Last Friday Tony Blair was questioned about his decision to support the invasion of Iraq. Reports subsequently spoke of his appearance at the enquiry in theatrical terms,...

Of course a DOS needs to be well organized, but often it seems as if juggling skills are needed. It is part of the job description that you have to handle ...

I would like to develop some of the points from my earlier post about career progression. If you want to become a DOS, then it is essential you feel confident in being able to handle the three ...

A reader asked recently for further advice on how to progress in an ELT career. He specifically requested information on additional qualifications. Others may disagree...

Now that President Obama has been in office for a year, it is interesting to look back at his interpretations of key issues to understand how he sees the situations. Politicians try to shape ...

I’m no financial wizard. All my working life I have just about earnt enough to keep my life ticking over and at various points in the year there have always been times...

So, the UK is at a standstill because we had a few inches of snow. In my part of the country even the city schools

are closed...

Let me first wish all readers a happy, peaceful and successful New Year...

I sometimes think that in our desire to teach, we lose the fascination of language as a concept. Of course, concepts may not be of much practical use in the classroom. But I do believe that we need to consider the phenomenon of language in the abstract if we are to understand why some groups of students find it difficult to...

What is your school’s view about the learning process? Do you believe that a teacher must be in charge of all the learning activity? There can be strong pressures that reinforce this view: in some cultures learning is seen...

Recommending a grammar book for teachers is always difficult. Why so? The problem is that that there is an enormous choice of grammar reference books and in order to recommend one I really need to know more about the user. How knowledgeable is the...

Placement testing, level testing, exam practice: in the past these areas all had to be devised or organised by schools on behalf of their students. As in so many other areas, the Internet offers a quick and easy solution...

I always enjoy reporting on the way our language is changing. The speed and range of communications globally seem to have accelerated the process of change and it is sometimes hard for teachers to keep up. Of course one problem

Back from holiday, I find the news is all rather gloomy. Unemployment figures in the UK have reached a new peak and the swine flu has everybody feeling a bit edgy. I can’t make any suggestions about flu but I think TEFL might help some groups worried about unemployment.

With the effects of recession...

As this site tries to appeal to ELT establishments wherever they may be, I don’t usually focus on matters that relate only to schools based in English-speaking countries. This means that the student welfare aspect has been largely omitted. However, somebody pointed out to me that many schools worldwide make arrangements for their students to attend...