Teaching English in Peru - Part 1

Matt with his fellow trainees

An Interview with Matt Peterson from Australia who graduated from TEFL Zorritos in April 2016

1. What is your name, age, where are you from originally and where are you currently living?

Matthew Peterson, but Matt will do. I am 42 and originally from Adelaide, South Australia. I am currently living in Lima, Peru

2. When did you successfully complete your TEFL Certificate course and what have you been doing since then? Please tell us about who and where you have been teaching.

I completed my course in April 2016 and had a lot of fun doing it. Since then I relocated to Lima and, with some help, I found a great place to live and accumulated some simple living items, ie bed, fridge, microwave etc.  Then I went on to find work. It was a little slow to start with but it picked up very quickly and I had a full schedule of approx 30 hours after about 2-3 weeks of looking. I teach a variety of people from different backgrounds. From a mountain bike mechanic and tour guide to a top flight insurance salesman. I teach anywhere in Lima that is no more than about 30-40 min ride from my house in Surco

3. What has been the most rewarding thing about teaching English abroad?

The most rewarding thing to me, has been seeing that first sign of improvement and seeing the new understanding of a particular grammatical rule or even a passage that the student is reading. Seeing the smile slowly creep across their face and they say ‘I actually understand what I am reading’ is a very satisfying feeling. Also the meeting of new and different people and how they allow you into their homes and lives is quite special.

Matt in one of his teaching practice classes

4. What has been the most challenging thing about teaching English abroad?

The most challenging thing for me, so far, has been the language barrier. Before I came to Peru I knew no Spanish at all and as I am involved in teaching English all day, most days, I find it difficult to improve my Spanish. But slowly I am picking up some things here and there. I hope to be earning enough in the near future whereby I can decrease my hours teaching and hopefully attend a Spanish language course.

5. How have the skills you learned in your TEFL course helped you so far?

One skill I am most grateful for having learnt is being able to put a lesson together from scratch. In most cases there will be some materials already available for you to use but not always. There have been times when a new student calls to take classes and starts their first class the very next day. You then get called to teach that student at 8:30am the next day!! Also if you obtain your own private students this skill is invaluable.

6. Do you have any advice for people thinking about taking the plunge into the world of TEFL?

My advice is just do it!!  If you enjoy meeting new people, forming new friendships and encouraging and developing people to reach their full potential then you will, without doubt, love this career path. You will not only learn about new people, new cultures, new foods, you will also learn more about yourself than you otherwise would have had you not started down this path. You’ll wonder why you didn’t do it earlier!!

Enjoying some pool frisbee during lunch

7. What are your plans for the future?

I am very happy where I am. I plan to remain in Lima and continue teaching as many people as I can. I hope to start my own business in the very near future as I have had a lot of people asking, from there the sky is the limit.

8. If you have anything else to add please feel free!

The first thing I would like to add is the importance of getting a TEFL accreditation. This is essential to your success. Without it you would find it very difficult to gain any sort of work anywhere, especially if you also have no previous experience teaching. This is where Ellie and TEFL Zorritos will be able to help. Calling them should be your first step!!

Here are some other things I have learnt that I will pass on. I am mostly referring to Peru when I make these observations, but they are applicable elsewhere also.

Our March crew of TEFL trainees

1. Life moves at a different pace here sometimes anything up to 30 mins or more, slower!! You are not in Australia, or the USA or Canada anymore, you are in Peru, go with the flow.
2. If you’re planning on coming to Lima to work, get a mountain bike to get around on. It is faster, cheaper and less of a headache than any other form of transport, also the ‘combi’s’ here are death traps. It also keeps you fit. Most of my students are no more than a 30 min ride away from home
3. A good mobile phone service is essential as is a good wifi service at home.
4. Drivers here are ‘loco’. If you choose to ride be extra careful. Just because the light is red it doesn’t mean people will stop!!  Just because the right hand indicator is not blinking doesn’t mean they will not turn in front of you. Pedestrian crossings??  Hahah they don’t mean anything!!!
5. You will make friends whether you like it or not.
6. Food is cheap and tastes damn good, get into it!!
7. If you come to Lima look me up.

Read more of TEFL Zorritos' Success Stories on our website or contact us about applying to enroll.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better? Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our outdoor beachfront training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food. Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost! And a job placement program in Peru guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you finish the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

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Teaching English in the Dominican Republic

An Interview with Sonya Burns from the United States who graduated from TEFL Zorritos in February 2015

Sonya with her fellow trainees

1. What is your name, age, where are you from originally and where are you currently living? Sonya Burns, 42, I’m from Texas and I’m living in Texas.

2. When did you successfully complete your TEFL Certificate course and what have you been doing since then? Please tell us about who and where you have been teaching.

Since completing my TEFL Certificate Course in February 2015, I boarded a plane and headed to the Dominican Republic to teach as a volunteer in a local Haitian community.  I started my journey in Santiago where I spent a couple of months FULLY immersing myself in the Dominican lifestyle by living with a local family and going to local Spanish school to brush up on my Spanish. I then headed north of the island and lived in a small community called Muñoz, which is in the city of Puerto Plata.  In Puerto Plata I taught kids of all ages English and held some Adult classes from time-to-time.

3. What has been the most rewarding thing about teaching English abroad?

The LOVE and Appreciation from the kids and the community when they “get-it”…when they understand and thirst for more knowledge.  Additionally, the open arms hospitality from everyone.

4. What has been the most challenging thing about teaching English abroad?

Sonya in one of her teaching practice classes

Well, not having enough (if any) available resources (paper/chalk/hand-outs etc…) to be as creative as I would like to be was very challenging to me. The second most challenging thing about “teaching” is getting the kids to settle down and not fight with one another during class. Lastly, it was challenging to ensure that they had their own school supplies.

5. How have the skills you learned in your TEFL course helped you so far?

Honestly, the FIRST thing I noticed and appreciated was the GRAMMAR.  Had I not had a refresher in grammar, I would not have been able to understand my own Spanish teacher when I was brushing up on my Spanish.  But most importantly, I would not have been able to seamlessly pass this on through my teaching in a way that “we both” understand.   The other skill from the TEFL course that was helpful was the various techniques to get interactively involved during class and how to inject discipline for the older kids that had an influence on the younger ones.

6. Do you have any advice for people thinking about taking the plunge into the world of TEFL?

GO FOR IT!  Just remember they look at you as “KNOWING IT ALL” so you really can’t go wrong in the way you implement your approach. This is new to them, so they look for to you for guidance.  But most importantly, be creative and use all your resources (on-line, TEFL materials and other teachers etc…). 

7. What are your plans for the future?

I’m preparing to return to the Dominican Republic for good over the next year. 

8. If you have anything else to add please feel free!

This experience has been life altering and I would NOT change one aspect of the route I took to get here.

You can read more of our Success Stories on our website

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better? Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our outdoor beach-front training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food. Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost! And a job placement program in Peru and guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you finish the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

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TEFL Success Stories - Part 15

Oman - Fatma

I am an Omani teacher and I teach English to young children ages (6-9) years old. I took my teaching diploma over two years in a Teacher Training College after which I started my first teaching job in 1993.

The education system in Oman has been undergoing dramatic changes over the past four years. A new education system has been established which is the Basic Education System in which, amongst other things, children learn English from first year (6 years of age). Prior to the new system the youngest age at which English was taught was 9 years of age. I am fortunate to be involved in these changes as I am now teaching at one of the new Basic Education schools.

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Study a TEFL course with TEFL Zorritos in Peru, South America and travel the world, live abroad and enrich people's lives by teaching them English. A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate is an internationally accredited and accepted qualification to teach English to people from non-English speaking countries. More questions? Head to our website

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These reforms have been a large undertaking for the Ministry of Education which had to train teachers all over the country to enable them to work with young learners. This was made even more challenging due to the fact that the principles behind the new English curriculum are very much founded on communicative teaching methodology. This constituted a large shift from the previous principles followed which were very traditional.

In addition to the training programme for the teachers, a new course book was designed and some very useful materials, such as visual aids, prepared to help the teachers to make learning English as enjoyable as possible.

In this new course children learn English through a variety of activities such as songs, games, stories and acting. On top of this there are many activities which take advantage of the children's natural instincts. Therefore it is not unusual to walk into an English lesson these days and see children cutting, building or pasting. This certainly makes their learning meaningful and generally provides a genuine purpose for the young children. Of course there were initial reservations from all quarters, as there often is when change is involved but I think it is safe to say most teachers and parents are satisfied with these new changes.

Being an English teacher is a great thing in Oman because it means that you know two languages and most people hold great respect for this; they feel that they can depend on you. Also it provides more chances to meet native speakers and to keep in touch with the changes in the educational world through the courses arranged by the Ministry and of course through being able to read educational literature which is usually in English.

However, teaching English as a foreign language is a hard job since it is completely different from the learners first language, which means we have to work hard to support their learning and to motivate them to learn and keep on learning. It should be remembered that we have to help the children learn a new script and to write in a new direction as well as all the other aspects usually found on the curriculum.

Finally, the future has great potential for our nation as more and more schools adopt the new system and the Ministry of Education adopts progressive ideas.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our outdoor beach-front training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost! And a job placement program and guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you finish the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

TEFL Success Stories - Part 14

Bolivia-Chris

There appears to be a divide between the experiences of the other South American contributors to this section. On the one hand, native teachers having to contend with apathy in their public school classes due to poverty, and finding the need to instill motivation an integral part of teaching. On the other, TEFL teachers from overseas working in large private institutes where the only necessary motivation is results. My experiences in Bolivia come somewhere in the middle of this divide.

There is obviously a great deal of poverty in Bolivia, and for most, learning English is of minor importance. The poorest are the indigenous campesinos who number half the population and speak the native languages of Aymara and Quechua. When they come to the cities they settle on the outskirts and are generally employed in street trade. Learning Spanish is their main concern. English is of little use to the majority so they don't learn it. In fact, many of the poorer children forego education entirely to earn a living on the streets.

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Study a TEFL course with TEFL Zorritos in Peru, South America and travel the world, live abroad and enrich people's lives by teaching them English. A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate is an internationally accredited and accepted qualification to teach English to people from non-English speaking countries. More questions? Head to our website

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Of the Spanish speaking population, most have a little money and a family home. Only those involved in government are truly rich. Although not troubled by poverty, even people in respected professions such as law or medicine earn comparatively little and can afford few luxuries. This, I soon learned, extends to English textbooks, which I could not afford either on my teacher's wages.

Few will get the opportunity to leave Bolivia, and out with the top Government jobs, or tourism or teaching, there is little requirement for English. Yet people do learn, mainly for reasons of self-improvement or prestige. English is studied only at very low levels, or not at all, in public schools, so they have to go to independent English schools.

As results are usually more for personal satisfaction than academic purposes, motivation is largely based on ones own determination to do well. Coupled with the Latino laid-back tendency, this manifests itself in students' behaviour. Most will wait until two weeks into the term to enrol, and when they have, will not think it strange to miss several classes or arrive up to half an hour into a lesson. I also soon found that many were not used to a class where they had to do some of the work themselves. They wanted to be told everything.

I travelled to Bolivia without a job lined up. I knew it was the poorest country in South America and that wages would be comparatively low, yet I assumed that jobs would be relatively easy to come by. In fact, there were fewer schools than I imagined. A handful of larger private institutes – and therefore the best employment and pay prospects - exist in the largest population centres of La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, especially the capital. I headed instead for the relative tranquility and blissful climate of Sucre. Despite the grandeur of its colonial centre, the old capital is much poorer than its larger neighbours, with little industry and high unemployment. Even so, as the so-called student capital of Bolivia I was surprised to find only three potential places to teach, and no daytime hours.

One noble venture was specifically set up to teach the less well off for the purposes of tourism, such as taxi drivers. However it can only afford to pay $0.60 an hour - not nearly enough to live on as a foreigner, and I had to leave it to untrained volunteers. The place to try, they said, was the "rich kids' school" - the Centro Boliviano Americano.

There is a CBA in every major city so it's one of the best places to look for work, especially if you want to travel in-between, although wages may vary. Despite being termed rich, even here the students all use photocopies of the textbooks, as the originals are too expensive. It's mainly for children, whose parents send them to every conceivable after school class. After a long school day, with results largely unimportant to their academic record and using out of date books, motivation is unsurprisingly lacking. It is certainly a challenge holding the attention of children who are too young to appreciate the opportunities they have, and would rather be playing.

Finally, there are extension courses at the university. Open to all, teenagers, students or professionals, they charge only a token amount, as universities are largely state funded. There are limited teaching hours available, but by far the best wages in town. Although lower levels follow books, at more advanced levels there isn't a strict syllabus and you are free to create your own exams based on what you have done. I was lucky enough to become the first native speaker to teach there and it is a highly recommended institution, both for students and teachers.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better? Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our outdoor beachfront training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food. Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost! And a job placement program in Peru guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you finish the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

TEFL Success Stories - Part 13

Indonesia - Andrew

Part 1

I started teaching here in 1996 at an English First school and I was very nervous because it was my first teaching job. I soon realised that my students were even more nervous than I was because Indonesians have a strange sort of respect for foreigners. The educational system here is rather old-fashioned and learning 'by rote' is still the accepted method. I found that all my students knew about the irregular verbs and what we know as the infinitive, past simple and past participle are know here as verbs 1,2 & 3. This actually helps a lot.

School in Indonesia is still a privilege. It costs money to send your children to school and many kids don't make it beyond the elementary level. This doesn't have to be a disadvantage as the former President Suharto left school after completing just his elementary education and he went on to be one of the most corrupt dictators the world has ever known and made a huge fortune.

I worked for just over four years in Jakarta and finished as a Director of Studies in a large school in West Jakarta. This sort of position is what prospective teachers should be aiming for, as the salaries can be very rewarding. $2,000 a month may not sound like much but in Indonesia, it is a lot of money and you will be regarded as a wealthy person.

In a language school, you can expect many of your students to be from upper-middle class families and many of them will be Chinese Indonesians as these are the people with the money. Others will be the children of Government officials whose salaries are very small but, because of the rampant corruption, they are enormously wealthy.

The education system in Indonesia is very old-fashioned and the official curriculum is much the same as it was in western countries in the 50's. As a teacher of English here, you will have to break through barriers but it is not difficult.

After working in Jakarta for over 4 years, I felt I had had enough of the big dirty city so I moved to Bali. I had, by this time, formed my own company specialising in language services via the internet, so I was able to work from wherever I happened to be.

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Study a TEFL course with TEFL Zorritos in Peru, South America and travel the world, live abroad and enrich people's lives by teaching them English. A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate is an internationally accredited and accepted qualification to teach English to people from non-English speaking countries. More questions? Head to our website

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For the last two and a half years, I have been living in Bali and I make a living from a little 'in-house' teaching, writing articles for magazines, copyediting other peoples' articles and writing for CD Roms.

I don't say that I have achieved everything I set out to achieve but I have done reasonably well so there is no reason for other people not being able to do the same thing. I am really quite lethargic and I don't push myself too much but I still make a good living.

I have learned a lot in the past 8 years so if you want to ask me for advice on living and working in Indonesia, I will be happy to give it.

Good luck to all of you.

Part 2

A few months ago, I wrote about teaching in Indonesia and I hope that what I said at that time was useful to some of you who are regular readers.

I told you about my experiences in Jakarta as a newly recruited teacher and went on to talk about how I ended up as a Director of Studies and then moved to Bali to start my own business.

Well, a lot has changed since 12 October when a couple of bombs stole the lives of over 200 young people in Kuta and I would now like to write about the prospects for teaching in Bali in the future .

I am very fortunate in that none of my personal friends were killed or injured in the bomb blasts but, as a community, we all feel very sad about the useless loss of so many lives.

As a result of this tragedy, the number of tourists coming to Bali has plummeted so any schools which depended upon 'in-house' training are really suffering losses of work. My own private teaching work was orientated to the tourist trade and it all stopped a couple of weeks ago.

Despite dire warnings from many governments, I don't know of any ESL teachers who have left Bali. We are all hoping that there will be a recovery very soon and that the work will return. My writing work has actually increased since the atrocity occurred but that may be coincidental. It does accentuate the fact, however, that if you are thinking of living and working in a developing country, it pays to diversify.

We expatriates in Bali, together with the local people, are very positive about Bali 's future so, if you are offered a job here, don't be too worried. It is a fabulous place to live and work in and no more dangerous than any other place in the world, I have recently been approached by some General Managers of hotels saying that maybe while their staff are not so busy, this could be a good time to start an English Language course. You see, there is still optimism here.

If you would like any information or advice about working in Bali see below.

Part 3

I receive so many enquiries about living and working in Bali that I have decided to put some of my thoughts together in this document.

The majority of questions I receive are about teaching English in Indonesia and I have to say that at the present time, this is a bit of a problem as very few schools are recruiting new teachers. The demand for jobs currently far exceeds the availability so schools are able to be very particular about whom they employ.

To work as a teacher of English in Indonesia, the Government requires that you are a national of the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Australia, Canada or the U.S.A. No other nationalities are accepted so if you hold an Irish, Nigerian or Indian passport for example, there is no chance.

If you qualify on nationality, you will also need to have a valid qualification as an English teacher and this means something such as a CELTA from the University of Cambridge and the Royal Society of Arts. Some schools accept a TESOL certificate but this is regarded as a very basic qualification. Experience is also a good point in your favour so if you can prove that you have been teaching for some time elsewhere and can provide good references, this will help you.

For people particularly interested in Bali, I have to say that my comments may seem rather negative. The economy of Bali was very dependent upon tourism but the bombing last October, the war in Iraq and the current worry about SARS means that the number of tourists here has dropped significantly. Many language schools here depended on 'in house courses' in hotels etc. but, with so few guests, many of the hotels have cancelled their arrangements.

Bali is a wonderful place to live in if you can afford the lifestyle but if you have no money, it can be a very bleak prospect.

My advice to anyone wanting to come and work in Bali is to forget it at the present time. As the situation improves, hopefully soon, we will update our company website ~ www.fullproof.org. For information on what is happening in Indonesia and a host of useful links, please bookmark our site.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better? Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our outdoor beach-front training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food. Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost and a job placement program in Peru and guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you finish!

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

TEFL Success Stories - Part 12

France - Erin

I've spent the last year teaching English in France in two different areas: general English in a public high school and business English to company employees. Of all the countries in Europe, France unfortunately ranks as one of the worst in foreign language learning. The Ministry of Education has only recently awakened to the realization that speaking and listening skills are a necessary component of a foreign language, but they still play a secondary role to reading and writing. As a result, a French student studies English for 7 years without really being able to communicate in it.

I first served as a teaching assistant in the countryside, brought over by the French government to encourage the students to speak English and to make it fun. Basically, the teacher was responsible for the curriculum and grammar - and then I worked with individual groups of students every week to help them take the grammar and vocabulary that they'd been learning in class and make them use it orally. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the students did too because they got to relate English to their lives. Plus, they discovered that if they wanted to hear about the United States from a real American, they had to figure out a way to put a sentence together - it was a motivator.

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Study a TEFL course with TEFL Zorritos in Peru, South America and travel the world, live abroad and enrich people's lives by teaching them English. A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate is an internationally accredited and accepted qualification to teach English to people from non-English speaking countries. More questions? Head to our website

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In general, the teaching style in France is fairly strict and rigid. Teachers scold their students if they get an answer wrong and most classes are conducted lecture-style where the teacher speaks and the students take notes. If a student speaks, it's usually to answer a question, give a summary of an article, or give a description of a picture - and topics remain intellectual. There are few roleplays, pairwork or games. So the students loved having a change of pace and the chance to do something 'non-intellectual' because they were after all high school kids. The problem really is the way teachers are trained to teach, which is influenced by a curriculum that places heavy emphasis on writing and reading.

The particular program that I did, the 'teaching assistantship' program. This is one that I highly recommend for people who want to live in France for seven months without the painful process of trying to find a job in France (which I'll get to later), or who want to get their feet wet in teaching. It requires no prior teaching experience and only a moderate level in French.

If you want to wing it on your own in France, you're in for a challenge. Unless you're an EU citizen, you'll face a very tough time getting a school or a company to sponsor you for a work permit. Currently France has something like a 10% unemployment rate, and it legally has to give priority for any job to an EU citizen. Basically, if the government sees any justifiable reason why an EU citizen can do the job you want, you'll probably be denied a work permit. That is, if you can find an organization to sponsor this permit, which costs them money. (As an EU citizen, you'll have your pick of private language schools or you can do freelance work without having to worry about residency issues.)

Having said that, it is possible to get a teaching job in France as a non-EU citizen, just very, very hard and it takes dedication. What I did to find my current job teaching in a financial consulting company was to convince the Chairman of the company that he needed in-house English instruction. This will obviously work better with companies that are international or planning to go international in the near future. The other alternative is to try to find a private language school to hire you (in which case they'll definitely require some kind of certification and/or experience). The third option, to work as a full-time teacher in a public school, generally takes years of education in the French system and is off-limits to non-EU citizens.

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In terms of the differences between teaching high school students and employees in their 20s, I found it much easier to teach adults. There is a difference in level obviously, but the biggest difference is in motivation. Employees in a company generally realize that they need English in their jobs and so they make an effort to speak and ask questions and do their homework. Right now I'm teaching a range of employees, from financial consultants to salespeople, and even if they don't use English in their daily jobs, they recognize that being able to speak English will help them land future jobs.

I would recommend France as a place to spend a couple of months teaching, if you want to try it out through the assistantship program. Otherwise, you'll need a certification and/or experience (and some persistence if you're not European) to get something more permanent.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better? Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food. Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost! And a job placement program in Peru & guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

TEFL Success Stories - Part 11

China - Gregory

Gregory Kerry talks state education, keeping warm and chicken's feet.

State education in China is in a mess. The mass illiteracy of the past may be over but there are still terrible problems.

Under funding by the state plus the country's growing population problem has created schools with huge classes: 50 and 60 students being not at all uncommon. And while this isn't so bad for the sort of rote learning still prevalent here it does make language conversation classes, which, in traditional terms of great British understatement, might be termed, "challenging".

And not only because of the numbers. A dramatic change in attitude is also demanded of the students. In one of my first lessons I asked the class a plain, simple, innocuous question. And what did they do? With barely a moment's collective hesitation, they ... repeated it back to me - the idea that I might actually be wanting an answer was simply way beyond their experience.

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Study a TEFL course with TEFL Zorritos in Peru, South America and travel the world, live abroad and enrich people's lives by teaching them English. A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate is an internationally accredited and accepted qualification to teach English to people from non-English speaking countries. More questions? Head to our website

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Yet by and large, students are keen to learn in a system which has become madly competitive. In every town or rural area everyone knows which are the best schools and every parent wants his child to go there.

Unless, of course, the child is a girl and the family lives in the country and has trouble affording the school fees. Then many parents still say, why bother? She's only going to get married and become a housewife.

This intense competition means long, long hours usually including at least Saturday morning and several hours' homework every evening. But it doesn't stop there: parents just don't seem to know when to stop pushing. So, weekend English courses and the extra-curricular stuff fill the 'free' time of many students.

And, if they attend private schools, things may be even worse. Forget weekends - well, maybe once a month then, OK?

I began my teaching time in China in just such a school but being a pampered foreigner I was lucky: weekends were free - except for same-day, last-minute invitations to join school trips. Oh, you already have something planned? Surely not?

For one other thing, though, that many visitors to China might consider a problem, there was no such allowance for my pathetic, western softness: the chronic lack of heating. Yes, heating. Here in Central China most public buildings and all poorer homes (i.e. most of them) have no heating at all. Other places have air-conditioners blowing hot, which doesn't so much heat the rooms as simply push the cold air around a bit in them.

In winter it may not exactly be Baltic here but it does regularly drop below freezing. So for me, teaching last winter was a thermal underwear, coat, hat and fingerless gloves affair (and remembering not to stand still too long).

For students it was much the same (plus little hot water bottles - but maybe only for the wimps amongst them). As if that wasn't bad enough, these Asiatic hypochondriacs insist on having "fresh air" (i.e. open windows) as well - in a city where the air pollution is all too tangible on bad days!

Six months of this was enough. After that I went in search of God. Or rather, he came to me ... for a placement test.

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Chinese English students often adopt a so-called English name. But they have a very imperfect idea of what constitutes a normal name - thus "God". Others I've come across include Hitler (still oddly revered here), Lawyer Yo-Yo (part ambition/part Chinese name), Romance (unhappily chosen by a boy), and None (because "I have no house, no car, no wife ... "). Trying to explain that such names are perhaps not entirely suitable prompts only quizzical looks.

On the other hand they expect their English to be corrected in meticulous and tedious detail. Instantly. Again, it comes from their education system where the teacher is always right, the students invariably wrong (to some degree or other). Positive praise is almost unknown in Chinese classrooms so students regard it as a puzzling waste of time, wanting to know only when and why they are wrong.

Away from school life can be a similar culture shock for we "foreign devils". Think you know Chinese food from all those oriental restaurants you used to visit back home? Huh, forget it. That was sanitised Chinese grub for Westerners. The real thing is little like: chickens' feet, ducks' tongues, pigs' brains, not to mention virtually every internal organ from every animal you could hope (or not) to find. And then the rice always comes last, soup and sweets come any time, and it's perfectly normal just to spit the bones out directly onto the table.

The other most galling thing for me is the non-stop, gratuitous honking. In England, it's a sign of last resort,of a driver's impatience or impending anger. In my little Chinese town it's a general warning alright but an all-purpose, 'Hey, I'm coming up behind/near/beside you' type of warning aimed at anyone within reasonable distance.

So: great? interesting? exciting? Well, yes, but ...

Incidentally, if you want a good read about such things try the excellent 'River Town' by Peter Hessler - an American Peace Corps volunteer's account of two years teaching here.

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TEFL Success Stories - Part 10

Kazakhstan - Paul

A few years ago, many people in the West would have been hard-pressed to pinpoint Kazakhstan on a map but following the coverage given to the antics of the fictional Kazakhstan journalist, Borat Sagdiyev, awareness of this vast central Asian country has grown. While Borat, an alter ego of British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, has given the world an image of a backward, racist and misogynistic society, life in modern-day Kazakhstan is far removed from his fictional version.

I have been living in Almaty, Kazakhstan's commercial capital, since August 2005. I'm a freelancer, doing staff development work with trainee teachers in a local university, examining for IELTS and teaching Business English to private clients.

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Almaty is a great place to live - it's not a megapolis so is fairly easy to get around but is big enough to offer a wide range of cultural and recreational opportunities. The nearby mountains provide great facilities for skating, skiing and snowboarding in the winter months (November-March) and mountain biking and trekking in the summer months (May-October).

The city has much to offer gourmets, such as restaurants serving Kazakh, Russian, Chinese, Turkish and Italian cuisine and much more besides. Traditional Kazakh food is based on horsemeat. The national dish,besparmak, consists of pasta strips and kazy (horsemeat sausage). This is often washed down with kumis(fermented mare's milk) or vodka, an ever-present on the Kazakh table. There are a number of bars serving good local beers such as Derbes and Irbis and even Irish pubs for those in need of expensive imported beers and expat company. There is also a vibrant DJ and clubbing scene in the city.

The locals are a mixture of ethnic Kazakhs, Russians and myriad other nationalities from the former Soviet Union and beyond. Kazakh is the official language, but Russian is widely used as a lingua franca. You can see both mosques and Orthodox churches in the city. For shopping, Almaty has 24-hour supermarkets and is home to the sprawling Green Bazaar, a vibrant cultural experience and one of the best food markets in central Asia.

There are drawbacks to living in Almaty, like anywhere. The traffic is horrendous and the SUV seems to have replaced the horse as the locals favourite means of transport. Consequently, pollution is a big problem. There is also a snobby side to Almaty, as a middle class enriched by petrodollars emerges, and service in bars and restaurants can be hit and miss. On the whole though, these drawbacks are outweighed by the benefits the city has to offer.

Almaty, as the country's main business hub, offers many teaching opportunities. Native speaker teachers are in short supply, so work is easy to come by. There are a number of private language schools and universities in the city. EF and International House both have a presence. On the higher education front, there are two western-style universities, KIMEP (Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research) and KBTU (The Kazakh-British Technical University). They are always on the lookout for suitably qualified and experienced teachers (Celta and above).

In the last few years, the Kazakh economy has boomed, mostly fuelled by the oil and gas sector. This in turn has opened up opportunities for teaching in these spheres, often on-site in the west of the country in the oil centres such as Atyrau and Aktobe. Demand for the IELTS examination is also strong both from private clients and from a government-run scholarship programme, Boloshak, which sends large numbers of students to study abroad annually.

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The capital was moved in 1997 from Almaty to the city of Astana, which has become one of the world's largest building sites and is beginning to take the shape of a city of glittering skyscrapers in the middle of Kazakhstan's windswept steppe. With the focus of government here, it is the place career-minded Kazakhs head. This in turn has led to increasing demand for EFL teachers as new universities and Institutes are set up. As the country has developed, English has taken on an increasingly important role for international trade and communication. But qualified, experienced teachers remain thin on the ground in the capital.

For holidays and days off, Kazakhstan offers many tourism opportunities. There are mountains in the east and south, picturesque lakes all over the country and you can swim in the Caspian sea at Aktau. The country is huge (the size of Western Europe) so getting around can take some time. Air travel is relatively expensive but there is an extensive, reasonably-priced rail network which makes exploring the country easier.

If you're looking for somewhere off the beaten track of EFL teaching where you can find rewarding teaching opportunities and plenty of activities to fill your free time, then why not come and check out the 'real' Kazakhstan and see for yourself whether Borat's fantasy land exists or not?

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better? Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food. Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost! And a job placement program in Peru & guaranteed lifetime job assistance wordlwide waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!