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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Win a TEFL Course: Suzanne Furstner Scholarship 2016

Win a TEFL course in London or South America

Cactus TEFL is delighted to announce that the Suzanne Furstner Scholarship will be back in 2016 – with not just one course, but two courses to be won!

If you have ever dreamed of qualifying to become an English language teacher, this is your chance to win a TEFL course in London or South America. London is our most popular location to take a TEFL course – an exciting city with opportunity everywhere – while South America is exotic and thrilling, and already in the spotlight with the Rio Olympics less than a year away.

Win a TEFL Course: entry requirements

The competition opens in January 2016 and full details will be released shortly, but our sneak preview can tell you this: entrants will need to make a video of 3 minutes maximum to show us why they want to teach English!

An annual scholarship that gives aspiring teachers from all the world the chance to win a TEFL course, the Suzanne Furstner Scholarship was set up in 2006 in memory of our much-loved colleague Suzanne. To date, we have sent winners to take CELTA and CertTESOL courses in locations ranging from Spain and Italy to San Franciso and Playa del Carmen.

Keep posted for more details of the Suzanne Furstner Scholarship 2016!

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.

If you have a language learning or language teaching query that you can’t find the answer to, please get in contact with us either by Facebook or by Twitter, or contact us here.

TEFL Course Abroad: Learn the Language

Taking a TEFL course abroad is a great way to explore a new part of the world and maximise your job opportunities if you wish to teach in the same location

If you are thinking of taking a TEFL course in a non-English speaking country, learning some of the language before you go will make a huge difference to your experience – and make it far less daunting.

Being able to communicate with the locals from the moment you arrive will give you confidence, help you settle in quickly and enable you to really soak up the culture of your host city.

This is especially important if you are planning on teaching in the same city once you have qualified; although you are likely to learn some of the language just by living there, having a good grounding of vocabulary and grammar will make this much easier.

TEFL Course Abroad: How to Learn the Language

An evening language course is an economical and effective way of learning the language before you jet off for your TEFL course abroad.

With courses available in 22 languages and in 17 locations across the UK, there is course for everyone: if you are hoping to take your TEFL course in Prague you can take a Czech evening course, if you have your sights on a TEFL course in Barcelona there are Spanish evening courses at all levels, while those dreaming of qualifying in the beautiful Indian state of Kerala can take a Hindi evening course in London. All courses run for 10 weeks, on start dates throughout the year.

* It’s not too late to book a course starting in January 2016 – to be ready for your TEFL course abroad in 2016! *

Search for your preferred evening course at www.languagecoursesuk.co.uk.

Whatever your plans, Cactus can help you to find the right course for you.

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.

If you have a language learning or language teaching query that you can’t find the answer to, please get in contact with us either by Facebook or by Twitter, or contact us here.

 

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.

CELTA Course Non-Native Speaker Experience

Can I take the CELTA course as a non-native speaker? Cactus Office Manager Claudia Ohde tells us why doing the CELTA course as a non-native speaker is not just ok – it’s an advantage!

Here at Cactus I have always been surrounded by many qualified English teachers who had lived in many different places teaching English before they joined Cactus. As a keen language learner and traveller myself, I had always envied them for the freedom to live and work abroad. However, I didn’t consider doing a Celta course myself since I didn’t feel confident enough about my level of English. So I decided to take the Celta equivalent course for teaching German as a foreign language instead. Unfortunately this course was no longer offered in the UK due to insufficient demand.

Our Academic Director encouraged me to jump in at the deep end and do a Celta course instead. So I downloaded the application form for the Celta course and signed myself up for the Cactus English Language Awareness Course to brush up my grammar knowledge and prepare myself for the Celta course.

To my big surprise I passed the application process and was offered a place on the Celta course.

CELTA course non-native speaker experience

We were a group of 18 students on the course, of which 4 of us were non-native speakers. When we were allocated to our teaching practice groups I felt a great relief that I was starting with the elementary level and not with the upper-intermediates. Right from the start it became clear that one of the most difficult tasks was to grade your language according to the level of the students – one of the tasks non-native speakers seemed to manage much more easily than the native speakers.

Some of the requirements such as reducing the teacher talking time to a bare minimum were as unexpected and difficult for non-native and native speakers alike. However, when it came to teaching grammar the non-native speakers had a definite advantage again – having learnt the language ourselves not only gave us a better foundation of grammar knowledge, but also enabled us to empathise with the learner and to understand their difficulties with certain aspects of the grammar (for example the present perfect tense!).

Midway through the course we swapped teaching practice groups and I was now confronted with a broad range of upper-intermediate students (some of whom were rather advanced) and my nerves started playing up much more before the teaching practice sessions. Error correction on the spot and having to explain the meaning of words spontaneously presented quite a challenge at times. However, in retrospect now that I’m teaching German as a foreign language I can say that this isn’t so much easier in my native language! I’m probably just more confident in admitting when I don’t know the answer to a question straightaway.

CELTA course non-native speaker conclusion

Looking back, the Celta course has been the best course I have ever taken, one of my biggest challenges and achievements. Passing the course with a Pass B showed me that it isn’t all about having perfect English. I’m now in the position to compare teaching English with teaching my mother tongue and I’ve realised that the advantage of knowing what your students are going through is a major advantage in connecting with them.

Whether you are a non-native or native speaker I can highly recommend taking a CELTA course or Trinity CertTESOL course. It was a very steep learning curve but it was a very rewarding experience. I wouldn’t want to miss the invaluable feedback during teaching practice which greatly boasted my confidence in the classroom!

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.

Learn a Language Your Way Video

Learn a language with the experts

Cactus is a leader in language learning, with many years’ experience designing and implementing language courses for all needs and interests. We know that different people learn in different ways, and we can help you to learn a language your way. Discover all the options with our Learn a Language Your Way Video.

Learn a Language Your Way Video

Watch > Learn a Language Your Way Video

Your language learning options

Whether you are looking for a 10-week evening language course to fit into your working week, a private language course via Skype or face-to-face, a TEFL course to enable you to teach English the world over, or a language course abroad where you can truly immerse yourself in the language and culture, Cactus has the language learning solutions you need.

 

 

 

If you have a language learning or language teaching query, please visit our blog or get in contact with us either by Facebook or by Twitter. Alternatively, feel free to contact us here or call to speak to one of our advisors on  00 44 (0) 1273 830 960.

 

Teacher zone: how to make language classes engaging

As experts in the language education industry, Cactus has over 15 years’ experience designing and implementing language courses. If you have a language learning or language teaching query that you can’t find the answer to, please get in contact with us either by Facebook or by Twitter or contact us here.

In line with our new teacher training courses for foreign languages, we’re bringing you our best tips for how to make your language classes engaging.

  1. Activate Schemata

Whatever your lesson aims, find out what your students already know about the target language/topic. This shows you, the teacher, the language your students already have, encourages revision and recycling, and is good opportunity for some peer teaching and peer correction. It also shows your students what they lack, and shows them the language they don’t have, thereby creating a need for that language, which in turn motivates them to participate in the activities that follow – “I don’t know how to say this, I need to pay attention here!”. Activating schemata benefits both the teacher and the students on many levels. Images, realia, discussion questions, what happens next and problem-solving questions are some ways of activating schemata.

  1. Personalise your activities

Generally people prefer to talk about themselves, or about what they know. Remember – if someone doesn’t have a lot to say about a topic in their own language, they will have even less to say in a foreign language. By personalising your activities and finding a way for your learners to relate the questions to themselves, their lives, their experiences and their opinions, you will find that they have a lot more to say, and will be much more engaged.

  1. Vary Interaction Patterns

Increasing student talking time and reducing teacher talking time is key to maintaining students’ engagement levels and ensuring they progress at a good speed. However, it’s also important to remember to change things up – people don’t want to be working with or talking to the same person all the time. So change the pairs around, do the activities in groups of 3 or 4, change the classroom set up and physical arrangement. Keep things interesting by not being predictable.

  1. Cater for different learn styles

People learn in different ways so it is important to cover all bases by including a variety of activities that cater for different learner styles. Remember to have a good balance between aural, visual and kinesthetic tasks – this will keep your students engaged and also ensure that their learner style needs are being met. If you’re in a classroom that cannot accommodate a running dictation then get students to the board for feedback – you can incorporate ‘catering for different learner styles’ at all stages of the task cycle.

  1. Be Interested

Don’t use materials or activities you find boring, tedious or pointless. If you don’t like the materials or activities then this will show, and your students will not like them either. Be interested in what you are teaching and who you are teaching, and your students will be interested in what is being taught. Sometimes it is difficult to maintain enthusiasm for topics or language points you have taught many times before – so find different materials to teach the target language. Use authentic materials, take information from the internet, video clips, music, YouTube, TED talks etc. Bring the outside world into the classroom and your students will relate and participate fully.

Cactus has a wealth of information and tips on language teaching. Visit our blog or sign up to our newsletter for further information about language learning and teaching.

Of course, you can always call us on 00 44 (0) 1273 830 960 for information and advice on anything related to languages.

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

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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.