Teach California

Orange County is located between the two major metropolitan areas of San Diego and Los Angeles. Unlike most densely populated regions in the united states it does not have a major urban center but is rather made up of several small, well-designed cities. Its delightful Mediterranean climate and central location make it a very pleasant region to live, work and study in. Orange County started out as a mainly agricultural area with large cattle ranches and other farming activities. As with many cities on the Pacific coast of the U.S. it was the arrival of the railroad that brought growth and development to the area, not to mention the discovery of silver in the nearby mountains. As it developed it gradually came to the attention of Los Angeles residents seeking an escape from the hustle and...  [Read more]

Situated on the west coast of the united states in southern California, San Diego benefits from a year-round warm climate making it an incredibly pleasant city in which to live, work and study. The city also benefits from long stretches of beautiful sandy beaches and a close proximity to the Mexican border. California’s second largest city is surrounded by beautiful coastline, impressive mountains and gorgeous valleys. Inside the city you will find numerous museums, galleries, theaters and music venues, while the beaches and surrounding countryside offer a seemingly endless number of sport and leisure activities. All of this makes San Diego the perfect place to take a TEFL/TESOL course and to start your journey as a qualified English teacher. Although known as the ‘birthplace of...  [Read more]

San Francisco is a city that needs no introduction, its use in a huge number of Hollywood movies means that much of this Californian city is instantly recognizable to people from all over the world. Whether it’s the iconic Golden Gate Bridge or the infamous Alcatraz Island, nearly everyone has an image of this city in their mind. San Francisco has a long history of ethnic diversity and this can be seen in its inclusive atmosphere and the many distinct neighborhoods that make up the city. San Francisco’s unique and iconic attractions, blended with its easygoing atmosphere, make it a great place to earn your TEFL/TESOL certificate. Despite being first settled by the spanish in the 18th century, San Francisco did not start to really grow until the famous Californian Gold Rush in the...  [Read more]

  California is one of the most famous and most visited states in the USA and it is not hard to see why. ‘The Golden State’ offers great weather year-round, splendid beaches and breathtaking natural scenery. California received its nickname from the boom period of the Gold Rush years when it saw major changes due to the millions of migrants flocking to the area in search of their fortune. Still today, California is the most populated and one of the most ethnically diverse states in the country. In the north you will find some of the best wine regions, as well as the famous city of San Francisco. Here you can rent a bike and ride across the famous Golden Gate Bridge, and then check out the galleries and museums at Golden Gate Park. Fisherman’s Wharf is a great place to try fresh...  [Read more]

Santa Monica, although surrounded by the huge urban sprawl of Los Angeles on three sides, is actually a separate city in its own right and is situated on the fantastic California coast. More than 300 days of sunshine per year mean that there are plenty of opportunities to make the most of the beaches on this beautiful stretch of coastline. The city also provides the perfect antidote to the frenetic pace of Los Angeles life and draws a wide range of people from celebrities, artists, students and surfers all looking to enjoy the city’s laidback atmosphere. Long a major draw for visitors from the wider Los Angeles region, Santa Monica’s beachfront also brings in tourists from all over the globe. The connection of the city to the national railroad network brought in large numbers of day...  [Read more]

Linda is a passionate traveler and English teacher exploring the world one country at a time. After studying Mandarin Chinese, she moved to Guangzhou, China, to pursue an internship at a German online marketing company. She loved it so much that she decided to move back to China after finishing her Bachelor’s degree in Management in California. After working in online marketing for a while, she got into English teaching. Teaching English overseas has enabled her to experience life in different countries and fund her passion for travel. She taught English in China for a year and also during my her year in South Korea. She’s been living in South Korea since 2015 and returned to working in online marketing and teaching online in 2016 remotely. On her Website, she shares her tips and...  [Read more]

TESOL certification courses have traditionally been offered either as 4-week, classroom based courses or as 100% online or distance learning. We at ITTT see the benefits and drawbacks to both types of study. In order to offer greater variety and flexibility for course participants, we’ve combined the best of both methods of study and training into one unique course. As the name suggests, the Combined course combines two elements of study: the first being online and the second being in class study, training and teaching at one of our Combined course training centers. The course offers the opportunity to study the theories of teaching online and at your own pace from the comfort of your own home or office. Then you’ll have the opportunity to put theory into practice through further...  [Read more]

Group Dynamics I have always been fascinated by social dynamics and how they affect groups in personal and professional contexts. A teacher must be constantly aware of group dynamics while teaching. The teacher is not, however, merely exporting language information-grammatical structures, vocabulary, etc-but also acts in a role model capacity. This translates into how the teacher presents materials and engages the class. While researching for this essay, I stumbled across an article titled, Teacher Identity as Pedagogy: Towards a Field-Internal Conceptualisation in Bilingual and Second Language Education. The article explores using the teacher’s personal identity as a ‘field-internal’ teaching tool, as a way to teach students a language, but also excite collaborative skills in...  [Read more]

Mighty big place, Partner. As Ferdinand Braudel, the great French historian observed, ‘the land dictates the people’, and it is a good idea never to stray too far from this theme. If you want to know what ‘cold’ is then head up to Minneapolis, north of Toronto, in the mid winter. If you want to know what ‘hot and humid is’ then try Orlando in the height of the summer. If you transcribe a line from Los Angles to Miami and turn this into a road trip then the number of different peoples and environments you will encounter is immense. By all means there is a thin veneer of Americanism, and everywhere you will find both McDonalds, and the presence of the Federal Government; however, you shouldn’t let this take your eye off the ball of the fact that the people and environment of...  [Read more]

Songs in the Classroom The use of songs in the ESL classroom can be a fun and innovative way of covering a range of English language topics. Songs can be used for vocabulary, grammar, dictation, pronunciation (stress and intonation), phonetics, speaking, writing, listening, integrative skills, and many other ESL points. Furthermore, songs can invite the non-native speaker into the English speaking culture. For instance, pop music gives the learner a taste of what is trendy at the moment. Meanwhile, the lyrics to classic rock songs can give a sense of history and the attitude of the country at the time of recording (for example, “Give Peace a Chance,” John Lennon, 1969). Additionally, children’s songs are crucially important for the young learner as they are an easy way to encourage...  [Read more]

British english vs american English With English being recognised as the global language of choice, which one is considered the official language? So just how did American English diverge from British English in the first place? American English roots back to the early colonial days of the late 16th century, were a whole gamut of cultures converged into a single society. In some colonies English wasn’t even a spoken language and in those colonies that did speak English it was quite different from the English we know today. The Elizabethan English of the day consisted of many varieties of regional English dialects. All these different dialects, intermingled with a multitude of cultures formed one big boiling pot, of which over time, a new variant was produced – American English. And...  [Read more]