Teaching English online/by phone or skype is a relatively new and exciting way to learn and teach English. It can only grow as technology improves and the busy professional wakes up to the fact they can have lessons at a time to suit them, from the office or on the move.

For the teacher, this flexibility means you can choose your hours - and even set up on your own.

Big players in online/phone English teaching:

To get started, you might want to try working for big companies that are often on the look-out for new tutors:

Telelangue: http://www.telelangue.com/

Tutor ABC: http://www.tutorabc.com/asp/company/recruit.asp?language=en

globalenglish:  http://www.globalenglish.com/m/

Be aware that this market is fragmented with varying recruitment criteria and demands. You may be teaching 1-1 or leading a small group online. You may have materials provided, online ‘whiteboard’ etc or have expected of you in terms of lesson material.
Teaching English online or by phone does not usually pay well and so many teach regular face-to-face classes and supplement their earnings by teaching online in those ‘in-between’ hours.

What are the technical requirements?

You will generally need a headset, microphone, reliable broadband and skype /MSN or other VoIP (internet phone) capacity. A webcam is sometimes used.

A nice voice, friendly manner are obvious advantages as are a specialisation in TESOL such as business English to differentiate yourself, although much of this type of work is more general or conversational in nature.

What to teach

As in most areas, this will be student led but in my experience (we run a small online language school called phone-english) most students want confidence building; a chance to practice with a native speaker in safety. Your role will often be to provide a nurturing space where they will feel at ease to make mistakes -and have you correct them and gradually help them to become more fluent and confident. However, we have taught English to professionals, students of English language exams such as IELTS and also helped students gear up for a particular event such as a business presentation or job interview.  If you need to find your own material for lessons, see also:

The Best Free TEFL Websites

We can’t meet every request, though and I regret not being able to help a foreign student whose job was to take down Chinese take-away orders in Birmingham; he particularly wanted a teacher with a Birmingham accent to dictate menu items down the phone. Alas, I didn’t feel any one of our excellent teachers could be asked to maintain a fake Brummie accent for any length of time.

Working for yourself

To work for yourself is relatively easy in terms of set-up and you will certainly earn more than if you work for an online English school. However, finding paying students can be more difficult:

To start, get involved in skype forums: Try typing skype forums learn english into google to see how others are teaching and learning English via skype. Many are teaching for free but not always.

You might also want to see this internet e-book for around 45 USD about how to set up on your own, market yourself and receive payment, download skype etc. I did actually buy the book and have skim-read for the purpose of review. It is fairly common-sense and you could get all this information for free on the internet if you scouted around enough but he does bring all the various facets together. I will stress that I am not making any commission from endorsing the book. However, this small investment could save you many hours of internet searching and I would certainly recommend it if you are thinking about setting up on your own.

3^rd party hosts

Myngle is a 3rd party host which brings together teachers and students and they take a percentage of what you charge. I have heard that you have to fill in your details, pass a competency check and that they may not get back to you if they have more teachers than students (and anecdotally this was the case a few months back) but it might be worth a try:

http://www.myngle.com/

Already freelancing?

The other off-neglected way is to offer phone English or a blended phone and face-to-face option to students where you are locally. This might prove very interesting for learners who are busy professionals or mums at home - and hopefully you’ll be offering something that’s still quite unique in the local market place.

Please note, I cannot vouch for the integrity of the sites I’ve listed as we are not connected in any way so do use the usual caution as you pick your way through. This area is still new and growing and so there is no absolute tried and tested way in to this market. However, I  hope this helps and that  you’ll feed back on how you get on.

Monday 15th March 2010

Hi, this is William, and I am on my way to Brazil, to help support the Amigos Charity by talking to other businesses, churches and organisations about the work the charity is doing. We are being met at Sao Paulo airport in around 12 hours and taken to Pouso Alegre, where we will start from.

Travelling with Amigos Director Phil Pugsley, who is sitting right opposite me in the lounge telling me all about the latest developments in Uganda.

We will keep you updated we we go - next communication from the Southern Hemisphere!

Tuesday 16th March, 2010

Finally landed in the teeming city of Sao Paulo, at 6am after an 11 hour flight. Here’s a tip, when on a bigger plane, try to get over the wings or towards the front if you possibly can - at the back you get thrown around a lot more - that’s why first class is at the front!

Well, we had lots of Argentinian soldiers in uniform on the plane, which made me slightly nervous, given the current status of the Falklands, although seeing the Cyprus and UN badges made be feel slightly better.

Sao Paulo reminded me of Mexico - hot humid and crammed full of people, even at 6:00 am.

So Phil and I were very glad when Amaury Braga, our host for the 10 days I am here, arrived to take us out to the relatively calm and pleasant surroundings of Pouso Alegre. This city is around 100,000 people and we have really been blessed already. Amaury’s family have given us a great welcome, and have arranged a tour for us to different places around this southern part of Brazil to visit different organizations.

You can view a video of Pouso Alegre here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6v-UP57XXM

The drive here and the scenery we passed through was spectacular - including miles and miles of strawberry fields, sloping down from the verdant countryside. Everyone on the road seems to think that they are Ayrton Senna, but the speed of the driving contrasts dramatically with the slower pace of life here in this small city.

You can see Phil and Amaury enjoying a coffee here in downtown Pouso Alegre.

We begin tomorrow by heading to Campos do Jordao. But today it is rest - chatting with the family and thinking about how we will speak about Amigos and the work that is going on there to help young Ugandans get educated at Kira Farm.

Wednesday 17th March, Campos do Jordao

Now the work part of our trip starts. But not before a 6.30 am run up into the countryside with Amaury, who took me up on the trails out of the city for 14K. By the time we returned, the temperature was in the 70’s with 80% humidity, but the scenery was certainly worth it! Breakfast consisted of a range of exotic fruits, which included Guava, sharon fruit, passion fruit, mango and local cheeses.

So now we are off to Campos do Jordao, for our first meeting with business people who are interested in hearing about what Amigos are doing. Phil will be speaking, me supporting and Amaury translating.

Campos do Jordao is like little Switzerland, set 1500 metres up in the mountains with the houses build in a chalet style. It is reached by some tortuous turns through potholed roads and lumps of concrete disguised as sleeping policemen randomly inserted along the way. 120km takes in excess of 2 hours as we jockeyed through the mountains with lorries and buses. The spectacular scenery was disguised by low hanging cloud, mist and rain, and as the temperature plummeted I wondered about the advice I had received on not needing anything else other than shorts. The one day I could have done with the sweater Louisa made me pack! But what a fantastic place! The entrance only gives a flavour of the place, with beautifully decorated squares, ornate houses, banks built in a chalet style etc.

We arrived at a beautiful restaurant called Nonna Mimi, owned by Sergio and his family, to a table with enough food for eight of us. One thing to mention here about the hospitality is that it is second to none - and the food is great, so no chance of losing any kilos here, even if I managed to run every day!

Sergio (in the grey top below) explained about his life, a little of the history of this place and how it is becoming a playground for the rich and famous of Sao Paulo, who come up here in Winter to experience the clean air and good food! Watch out for the great rice puddings (bottom left) if you come here!

Later we went to the church, where Phil was speaking about the work of Amigos in Uganda. However, nothing is quite as straightforward and Phil was invited to demonstrate his guitar skills first. So not only was this a speaking engagement but also it began by jamming with the band (and Sergio, who had done a quick change to become Pastor Sergio, one of the leaders of this new church which was planted only 3 years ago). Phil, if these talents you have ever get out, Joss may come a calling for some backing!

Phil Pugsley from the Amigos Charity jams with the band in Campos do Jordao

The presentation of a slide show, with Amaury translating for Phil, went really well and it was great to see the reception he received and the warmth there is for Africa from ordinary people here in Brazil.

The meeting broke up around 10 pm and following Pizza we travelled back to Pouso Alegre, through fog, rain and finally a brilliantly clear sky, glimpsing the Southern Cross amid a sea of brilliant stars in the sky. Tomorrow a local day in Pouso Alegre.

Thursday 18th March, Pouso Alegre

After arriving back late last night, a relaxing day in the city today, meeting with a graphic designer who is interested in following Phil’s example with greeting cards.

Amigos started with Phil doing what he was good at - printing. Professionally trained as a printer, he tells the story of how he asked his boss one day if he could use the printing presses after work to print some cards to help raise money for the orphans he had met in Uganda. His boss said yes. Then he asked a card company if they could donate some card for him to print on. Again they said yes. He went to an envelope company to see if they would donate envelopes. ‘How many would you like?’  came the reply. Phil felt this was a sign that he was moving in the right direction and that God was telling him - ‘do what you are good at, I’ll take care of the rest’. Before long, he was printing and selling greetings cards through friends, his church, his contacts, and the initial funding to help in Uganda was started.

You can view some of the designs and purchase greetings cards directly from the Amigos website here:

This is the message that he is bringing to Brazil on this trip - you can start serving by doing what you are good at - but you have to start - no one else can do this for you. So here in our meeting this morning there was some enthusiasm for his idea of printing and selling greetings cards here in Brazil.

This evening Phil spoke at the Agua Viva church in Pouso Alegre. The great thing about churches here is that the doors are open, so people outside can hear what is going on inside. Why is it in the UK that we close the church doors? Maybe we feel safer inside. Or maybe it is just that it is 20 degrees warmer here than in England!

Friday 19th March, Monte Verde

The day starts bright with sunshine and it is going to be warm again, as we head for the mountains and Monte Verde. This is a great place, population around 7000, which again looks like a mini Switzerland. Some of the images are out of this world, and not what we expected at all!

We visited a missionary training base where we were able to share in their vision of equipping young people to bring hope to our hurting world.  The centre is set in a beautiful green valley, and Phil spoke to these guys about Uganda and how inspired we are by their dedication and desire to make a difference. You can see a great video of them singing an Afrikaans song  on you tube here:

Group of young trainee missionaries in Monte Verde - these guys are going to be great!

Drove back to a beautiful sunset towards a weekend, where we head for our first Brazilian barbecue tomorrow.

Saturday 20th March, Pouso Alegre, then Campinas

Next couple of days are going to be busy. But got to see a little of the real Brazil this Saturday morning as my painful toe (I know, I sound like a wimp) was not much better. So the host family here arranged for me to go to a clinic and to give a blood sample. Now anyone who knows me knows that needles and I are not best friends, so spent much of the night in turmoil dreaming of nasty things that could happen.

Pleasantly surprised to see a really clean clinic with loads of nurses and doctors - who were really friendly. Sat in the chair waiting for the nurse to say a Brazilian version of

‘Now just a little prick with the needle sir’

to which I would reply - no I’d better not write it… but Amaury kept telling me jokes and it was over in no time. No fainting, no feeling dizzy and really easy. No waiting around for the results, as Amaury had smiled sweetly at the nurse and managed to get the results sped up. They were available within an hour by internet. Cost £4. Fortunately they told me there was nothing major wrong and the docs advice was to keep taking the anti-inflammatory tablets. Hopefully I will be back running by the end of the week. But overall impression is that the health system is really clean, ordered and structured, providing you can pay or have a good insurance policy.  But many people here don’t have private health insurance. Unless you company pays for it, it is too expensive. So if you are coming here to teach, try to find a school with some benefits to help!

Spent some time in Pouso Alegre this morning, where there is a Saturday artisan craft fair (girls I really hope you like the presents I will bring back) and the temperature started climbing towards 80 degrees plus.

We headed off to a family barbecue, which in Brazil is quite a thing. Starting around 1pm, it will go on until 10pm officially, with the whole extended Braga family (around 30 or so) joining together at a country club outside Pouso Alegre. They had got toether to celebrate a birthday and family members had come from as far as Sao Paulo and Recife (in the NE). And the meat just keeps on coming. Been here a week and not a sign of a fish anywhere on a menu. Different cuts of cow, pork, sausage, chicken, chicken hearts (strangely tasty) were delivered up for us to nibble on, accompanied by cold beer and soft drinks. Lots of talking, laughing and eating - a true Brazilian experience. Won’t need to eat again for a week.

Tony’s Story

Here is a little story of someone in Brazil who is already making a difference. Tony is a hairdresser here in downtown Pouso Alegre. He came to the church where Phil was speaking on Thursday evening. So impressed was he by the vision of Amigos, he decided to go home and make a difference straightaway. He downloaded images from the Amigos website, then made a poster for his barber shop. Then he put up a sign that he was adding 1 Real (about 40 pence) to the price of each haircut, which would go directly to Amigos. Customers have the option to take it off if they want to, but he is hoping that most won’t and that they will see he is trying to do something good for others. WAY TO GO TONY! Thanks for your support. If you are reading this and think you’d like to make a difference, Amigos have some ideas for how you can do this here. Alternatively you can come and teach in Uganda with Global English - for more info click here.

Now starts a run of a lot of meetings and presentations. We head off this evening to present Uganda to a group of 50-60 young people in Campinas this evening, around 2 hours away. Then back to Pouso Alegre tonight, in for a church service tomorrow, followed by a 150 minute drive to Sao Paulo. So lets go.

Campinas, Saturday night

Another road trip begins as we head south and then west this time towards Campinas, a small city towards the interior of Minas Gerais. The thunder and lightning that have been threatening all day are a spectacular backdrop to a setting sun and begin to light up the night sky as we journey. This time Filipe, Amuary’s 23 year old son, will translate for Phil as he gets ready to speak to the group at Campinas.

Phil laid out some facts and figures about Uganda:

• The youngest average age of any country in the world - 15 years old
• has 2.5 million of the 15 million orphans in Africa due to Aids
• the second fastest growing population in the world
• but a great opportunity for us to help

He spoke about the chance that each individual has to make a difference and how they could help in Africa.

Each church we go to starts with what seems like a rock band bashing out the songs or hymns - singing is a big part of evangelical life in the church here and it isn’t the warbling we often get on a sunday morning. Apparently the music is loud so that if you do not sing like a nightingale the music will drown you out. Works too - we should consider it… Students singing in Campinas

We were invited to yet another meal after the presentation and as my stomach is expanding I will need to go on a crash diet when I get home. We flew back up the motorway to Pouso Alegre and crashed out at home around 1am, with the mileometer approaching around 1000 miles on this whistle stop journey. This must be what it feels like to be a roadie for a pop star - one venue to the next, leaving into the darkness to be whisked away to another venue.

Sunday 21st March, Pouso Alegre, then Sao Paulo

Something that I noticed most about Brazil is the way that drivers use all the road. In England we are quite conservative, we stick to our lane and usually only change lanes if we are overtaking. No here - oh no. We swing from the fast lane across to the hard shoulder to take corners at 120 km/h, dodge in between lorries who are trying to outgun each other up hills.It is as if they have taken the Interlagos racetrack and transplanted it onto the highways of Southern Brazil. You can have up to 20 points on your license here, although each speeding fine carries between 5 - 12 points. So be nice to the policeman.

Resting in Pouso Alegre after another presentation here this morning, before heading off to the city of Sao Paulo, 3 hours drive from here. Watching the rain lash down and the lightning as the thunder rolls across the sky. It is in the 90’s and humid. I look out over the rooftops, past the satalite dishes, past Angelis Moda Intima (I think that is a lingerie factory) towards the grey skyline, as we are about to make a video for Amigos which will go on the Portuguese version of the website. Very tired but one more gig today and then can rest up a little more tomorrow.

Good news, toe getting better. Many thanks to Sr Leo, the printer (see Wednesday above) who resolved to bring me some Devil’s claw, from which I have been making tea. It’s foul smelling, tastes like watered earth, but it might just be working.

Sao Paulo

Sunday afternoon say us take another long trip towards Sao Paulo, south and fast. Beginning to get the hang of travelling here. Just have no fear and go with it.

Sao Paulo is approached through the hills and looks almost picturesque from a distance - a really long distance - then when you start getting closer the traffic begins to snarl and you get tied up in lines. Here’s a tip, if you leave much more than a cigarette paper’s width between you and the car in front, someone will dive in.

We got into the Pinheiros part of the city and parked in a garage which opens on a sunday specially for the church where we were to be speaking.

We were early, so we went across the road to a less than inviting looking cafe, which had a large stainless steel container on the counter. We saw that it contained coffee so Phil decided to order one. Amaury and I chose water and a juice from the fridge. Phil’s coffee resembled thick black sludge, and tasted somewhat similar, he said. We walked down the road which they are digging up to make a new underground station. Phil nearly stepped into the open sewer. This wasn’t proving to be his day.

But that all changed when the service started. 2 and a half hours later, with the audience filled with joy and tears, he walked off the stage with the sound of perhaps the most spontaneous reception we have received all week. Several people were interested in not only Amigos but also teaching English as a Foreign Language. The bit I managed about supporting Amigos went really well. I met a potential agent who wants to represent us in SP so that is really encouraging. ‘Good to meet you Richard and looking forward to working with you in the future!’

A late night drive back to Pouso Alegre was made more passable by the presence of Maria Jesus, Pastor Oswaldo’s mother-in-law. So spent some time shouting loudly in bad Portuguese about the rain, temperature, the road and not much else, while Phil and Amaury were up front talking about monkeys.

Monday 22nd March, 2010 - Pouso Alegre

After a frenetic few days, of over 1100 miles, 3 meetings and 6 presentations, a welcome wind down day. Phil visited the local square, I met with a couple of language schools also interested in Phone English and we chilled out with the family over a meal of steak, feijoao, rice and vegetables, following on from delicious pao quejio…

which is bread made with cheese. A really relaxing day was turned upside down when Amaury invited me for a run. Thankfully the toe is better so off I went, with a water bottle, in the late afternoon at about 25 degrees. We picked up a friend of his (Ediao) who is training for an ultra marathon in Sao Paulo and had already run 22 Kms that morning. We headed for the hills around Pouso Alegre, only for it to start getting really dark and really warm. And then the light show started in the hills around 10 miles away. The dirt tracks turned into muddy pools from the previous days rain as we headed through the valley, the sky now black and the fireflies buzzing by, our only light coming from the ever nearing lightning. Picking our way slowly round this tortuous route, walking because you didn’t know where your feet were going, watching out for anything that moved (not that you could see anything although thanks for reminding me about the snakes guys), I wondered if I would ever see my wife and kids again. Thankfully up another hill, round a corner, across some barbed wire that I am really glad my running partners knew about, we saw a light and I shouted civilisation,  only to be looked at like a nutter from my colleagues and the people in the house. ‘It’s OK, he’e English’ was probably what they were too polite to say.

We returned to the city and never have I been so glad to run on concrete! We made it back 15 Km later just as the rain came and the lightning hit the streets. But a memorable way to end my last full day here. A final Brazilian beer in the kitchen and it was off to blog and then bed.

Tuesday 23rd March - Thursday 24th March - Pouso Alegre - Sao Paulo Airport - London

This is my final blog entry, ahead of a long bus, plane, shuttle and then train journey. I leave Pouso Alegre with fond memories and would gladly come back here again. The people and the food both get rave reviews, while the driving makes you feel slightly less in control of your destiny (as if any of us are) but definitely a place to come back to - one day. For those of you who pray, please keep Phil in your thoughts as he goes on to speak at three more meetings this week, Machado on Wednesday, the at different locations in Pouso Alegre on Thursday and Friday. All the best Phil!

And a big thanks to Amaury, Celeste, Andre and Filipe, who made me so welcome and made me want to come back here again! Next time I will try to speak more in Portuguese, I promise!

Bored with your current job?
Feel like you are spinning your wheels?
Or perhaps you are thinking of a career change.

Wouldn’t it be great to pull up a chair at a cafe somewhere in the world and enjoy the surroundings of a new and exciting location? Or watch the sun set on a beautiful beach as you prepare to go out into the city for dinner? Well, thousands of new TEFL teachers do this every year. And there is no reason why you can’t be next. 

So if you are bored, tired or just want a change, there are 3 steps to making the change come true for you. I did!

Step 1 

Find a map of the world. I like this one from Vector Maps - clickable and shows each country clearly: http://www.vectorworldmap.com/vectormaps/vector-world-map-v2.1.png

Now think about where you might like to live. Remember, it doesn’t have to be forever. You could move from one country to the next with the right qualification. Perhaps it is a destination you have always wanted to go to, or a country you used to visit on holiday, maybe that lovely Greek island you went to years ago…

Yes, that’s the view I visualised when I set off on my first journey. However, I ended up in Mexico City, which wasn’t quite the same. Could be I boarded the wrong flight and fell asleep, something similar to this poor Japanese traveller, who wanted to catch a flight to Turkey but was put on a train to Torquay after asking directions at Paddington.

But I enjoyed the Mexican experience and it was my first step working around the world.

Once you have a place in mind, you have something to focus on and this will help you as you begin to make your plans. But how to you get from where you are today to your dream destination? And how will you manage to make ends meet when you get there? Well, this is where the TEFL course comes in.

Step 2

Choosing the right TEFL/TESOL course and setting your budget.  Now TEFL courses come in all shapes and sizes (and cost from £170 to over £1000, depending on what you choose).  The course you decide upon should be a good fit for your ideal destination. There is no point doing something quickly and cheaply if you get there only to find you can’t get work when you get to your chosen country. Similarly, spending lots of your hard earned cash on an expensive course may be a bad investment, particularly if you are only thinking of staying a short while.

As a general rule, if you are volunteering in continents such as Africa, Asia or South America, you should be able to get by with a short Weekend or 3 day TEFL course. You can do these up and down the UK at convenient city locations. It is a good way to dip your toe in the TEFL water, so to speak, get a paper qualification, and then off you go. Prices are competitive and start at £170. You’ll also get to share in some classroom experiences with other trainees in an exciting classroom environment, with some classroom teaching practice as well.

Alternatively, if you are heading for a more established destination, such as Western Europe, Japan or other countries with a more mainstream TEFL industry, you are likely to want a little more. An online course, providing it is accredited by an independent professsional body, can help you get to where you want to go. These start at 70 hours / £195 and are customisable, so you can add specialisms such as teaching English for business, to young learners or in a one-to-one setting ( listen to a teacher speaking about how to teach English one-to-one). These courses go more into theory and methodology, as well as grammar, so you’ll be more confident when you stand up in front of the class for the very first time. Budget for spending up to £395 for these programmes, but they are very flexible and fit around your schedule.

Of course, online and distance based courses work really well if you want to take time over your studies and go at your own pace. If you work best in a group situation, you might want to consider a 4 week CELTA course, which will give you the theory and methodology, along with 6-8 hours teaching practice in front of ‘live’ TEFL students, rather than the peer teaching you get on the weekend programmes. This was the traditional way of getting started and provides a more thorough introduction than the Weekend TEFL. Good for those who like working intensively. Budget for spending up to £395 on a CELTA course. If you’d like more information on CELTA or online programmes you’ll find this blog on Online TEFL vs CELTA helpful.

We suggest you look at the following country guide to help you - we have listed 43 of the top TEFL destinations around the world, with recommendations for what course works best in different countries. It also pays to watch out for some countries, like Japan, Korea and increasingly Thailand, who require their TEFL/TESOL teachers to have a degree.

Step 3

Making the Move and finding work. This is the big jump. You can put a pin in your map, and buy your TEFL course from the seat you are sitting in, all in the next five minutes. But actually packing up and getting on the plane is the final step. Don’t be dissuaded - you have come this far already. Now is the chance of a lifetime to get that job and realise your dream.

But how to find work? Well, there are lots of jobs out there, as many as 20,000 new TEFL positions are offered around the world each month. So if you are a new TEFL teacher there is a good chance that one of them has your name on it. Here is how to go about it.

a) finding TEFL work from the comfort of your armchair - or computer chair

Nowadays arranging a TEFL job starts with a google search for EFL jobs. Alternatively, a visit to one of the specific TEFL job websites may yield results. Probably the biggest is http://www.tefl.com/jobs/, which has a wide range of positions and RSS feed accessibility so you can be updated with the latest positions.

b) in situ

But the fact is that many TEFL jobs simply don’t get advertised - especially in places where there are several teacher travellers passing through, dropping in CVs. Like me when I started, a number of people find work by speculative drop ins, in Spain in this example. In the more ‘off the beaten track’ places you will need to be persistent, so check out this advice given on finding work in Finland.

C) planning your job from overseas

The British Council offices in different countries often hold a list of local schools and ESL base has a list of schools in various countries. But I also like this idea of finding TEFL work that is offered in Germany, by searching through the online yellow pages to find the local language schools in a particular area.

We have expanded on all of these ways of finding your first TEFL position and we hope you find something that inspires you. In the meantime, here is a look at how it is done, from experienced TEFL teacher Louisa Walsh :

Hope you found this helpful and like me, twenty years later, you can still be doing what you love, wherever you decide to travel!

William Bradridge

Devon Soul Singer Joss Stone has formally opened the Kira Farm Training Centre in Uganda.  

Joss has been a supporter of Amigos ever since she made a visit to Uganda in 2006 to see the work that the Devon based charity is doing for young orphans there. So it was great that she could spare the time to go back and formally open the training centre 3 and a half years later.

The centre, based around 45 minutes from Kampala, has been up and running since March, with the help of generously donated funds from a wide range of individuals and organisations, local and national, including Global English.

On her website, Joss posted the following comment on 27th October:

‘Hey guys!  I’m in Uganda at the moment, its gorgeous!  And very very hot.

We opened Kira Farm a couple days ago, its really amazing there.  Amigos are doing a great job and so are the girls at the school and there is one boy.  Goes to show that it doesn’t matter where you are from or what your situation is, there is always hope and you can truly do anything you want in this life.  You just have to stop talking and start doing.

I’m impressed, there is a link on this site to Amigos, go check it out. Where would we be in this world with out the lovely people.’

Amigos Director Phil Pugsley has been one of the driving forces behind the north Devon based charity Amigos. He has seen it grow from a dream with humble beginnings to this exciting point.  He said:

‘It was great to see how much our students have achieved in just six months. It breaks your heart to hear of their backgrounds. We just pray these kids make it as they get this great second chance in life Kira Farm Training Centre has to offer, I have a very strong feeling they will!

 Joss Stone has this amazing ability to totally empathize with our Kira students, she encouraged them to use their talents, just like she has done with her voice. We’re all good at doing something!’ 

 

Students at Kira Farm are learning a range of skills, from agriculture, animal husbandry, home economics and tailoring to English, Maths and business skills. The aim is for them to take these skills back to their villages, where they can share them with their local communities, therefore improving the life for rural Ugandans.  

Representatives from Westcountry TV in the UK also travelled out to film the opening. Cordelia Lynch has put together a 3 part report, to be shown live starting this week (November 10th). You can catch Westcountry Live at 6pm in the Westcountry ITV region or via the website here>>.  

 

If you are interested in finding out more about Kira Farm, or the Amigos charity, visit their website at www.amigos.org.uk.

 

 

Remember the old BT ‘It’s good to talk’ adverts? Yes, even if we think of BT as a dinosaur of the telecoms age, the marketing phrases they used still reverberate with those of us who remember the 80’s & 90’s it’s good to talk ads with old Bob Hoskins - ads that shaped a generation of us TEFL teachers and reminded us why we had to call our mums every so often. So speaking to one another, even in this digital age, is still important. Facebook can provide an artificial conversation (while we juggle mum with our friends and plans for the evening) but it can’t take the place in any of our lives for the direct emotion we hear in each others voices.

OK - don’t get me wrong (as Chrissie Hines once said - sorry - I grew up with this stuff), I do enjoy Facebook, but I am definiltely of the pre-digital age. I yearn back to the sound of Tears for Fears and Duran Duran in the decade that music forgot called the 80s. But that doesn’t mean that I have forgotten how to communicate (and if you can name all of the acts in the 80’s pic below you are can do more than me - hint - some are pictured twice!)

So life has taught me that when an opportunity comes around to speak and communcate I need to take the chance that is offered. Which is why I love The Language Show. Because it is good to talk. And I know that, like last year, I’ll speak to at least 200 people every day at the show. So this is why I find it surprising how many TEFL course providers shy away from exhibiting and putting themselves up in front of their potential customers.

If you Google ‘TEFL Courses’ or ‘TESOL courses’  you’ll find hundreds of providers who have never presented more than a faceless website to the world. You’ll not find them in any way on YouTube, or even a picture of them. They’ll say ‘We offer this course, accredited by ZZZ’ (never heard of them), or ‘We offer that course, with added bells and whistles, accredited by YYY’ (no, who are they either?). Do you ever feel like they are fishing for you? Casting their rods out and hoping you’ll figure that this one must be OK, because…

When actually, what really matters is talking to people. When you speak to someone about something, if you delve deeper, you get more than the company line - the ‘bells and whistles’ - because at these shows you get real advice from people who have been there at the sharp end of teaching - which may well be where you are heading. So If you really want to know how far a distance learning course will get you, or whether the CELTA is really all it is cracked up to be, don’t just trust a static website, or a blog where someone says ‘yes, it’s great’ or ‘no, you need this’. Speak to someone - 2 or 3 organisations at least.  Look at different types of courses - think about whether you need a £1000 course if you are off on a gap year, for example. It’s your money - an investment in your career. Spend it wisely.

So taking to people is why I love the Language Show in Olympia. At Global English we want to give you the right advice for your TEFL journey, be it short or long. We are not interested in selling you the ‘latest flavour’ course - rather we’d like to know where you want to go - whether you want TEFL/TESOL as a career abroad or in the UK - or just a passport to you next step around the world. We have been there - done that - and enjoyed the experiences TEFL has given us. So we’d be happy to help you on your way too.

Thinking back to my new romantic days, if I’d had the opportunity of visiting a TEFL fair, I’d probably have received better advice, rather than playing roulette with a range of different distance TEFL providers, and picking the poor course that I ultimately did.  So at the Language Show you can come along and compare different TEFL products - and if you stop by our stand we look forward to seeing you and answering your questions!

Remember - it is still good to talk!

William, 80’s throwback, 15 years TEFL experience
Global English

Hi, I’m William Bradridge. I am a partner at Global English, based in Exeter, UK. We run online TESOL / TEFL courses along with practical weekends and teaching volunteer programmes.

This blog is for anyone who is interested in TEFL, getting trained or thinking about developing their TEFL careers. My main themes are training, the TEFL industry, finding work and earning a living through TEFL,  which is what I have been doing since 1990.  Welcome your comments, ideas and suggestions.

‘I saw some Chavs, WAGS and hoodies getting trolleyed.’

‘I needed some munchies but I didn’t go in ‘cos the shop was skanky.’

Understand these phrases and chances are you are native to the UK. But outside of these isles, you’re not likely to get the cultural reference. Yet we hear these expressions used in the media and in everyday speech. And what about ‘Simples’ the new phenomenon of a word currently spreading like wildfire thanks to the ‘compare the meerkats advertisement to mean ’straightforward and easy, as in

‘I finished the exam early and left knowing I’d done well. Simples!’

Pity the poor English language learner, especially those who set out to learn English to native speaker level. Such an aim must seem almost unobtainable  when you consider our rich language, ever growing thanks to the influence of America and the media -  and already positively bursting at the seams with idiom, slang  and the almost incomprehensible array of complex phrasal verbs  which make up  our every day speech.

You don’t see slang words and expressions written down often as it is mainly the preserve of newspaper headlines or spoken speech but such is the variety and their prevalence in our language that it’s given way to dictionaries devoted to their recording and usage. There’s the Oxford English dictionary of slang no less and if you fancy updating your own bank of current slang terms, or just want a translation of the 2 sentences at the beginning of this post, then have a peek online at this very comprehensive list here ( Note, you may find some terms or descriptions offensive. )

So, if slang is widespread enough to warrant its own dictionary, can we ignore these terms and expressions in the classroom?  And if they do have a place in the classroom, what exactly do we teach our students about form, usage and context?  It’s one thing to understand what is meant by an expression so they become part of the learners passive vocabulary but quite another to encourage our our learners to use them.

Can you imagine your intermediate French student saying ‘I’m always getting my knickers in a twist’ about English tests, explaining in a glorious French accent that her car ‘goes like the clappers’ or that the accommodation she stayed in on holiday  was ‘minging’. It’s almost laughable.

So, I’m curious about the importance of slang and encourage your comments on the subject.  Particularly:

Current teachers, what place does slang have in your classroom?

Do you know of any new (and clean) slang that hasn’t made it into common parlance yet or is geographical in usage?

What do you know about slang in other languages; does it exist to the same extent as UK slang?  Share your experience of foreign slang.

All comments welcome. ‘Till then,  abyssinnia!

William

Katie Sheehy, Global English grad and new TEFL teacher, completes her report on her 3 week trip to Uganda, where she taught English at 2 primary schools. In this report she talks about teaching kids all about Arsenal FC, moving on to a small private school in Masindi, Northern Uganda and a final trip to Kira Farm outside Kampala.

During the course of the week, I used four more of my prepared plans, including one dedicated to the topic of Arsenal football club. This is my favourite team and I had written to the club’s charity department to ask for some resources. They sent me a lot of brochures on the club and pictures of the players. I used the brochures as a basis for a team quiz and gave the pictures out as prizes for the winning teams. This was certainly the quietest lesson as 60 heads were bent over the brochures trying to work out the answers to my most difficult questions!  

The funniest part of this lesson was the fact that nobody would take the picture of Emmanuel Adebayor as a prize.

 

I spent my free weekend visiting Murchison Falls national park (on a very long day trip that started at 4:30am!), visiting Masindi market & shops and then relaxing at the hotel. Masindi town is a friendly place and many of the locals are very glad to chat with you, find out where you are from and share experiences. During a brief torrential downpour I took shelter in a small shop and got chatting to the proprietor. It turned out that not only had he visited the UK on a teacher exchange a few years back but he had stayed in a number of small villages in Essex that I knew very well as that is the area I grew up in – it’s a small world!

For my second week, I travelled a few miles outside of Masindi to a small village called Kyema and taught at their local community school which is called Masindi Progressive Primary (MPP). This school was much smaller with only about 200 students in total but it still had the range of classes from nursery to P7 and about 6 full-time teachers. They gave me a lovely welcome, with the children lined up along the side of the road to greet me. Then all the school gathered to sing songs and I took this group picture.

The rural setting of the school is beautiful as it sits on top of a hill overlooking Masindi, but its facilities are very basic as there is just one large building and the classrooms are divided from each other by some grass partitions.

My co-ordinator at MPP was Teacher Harriet and she was very keen for me to meet some of the local community members as well as teach English.

 

In fact my week at MPP was far more flexible and wide-ranging as I never knew what or who I was going to teach on any one day, so I turned my hand to a variety of lessons and taught all classes at least once. I brushed up my singing skills and got P1 and P2 singing & miming to “ Old MacDonald” and got P3 running relay races and dancing the “Hokey Cokey”. The funniest part of this week (for them not me!) was me being easily beaten by a small boy in P3 class during a hopping & jumping relay race. Next time I will get hold of some sacks, cloth ties, spoons & eggs and do a full replication of an “ English sports day”.

I was also able to meet all the children at MPP that are sponsored through Amigos. There are 28 children, mostly orphans, who benefit hugely from having a sponsor that pays for their school fees, their uniforms and school books. Without the sponsors their guardians would struggle to send these children to a school with such good results.

Paying fees to send children to a private school was actually one of the issues that I struggled the most with. There are free, government-run primary schools in Uganda but many people consider the educational levels to be poor (and indeed the class sizes are often over 100) and hence they scrape money together to send their children to the private schools. When I visited the homes of the guardians in Kyema, I was invited inside and I could see how little they had (just a mattress and a few pots & pans) in this rural community. This helped me to understand why they valued education highly and were prepared to pay fees so their children can get the best available and hopefully improve their future prospects. (You can find out more about sponsoring a child through Amigos here>> - Ed.)

At the end of my week at MPP, the school held a big fundraising day. Many of the students & teachers had spent the week visiting the local communities to ask for donations (which was why my teaching timetable was so fluid!) and they brought back various items of produce, including beans, bananas, groundnuts, maize and a few chickens & goats. I attended the fundraising day in the morning but unfortunately had to leave to catch my bus back to Kampala before it really got underway. But I hope they did very well from it and raised money for their planned building improvements.

 

I had many emotions during my journey back to Kampala. I had settled into Masindi, was pleased that the placements had gone so well and felt I had made friends with many people that I had met.  Once I was back in Kampala, I was able to squeeze in a couple more visits; one to Kira Farm where Phil (below right, pictured here with Amigos Volunteer Coordinator Joseph) showed me around and explained all the progress so far and one to Joseph’s local Pentecostal church where I was welcomed as a guest during a lively & interesting service.

  

Now I am back in the UK and planning my next adventure in my career-break. I intend to continue supporting Amigos work and would love to return to Uganda sometime soon. I am hoping those teaching English skills will come in handy once again!

To conclude, I would like to give many thanks to everyone who helped me before and during my placement – I had a fantastic experience and I send best wishes for Amigos’ continued success and good luck to future volunteers that come via Global English.

 

 

Katie Sheehy, Global English grad and new TEFL teacher, sent us this report on her 3 week trip to Uganda, where she taught English at 2 primary schools. All the words here are hers so thanks for the report Katie! 

My volunteer English teaching experience in Masinidi, Uganda, Part 1

by Katie Sheehy

 

If you give to charity, do you ever wonder where your money goes?

Well here’s where ours is being spent. Or more accurately, yours!

As you probably know at Global English we give 10% of all our profits to Amigos, a Christian based charity that works in Uganda to help alleviate poverty and educate the next generation of young Africans.

Global English started supporting Amigos this year and Amigos are using our donations, along with donations from other organisations such as British Airways, Brend Hotels and several other local South West businesses, to help develop the Kira Farm Training Centre, Uganda.

Lying around 14 miles to the North of the capital Kampala, Kira Farm started 5 years ago as a dream. A 22-acre site was purchased by 3 men with a mission to do something worthwhile for the people of Uganda. Gradually over time the project has grown and on 2nd May 2009, 16 female students were enrolled into the Kira Farm Training Centre. This first intake will stay for 12 months, learning vocational and business skills, English and Maths, Home Economics as well as agricultural and horticultural skills. The main thrust of teaching will be ‘in the field’ with sustainable, pioneering, crop growing methods always at the centre of the programme.  Chicken, fish, rabbit, pig and bee husbandry will be taught as small rural projects next to Home Economics, Health & Hygiene and First-Aid, alongside basic Maths and English. The teaching is conducted by trained Ugandan teachers who understand the ethos and support the aims of the programme.

But before the girls could start on their education, a lot of ground work had to be done. One of the first learning experiences was for them to sew their own pillow cases!

These youngsters (like so many Ugandans) are orphaned teenagers, and Amigos aims to help them build their confidence, honesty and faithfulness so that they will become valuable citizens in their communities. They come from different parts of Uganda, so there were some dialect, language and cultural barriers to overcome. The girls sleep 4 to a room in the newly built dormitories and have their indoor lessons in the brand new classroom below.

 

 The Amigos Charity believes that Kira Farm students can become a catalyst for change, as they demonstrate honesty, fidelity and integrity, coupled with a good work ethic. Once their training is complete, they will return to their villages from all over Uganda and take back the knowledge they have gathered, to share with their communities.  

Amigos Director Phil Pugsley (pictured below) says ‘Thank you to everyone who has faithfully supported Amigos and this project over the past 5 years, it seemed as if this day would never come! Because 35% of Ugandan primary aged children drop out of school, they never have the opportunity to reach higher education. Yet most Ugandan young people either own land or have access to land. Amigos believes this is a great starting point for their future existence.’ 

You can read a more in-depth feature on the current goings on at Kira Farm and a travel article on Uganda by Francesca Taffs, who travelled to Kira and other locations in February 2009.

So you can see that the donations you are providing by enroling on a course with Global English are really being put to good use. Keep em’ coming!

 William Bradridge, Director of Studies