The best of The TEFL Org blog in 2024

We’ve had some great fun in 2024 here at The TEFL Org. This year, in particular, has been one of recognition, growth and new opportunities. It seems that the TEFL industry in general continues to blossom, with more and more people taking up TEFL qualifications, finding jobs around the world, teaching English online, or finding opportunities in the sector as a whole. Not only that, but the TEFL world itself shows continual progress, with more accreditation, more qualifications available, and a better reputation as a whole.

From our perspective, it’s been another excellent year. We were recognised at the inaugural ‘ Made in Britain, Sold to the World Awards ’, showing just how integral we’ve become to the TEFL sphere within the UK. We developed and began to deliver a Level 5 Diploma , put names to faces and built our contacts around the world, and have so much more in store for 2024 and beyond.

The whole time, we’ve continued to put out a weekly post here on the blog, which keeps you up to date with everything worth hearing about in the TEFL world. We’re nice to you, that way. While we’re in the spirit of reflection over a busy and exciting 12 months, allow us to round up some highlights from the blog this past year - things you might’ve missed, things you could happily re-read, and things that are particularly important for the future.

How to use AI in the TEFL classroom

Undoubtedly, one of the biggest stories this year was the rise and improvement of artificial intelligence. With platforms like ChatGPT coming into prominence, AI became the topic of conversation worldwide, in living rooms and offices alike. There were plenty of doomsayers predicting the worst, and just as many others saying that AI would open endless doors. The reality, as ever, is somewhere in the middle, as far as we can see.

Can it help in terms of TEFL, though? Well, yes. As we demonstrated, AI can stimulate class discussions, help with lesson planning and “gamify” language learning. We’re already seeing the latter on language learning platforms, and the likelihood is that AI will continue to have a big role.

Is it the be-all-and-end-all? Not yet, was our verdict. Can it help you, the TEFL teacher, right now? Yes, it could. It’s all about application. For sure, this is a subject we’ll be coming back to as the technology continues to develop.

How to Become a TEFL YouTube Star with Jamie Gajewski

We couldn’t not mention our podcast - which is back for a fourth series, by the way - and a specific post that caught a lot of eyes over recent weeks. Jamie Gajewski, also known as also known as ESL Teacher 365, was a real favourite on ‘I Taught English Abroad’, and her mantra that “every teacher should have a YouTube channel” was one that caused a little stir.

Ultimately, it depends on the kind of teacher you want to be, but if you have plans to move around a lot and earn passive income through content generation, you could do far worse than getting on YouTube. Every teacher we spoke to loves the community aspect, specifically the chance to meet with other teachers and explore different techniques and approaches. What’s more, the teachers we spoke to had excellent experiences on the platform, inspiring a new wave of TEFL talent.

Being personable and knowing your way around editing software definitely helps, but as we explored in a recent podcast episode with Anne Crutchfield, teaching is a performance - if you want to extend that performance to the online sphere, chances are you already have all the skills you need.

TEFL and the Women’s World Cup

You know what? Sometimes it’s ok to write a blog that’s tied to current events, is a little bit esoteric in its style, and - on the surface - doesn’t have much to do with TEFL. Given the readership of this blog, that’s certainly the message we got!

Yep, plenty of you enjoyed our blog looking at the Women’s World Cup. “How does it relate to TEFL?”, you ask? Well, a World Cup is played by nations, and we happen to know a thing or two about countries . Big sporting tournaments are always a great opportunity to talk about some underrated and under-reported TEFL destinations, where wages are good, the cost of living is more manageable, and the opportunities for teachers are widespread.

What’s more, the Women’s World Cup happened to be a fantastic tournament, with Spain overcoming England in the final. 

World Refugee Day: making a difference with TEFL

How can you really make a social difference as a TEFL teacher? That’s what we continue to ask ourselves, but when it came to World Refugee Day , it was a question that we thought about particularly hard. 

Turns out, there’s a lot you can do as a TEFL educator. Ultimately, and it’s a sad truth, there will always be refugees and displaced peoples until we achieve world peace. Language is such a vital tool for people who’ve found themselves far from home, displaced by war, famine, natural disaster or other causes. Translators aren’t ten-a-penny, and if you’ve just arrived somewhere entirely new, the helping hand of a TEFL volunteer or service worker could make all the difference.

If you’re the kind of person who makes New Year’s Resolutions, you could do a lot worse than considering a stint volunteering with a local refugee charity. With the bleak reality of war and forced displacement so prevalent in the news cycle at the time of writing, and so many wondering how they can help, TEFL is one of the best answers.

TEFL with an Irish passport

Finally, one of the most straight-up useful blogs of the year. We’re often asked about international travel and visa issues by Irish TEFL teachers, so we obliged with a detailed, resource-heavy guide to working with an Irish passport.

Without getting too heavily into international diplomacy, the Irish passport has only increased in value over recent years. Irish teachers avoid much of the visa wrangling that UK passport holders have experienced because of Brexit, especially in Europe. What about the rest of the world, though? That’s what we aimed to discover.

If you’re a TEFL teacher, have recent Irish descendancy and are curious about whether you’re eligible for a passport, we’d recommend you enquire!

2024: So much more to come!

What can we offer to you in 2024? So, so much.

We’re going to look at international events, culture, underrated TEFL destinations, new advancements in teaching, in technology, and much more. For our own part, we’ll have plenty of exciting new stuff to tell you all about, and we predict it’ll be another banner year for the industry as a whole.
We can’t wait. See you then!

Interested in becoming a TEFL teacher and exploring the rest of the globe? Take one of our highly-accredited, industry-leading TEFL courses today!