TEFL vs. TESOL and what they really mean

The acronym "TEFL" stands for "Teaching English as a Foreign Language". TEFL is what you do when you teach English in a country where they have their mother tongue or first language. You can TEFL in countries like Spain, France, Argentina, Greece, The Philippines, Thailand, Japan, China and the list just goes on. TEFL jobs…

Story telling 7: The city that never sleeps, by Emma

Madrid is not like many European cities. I think it’s more like NYC because it’s the European city that never sleeps. I´m having a great time here. It´s not my first time in Europe, I went to Scotland, England and Ireland some years ago with my parents, so I know a little bit about the…

Story telling 6: “Could you turn off the heat, please?”

I had applied and been accepted on the Trinity College CertTESOL course in August, in Madrid. By the way, I´m Mike (Michael), and I´m from Minnesota in the USA. I am 24 years old, and I graduated from college three months ago. I have a degree in Finance. I have always wanted to go to…

English Teaching Resources: Describing Dishes

English level: A1- B2 Objective: Describe what dishes in different countries contain and how they are made. Introduction: Have you ever tried to describe or translate a foreign dish to someone? You may have experienced that it could be rather complicated, especially if the dish doesn´t exist in other countries. You will then very often…

ALL You Need to Know for a TEFL Job Interview – Part 2

Table of contents Less is more! Ask appropriate questions TEFL interview questions about language awareness TEFL interview questions about your teaching and classroom management TEFL job interview questions about your interests, expectations and aspirations Other TEFL job interview questions Face to face and Skype TEFL interviews TEFL interview lesson plans TEFL interview questions to ask…

ALL You Need to Know for a TEFL Job Interview – Part 1

Table of contents Introduction TEFL job interview Do your homework Be on time Dress for the job Personality is the key Share your problem-solving experiences, personal anecdotes Upcoming You’ve done it! You earned your Trinity College CertTESOL Certificate. Introduction EBC had 2 Job Workshop days and you have been told about TEFL interviews, what the…

Learn to speak Spanish in record time with these tips.

Spanish is derived from the country’s name Spain so it’s not surprising that if someone wants to learn the Spanish “de la madre patria” (from the mother country), they study on the Road2Spain programme. And learn to teach English in Madrid at the same time they improve their Spanish. Afterschool activities At EBC, we organise…

English teaching resources: Minimal pairs, the /ei /versus the /ai / sounds

English level: B1/B2 Objective: To train the students to hear the difference between sounds that seem the same. A lot of English language students have a hard time distinguishing between the two different sounds in words like “may” /ei / and “my” /ai /. They might get some help from the context, but what if…

English teaching resources: Words with similar sounds, but different spellings and meanings.

English level: A2, B1/B2 Objective: To understand the meanings of words from its context. Introduction: Already during the Teaching Practice classes at the EBC TEFL course, we realise that English pronunciation is not at all easy for foreigners. In addition, the lack of consistency between spelling and sound sinks in. A lot of words in…

Story telling 5: A Latin in America.

Hi, my name is Gloria. I am 23 years old, and I was born in San Diego, California. My grandparents are from Chile and Mexico, my father was born in Chile, and my mother was born in Mexico. Both their families moved to the USA, when the children were small, so my parents were raised…

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