TEFL Prague and Abroad

 We had this fun thing that we used to do (and still do at TLH TEFL www.thelanguagehouse.net ) which involved playing a poker style game in class. I always thought that fun punishments were a lot more motivating than giving out hacky rewards in the classroom. I'll probably have a separate page eventually about my thoughts on motivation, token economy and different reward systems later on. Here are some cute and funny videos that we made of the losing team(s). Basically if the team lost they had to go outside and yell "I LOVE TEFL" a certain number of times.  What made it the best though was that we did this during the first day of the course.  I've always thought that in teaching it's good to set the tone of your pace and style to your students right from the get go. Don't be afraid to push them a bit if you can. I loved that we do this during the first day and it usually creates a WTF moment for the students. I think overall everyone has a really good time ...

Living abroad and teaching abroad is intense and both demanding on your body and psyche. Most people have never really  Living abroad and teaching abroad is intense and both demanding on your body and psyche. Most people have never really had the experience before and they have no idea of how they will react towards it as the days becomes weeks and weeks become months abroad. Listen, staying in a hotel for a week while you visit various historical sights on a summer trip, being doted upon and having everything laid out for you is not the same as getting your own apartment, paying your own bills, dealing with a foreign culture, making new friends and being successful in a TEFL career. When you first enter a new country you're most likely going to love it. Realize though that this is simply the honeymoon stage of your experience and it's totally normal. Unfortunately, this stage might inevitably fade. TEFL is demanding. Living in a foreign country is demanding. Th...

  There's a lot of great information on TEFL jobs, locations and courses out there. Here are some of the ones that I find most useful. A good tip though is to find a local site in the country that you are interested in. Most countries and many times cities have specific sites for expats that help with everything from teaching to making friends to finding an apartment. For example www.expats.cz is a great site for expats living in Prague. While it doesn't have the same sheer volume of teaching information that a site like eslcafe.com does, it's got lot of specific info that would be invaluable for people living in Prague. Another specific site that I can think of like expats.cz is www.madridteacher.com. This is a great site for anyone that wants to work in Spain.  Here's a quick top 10 of general sites that I find useful 1. Eslcafe.com 2. Onestopenglish.com 3. Eslemployment.com 4. Eslbase.com 5.Teachabroad.com 6. TEFL.com and TEFL.net 7. Expats.cz ...

           A past graduate of The Language House TEFL taken in Spain   I get asked these questions all of the time, and it's pretty important to go over everything here. While I am clearly biased because I run The Language House TEFL in Prague, I'm going to keep this post as honest and as un-ad-like as a I can. The thing that I always tell people first is to NOT worry too much! I've met and talked to dozens of people that got so caught up in the course selection process that they never actually took a course at all and never taught abroad. Most courses do what they are supposed to do. If they are not doing that, they will be rated poorly on the internet. Whatever you do, do take the plunge (as long as you pass the crazy test see my previous post) and teach abroad.  If you really want my opinion on TEFL courses and what to take, I've listed everything for you below. 1. Should I even Take a TEFL Course? For the most part, yes you sh...

Tom, Kate and Skip. TEFL trainers, strong on their mountain.   We are jumping a bit ahead of ourselves with all of this talk about jobs so soon, but we might as well get part of this out of the way. I posted this article on a few forums a year ago to set the record straight on what it took to find work in Prague and it was pretty popular.  At TLH TEFL, the mass majority of grads do find work, but they find work because they are better trained and connected than a lot of other TEFL graduates and because they put in the effort. If you want to be successful abroad, you are going to have to work. If you don't have a solid work ethic, you most likely won't make it very far or stay very long abroad. That being said, enjoy the article in its original form. I figured I'd write my personal tips down and hopefully it will help a couple of new teachers make it in their new host country.       (Hey you! Like the blog? Sign up with your email (ri...

  First Things First... An exciting world awaits if you have what it takes to make the first step TEFL is not for everyone. Likewise, the military is not for everyone or at 32 and 5ft 9, a career as a pro basketball player is simply not going to happen for me. You need to decide if you and TEFL are compatible or you are going to waste time, money and tons of emotional energy.  Below is a list  to consider and are just opinions coming from a lot of experience. Individual cases of course will vary.  Most importantly    1. Are you crazy?  (And I don't mean a little bit:)  You don't have to answer that out loud; you can answer it privately, but for your own good, you're going to have to answer it. If you are crazy, you should probably know this by now. If you suffer from severe emotional or psychological problems, going abroad is not going to change anything. It will actually likely make things worse. All joking aside, if you are a...