Romain To English

Turkey is a gateway country between two very different cultures - that of Europe and that of the Middle East. The contrast with the ancient and the very new is also very much apparent, and to be savoured. The hustle and bustle of the great ancient cities is offset by a peaceful, magnificent and very long coastline; the former of which has, of late, attracted the curious in increasing numbers, and the latter of which has provided a great boom in tourism during the last two decades. Turkish hospitality is legendary, as is the cuisine. The population of sixty-eight millions fits into a landmass of three hundred thousand square miles. Languages in use include Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish, Laz, and English is now fairly widely spoken, particularly in the tourist areas and the big cities. Islam is...  [Read more]

African countries which might tempt the adventurous TEFL teacher include Tunisia, Cameroon, Cameroon, Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania. Tremendous variety is on offer in terms of climate, activities, local facilities and customs - not to mention the fantastic wildlife parks, and truly stunning historical monuments. Even in the Francophone countries, where French is the official second language, amongst the younger generation there is much greater enthusiasm for English. Hence, there are plenty of opportunities for teaching. Quite unlike Europe, for those wishing to teach in a state or private school, there is not the requirement for a PGCE. You will need a TESOL qualification and, in the case of state schools, it is worth checking whether they require an undergraduate degree and any...  [Read more]

  There are two issues that need to be stressed when working with the international phonemic alphabet. First is the fact that we are no longer concerned with how a word is traditionally spelled. Additionally we need to stress that we are only concerned with the sounds needed to correctly produce a word. So rather than numerous spellings, which can often be pronounced in different ways, we have one symbol representing one sound. Once we can isolate a sound, rather than juggling various spellings, we can work with our students on how to say that sound. Doing that successfully is related to manner and place of articulation, which will be covered shortly. To get a better understanding of the phonemic alphabet, let's take a look at our chart. In the bottom half of our chart we have our...  [Read more]

In Egypt one can stand in cities that have been populated by civilisations for millennia. The pharaonic civilization goes back five thousand years, this was followed by the Greek invasion, spearheaded by Alexander the Great, and later it was regarded as one of the richest provinces of the Roman empire, and breadbasket to Rome itself. Then came the Muslim invasion, the influence of which was only interrupted by the Napoleonic empire, and then the French ‘second empire’, followed by a relatively brief period of British administration. Hence history abounds, but the traveller to Egypt can get a great deal more in terms of present-day culture, food, and the hubbub of the souks and bazaars. A truly fascinating place to spend some time. Egypt’s three hundred and ninety thousand square...  [Read more]

  Join our TEFL course in Egypt and you will be enraptured by one of history's great civilizations. With its unparalleled past and thriving present, Egypt promises to delight the mind and invigorate the senses. Taking a TEFL course in Egypt gives you the opportunity to learn how to teach English in one of the most fascinating countries in the world. Egypt, a great landmass in Northern Africa where the arable banks of the Nile meet the arid Sahara Dessert, is full of some of the earliest recorded history known to man. The temples, hieroglyphs, mummies, and pyramids, along with the ancient churches, monasteries and mosques, were well preserved and have granted us the opportunity to have a glimpse into the distant past. Bounded by the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, Egypt also has some...  [Read more]

  The first group of students we are looking at in this series are the beginners. It is important to understand that beginners can be of any age. This is why we break this category down into the following sub-categories: absolute beginners, false beginners, adult beginners, young beginners and beginners without the Roman alphabet. Find out more about this type of student group in this video. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. From this unit, I...  [Read more]

Stepping off the plane in Malta you are stepping into what has been described as the largest open-air museum in the world. Indeed, Malta boasts the oldest man-made structures in Europe - 7000 years, to be precise. But if monoliths, Roman ruins and crusader castles don’t grab you, the fact that you are in the heart of the Mediterranean world will. There’s plenty in the way of beach life, clear skies and a nice hot climate. The growth in resorts over the last twenty years furnishes the party animal with plenty to feast upon. Hence, history and culture, beach life and nightlife are the keynotes that make Malta an attractive place to stay a while. The official language is Malti - a Semitic language that derives from Hebrew, Arabic and Aramaic; however, English is also the official...  [Read more]

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Phonetics and TESOL Phonetics, the study of the sounds of human speech, and in particular “Articulatory Phonetics”, are not commonly taught to native speakers of English, let alone learners of English as a second language. However if the learner is serious with their English and wish to progress to an advanced level, learning phonetics, in particular the International Phonetic Alphabet, would be of immense benefit. English spelling is often contradictory, devoid of relation to the pronunciation of a word, and lacking in clear patterns. Patterns that do exist are numerous, with a large number of exceptions, and all of this makes it very difficult for the learner of English as a second language to master pronunciation. The International Phonetic Alphabet puts all of the individual...  [Read more]

Take your TESOL Course in London, England and experience the excitement, culture and history of England's capital and most famous city. London is an ancient city whose history greets you at every turn. To gain a sense of its continuity, stand on Waterloo Bridge at sunset. To the east, the great globe of St. Paul's Cathedral glows golden in the fading sunlight as it has since the 17th century, still majestic amid the modern towers of glass and steel that hem it in. To the west stand the mock-medieval ramparts of Westminster, home to the "Mother of Parliaments," which has met here or hereabouts since the 1250s. Past them both snakes the swift, dark Thames, following the same course as when it flowed past the Roman settlement of Londinium nearly 2,000 years ago. If the city contained only its...  [Read more]

On account of its central-alpine location Switzerland is a fascinating synergy of French, German and Italian culture. It is also the worlds most prima face democratic nation, a land where the population regularly participate in referenda deciding matters of state. General tidiness and seamless efficiency abound in the operation of services and the maintenance of public spaces. For those who enjoy alpine pursuits Switzerland obviously offers amongst the best skiing in the world, not to mention hiking, Hang gliding and all the rest. If this doesn’t grab you, then you are at least guaranteed breathtaking scenery at almost every turn. German is the principal official language spoken by about 66 percent of the population. Next up is French spoken by 19 percent of the population....  [Read more]

Kenya, regarded by many scholars as the cradle of humanity, offers fantastic opportunity for the adventurous spirit. Truly magnificent wildlife parks, unspoilt beaches and coral reefs are in abundance, not to mention a wealth of history in the ancient Swahili cities. The population is a shade under thirty-two millions, with a landmass of two- hundred and thirty square miles. The language is Swahili and religious observance is divided into thirty-five percent Protestant, thirty percent Roman Catholic, thirty percent Muslim and five percent Animist - so plenty of diversity to be found here. Kenya has a chronic shortage of secondary school teachers, and this adds up to a great deal of opportunity. English is the language of tuition in schools, and one can expect to teach English and…In...  [Read more]

  As mentioned before our four words here all are similar in using the 'b' and 't' sounds at the end. So we know that those phonemes will be used in spelling each one of those words phonetically. Now what we're left to do is assign a phoneme for our vowel sounds. So if we analyze the word, it's 'e' as in bet. We look at our chart, we see the phoneme which corresponds to that sound and that happens to be the standard 'e' that we all recognize. Here, bet phonetically looks very similar to bet in the Roman script. Now let's take a look at 'i' bit. Now we look at our chart and we see that this symbol represents the 'i' sound and that resembles a capital I not a lowercase I but a capital I and so we've arrived at bit. Now with 'but' we have to find the sound and that corresponds to this...  [Read more]

Centrally located in Europe, Austria is a year-round magnet for tourists, and boasts spectacular alpine scenery, matched by the wonderfully overblown, baroque architecture of many of its cities. Culture is a keynote, and music, art, and architecture reach their apogee in cities such as Salzburg and Vienna, the capital. Here, in the land of Mozart, there are plenty of large cities with strong cultural traditions, and Austria is a highly desirable location for anyone who seeks to combine a love of the arts and a passion for skiing, snowboarding, climbing or hiking. The first language is German, though many young people are fluent in English. Minority languages in common use include Croatian and Turkish. It is a predominantly Roman Catholic country, and the currency in use is the euro. Most...  [Read more]

At our TESOL course in Barcelona we endeavor do everything possible to ensure that you will have an enjoyable and rewarding time in the wonderful city of Barcelona. Our TESOL course center here is home to a small and friendly team of staff which offers all course students a warm welcome and a wide variety of social and leisure activities. Our staff can arrange evening excursions to the tapas bars and cafes, sailing trips and other watersports activities, skiing (in winter), wine tasting and trips to many beautiful beaches. We arrange a welcome dinner at the start of the TESOL course in Barcelona to help you get to know the other students on your course at an early stage. The TESOL course is intensive but we do everything possible to make sure that you ample free time to make the most of...  [Read more]

Slovenia is a country rich in natural resources, and blessed by both landscapes of great beauty, and, more importantly, continuing peace, which has either been absent or of precarious purchase in much of the Balkans in the last twenty-five years. This peace, atypical for the region, has brought great prosperity and marked economic development since Slovenia seceded from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, and joined the EU in 2004. In short, Slovenia is a ‘good gig’ for teachers with plenty of opportunities, good wages - relative to the standard of living - good working conditions and enthusiastic students. The economic development which has taken place means that Slovenia is no longer the ‘best deal in Europe’ for those looking for life on the cheap; but this means little to the...  [Read more]

Rome is one of our most popular TESOL course locations. The combination of culture, history and the large number of English teaching jobs throughout Italy make it an ideal choice for a TESOL course. Our TESOL training center is in a perfect location, close to the Vatican and public transport and offers very modern training facilities and professional staff to ensure you have a memorable time during your course. It is easy to imagine sitting outdoors on a pleasant evening enjoying a refreshing ice cream, while sitting on the world famous spanish Steps, or overlooking the Coliseum and just watching as people stroll on by… This wonderful mix of the old and the new, of culture and history and the unique delights that Rome offers, makes it, unquestionably, one of the most beautiful,...  [Read more]

Problems for learners in a Country of your choice: Italy In this paper I will address the issues I face as a teacher from the context of living and working in Italy, as well as the common problems my students encounter while learning and speaking English. I also want to draw attention to the input culture and society has on language, and look at how these factors influence dynamics within the classroom. Of course, it is nearly impossible to view ones self outside your own given cultural perspective, so as a result of this I will also be discussing my own assumptions on how I "imagined" people might act, compared to the reality of the situation. Often I neglect to take into account these differences, simply because I was raised in America, where I am used to a different set of cultural...  [Read more]

Slovakia is a good place to get off the beaten track and experience rural folk life, hill walking, and out-door pursuits. At the same time the cities are vibrant and their architecture is a testament to wave after wave of conquerors leaving their mark upon the population centres. Slovakia is also extremely inexpensive both as a place to live and a place to visit. The official language is Slovak; however, Hungarian, Czech and German are also spoken. The population is five and a half millions, and this fits into a fairly tiny nineteen thousand square miles. Of the population, sixty percent are Roman Catholic, ten percent are Protestant, and four percent Orthodox. Since 1989 the transition to a market economy in what was the old Soviet Bloc has led to huge demand for English language skills....  [Read more]

Boasting high desert at one extreme, and low glaciers at another, this slim country is a natural wonder full of geysers, mountains, beaches and volcanoes. A breathtakingly beautiful country, and a paradise to the adventurer’s adventurer. You could take all of this away, and yet the extraordinary economic growth which the country has experienced during the 21st century would make it a place to catch the TESOL teachers eye. Five percent unemployment combined with outside investment, mainly from the US, make this a dynamic and fascinating place to work. The principal language is Spanish, though there are several native idioms in use. The country is eighty-seven percent Roman Catholic, ten-percent Protestant, with one-percent Jewish. The population is sixteen millions, and with a landmass...  [Read more]