a week being offered. The reason for this is that they don’t know you from Adam and therefore want to get to know you first. If you are good enough for them you can expect to be offered more hours as time goes by.

Some schools will offer you a position with a contract and paid holidays from the word go, be happy if get this type of contract!

The other way to go, also good for supplementing a small income is looking for private students.

The best approach is a business like attitude of selling a product. You dealing with people who want something from you and if they can get it for the cheapest price they will.

Set an hourly rate and stick to it! Don’t entertain any negotiating over your price – you have a product that is very useful to them and if they want the best, they must pay for it.

In Europe, prices differ according to location. In the south of Spain between 15 and 18 Euros are average prices for one hour. Often with private students 90 minutes is better and a special offer of 20 Euros for 90 minutes maybe twice a week is a good deal.

How to get students? Well, some people print posters and post them all over town – then a day later all the hard work was in vain because the bin-men tore them down. This method brings small results and honestly, the hard work of tramping around town hanging posters isn’t necessary at all.

We have the internet. You need to advertise in the free classified ads on countless sites all over the web. Use this method and if done correctly, you will receive emails and calls from lots of interested students.

Don’t underestimate the power of a free ad. With maybe ten to fifteen ads on different web-sites you will get good results. Make sure that you think about the wording you use in your advert, the title is very important. People googling for a teacher will use various phrases but if you can get a title that is close to what people type into google, then they will find your advert.

Don’t forget that after a week or two your advert has dived into the depths of computer space and is not going to be as effective as it was a week earlier. re-vamp the advert and notice the difference in results.

Don’t forget, one advert isn’t enough. Make ten or more and always keep them updated.

With a little practice and changing the wording in your adverts you will discover that you can have a steady flow of students to keep your wallet happy.

With the mass globalization of the world, the demand to learn English is higher than ever. Often, the only requirement of schools is that you are a native speaker.However, there are some training courses that you can take before you go. I took a course given by the TESOL program. Both adults and children are coming to schools in droves. I have one thing to say: If you are entertaining the idea, even a little, JUST DO IT! You will be glad you did and in the event you are not, YOU CAN JUST COME HOME!! This can be one of the most amazing experiences of your life, so just go!

I wanted to share my experience as an English teacher abroad. It was a decision I made out of the blue one day when I came across a website about living abroad and I found an article on teaching English. I literally was like…Hmm, I am going to do that. Started saving money, studied some Japanese, and applied for a job. I was very lucky. I was called on the first application I sent out and I did a phone interview. I very much follow my intuition and I accepted. Your search may or may not take longer. Three weeks later, I was heading out of Newark for a 14 hour flight to Japan. When I was searching I loved finding information like I am providing now that did not give canned tips but actually discussed someone’s personal experience and the thoughts and emotions that were involved. It is a good way to get an idea of what this venture really is about and I hope that I can give you another piece of quality information on what you might encounter.

Living and working abroad is rewarding and rich with experience

One of the best things about a job like this is the good feeling you get when you see people learn. And then you think, “Hey, I am the one who taught them that, cool.” I worked with students of all ages and to see them advance was rewarding. You are providing a useful service to them and it makes you feel good to be doing something constructive.

In my opinion, the best thing about this experience is the opportunity to really learn about another culture. I do not just mean seeing the sites and living everyday life there. Of course, that will teach you a lot but I am referring more to working with your students specifically. Being around them everyday, you really get a feel for how that particular culture processes the world around them, what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviors,etc… Their “rules of engagement” if you will. I found this especially true with my adult students. In my school, most of those lessons centered heavily on conversation and I had quite a few older students whose English was quite good and I can recall many great conversations. Living and working in another culture broadens your experiences and the more experiences you have, the more you will grow in a positive direction.

Another cool thing about teaching abroad is that so many people are so interested to hear your story and want to know about you. Japanese people seem to really like American culture and they loved to hear what it is really like here. By nature, they are very modest and many of my students were especially interested in why I chose Japan. When I spoke highly of the country, I could see it made them feel good. You are different and unique and let’s all admit it, it is nice to be the center of attention sometimes

Remember, This is Not an Extended Vacation

In my opinion, teaching is not an easy job and I give credit to people that do it all day, day after day. It can be draining at times. I am more on the introverted side for sure, so a lot of things about the job did not gel with my personality. Having to routinely interact with people all day, leading lessons, constantly talking,etc…really got to me sometimes. There were times where my energy would be low and the last thing I felt like doing was talking but for the next five hours, all I would be doing is talking…a lot. I enjoyed my experience but overall, I know that teaching is not for me. So, that is one thing I took back with me. I could cross a possible career choice off the list.

Be prepared for your lessons. It will make things go much more smoothly. I am not big on planning so I often just had a general outline. Sometimes this worked and sometimes this did not and that can just add stress. Your school will have resources and there are tons of great sites where you can get lesson plans, flash cards,etc… Larger chain schools might have a more rigid set curriculum so you might not have to plan as much. I worked at a small privately owned conversation school that was run by two very sweet but disorganized people. They were pretty hands off and we had free reign to plan our lessons. Most classes will at least have a textbook so you have a jumping off point.

Even though many find this kind of job much more relaxing than the work they were doing before, remember that it is still a job. Living abroad was so exciting and sometimes I really did not want to work because I wanted to travel so much. I still had the same M-F schedule, albeit less hours. I was given a few weeks vacation and that is when I did my traveling. The immersion in every day life is often exciting enough to keep you going for awhile but I found after a few months, that wore off to an extent and that is when I felt restless about the job and feeling like I just wanted to be free. You will have so much fun there but it is not an extended vacation.You are living there.The excitement of it all co-exists with working, paying your bills, going food shopping,etc…With that being said, this whole thing is what you make of it and even among the routine you might find yourself settling in, you can still learn something new everyday and take a moment to fully soak it all in.

Culture Shock

This is different for everyone. If you are more go with the flow, you might have an easier time adjusting. When you first arrive, it is like being on vacation. You are in this brand new exciting place and you are just gazing around stimulated by all the new and different things you are seeing.I felt that I adjusted very quickly. Now, once you are there for awhile, that is when the differences are no longer fascinating but frustrating, and you can feel out of sorts. I think everyone has that one moment where they just have a good cry or get severely angry about some experience that served as a trigger for the release of all the emotions that have been stirring. That moment for me was trying to open a bank account and let’s just say it did not go well. I walked out of the place and burst into tears right in the middle of the street! Our environment is such a huge part of what defines us and tells us what we need to do. When you are separated from it for an extended time and constantly engaging in the unfamiliar, it can have its stressful moments. Not being able to communicate was very upsetting at times. I urge you to try to learn the language of wherever you are going. It will add so much to your experience. I was able to communicate pretty decently in normal situations and it made things easier and more enjoyable. If you are going somewhere really hoping to learn a language fluently, you might want to go to a smaller town or more rural area. If you are in a major city, you will be using English a lot and it will hinder the advancement of your language skills.

Just go.

One thing to definitely take away from this is that the good will cancel out the bad in the long run. Anything worth doing is never a cakewalk and thinking back on everything that happened, I cannot imagine not having done it. Just embrace everything that comes your way and take things a little less seriously and you will find that fewer things will really get to you. Teaching English in Japan without a doubt shaped the person I am at this moment and the one I am stiving to become everyday of my life. If you are ready for a soul transforming but at times challenging experience that will accelerate your personal development, start planning it all out right after you read this!