20 March, 2010

Young Americans Flock Overseas to Teach English

Ahhh, how well we remember the joys:

He works at least eight hours daily, then parties by night, often into the wee hours, with other expatriates, most from the U.S. or Canada, but some from Britain, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand. He goes to a gym daily, swills SoJu, a stiff vodka-like drink, fills up on Korean barbeque and sees "amazing" sights.

"I am not an English major, and people in America would not want me to teach their kids English... what I am good at and enjoy doing is helping kids become successful at something."

He adds: "I came to live out a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I won’t have the opportunity to do again when I have a real job."

Teaching English overseas--not a "real job," but an adventure... .

Labels: , ,


18 March, 2010

This blog has moved


This blog is now located at http://englishtoolbox.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://englishtoolbox.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

Labels: , ,


01 March, 2010

We Get Letters!

Thanks to all those who have written us over the past three years to offer suggestions, make comments, or just to thank us for the high quality of materials in the English Toolbox library.  Usually the theme of the e-mail is something like, "I needed something very specific for a class, and you had it!"  Our aim, as always, is to please, and it pleases us that we fill a niche in the ESL training market.  We pledge to continue meeting your needs as we enter our fourth year in business!

Labels: , ,


17 February, 2010

Happy Birthday to Us!

English Toolbox is three years old today, and we're giving all of you a chance to share in the celebration.  Just send an e-mail to info@englishtoolbox.com and write "Happy Birthday" in the subject line, and we'll give you five free credits!  Current subscribers can get the credits added to their accounts.  This promotion expires on 28 February, so don't delay (it sure beats birthday cake!).

Labels: , ,


29 January, 2010

So, Too, Either & Neither

Labels: , ,


25 January, 2010

ET Videos on YouTube

The videos being posted on this blog are also available for viewing on YouTube. Just enter "TheEnglishToolbox" in their search box to see the complete collection.

Labels: , ,


11 January, 2010

Using Screen-capture Software in TEFL

An interesting article with multi-media samples shows how to use software that records what's on a computer screen (including mouse commands) as an EFL teaching tool.  Includes links to specific screen-capture software sites.

Labels: , ,


03 January, 2010

Great EFL Blog

EFL materials author Mark Pennington writes a blog that expands on his published works.  Great stuff for teachers working with beginner through advanced students.

Labels: , ,


29 December, 2009

What English Sounds Like to Non-Native Speakers

This is an Italian comic performing a rock video song using only gibberish English. Sure sounds like the real thing, even though there is barely an English word in it!

http://music.todaysbigthing.com/2009/11/03

Happy holidays everyone.  As English Toolbox prepares to begin its fourth year in business, we thank all our present and past customers for their support and encouragement.  See you in 2010!

Labels: , ,


23 December, 2009

Adverbs of Frequency Video

Labels: , ,


14 December, 2009

Modals Video


Labels: , ,


11 December, 2009

China Bans Older Teachers

The Chinese government has apparently decided to no longer renew visas or extend contracts to English teachers over the age of 60. Dumping experienced teachers isn’t usually the best policy for countries trying to jump-start their language training, but maybe there’s some inscrutable rationale behind this decision... .

Labels: , ,


01 December, 2009

A TEFL FAQ

A very nice, brief description of how and why to become a TEFL trainer.  It’s a bit Anglo-centric, but at least it stipulates that training is essential to a neophyte teacher.

Labels: , ,


26 November, 2009

Quoted Speech Video

We will be adding videos periodically to this blog (not to the library). Here's one to start with:


Labels: , ,


18 November, 2009

Win Free Admission to 2010 TESOL Conference

TESOL is having a monthly contest, the winner of which is given a complimentary registration to the 2010 convention in Boston, or the grand prize of 3 nights hotel at the convention. Details here.

Labels: , ,


02 November, 2009

Obama Becomes Japan’s English Teacher

The U.S. president is a big hit with Japanese learning English:
Publishers have since flooded the market with over a dozen language-learning titles, including “Speech Training: Learning to Deliver English Speech, Obama Style”; “Learn English Grammar From Obama”; and “Yes, I Can With Obama: 40 Magical English Phrases From Presidential E-mails.”
“Mr. Obama’s English is easy to understand because he pronounces words clearly and speaks at a relatively slow clip,” said Professor Tadaharu Nikaido, a communication specialist here.

Labels: , ,


When Japanese is Like French

One of our favorite journalists is James Fallows of The Atlantic.  Fallows has spent years living in Japan and China, among other places, and has become reasonably fluent in both countries’ languages. So we found this comparison interesting:

With allowances for obvious differences, it's useful (as I've mentioned before) to think of Japan's attitude toward its national language as being similar to France's, and China's attitude as being similar to America's.

That is: in France and Japan, the deep-down assumption is that the language is pure and difficult, that foreigners can't really learn it, and that one's attitude toward their attempts is either French hauteur or the elaborately over-polite and therefore inevitably patronizing Japanese response to even a word or two in their language. "Nihongo jouzu! Your Japanese is so good!"  Correspondingly… Japanese people (to generalize) often seem self-conscious about potential errors in English. Of course, French speakers of English are marvelously non-self-conscious, even jauntily willful, about retaining their French accents, especially the trademark "z' sound for "th." " 'Zees ees what I mean..." (Yes, I am aware that the fricative th phoneme is the most difficult sound in English for non-native speakers, our counterpart to r's in French.)

The American attitude towards English is: everyone should get with the program, there are a million variants and accents of the language, all that really matters is whether you can somehow get your meaning across. Because there are so many versions of Chinese in use within China, my impression is that the everyday attitude of Chinese people toward language is similar: You're expected to try to learn it, no one will spend that much time mocking your mistakes, mainly they are trying to figure out what you're trying to say. Probably both the U.S. and Chinese attitudes reflect the outlook of big, continental nations that encompass lots of internal diversity -- and in America's case, absorb huge numbers of immigrants.

Labels: , ,


27 October, 2009

Language Show Fair in London

The Language Show Fair in London bills itself as “the UK’s biggest event for language learners, language teachers, linguists and everyone who loves language.”  This year’s fair starts 30 October, runs for two days, and features 185 exhibitors; details here.

Labels: , ,


18 October, 2009

Teach English for $2.37 Per Hour!

Does that sound like an attractive offer to you? We didn't think so. Yet that's the price you are putting on your time when you spend 20 minutes searching for or writing a new exercise for your classes, compared to buying one for 79 cents from English Toolbox! With our detailed search engine, you can find exercises on any grammar or business skills topic in about ten seconds. Then select and download, and it's yours to use and keep forever! You're a hardworking teaching professional: isn't it time you started working smart instead of working hard?

Labels: , ,


30 September, 2009

Step Right Up!

Yet another article on the new Land of Opportunity, China, where 23-year-old Americans can leave behind $7/hour jobs in drugstores to inflict, er, teach English right out of college:
Reasbeck said it took her two months to find the drugstore job after she graduated from Boston's Emerson College with a degree in writing, literature and publishing. She said she applied to as many as 50 employers nationwide.

Today, on top of her teaching job, she works part-time recruiting other native English-speaking teachers. She makes 14,000 to 16,000 yuan ($2,000 to $2,300) a month.

"I could have a pretty comfortable life here on not a very high salary. English teachers are in high demand," she said.

Reasbeck said most of her college classmates are in part-time jobs or unemployed.

"People are sleeping on their mom's couches, as far as I know," she said.

Labels: , ,


This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Subscribe to Posts [Atom]