Year: 2015

Tips for Creating a Positive Learning Environment

Unless you teach kindy, you will most likely feel the same. There are two types of classrooms in a buxiban: The older kids who don’t want to be there because they are teenagers and the young eager learners who want to get rowdy with their new English teacher. It’s essential to create a positive learning environment, not just for the kids sake, but for yours as well.

Worst Decisions for Teaching Abroad

Moving anywhere new always comes with pros and cons. Although, it will take quite some time to fully appreciate and understand a new country and working environment there are some things that we still need to keep in mind.

Travel Through China Over Land

As I was trying to snap a few photos of our approach to the port in Qingdao from the upper deck of the ferry, an attendant frantically got my attention and handed me an arrival card. It was immediately obvious that her English was limited, but she had brought help.

What You Didn’t Know About Teaching Abroad

So you have been thinking about traveling abroad to teach– that’s great! You have taken your first step in the process: research. As usual, I will herald that everybody will have their own experience wherever they are. With that being said, there are a number of things that you should prepare yourself for before you make the big move. Here are some things you didn’t know about teaching abroad:

6 Mistakes People Make While Traveling

My first adventure abroad was actually my very first adventure outside of my country. Apart from a 5-day vacation on the British Virgin Islands years earlier, which I refuse to count as actual travel since I spent the entire time sunbathing at the resort, I had never used my passport or flown on an international flight across the world.

6 Tips for Getting your ESL Students Speaking

There are few things more draining to ESL teachers than always feeling like you are pulling teeth to get students speaking. And for your students, speaking up in any class can be intimidating enough – when it’s in a completely new language and they are afraid of mispronunciation or grammar mistakes, it’s an even trickier situation.

Interview with Ryan Hevern, an American Teacher in Taipei

We caught up with Ryan, one of our latest writing interns, to talk to him about his move from the depths of the jungle in Borneo to the more concrete jungle of Taipei, Taiwan. Read his interview below to find out more about his experiences.

Reasons You’re Still Not Teaching Abroad

Packing up your bags and moving to an entirely new country half-way across the world can be terrifying – trust me, I know. It’s difficult to fathom what kind of life awaits you in a distant place which you are hardly familiar with, but that’s what is most exciting about making the leap.