The way I see it

I saw an article recently about the benefits of non-native speaking teachers in ESL and I had to admit it was quite interesting. One of the more interesting parts was that many of the points raised were ones that I agreed with and had experienced first hand with my job here in Malaysia.  Without any further ado here is a list of 5 benefits for a non-native English teacher. They understand the difficulties of adapting If we look at language in a cultural standpoint there are many conceits and practices in English that don't exactly translate. It is true that it is the teacher's job to guide the students through this but sometimes that added level of personal experience helps the message come through clearer. They know all the same terms. Maybe this isn't a huge deal but I have seen that non-natives usually know all the terminology right off the bat, which is a great resource for learners. They know all about non-defining clauses, subjects, objects, etc. Where did they l...

There is still a lot of debate as to which of these two certifications is best for teaching abroad and I have noticed a lot of elitism for both certification. Before I toss myself in the debate I think it is best to clarify the terms. CELTA What is it? CELTA is the Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (wait shouldn't it be CTESOL then?) which is endorsed by Cambridge ESOL and is only available via endorsed centres.  In many countries it is offered by the British Council and surprisingly the price varies where you take it. What do you learn?  Long story short you learn to teach.  The material is broken down into five sections and goes through the basics of language learning with some focus on the CELTA methods for learning and preparing lessons. There is no formal exam for CELTA just written assignments and practical teaching of 6 hours. At the end participants will be given a "pass" "pass A" or "pass B" TESOL Wh...

Top Ten lists are everywhere... travel websites, David Letterman's show, year-end movie lists the list (UGH) goes on.  So I thought in honour of top ten lists everywhere I would do my own! I'm knee-deep in recruitment and I am not seeing much that is good but I am seeing a whole lot of what I don't like at all.  It seems that some people have no concept on how to get a job and their entire interview turns into one spiralling train wreck of mistakes. Agree or disagree I thought I would vent some of my frustration with this fun list... yes it is just for fun and yes it does have some truth in it. So here goes the Top Ten Things that make me NOT want to hire you. 10. You have no concept of English despite applying for a job in that field. 9.  Yu cuhn't spel tu sahve yore lyfe. 8.  You were 20 minutes late for the interview. 7. You didn't show up for the interview. 6. You make ethnic slurs or generalisations. 5.  You are more handsome tha...