New and Old China
Caught between two worlds China features massive amounts of diversity. From the rocky peaks of the Himalayas in the West, to the desert crossings of the Silk Road in the North, to [...]
Learning From Past Mistakes
The attitude of the TEFL teacher is to always be learning. You need to keep improving and a lot of this comes down to your experience. Things that [...]
My Mandarin is “booo hao”! Will it ever get better?
My relationship with Mandarin Chinese is similar to a twisted love affair that is often the subject of books and films, and if like me, you’ve also embarked on this sometimes masochistic [...]
Getting Back to Work
It’s been a while since I was in a classroom and since I received my injury I’ve not done a whole lot. Being my dominant right hand I [...]
Promoting Cognitive Development in ESL Lessons
Too often we are asked the question at EF; what separates us from other ESL schools? A quick and easy answer would be that in our ESL lessons we don’t dismiss or [...]
The Training Process
Induction, EOA, workshops, activity shares, observations – from the moment you arrive at EF you will become a part of a team of trained and experienced teachers whose job it is to [...]
Hospital Trip
A Not So Humorous Experience A little over six weeks ago I broke my arm. It wasn’t a pleasant experience and luckily I hit my head at the same time, so I [...]
Teaching Phonics
Teaching phonics in ESL is a step-by-step process that essentially familiarizes students with the sounds needed to produce English in order to develop their reading and writing skills. Rather than teaching the [...]
Getting to Know the Locals… Or Not
Coming to China A lot of the foreign friends I know and have met since my time in China have all had varying reasons as to why they [...]
Travel China
When I first accepted the job at EF last year, I really wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. The idea of moving across the world was exciting for sure, but [...]