Blog
Things to Remember About the English Language When Speaking to or Teaching Foreigners
With roughly 378 million native speakers worldwide, English surprisingly comes only third to Chinese and Spanish in the most spoken languages all over the world. Despite this, the English language doesn’t come without difficulties, especially when it comes to pronunciation. In reality, foreigners and non-native speakers may encounter English pronunciation mistakes at some point in their conversations. The good news is that people who are just starting to learn English are not alone in this kind of battle. A lot of students who took one-on-one Skype sessions with the English tutors at Preply started out confused but are now fluent in English.
The Ultimate Guide to Budgeting, While Travelling
When you’re off travelling and enjoying yourself, it can be easy to lose track of your spending. And the last thing you want to have to do is call your parents to get them to send you extra cash. Sticking to a budget can be even more important when you’re travelling. You’re so far away from home and family, and you’re ultimately on your own for survival. So how do you do it?
Preparing for Asia – Things Westerners Won’t Be Used To
To a Westerner, preparing to live in Asia can be exciting and daunting, primarily because of its diversity. Chances are, your new home country will be drastically different from everything you are used to, and you’ll be greeted by a wealth of new experiences and more than a few challenges.
Tips for Making Extra Cash to Fund your TEFL Course
So you’re saving up to study a TEFL course but you feel like your savings just aren’t going to cut it. You need to make some extra cash so you can fund your course and be on your way to reaping all the benefits that a TEFL qualification can bring you. So what are the best ways to make money? Unfortunately, very few things in life come with little effort. But there are some things you can do to boost your cash flow and fund your studies. Sell your Stuff Let’s face it, we’ve all got wardrobes and cupboards full of stuff we no longer want or use. So instead of it lying there gathering dust, consider selling it. You’d be amazed what people will buy. Go through your wardrobes for old clothes and shoes. The better the condition, the more money you’re likely to get for them. And if you have any designer or brand named items, you might find that there’s more demand for these. Before you sell any of your gear, do a quick search online to see how much other people are selling similar items for. This will give you a better idea of how much you could get for yours. Try listing your items on sites like Ebay or even pack up your gear and head to your local car boot sale. Car Boot Junction offers a list of car boot sales across the UK, where you can search by county for sales near you. Rent Out a Spare Room This will probably work best if you own your own flat or if your landlord is someone you know. However, even if you don’t you can still explore this option, providing you have permission from your landlord. But if you have a spare bedroom, or even a box room, you can make some pretty serious cash! Sites like airbnb allow you to list your available accommodation and you choose how much you rent it for. If you’re in a large city or an area where there’s a major event happening, you can rent it for even more. Annual events like the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh can cause hotel and hostel prices to soar dramatically, so do your research and price accordingly. Even if you’ve got a one-off event, such as, you know, a royal wedding, the price people will pay for a room is likely to astound you. Be a Tutor Tutoring is a fantastic way of making money. And if you’re looking to study a TEFL course, tutoring can give you added teaching experience that will be looked on favourably by your future employers when you’re finally qualified to teach English to foreign language speakers. Advertise your services in your local newspaper or library. You can set your own hourly rate based on your qualifications and experience but it can be a good idea to research the going rate for your subject and expertise to make sure you’re charging a fair price. House or Pet Sitting Lots of people prefer to leave their house or pet in the hands of someone they trust when they go on holiday, rather than putting their pet in kennels and leaving their house empty. Sites such as Trusted Housesitters pairs up people looking for a house sitter with people looking to house sit. You can make some pretty good money doing this and it can be a fun experience. On the other hand, and if you love dogs, dog walking can be a fun way to make some extra cash. People who work all day or are unable to get out often need someone to walk their dogs. Check with people you know and advertise your services in your local vets. Some vets will also be interested in getting contact details for house pet sitters as well, as their clients will often ask for recommendations. Sell Your Old Phone Most households have a potential gold mine, most likely gathering dust in a cupboard or drawer. Rake through your house for old mobile phones and you could be quids in. Check with the rest of your family to see if they’ve got any phones they don’t use anymore and ask if you can sell them. If you’re lucky, they might even let you keep the money you make! Sites like Music Magpie and Mobile Cash Mate will buy your old phones from you. With Music Magpie you could get rid of all your old CDs and DVDs in return for cash too. So, you’ll be clearing out clutter as well as making money!
How to Improve ESL Students’ Reading Skills
Are you looking for a new way to develop your students’ reading abilities in English? There are many effective strategies – choose one that works for you!
Why Do You Travel?
Everyone has different travel goals. What are yours? To meet new people? To immerse yourself in a new culture?
How to Stay Healthy in China
Adjusting to a new environment takes some time for your body to adapt to. With your focus on adapting to your new life, you may have neglected your health as well. Keep in mind these tips to prevent catching something during flu season! Kid Germs It’s no secret that when you’re working with kids, you’re more prone to catching a bug. We all remember our younger selves and the questionable and sticky things we got on our hands and shirts. Keep in mind that this can easily be transferred to you. When you’re teaching kids in a confined classroom, there’s no escape from ‘Kid Germs’. Try your best to limit direct contact with your students and promote healthy hygiene. You’ll be doing yourself a favor and have an additional topic to fill your lesson plan! Hand Sanitizer/Wet Wipes With any sudden stop on the metro or bus, your hand automatically shoots up to steady yourself. More often than not you will have grabbed onto one of the many poles on the metro car. With more hands touching these poles than the door knob of the busiest bathroom in your office building, you will have been transferred many people’s hand germs. Hand sanitizers and wet wipes fit right into your pocket or bag and get those pesky germs off your hands. These can be a life saver if you commute to work during the week. Stay Clean at Home Every working adult has their lazy days. Laundry begins to pile up and dishes in the sink are neglected. The longer you haven’t touched your vacuum or washing machine, the more time germs have to build up. Regularly clean your space no matter how tired you are. Walking into a clean space and being able to kick your shoes off is more rewarding than walking into a cockroach infested home (not that we believe you have a cockroach infested home but you get the picture). Healthy Diet As good as it feels to eat some nachos and wash it down with a beer, there are few benefits to eating junk food. Fresh vegetables, fruits, and meats have vitamins and antioxidants that help your body attack some of those viruses. Something as simple as a squeeze of lemon in your tea can do wonders. Lastly, you must be pro-active to prevent getting sick. Don’t wait until you can’t even have a full conversation without coughing every thirty seconds to do something about it. In the long run, it saves time and you’ll feel your best all year round! By June A Associate Placement Consultant at Teaching Nomad About our company: Teaching Nomad is an American owned and operated education recruitment company based in Shanghai, China. Our goal and purpose is to help great teachers find great teaching jobs. Year round, we have hundreds of teaching job vacancies. Whether your goal is to be an ESL teacher or teach in an international school, we have a teaching job for you. You can browse jobs online at www.teachingnomad.com/job-search for the latest job openings. Teaching Nomad is here to make teaching in China easier, so please feel free to reach out and contact us with any questions or inquiries!
First Thoughts in Shanghai, China
Moving abroad can be hard at first, and for most people it’s a big decision. These feelings pass though and from there it’s mostly the best journey of your life. For those who are wondering what it’s like, here’s a few feelings you may experience when you get to China, and perhaps what you’re worrying about before you’ve decided to make the move! This is so new! Upon arrival, it’s totally normal to feel a little out of your depth. It’s a new place that you probably haven’t been to before. It looks, smells and feels different and most of all its big! A few weeks in though and you feel totally at home and may even prefer it to your home town. How am I going to get around? Will I be able to use public transport and taxis? Well, the metro is super easy to use and really inexpensive, as are taxis. Public transport is maybe a little easier once you know where you’re going especially if your ability to voice your destination in a taxi is not quite up to scratch yet. If these aren’t an option, you could bike! Simply download an App and you’re good to go! It’s also a great way to get your bearings and see things at your own pace. I don’t know anyone! Don’t worry, everyone is in the same boat! First of all, get WeChat and you’re set! There are hundreds of meet up groups you might want to join filled with people that share similar interests, along with groups of people who are employed in the same field as you. Shanghai has a huge expat community so when you’re feeling lonely in your first few weeks, stick with it and watch your network grow. I don’t speak Chinese how will I communicate with anyone? Don’t panic! The majority of expats that move to China don’t speak Chinese. In Shanghai in particular, it is pretty easy to get by without speaking the language and if you have a few of the basics, it will be even easier. In some ways it means you can get really stuck in with the culture especially when it comes to food. Although, you will want to learn Mandarin when living in such an amazing City so don’t hesitate to find a teacher and get started. It will be one of the best things you do! Along with the above, you will feel an abundance of other exciting things too so embark on your new journey and be ready for the adventure! By Jayne Associate Placement Consultant at Teaching Nomad About our company: Teaching Nomad is an American owned and operated education recruitment company based in Shanghai, China. Our goal and purpose is to help great teachers find great teaching jobs. Year round, we have hundreds of teaching job vacancies. Whether your goal is to be an ESL teacher or teach in an international school, we have a teaching job for you. You can browse jobs online at www.teachingnomad.com/job-search for the latest job openings. Teaching Nomad is here to make teaching in China easier, so please feel free to reach out and contact us with any questions or inquiries!
Nine Reasons Why Living in China is the Best!
If there is one country in the world that Western countries don’t know very much about, it just might be China. But after having lived there, people just seem to fall in love with the country, the culture, the language, and the people. It is truly a very exciting (yet, still challenging) place to live.
7 Ways to Make Communication in China Easier
From ordering food to taking a taxi, you may find it hard to get around in China without speaking Mandarin, especially if you are not in a big city such as Beijing or Shanghai. However, the language barrier shouldn’t stop you from traveling to the Middle Kingdom. Here are some tips on how to make communciation in China easier.
How to Do an Online Teaching Demo
Oh, the dreaded online teaching demonstration. You’re probably thinking to yourself, “This is so awkward! Why do I have to do this?” Well, the school wants to get to know you a little better as an educator, so a teaching demonstration is a good way for them to get a sense of your personality, teaching style, ability to lesson plan, and professionalism. These are all things that are important when teaching ESL abroad. If you’re an old pro at teaching demos, an online teaching demo is not that different from an in-person one. As a rule, your video should be professional, polished, and not bore the person watching it to tears.
Bringing a Pet to China