With the rise of remote video services and the collapse of many China-based ESL teaching platforms over the last few years, there is a new market emerging: online ESL teachers who develop their own classes. Teaching independently presents a number of new problems, however. Teachers need to not only find their own students and arrange the schedules, but they also need to find a suitable curriculum, decide on the right platform for interacting with students,

The need for online educators is growing daily as more and more students flock to online learning classrooms. As a teacher it is surprisingly easy to find online teaching work, especially in the English field. As someone who has worked as an online English teacher for more than five years, I have learned that there are some things to weigh into your decision of accepting or declining an online teaching job. I will highlight these

Class today in Bali. Class tomorrow in Chiang Mai. Class next week in Germany. Class next month in Colombia. For the past several months now, I have been traveling the world with my girlfriend, who is a full-time teacher. Just a few short years ago, the previous sentence would have made absolutely no sense. But now, with vast improvements in Wi-Fi and the development of several online teaching apps, the life of a teacher can

Just in time for the fall semester (er, a couple weeks late, but hey), we’ve added several new ESL writing lessons to our writing page. All of these lessons are free of charge, with links to download pdf versions that you can print and copy as much as you need. The most recent lesson is the 4th Unit from our beginner-level Write Right book. This unit focuses on teaching young students how to write a

Being bilingual is an advantage that many companies are seeking in today’s global business world, and it’s a skill that many colleges hold in high regard as well. There’s a lot to like about what learning a second language does for an individual, and this even goes well beyond the obvious advantages of being able to speak fluently in two languages. Studies show the benefits go into other areas of academics and thinking, to being

Teaching ESL students to speak English fluently and naturally requires a strong emphasis on phonics. Many of the sounds of the English language are simply not used in other languages, and ESL students can easily confuse many of the sounds, or treat two different sounds as if they are the same. A prime example of this is the “short e” sound (as in “met”) and the “long a” sound (as in “mate”). To many ESL

The following article is taken from the Introduction of our new e-book, The Great ESL Games Compendium! – available for instant download! When teaching beginner students (and here we are generally referring to young, elementary school students), the most effective thing you can do is find ways to make class fun from beginning to end. If your students are constantly begging you to “Play a Game!”, then they are probably bored and need stimulation. However,

Most of my experience teaching ESL has been in Asian countries, teaching young kids with very limited knowledge of English. This presents a number of problems in terms of classroom control. On numerous occasions, I have seen red-faced coworkers scolding students. “Why do you keep doing that when I’ve already asked you several times to cut it out!” The bewildered student inevitably stares back with wide eyes, full of fear and confusion. I think to

To many students, writing is an inherently boring and tedious task, and it can therefore be very difficult to inspire ESL students to put pen to paper. Writing is among the most unique and treasured art forms, yet in classroom settings, it is often used to punish students for bad behavior. It is not uncommon for teachers to require students to write 100 repeated sentences as a form of punishment. But this has the potential

One of the best ways to help students speak more naturally and fluently is to introduce them to phrasal verbs and regularly incorporate these into class. Native speakers often use phrasal verbs rather than the more formal vocabulary words often included in vocabulary lists. An obvious example of this is the phrasal verb “find out”, which we tend to use much more regularly than its counterpart “discover”. To teach phrasal verbs to ESL students, teachers

Teaching writing to students in foreign countries can be quite difficult, especially when the school schedule allows little time for English classes. With a little creativity and planning, however, teachers can ensure that their students get a well-rounded education and become skilled writers. One reason that teaching ESL writing can be very difficult is because of the constraints of the normal school schedule. In many elementary schools in foreign countries, the students may only have

Explaining the mechanics of the English language to young students with little or no background knowledge of English demands a teacher who is not only highly qualified and experienced but also equipped with the necessary skill set. Teaching children in a language different from their native language requires first and foremost patience. Children can get restless and bored very quickly if they are unable to understand what is going on in the class. It may