Posts

Our top 5 locations for winter sunshine

If you want to escape the cold, the rain and the January blues, this one’s for you…

Check out our five great places for winter sun where you can swap boots for flip flops and duffle coat for swimsuit. Just make sure you send a postcard to make your friends envious back home…they won’t believe it’s all in the name of education!

1. Buenos Aires

buenos-aires

If there’s one place sure to lift your winter mood it’s Buenos Aires. You just can’t help but be swept up in the colour and vibrance of this thrilling capital city of Argentina. Whether it’s the food (thick, succulent steaks like you’ve never tasted), wine (rich Malbecs are Argentina’s forte), dance (from impromptu tango in the streets to extravagant evening shows), shopping (boutiques, galleries, antique shops and more), nightlife (don’t even think of going out before midnight, and be prepared for daylight when you emerge) or architecture (old-world cafes alongside magnificent colonial buildings), there is something here for everyone. Add to this the summer sunshine between December and February and the relative good value of the Argentine peso, compared to western currencies, and you’re in for a real treat at little expense. Choose a regular Spanish course or up the ante by adding some dancing, polo, horse riding or volunteering to your adventure.

Spanish courses in Buenos Aires

2. Cape Town

image

If you want to get away for more than the usual week or two, or are even considering a job or lifestyle change, then head to South Africa for a TEFL course. A fantastic destination from mid-October to mid-February, when it basks in temperatures in the high twenties, this is the ideal place to spend 4 weeks learning how to teach English as a foreign language. When your head isn’t buried in a textbook, the treats that await you make it all worthwhile; the fascinating cultural melting pot that is Cape Town, delicious African and international cuisine, world-class locally-produced wines, pristine coastline, magnificent countryside and diverse flora and fauna. And once this is all over you have a passport to travel the world with your prestigious CELTA qualification – no need, then, to ever winter in the cold again!

TEFL courses in South Africa

3. Martinique

martinique-alessia

Our latest must-visit location is the Caribbean island of Martinique. Ok, we’re kind of biased as two of our team have recently taken a French course in Martinique, and come back with infectious enthusiasm for this palm-fringed island just north of St Lucia. They were overwhelmed by the friendliness and hospitality of the locals, the delicious local food, the clear turquoise waters, the beautiful climate, the excellent French tuition, beautiful accommodation, and activities such as diving and dancing. As a place to learn French in the winter, it doesn’t get much better than this – we’re hooked!

French course in Martinique – a first-hand review

Sun, sea, sand and French…in exotic Martinique

French courses in Martinique

4. Galapagos

galapagos

New year, new you – change your life with a 4-week CELTA course in Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands. You can obtain the most prestigious English language teaching qualification whilst interacting with the unique flora and fauna of these beautiful islands and participating in sustainable development and environmental protection projects. The aim of this course is for you to of course gain your teaching qualification, but also to educate the local community and make a difference. It’s a once in a lifetime experience! Next start dates 11th January, 8th February, 21st March 2016.

CELTA course in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

5. Rio de Janeiro

image

With verdant rainforests on one side, stunning mountains on the other and endless stretches of white sand beaches, Rio boasts one of the most spectacular urban settings in the world. There’s more to this spectacular city than Carnival, although if you can catch this week-long haze of samba, fiesta and hedonism it’s probably quite an appropriate introduction. And if you visit in winter this is exactly what you can do, as Carnival takes place February 5th-10th 2016 – the perfect antidote to winter back home and a great excuse to let your hair down. Solve the problem of finding accommodation at this popular time by staying with a local family whilst taking a language course – you don’t get better immersion in the language and culture than this!

Portuguese courses in Rio de Janeiro

Cactus offers language courses in more than 20 languages and 120 destinations worldwide. We also run adult evening and junior afternoon courses in the UK, which are the ideal way to learn the basics or brush up on existing language knowledge in advance of a holiday or business trip abroad.

Cactus TEFL Guide: TEFL Explained

If you are considering embarking on a career teaching English, the Cactus TEFL Guide is a handy booklet that tells you everything you need to know about the world of TEFL.

Covering useful topics such as TEFL as a career or a gap year option, the different types of TEFL course and TEFL course survival tips, the Cactus TEFL Guide is an invaluable resource from the TEFL experts.

Feel free to browse our TEFL Guide below, and contact us if you need any further information or TEFL advice!

Cactus TEFL Guide

Cactus TEFL is an admissions and advice service for quality teacher training courses worldwide. Cactus works with well-known course providers to offer CELTA, TESOL, equivalent and online courses in over 90 locations across 36 countries. Cactus TEFL also offers free post-course careers advice and support, as well as access to our very own TEFL jobs board and job alerts.

TEFL Course Offers

Qualify for less! The best TEFL course offers worldwide.

At Cactus we regularly receive TEFL course offers from our partner schools across the world. Check below for our latest TEFL course offers and discounts to become a qualified English teacher.

Location Course on offer Offer details Price Validity
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador  Celta plus volunteering (8 weeks)bigstock-Sea-Lion-small 4 week Celta course plus 4 weeks volunteering, accommodation included! Only 1,980 USD! Throughout 2015
Brittany, France 5-week Celta Students in the garden at CIEL Early bird discount – pay by end of June and get 10% off! Only 1,530 EUR! Course starting end of August 2015
Rome, Italy 4-week Trinity CertTESOL New lower course price, save EUR 200! Only 1,599 EUR!
Courses in 2015
Valencia, Spain 4-week Celta New lower course price! Only 1450 EUR! Throughout 2015
Prague, Czech Republic 4-week Trinity CertTESOL Early bird discount, save 100 EUR if you pay in full 2 months in advance! Only 1300 EUR! Throughout 2015
Barcelona, Spain 4-week Trinity CertTESOL Early bird discount, save 100 EUR if you pay in full 2 months in advance! Only 1400 EUR! Throughout 2015
Budapest, Hungary 4-week Celta £100 off any future course in 2015, when you pay in full at least 5 weeks in advance of the start date! From £899 Throughout 2015

 

Find your Dream English Teaching Job

So you’ve passed your TEFL course – congratulations! You are now qualified to teach English and the world is your oyster.

The next step is finding your dream teaching job – but this isn’t always as simple as seems. To give yourself the best chance of finding work teaching English, we’ve put together our top tips for finding a TEFL job:

1. If you have yet to book your TEFL course:

  • It’s good to read up on TEFL jobs even if you haven’t yet qualified! The first piece of advice we would give is to train in the location where you wish to work; this will give you good access to local job vacancies that arise and means that you’ll be there for interviews (sometimes even before your course has finished).

2. If you already have your teaching qualification, but have not yet decided where you want to work:

  • Now’s the time to do some internet research: a good starting point is to check how many English language schools there are in your chosen destination (tip: there are often more opportunities in rural locations than in big cities, where competition is high).
  • Expat forums are a great way to find out what it’s really like to live in your chosen country, and they are a good opportunity to do some early networking; some also show local job posts.
  • Consult the many TEFL recruitment sites that advertise TEFL jobs all over the world. Some people feel more comfortable contacting potential schools and employers prior to their arrival, and these sites are a great way to line up meetings and interviews in advance.
  • Cactus TEFL offers post-course careers advice and support, as well as free access to our very own TEFL jobs board and job alerts. Here you will find potential employers from all over the world, gain an understanding of what it’s like to live and work abroad, and receive expert advice as to the right path for you upon course completion.

3. If you already have your teaching qualification, and are in the location where you want to work:

  • Job searching in-country is the best way to find your dream teaching job. You are already on the ground to read local press and find out about newly-available positions, plus you are readily available to visit schools, attend interviews and meet staff before committing to a job (as it is, after all, just as important that it is the right environment for you).
  • Again, check out Cactus TEFL’s job board for jobs in your area. English language schools in Asia regularly seek ESL/EFL teachers, so sign up for job alerts if you are looking for work particularly in Japan, Taiwan, China or Korea. There are also usually jobs available through Cactus for English teachers in major European cities.

Good luck! If you require help or advice at any point, don’t forget you can contact Cactus TEFL on info@cactustefl.com or 00 44 (0) 1273 830 960.

CELTA and Trinity: Which TEFL course is for you?

What is the difference between the Cambridge CELTA and Trinity TESOL?

Both the Cambridge CELTA and Trinity TESOL are English language teaching certificates that are accredited and recognised all over the world. As a result there are actually more similarities between the two courses than differences, but we shall look at the finer details of both.

Similarities

–          Both are accredited by highly respected institutions: TESOL by Trinity College London and CELTA by University of Cambridge English Language Assessment (formerly University of Cambridge ESOL)

–          Entry criteria for both includes: being over 18 years of age; having a standard of education equivalent to that required for higher education; a good level of spoken and written English; a good level of language awareness

–          Both include 6 hours of teaching practice with real English language students

–          Both courses comprise 5 units of learning

–          Non-native English language speakers with CAE PASS or IELTS 7.0 can apply to both

–          There is no final exam for either and assessment is continuous throughout the course

–          Both courses have a duration of a minimum 4 weeks

Differences

–          The CELTA must last for a minimum of 120 hours, the TESOL for 130 hours

–          The 5 units of learning for Trinity are:

  1. Teaching skills
  2. Language Awareness
  3. The Learner Profile
  4. Materials Assignment
  5. Unknown Language

–          The 5 units of learning of CELTA are:

  1. Learners and Teachers/Teaching and Learning
  2. Language Analysis and Awareness
  3. Language Skills
  4. Planning and Resources for Different Contexts
  5. Developing Teaching Skills and Professionalism

–         An external moderator will mark unit 4 for the TESOL and the whole course will be moderated by an external assessor for the CELTA.

–          For TESOL the final grades are either pass or fail. For CELTA the final grades are Pass A, Pass B, Pass or Fail.

Which one should I take?

Given the similarities between the two courses and that they carry the same weight in terms of international recognition, the main three deciding factors when choosing between the CELTA and TESOL are:

1. Price

The TESOL generally tends to be a little cheaper than the CELTA, although this is not always the case.

2. Location

When it comes to location, large cities will have centres that offer both the TESOL and the CELTA, but smaller cities may only offer one of the courses. If location is a key factor then this may limit your choice or options.

3. Facilities and reputation of the centre

All TESOL and CELTA centres are externally moderated and inspected, and must adhere to the standards and criteria set out by Trinity and Cambridge. However, not all centres are exactly the same in terms of facilities and reputation, and this is often reflected in the price. If you are looking for specific facilities such as air conditioning throughout, a good on-site café or a maximum group size of 12, then you need to look in detail at the specifics of what each centre offers and this may determine which course you choose to go for.

student and teacher looking smiling at the libraryCactus TEFL is an admissions and advice service for quality teacher training courses worldwide. Cactus works with well-known course providers to offer CELTA, TESOL, equivalent and online courses in over 90 locations across 36 countries. Cactus TEFL also offers free post-course careers advice and support, as well as access to our very own TEFL jobs board and job alerts.

 

CELTA Course Winner – LIVE Prague Blog

Do you want to know first-hand what it’s really like to take a TEFL course?

Follow our 2014 Suzanne Furstner Scholarship and CELTA course winner, Shervin Hejazi, who has just arrived in Prague to claim his prize of a 4-week Trinity CertTESOL course at our partner school Oxford House TEFL.

Shervin started his course on Monday and is already well under way. When he’s not revising English grammar and carrying out teaching practice in front of fellow students, he’s busy updating his blog with his thoughts and experiences on his TEFL course in Prague – giving would-be teacher trainees a window into the world of a TEFL student, and hopefully inspiring them to do the same! We’re loving Shervin’s blog and we hope you do too!

Follow Shervin’s TEFL in Prague blog

Read Shervin’s winning Scholarship essay here

SFF logo

 

Cactus TEFL is an admissions and advice service for quality teacher training courses worldwide. Cactus works with the majority of well-known course providers to offer CELTA, Trinity CertTESOL, equivalent and online courses in over 90 locations across 36 countries. Cactus TEFL also offers free post-course careers advice and support, as well as access to our very own TEFL jobs board and job alerts.

CELTA Galapagos: Qualify to teach English and volunteer

Would you like to qualify to be a teacher and make a difference to a precious community?

If you want to do something different, memorable and truly rewarding, Cactus has two new programmes in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Galapagos Islands that will change both your life and that of the locals.

Located off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands form a biological marine reserve that is known the world over for its unique flora and fauna – famous examples being the giant tortoise, the marine iguana and the blue-footed booby.

People have visited the Galapagos for many years to enjoy its stunning and remote natural environment. Few, however, have the opportunity to give something back to this protected archipelago of volcanic islands – the so-called ‘land of craters’ as it was described by the naturalist Charles Darwin. This is where our two fabulous courses on Isla Santa Cruz change things.

Course Options:

1. 4-week CELTA course

For the first time in the Galapagos, teacher trainees can gain their prestigious CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults) certificate and, if they wish, go on to participate in important sustainable development and environmental protection projects.

Cost = USD $1,700 (currently £1,133)

2. 4-week CELTA course + 4 weeks volunteering

A set programme combining the 4-week CELTA course and a 4-week volunteer project. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain first-hand teaching experience directly after completing your course. The price includes the 4-week CELTA course, a 4-week volunteering programme and acccommodation for the whole duration.

Cost = USD $1,980 (currently £1,320)

How can you help?

Helping to educate the local population is an integral part of the CELTA course, and our new CELTA & Volunteering programme is a unique opportunity to volunteer on the islands once your course is complete. Much of the population of the Galapagos is Spanish speaking, so recently-qualified teachers can offer valuable assistance in teaching English to the locals. At present there are about 25 teachers, only one of whom meets the required level of English to do the CELTA. They really need qualified volunteers to stay on after the course and help educate the local community, whose main source of income is the tourism industry.

The municipal authorities in the Galapagos are particularly keen to help with this project as they see it as a win-win situation for both the volunteer teachers and the native population. It is a chance to spend time in this precious environment as much more than a tourist and do something truly rewarding and memorable.

galapagos

The CELTA course

The Cambridge CELTA, along with the Trinity CertTESOL, is the most respected English language teaching qualification worldwide. CELTA Galapagos is a specific project under the broader training structure. As a Cambridge English Language Authorised Centre, it is their mission to provide you, the students, with the highest quality teacher training that will give you the experience and confidence you need to teach English anywhere in the world to non-native speakers.

The CELTA Galapagos staff are passionate professionals from the UK, Ecuador, Australia and Canada, who have come together to design this CELTA course to address the specific needs of their candidates in one of the most exotic locations on Earth.

Apply to CELTA Galapagos now or contact Cactus TEFL at info@cactustefl.com / 0845 130 4775 for more information. Good luck, and enjoy!

What is doing a TESOL/CELTA course really like? An Insider’s Perspective

Cactus Managing Director Fay Drewry gives us a first-hand account of life as a TEFL trainee in Barcelona

Having decided I wanted to do my TEFL course in Barcelona and try living and working there for a year – hopefully to improve my Spanish – I set about trying to work out which course I should do and at which school. I had never been to Barcelona but I knew instinctively that it would be a city I would love…a city with a beach, and sun, and Gaudi, and chicos guapos…what more could I want?  I spent quite a bit of time trawling through various websites trying to compare TEFL courses and locations and prices, until I came across CactusTEFL.com. Finally a website that explained everything I needed to know, allowed me to compare courses and start dates, plus they were on the end of the phone to help me with my application – great! So I applied, did the pre-interview task, had a Skype interview with the school, and before I knew it I was accepted onto the course. So far so good, and I even managed to book myself onto a part-time Spanish language course, just to make sure I wasn’t just speaking English all the time!

My course expectations

Having always been fairly academic (good A level results, good degree) I didn’t think that doing a 4 week teaching course to become an English language teacher would cause me too many problems. This was not entirely the case. Initially I questioned if I really needed to spend a significant amount of money on learning how to teach a language I already spoke fluently. How hard could it be? A lot harder than I thought, as it turned out.

So I arrived in Barcelona courtesy of Easyjet, and for the duration of the 4 week course I stayed with a family in a nice part of the city. They were lovely. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to spend much time with them. Mainly because I spent the majority of my ‘free’ time holed up in my room frantically trying to work out the stages of lesson planning, creating materials with no idea of whether they would actually work in class, and writing assignments that at 4am in the morning didn’t make a lot of sense to me either.  This was essentially, the beginning, middle and end of the course. A learning curve like no other I had ever experienced. It wasn’t that the information was complicated or intellectualised – most of it, in fact, was common sense. There was just A LOT of it.

In at the deep end – the course in detail

There were 18 people on my course, but there were 2 courses running simultaneously, so there were about 35 of us all together. English, Scottish, American, Irish, Canadian, and Dutch. A great mix of people from 18 to 55, with a range of motivations, backgrounds and reasons for doing the course.  Teaching in front of my other 17 classmates started on the second day of the course. Not embarrassing at all.  We had to teach our fellow trainees for 5 minutes about something we knew or were good at – having just left PwC as a trainee accountant (the most boring year of my life) I decided to teach everyone how to complete a balance sheet. Not that this had a lot to do with teaching English but it did get us up, writing on the board, in front of a group of people.  From there on in the rest of the course flew by – everyday filled with so much information to take on board, so many different things to think about, so much to understand. Classroom management, lesson planning, setting of lesson aims, achieving lesson aims, checking meaning of target language, ensuring free practice of target language, error correction, varying interaction patterns, catering for different learner styles – not to mention making the materials for all the activities from scratch. It was a surprise that all 35 of us made it through to the end of the course without having a nervous breakdown (only joking – ish).

Throughout the course everyone teaches for a total of 6 hours. Each time was a pretty nerve racking experience – but with each teaching practice the feedback from the tutor helped me to identify which areas I was getting right and which points I needed to work on. This made me feel like I was actually progressing and improving, and allowed me to focus on just a couple of things at a time – rather than trying to get everything right, which was basically impossible. We all had mid-course and end of course tutorials with our tutors, which made us aware of exactly how we were getting on and if we were on track to pass the course. This was an extremely positive aspect of the course – as there were no nasty surprises at the end with someone thinking they were doing great when actually they were going to fail.

So, I got to the end of the course in one piece and passed! What a relief. The lessons learnt were invaluable and there is no way, after having done the TESOL, that I would ever want to stand in front of anyone and try and teach them English without having done the course.

14 years after doing my Trinity TESOL I’m now the Managing Director of CactusTEFL…but that’s another story…

Cactus TEFL is an admissions and advice service for quality teacher training courses worldwide. Cactus works with the majority of well-known course providers to offer CELTA, Trinity CertTESOL, equivalent and online courses in over 90 locations across 36 countries. Cactus TEFL also offers free post-course careers advice and support, as well as access to our very own TEFL jobs board and job alerts.

Cactus Language is a leading provider of language courses in over 120 locations abroad.

Five reasons why you should do an Online TEFL Course

Cactus TEFL’s online English Language Awareness course is a great option for anyone about to embark on a TEFL course. The ideal CELTA and Trinity CertTESOL preparation course, it will give you solid, all-round knowledge of English grammar and save a lot of time when it comes to planning lessons.

If you don’t have time to take the course before you do your TEFL training, there are still plenty of reasons why it’s beneficial to complete it before you start your first teaching job:

1. Knowledge

There are certain countries where much of the English language teaching is based around conversation lessons, but the vast majority of TEFL jobs will involve as much emphasis on grammar as on conversation. Having a good working knowledge of the ins and outs of English grammar will help enormously when it comes to lesson planning – having to revise your grammar before you plan your lesson will add hours to your preparation!

2. Confidence

Making sure your English grammar is up to scratch before you step into the classroom will give you the confidence to deal with tricky grammar questions that students (particularly in high level classes) might have for you. You can avoid those embarrassing silences and any unnecessary stress when eager students quiz you on the differences between the past simple and the present perfect!

3. Reputation

Our ELA course was produced in conjunction with respected ELT teacher, teacher trainer and course book author, John Hughes. John is a highly influential figure within the TEFL industry, running ELT writing courses for Oxford University, consultation for language schools as well as his own popular ELT blogs and columns for The Guardian. The ELA course was also nominated for the British Council Innovation Award after it was launched, a wonderful and well-deserved accolade!

4. Employability

Doing the ELA course as a CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL preparation course, or prior to any other TEFL course, will look impressive on your CV and show that you are both keen and knowledgeable.

5. Value for Money

At just £95, ELA is great value for money. However, if you book your TEFL course through Cactus you will receive a discounted English Language Awareness course, at £50 reduced from £95 – plus a FREE English Language Methodology course.

Find out more about the English Language Awareness course and search TEFL courses worldwide with Cactus TEFL.

 

FREE methodology course worth £220 with Cactus TEFL

As experts in the English Language Teaching industry, Cactus has designed its very own online English Language Methodology (ELM) course and is offering it FREE to teacher trainees who book through Cactus TEFL

A companion course to the popular English Language Awareness (ELA) course, the ELM course is ideal if you:

  • have completed the ELA course and would now like to look at the methodology of teaching the language
  • are thinking about a career in EFL and want to see if it’s right for you
  • are already teaching EFL and want to learn more about TEFL methodology
  • want to prepare yourself as best you can for your EFL course
  • would like an introduction to EFL in advance of a gap year or volunteer project

How does the ELM course work?

  • Your subscription is valid for 90 days from the date you pay/enrol
  • The course is divided into 5 sections of 6 lessons each (30 lessons in total), each lesson focusing on a different area of TEFL
  • At the end of each section you submit an assignment which will receive feedback from a tutor
  • The course should take between 60-90 hours, depending on your experience and knowledge
  • You can pay a supplement to renew your subscription for a period of 45 days

How to claim your free ELM

If you book your TEFL course through Cactus you are entitled to a free English Language Methodology course. Once you have applied and been accepted onto your chosen course, you should provide Cactus with your proof of payment from the school. We will then send you your ELM course joining details.*

Good luck!

Cactus TEFL enables you to research and compare CELTA, Trinity CertTESOL and online TEFL courses in over 90 locations worldwide. Please visit www.cactustefl.com or call us on 00 44 (0) 1273 830 960 for friendly, impartial advice.

*Should you subsequently cancel and request a refund for your TEFL course, Cactus reserves the right to withdraw your access to the ELM online course.