Teaching Abroad
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 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.
My First Year of Teaching
Learn about someone else’s first teaching experience to help set your expectations of what being a beginner teacher will look like.
It Is All In the Name, 21 Quirky and Bizarre ‘Chinese’ English Names
As a new English teacher you might frown upon the names of your new students. Like most language learners, they were given the freedom to choose their own English names and — perhaps sometimes a little too much freedom. Instead of John or Mary, boys will call themselves Hulk, Tarzan, Hercules or Devil, while girls go by the names of: Cherry, Holiday, Apple, Happy, Lolly or Sugar.
How to find the best flight deals online
Whether you’re in need of a last minute ticket home or looking for the cheapest way to check out on a beach somewhere in the sun, searching for the best airline prices can be tricky. Hunting for the best deals online can seem like more work than it’s worth, as there are a whole host of sites to search through, all with unique combinations of potential flight times, carriers and routes to consider. Here are a few of the best places to find the best deals online:
One Step Past Traveling
We’ve all heard it before— the best way to experience a new country is to live there rather than just to visit. But there’s truth behind the cliche. There is something different about living somewhere out of your comfort zone, whether that’s a few months or a few years, and there are lots of opportunities to do so. Everyone should get this chance, and one of the easiest ways to do it is to get a job overseas, such as volunteering, internships, tourism, start-up businesses. Often recent college graduates turn to teaching positions; while it is one of the most common routes, it is always in high demand. Teaching Nomad opens a whole new world to those who are looking to teach something other than English to kids (though this is a fantastic way to get involved and make a difference!). International schools for expats, local private schools, even adult education centers all look for competent teachers in a variety of fields.
5 Ways the Chinese do Christmas slightly differently
‘Shen Dan Lao Ren‘ is coming to town. Christmas is a wonderful celebratory time of year, however in mainland China it is not even a public holiday. This explains why twenty years ago you probably wouldn’t have seen any signs of Christmas around here. Merrily, in today’s China you will see, hear and feel the Chinese Christmas spirit almost everywhere around you.
5 Chinese Ghosts to Watch Out for this October
If you’re not too scared to come out this October, there are a number of events going on in Shanghai from pub quizzes, movie showings, or a big night out in your favourite costume so you can celebrate Halloween in The Middle Kingdom…
Why Do I Still Teach ESL?
Before teaching English in China, I was working in Chicago. I had a good sales and marketing job in the industry of my choice building a name for myself. Also, I was making good money, heading towards $70K the year I quit, in a world famous city. But I noticed after achieving this job, my interests started to change, and those who inspired me moved away deeper into their passions. And worst of all, I was becoming bored of the city routine. Teaching English was my way of fulfilling points on my bucket list: traveling abroad and learning a foreign language.Teaching English was something I never considered for a long-term career decision. I knew of people who’ve done it before but always returned to their lives in the states. I signed up for a year and assumed I’ll return home shortly after.
5 Reasons Why You Should Get Your Teaching License
If you are new to teaching, we wouldn’t really suggest looking into any sort of licensure options at this point in your career. However, if you’ve been teaching abroad for some time now and are legitimately considering a long-term career in teaching, here are a few reasons why getting proper licensure will be the best career move you can make.