How to Improve Your English Pronunciation, Part 2
Regardless of your age, you can always work on your pronunciation. Our mini session of today is to help non-native speakers improve their competence in pronunciation by focussing on one sound (actually two)–the TH. This sound is unique to English; therefore, the English student will always try to replace this sound by either T or S. Some students may object by saying that they are too old to change for the better. We have living proof that one of our TEFL trainees from the U.K. was able to teach a Russian lady beyond 50 how to form this sound properly within a week of daily practice. If she could do it, you can do it. INTRODUCTION Please watch this video and see for yourself what can happen if your pronunciation is incorrect. Maybe you are thinking about your pronunciation of the TH right now. Don’t worry. If you stay with…
How to Improve Your English Pronunciation, Part 1
Can I, as a non-native speaker, greatly improve the way I pronounce English? The answer is, “Yes, you can.” It doesn’t come in an hour though. It takes some time to work on it. If you live in a country in which English is spoken, you will see results a little faster. If you live in a non-English-speaking country, it may take some more time to achieve the desired changes. Just thinking about them will not get you anywhere. Action creates results. So for all those who would love to speak a more native-like accent in English, we have created this six-part program to help you focus on what’s important. Through my work as a teacher, I meet many immigrants. Adults often struggle to acquire English; children seem to have no problem, and they acquire a native-like accent rather quickly. A lot of people then say that children learn…
A Sure Fire Road Map to Getting Your Dream TEFL Job
It takes courage to become a winner despite all odds. And you may have read somewhere that it is patience and persistence that will make you succeed. This is so true. FULFILLING YOUR DREAMS OF TEACHING ABROAD AT iTTi LAGOS, NIGERIA My dream has always been to teach English abroad, especially in countries of the Middle East (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, and UAE) where teachers are well remunerated. But as a non-native speaker of English, with native-like proficiency, I reckoned that I needed to have the necessary qualifications to stand a chance. I decided to travel to the United States for my TESOL certification; it was a huge investment, considering that I am from Nigeria with unstable exchange rate of Naira to dollar. I emptied my bank account and got additional loan support from family members. I was optimistic that the training would stand me in good stead…
Learn, Travel & Earn
There are more than 7000 language in the world, but only one has become dominant. English has been the universal language over the years. Statistics estimate that 400 million people speak it either as a first or a second language . This means that the vast majority of the world’s population uses English. Another survey states that about half of the internet homepages are written in English. Currently, it’s the language of science, aviation, computer, diplomacy and tourism. Moreover, English has affected countries, industries, peoples’ cultures and life styles, so it has become the official language of communication, the media, and the internet. English is now the language of the global citizen. Therefore, if anyone wants to enter the field of international business or workforce, they have to learn it.Learning English enables us to know about other cultures and achieve better mutual understanding and respect. For all what I have…
Will You Benefit by Lying on Your CV?
Although the rule is that one should not lie on your CV/resume, 63% of people admitted to lying or exaggerating. The latest story is that of a government official who put a Stanford University degree in her CV that the university could not confirm. On top of it, they discovered plagiarism in her doctoral dissertation. Obviously, those discoveries don’t necessarily benefit a good reputation. And it can absolutely hurt sooner or later when you are trying to build a career. The response of people in discussions about such scandals usually is that everybody does it. In Germany, a banker with the name Christian Eberhard dreamed of being a surgeon. He made his dream come true by forging a medical degree. When his fraud was discovered, he had already performed 190 surgeries at the University Clinic of Erlangen. This was despite the fact that he had written his “degree” with an…
Why Meaningful Learning Is So Important ?
In all those years as a TEFL trainer, I experienced countless novice teachers and seasoned ones during teaching practice. When they came, they all had difficulties with the “Principle of Meaningful Context.” When they left, they had become wonderful EFL teachers with the knowledge of how to excite their students in class. Nothing can replace excellent teaching skills. And those schools that hired our graduates were able to tell the difference. Read on to learn a little bit about our work in training EFL teachers. In English language (or any foreign language) teaching, our trainees learn that meaningful learning is imperative to a top-notch EFL class. What is the difference between meaningful learning and “rote” learning? Let me explain that by looking back in history. Most of our parents learned a foreign language from a teacher who spoke the native language of the students in class. Vocabulary was taught by translating…
Germany Values Its English Teachers
In a survey published by the Huffington Post, Germany has been listed as the country in Europe in which English teachers make the highest salaries in comparison to other European countries. Is there anything Germany-bound English teachers should pay attention to? Our blog gives you some tips of how to get employed in Germany that values its English teachers “If you like teaching, Germany is a really satisfying,dynamic environment to work in,” said Dale Coulter, Chair of the English-Language Teaching Association in Berlin-Brandenburg. “You have so much control over what you teach, the hours you want to work and what materials you develop for your learners.” “There is a big difference to teaching in a state school where you have lots of syllabi to deliver. There’s so much more freedom and dynamism in this industry.” Deborah C., an American ex-pat, who has been teaching English in Berlin since 1992 and…
Interview with Tacito Cury, Global Director of iTTi
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do. So throw off your bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain What was the reason you founded International TEFL Training Institute? I have always been fascinated by travel. Personally, I have traveled around the world and visited over 125 countries. Travel is an exciting thing; however, you have to be able to support yourself over time. An excellent way to achieve the balance between travel and the need to support yourself is to teach English. So we established a training organization that gives individuals with an excellent command of English the opportunity to become certified to teach English. What makes your organization different from other TEFL training providers? We have created a training program that not only “sells”; it’s a training program designed…
What Our Career Coaching Does For You
Interview preparation is key these days The job market for English teaching is at an all-time high. All our graduates land jobs around the world. Certain areas in the world are extremely popular due to their high compensation rates and benefits. And here is where you actually have competition. In order to land a job at such high-profile institutions, you have to have interview and career-planning skills. Here is where our career coaching can help. 1. Learn how your background is viewed by others. Self-awareness is critical to securing a great position. You need to learn how to view your experience, writing and presentations from different perspectives of experienced professionals, directors and recruiters. 2. Refresh your interviewing skills. Most people haven’t needed an interview for quite a while by the time they apply for teaching positions. Recruiters have invented a crafty series of techniques in recent years to tease information out…
