School teachers are increasingly taking courses in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) to cope with the growing number of non-English speaking migrant children.

The classroom crisis is so serious that all teachers may need to learn TEFL, according to a leading provider, The TEFL Academy.

Rhyan O’Sullivan, Director of the Sussex-based international company, said: “It is a huge problem in schools. Over the past two years we have noticed an enormous increase in people working for schools who either need or want to be trained in TEFL. 

“It’s because they have such a high number of migrants whose English needs to be brought up to the standard of the rest of the class. 

“Clearly, teachers have experience of teaching but they don’t know how to teach English as a foreign language. Taking the TEFL course solves the problem. Sending all teachers on TEFL courses is definitely something which needs to be considered, especially when they do their initial teacher training.”

Seb Jones, 32, who teaches at Linhope Pupil Referral Unit, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, told his head teacher he needed to be trained in TEFL.

He said: “We get a lot of Czech and Slovak students – more and more people from those countries are coming to the west of Newcastle. Some of them may speak English but not read or write it. I wanted to do the TEFL course because I didn’t know where to start. I have never learned a foreign language and couldn’t visualise how to teach English or even how to break down a sentence.”

Seb, who teaches maths and English literature, said that one in 10 of his students “struggle with English as a first language”. “They’re able to communicate but not write in English,” he said. “They have a lot of trouble with reading and writing.”

He said that taking the TEFL course enabled him to “relearn English”. “It really breaks down how language works,” he said. “I have had to learn English again which was a headache to begin with but has been really useful in my general teaching as well as for teaching English as an Additional Language (EAL) students.” 

Seb, who has been a teacher for 10 years, said it made him realise the teaching of English language in many schools is “dumbed down” with learning the full range of tenses treated as a “waste of time”. 

Taking the course definitely helped him, he said. “It has kept me on my toes from a personal point of view,” he said. “And it will help me learn other languages.

“I enjoyed doing it and my students are making more progress as a result. A lot of their parents – Czechs, Slovaks and some Bangladeshis – can’t speak a word of English. I want to help them, too, doing some volunteer work, teaching adults who can’t speak English.”

City of Leeds School – now an academy in the Woodhouse Cliff district of Leeds – had its entire teaching staff trained in TEFL last year because three-quarters of the 300 pupils did not have English as a first language. The then-head teacher, Georgiana Sales, saw it as a pragmatic solution to having students emanating from 55 countries. “Lots of schools do it,” she commented.

And state-run boarding school Burford School, Oxfordshire, has had 17 of its staff trained in TEFL

One of them, Sophie Hearle, said: “Our trainer was inspiring and engaging, and encouraged us to reflect on our own practice and teaching of all our students.”

She said the TEFL course made her far more aware of the importance of identifying the needs of EAL students and gave her a “bigger armoury of strategies to use” in teaching them.

“Our teacher challenged us with tasks which were out of our comfort zone. We gained a better understanding of how our students learn a language and how isolating it can be in a class of native English speakers,” added Sophie. 

She said that because of improvements in their standard of English she was “seeing significant progress with our students” with some “exceeding their target grades in English”.

Stuart Bassett, the school’s assistant head, said: “We currently have 94 boarders. They are from all areas of the world with EU or UK passports including Hong Kong, Spain and France. And we have day school students from Bangladesh, Poland and Romania.

“We decided that to give them the best chance in terms of English language, we would have to provide additional support to allow them to make adequate progress in their GCSEs. We thought a very positive idea would be to get our staff trained in TEFL so we could support our students in lessons and prep after school.”

Stuart, who is responsible for supporting the academic progress of students, said: “We thought that this would have a positive impact – and it has had. There has been an improvement in supporting the students in lessons.” 

A TEFL Academy tutor came in to train the 17 members of staff last October in a “two-day, intensive, practical course”. 

Around 75 of Burford’s 1,200 students have English as a second language and this has enabled much of the cost of the training to come from government funds. 

“We have a number of EAL day students who are able to receive additional funds,” said Stuart. “So we used that money as well as some of our school funds to pay for the staff to be trained in TEFL.”

He said it would be difficult for schools to have all their staff trained in TEFL. “The format we used was to have a core group of staff trained in TEFL and then have them share good practice with the rest of the staff through training sessions we ran ourselves,” he said. 

But Stuart is in no doubt about the importance of the work. “TEFL gives you a clear understanding of how to teach languages. Education is changing and we need to adapt to those changes to future-proof ourselves,” he added.

“We saw other Oxfordshire schools which have an even greater need for TEFL and we thought that if we can do this, it would help us if the number of students with English as an additional language increases. It’s had a positive impact on the future of the school.”


This article appears courtesy of The TEFL Academy.

by Taylor Tomita
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Every person tasked with the responsibility of recruiting has had the pleasure of sifting through near-endless stacks of resumes with one statement on their mind, “show me why you deserve this job?” It is generally not a hard question to answer in an interview setting, but many job seekers fail to grasp its importance within a cover letter. If a potential interviewee has already shown a recruiter why they deserve the job, this will lead to a drastically higher chance of receiving a call for an interview. 
Cover letters are the first thing a recruiter sees. They are a way to introduce yourself to them.  A well written and targeted cover letter pinpoints why you stand out from the rest of the pack. It does the footwork for the reader, helping them interpret how your qualifications relate to the employment opportunity. In a perfect world, a cover letter should stand out to say, “I know about your company’s goals and values, and here is how I will help accomplish these.”

You could have every requirement for the job, but if your qualifications are buried somewhere in your resume, you may not even make it out of the pile on the desk. Recent studies have concluded that many of yesterday’s lesser-known career paths – such as engineering - are some of today’s most sought-after and highest-paid options. In fact, engineering careers have a median annual salary of $73,000, and we can expect these numbers to increase as time moves forward. What does this mean? This means that, due to the rising competitiveness of various industries and the sheer number of applicants, a recruiter often won’t have the time or desire to dig for vital information. They don’t want to search for abilities that match their needs in a list of various jobs and experiences- hence the need for you to showcase the information they want to see using a well written cover letter. Following are some points to consider when writing your cover letter.

Ensure Your Cover Letter is Efficient
Limit your cover letter to one page if possible. Keep in mind that the people reading your cover letter and resumes spend mere seconds on them.  Think about how you would view your cover-letter. Where is your immediate focus at first glance? It is important to include the most crucial, persuading information within this area. 

Craft Your Cover Letter Around the Job
This is where you demonstrate your knowledge of the organization and show them why you are interested in their organization or industry.  Many companies offer vast amounts of important information through their online presence. Do your research. Find data to back up your plans to better the company. Also, if contacted for an interview, it can also be worthwhile to dig through this data to find small, relatable tidbits about the person you are interviewing with in order to help the flow of the interview. Where did they go to school? Where did they grow up?  Strike a conversation.

Write Clearly
Avoid long sentences and paragraphs. Write in the active voice, that is, use action verbs. The reader should pick up on your confidence and enthusiasm through your writing style.  It is vital to understand how to mix personable and professional in a way that will portray you in the best possible light for the recruiter. 

Reference Your Resume 
Bridge the gap between your resume and its cover letter by referencing the skills you have that will make you right for the job. Give the hiring manager a reason to open your resume up, by letting them know you will include further information on specific skills inside. However, don’t just repeat yourself on the resume with a list of skills; bring them to life in stories of your past achievements. 

Be Proactive
Avoid sounding gimmicky or unorthodox, but strive to attract interest immediately. Capitalize on the points above to create a professional, yet interesting cover letter that will leave a reader wanting more. Be sure to close the letter strongly with a request for an interview.

In summary, your resume is a record of your present and past experience. A cover letter fleshes out that experience as it applies to the specific job opportunity you are striving for. A well thought out letter summarizes your qualifications so the hiring manager doesn’t have to search through your resume looking for them. Make sure that your cover letter highlights the areas of your resume that match the job requirements. If it doesn’t, the hiring manager will likely pass you over and move on to the next one. In a tight job market with a severe skills gap issue, having an effective cover letter will make you stand out among the sea of other candidates.

Taylor Tomita is a creative writer residing in Boise, Idaho. Focusing on various angles of education and business, Taylor has been able to help many individuals overcome concerns within these fields. When not writing, you can find Taylor playing in the band Stepbrothers or hanging out with his cat at home. Follow him on Twitter!

by David White
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For international students who plan to complete their degrees abroad, the process of applying to college and eventually traveling to the United States can be complicated and overwhelming. In addition to a world of cultural differences and language requirements, there are governmental hurdles to jump when it comes to visas. In light of this information, summer courses can offer you a unique opportunity to increase your chances for success by participating in a more relaxed learning environment. 

With that being said, enrolling in summer classes can bring its own set of challenges, and you should certainly do your research before taking part. It is important to think about all sides of the issue before diving in, including the information presented below.


The benefits of summer courses

At many colleges and universities, the summer semester offers opportunities that students may not be able to pursue during the traditional school year. These opportunities include credit and non-credit courses in a variety of subjects (like the fine arts, math, and science), which can help you improve poor grades from a previous semester or explore new topics of interest—even those that do not relate to your major. 

For international students, summer college classes can be a great way to ease into a new environment. Because some students prefer to use their summers for working, vacationing, or completing an internship or apprenticeship, summer courses tend to have much smaller class sizes. This can mean more one-on-one time with faculty members, as well as a less stressful environment in which to further develop your language skills. 


The disadvantages of summer courses
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Despite the above benefits of summer classes, there are several disadvantages to take into consideration. If you have yet to attend your first semester at an American college or university, you will still required to submit your TOEFL scores and to demonstrate English language proficiency in order to enroll in summer courses. There are also other logistical aspects to keep in mind, including additional costs and the potential for limited support during the summer months.

At some schools, the credit for summer classes may be awarded differently than in the fall or spring semesters. For this reason, you should speak to the international student affairs office or the registrar prior to enrolling in order to be certain that you will receive the credit that you expect. 

Finally, the enrollment period for summer courses typically opens in late winter or early spring, and there may be a smaller registration window. If you are interested in taking a summer class, check with faculty or staff for more information and to ensure that you do not miss a key deadline.

For international students, summer courses can help you ease into a new environment and community, as well as allow you to explore other interests. If you do choose to enroll in one or more summer classes, be sure to check with the international student affairs office or the registrar to receive answers to any questions that you may have.

David White is a contributing writer for UniversityTutor.com, the world's largest global marketplace for finding independent tutors. 

by David White
​
If you are considering attending graduate school, you likely have many different decisions to make before deciding on a specific program, not the least of which is where you will live. Given that some graduate programs can be shorter than their undergraduate counterparts, you might be looking locally or regionally, but before you limit your opportunities to a particular distance, it may be well worth considering international study.

Choosing to study in a foreign country might seem overwhelming or frightening, but the benefits can be immeasurable. These benefits may even provide you with a great start to your new career. So, before you write off international graduate study, consider the following ways that it can change your life:

1. Cultural exposure
There is no better way to gain exposure to a new culture than to immerse yourself in that culture’s rich community. By studying in a foreign country, you can expand your language skills, as well as your ability to understand those who are vastly different from yourself. 

Not only will this experience expand your conception of the world, it can also improve your employment opportunities (see below for more information). A resume that boasts foreign study and travel suggests to employers that you are an open-minded individual who can work cooperatively with people from all walks of life—an increasingly important skill in all fields.

2. More job opportunities
Foreign graduate study can provide you with the opportunity to form new connections and to build your social network in fields that highly value international experience. In the business community, for example, a global perspective can be invaluable in a world that is increasingly oriented toward international business.

Participating in another culture gives you experience with different economic, political, and social systems, which can make you a strong candidate with companies and organizations that operate globally. This includes a number of fields, such as medicine and the physical sciences.

3. Cost savings
In the United States, the cost of undergraduate education has been a growing concern for some time. The cost of graduate tuition can likewise be prohibitive, with totals running above $20,000 per year in some instances. In light of this information, broadening your search to include international schools may lead to a less costly education without compromising quality. For instance, at the Canadian school McGill University, international students can expect to pay roughly $15,000 (not including fees).

4. Different perspectives
If graduate school is about expanding your horizons and gaining a degree of expertise in a particular area, what better way to do so than by engaging with those whose perspectives might be vastly different than your own? 

Around the world, different cultures teach and study in different ways using different models. Having not been raised in the culture in which you might immerse yourself, these new perspectives provide new ways of seeing the world and the subject of study, potentially leading to new discoveries and insights that might not have happened had you stayed in your home country.

David White is a contributing writer for UniversityTutor.com, the world's largest global marketplace for finding independent tutors.