10 things you didn't know about the English Language

Everybody knows that April 23rd is a celebration of St George but since 2010 it has also been designated as English Language Day at the United Nations. The date was chosen to coincide with the birth of one the English language's greatest exponents, William Shakespeare, who would have been 450 years old today. The purpose of the UN's language days is to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity. We thought this would be as good an opportunity as any to find out more about this language that we're all so fond of.

1. The English language as we know it began to emerge in the 14th century, although if you were to listen to that version today you may struggle to understand what was going on. It developed from a variety of dialects including Old Norse and Late West Saxon but has changed a great deal in subsequent centuries.

2. The three most spoken words in the English Language are ‘I’, ‘you’ and ‘the’. The top three written words are ‘the’, ‘of’ and ‘and’.

3. Shakespeare has been credited with the invention of more than a thousand words that are now an everyday part of the English language, including 'generous', 'majestic' and 'zany'.

4. English is spoken by more than 2 billion people worldwide and has official status in at least 75 countries.

5. Up until 1755, when Dr Samuel Johnson published his 'Dictionary of the English Language,' there was very little standardisation in English spelling and grammar. Along with Shakespeare, Dr Johnson is believed to have had more of an impact on shaping the English language than anybody else.

6. Aegilops, a type of grass, is the longest word in the Engilsh language with all the letters in alphabetical order.

7.  The rise and rise of the internet has seen English cement its place as the world's global language. 80% of electronically stored information is written in English and it is used as the primary means of communication in the fields of science, technology, medicine and business.

8. The English language grows at a rate of about one new word every two hours.

9. Words added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013 included 'selfie', 'twerk' and 'binge-watch'.

10. About 750 million people speak English as a foreign language and around six million teachers of English are believed to be working worldwide. In order to join them all you have to do is get TEFL certified and open the door to a whole new life!

The Italian Job: Making it in Milan

After completing her UK-TEFL training and gaining some voluntary experience, Hannah Mutters took the bold decision to move to Italy with no job lined up. Thankfully her bravery paid off and she quickly secured a position. Here she tells us why she is glad she took the plunge and left her job for a more satisfying life abroad...

Ciao!

I'm Hannah, I'm 29 and from the UK, I completed my TEFL in April 2013 after being made redundant for the second time from jobs in Marketing and as a Career Adviser and realising that my job in Insurance was making me extremely unhappy.

I knew I needed experience immediately to put all of my new skills to good use but I wasn't in the position financially to just up sticks! Instead I did some research around my local city, York, and found a volunteer group and a number of Language schools. After getting in touch with these schools and the volunteer group I managed to secure a position over the summer of 2013 teaching in the English Language Centre in York and I also volunteered as an English conversation teacher for Refugee Action York. The experience I gained doing this was invaluable and really cemented the idea of becoming an EFL teacher and moving abroad.

I have dreamed of living in Italy for a long time. Who doesn't want to live La Dolce Vita? So, I decided to just go for it. During my training I was given some good tips on how to find a job in Europe. It's not as common to have a Skype interview or to be hired without meeting your employer face to face if you want to work in Europe. I didn't want the expense of having to keep flying to Italy and back so I decided to just move to Milan and "wing it." About 2 weeks before I went I  put a free advert in an English publication here in Milan called "Easy Milano" I advertised myself as a tutor and I also advertised myself as looking for a job as a Teacher. This was a really useful thing to do because by the time I got there I had a couple of people interested already.

I gave myself a month to find a job. As soon as I got here I was straight on the case. I located as many language schools as I could, wrote a functional style CV and started ringing and emailing and even visiting some of the schools to make connections and to find a job.

I chose the functional style CV because it has a more "skills based" approach, I don't have alot of experience and a chronological CV would just be full of useless and irrelevant information so a Functional CV works better in this case, the employer can see all of the relevant information straight away if you highlight your skills and back them up with evidence using short and concise bullet points.

By the end of the first week I had a job working 3 hours a week tutoring children. By the end of the second week I landed another job at Wall Street English. I found the school by chance when I was walking to work, it was raining and I was feeling a bit miserable, I walked passed it and decided to go in and ask if they needed any teachers. The next day I received an email from the Service Manager who invited me for an interview the following day. By the end of the week I had a job offer!

I have been working for just over a month now and I have received some excellent support from my school. The only trouble is, if you are on an Italian contract the pay isn't as good, however, I just love to teach and I have the option to work for another school if I want to/need to.

My life has completely changed and the thrill and excitement of being somewhere new is motivating me to continue to do what I love and to learn more about the culture and learn the language.

I live with a family, they found me from an advert I posted on a website. You can live with students or other professionals but I wanted to live in a family home and really get the feel for the way Italians live and to immerse myself as much as possible, in and around the times I'm teaching, my rent is discounted because I offered to teach the child English!

So if you are thinking of taking the plunge, DO IT!

Hannah blogs regularly about living and working in Milan. To keep track of her adventures visit her website at http://www.muttersmutterings2.blogspot.co.uk/

The Long (and Ridiculous) Arm of the Law

The first few weeks of a TEFL job are usually spent trying to settle into your new surroundings. An important part of this is making sure you 'go native' and respect the local codes and customs. Sometimes that's easier said than done though, as you will see from our list of weird and wonderful laws from some top TEFL destinations. In fact you may be breaking the law without even realising it, so familiarise yourself with all of the below to save yourself from a hefty fine or worse...a stint in a foreign jail!

Italy: Pigeon Feeding

After a study showed that repairing the damage caused by pigeons cost each Venetian taxpayer 275 euros a year, the mayor's office decided to ban feeding them.The feathered fiends were causing chaos in the city's iconic St Mark's Square, mainly by using it as a toilet. The ban enraged grain vendors, who were put out of a job as a result.


Singapore: Chewing Gum

The import, manufacture and sale of chewing gum was banned in Singapore in 1992 as a way of keeping the city's pristine pavements clean. After much lobbying from key industry players, the ban was eventually revised so that medicinal gum was allowed, provided it was sold by dentists and pharmacists. The penalties for smuggling gum are still tough though, a £3,00 fine and a year in the slammer would certainly give you something to chew over.


Dubai: Cohabitation

In 2010 a British couple were arrested and jailed for living together in a hotel room in Dubai. Under Sharia law, which is applied in the UAE, two unmarried and unrelated persons of the opposite sex are prohibited from cohabiting. Ultimately it's up to you to decide which is the better option - marriage or prison. Some would say there's not much to choose between them!


Mexico: One-Footed Cycling

With all its stunning scenery and luscious green countryside, Mexico might sound like the perfect place to plan a cycling trip. Just don't try any funny business. It's forbidden for bikers to lift either foot from the peddles, as it might result in a loss of control.


Greece: Stiletto Heels

In 2009 Greek lawmakers moved to protect the country's key archaeological sites by banning people from visiting them in stiletto shoes. Apparently the pressure they exerted was damaging fragile tourist hot spots, which were getting trampled underfoot. Heralded as a great step in preserving Greece's rich architectural history, it was no doubt a huge blow to fashion conscious females the world over.

Life in Beijing

Anthony Ryan lives in Beijing, where he works as an EFL teacher at Aihua English Academy. Here he gives a brief insight into what it's like living and working in one of the world's biggest cities.

When I first came to Beijing, I expected to find a city packed with people and choking on the pollutant fumes of its own success; in fact when I think of it like this I wonder why I came at all. However coming here has opened my eyes to the wonders of Chinese culture and the joys of Mega city living. Yes, there is smog (although it’s not nearly as bad as you think), it is crowded and the incessant beeping of car horns could push you over the edge if you were having a particularly bad day; but, the city is charming, it worms its way into a place in your heart and it never leaves.

Anthony (back right), with fellow Aihua teachers

Beijing is the setting for a war between history and modernity, a city fixated on the goal of progress but anchored in the past. It has ultra-modern, Westernised areas such as Sanlitun and areas which would not look out of place 500 years ago. In the centre of the city there is a sprawling network of shanty houses called Hutongs which are the heart of Beijing’s character and charm, here one can wander for hours constantly discovering new places to eat and drink.

The people match this description also; it is not uncommon to encounter an elderly man or woman staring into the screen of a brand new IPhone or a young couple playing Mah-jong on the street. Perception is a dangerous thing here as what you perceive to be the truth is not often the case and city life moves along guided by subtle societal norms which only become apparent after living here for some time.

One example is the oft overcrowded but amazingly efficient subway system, from the outside looking in it is difficult to imagine how the Chinese can fit so many people onto their mass transit systems, but once you get used to it, you realise that everybody on the carriage needs to get somewhere and to do this in a timely manner they collectively sacrifice some of their personal space (something which is already at a premium in Beijing), this idea of collective sacrifice for the greater good is almost wiped out in the West but here in Beijing it’s second nature.

Day to day living in Beijing is like living in a pantomime where none of the actors know they are actors and the audience is uninterested anyway. Right next to a bastion of western culture like McDonald’s, it is likely you can find a farmer selling fruit or a vendor selling delicious street food.

It is a different world to back home, a city which runs on its own time and to its own unique beat. If you are the type of person who enjoys a challenge in life you will love Beijing, it is an amazing place with all the creature comforts of home, plus a few new ones to discover.

English classes at Aihua

To find out more about positions at Aihua then take a look their website and Facebook page.

Five Famous EFL Teachers

Many of you may be wondering where taking a TEFL course will lead you. Well for some people it might just be something short term, others will end up spending the rest of their career in teaching and a select few might just go on to become household names! You may be surprised to hear that a number of famous people have tried their hand at EFL teaching. Here we take a look at five people who have taught English overseas and gained fame or fortune for a variety of reasons.

1. Ranald MacDonald (1824-1894)

Not to be confused with the fast food clown, with whom he shares a spookily similar name, Ranald was a true pioneer and one of the very first EFL teachers. Ever since he was a boy he had the urge to travel and in true adventurer spirit he quit his job at a bank and set sail for Japan, despite knowing that any foreigner who set foot on Japanese soil faced imprisonment or execution. He came ashore on Rishiri Island where he was caught and eventually sent to Nagasaki to teach English to Samurai warriors. These men would go on to become diplomatic interpreters who would help cool East-West tensions and bring a halt to Japan's isolationist policy. Although he received little recognition during his lifetime, there is now a memorial to Ranald in his Oregon birthplace, as well as two in his adopted homeland of Japan.

2. Anna Leonowens (1831-1915)

When she accepted an offer from the King of Siam (now known as Thailand) to be governess to his children, Anna Leonowens probably had no idea that she was about to embark on a journey that would be committed to print, stage and screen. In 1859 her life had been thrown into turmoil when her husband Thomas died of a haemorrhage while working at a hotel in Penang, Malaysia. She sent her daughter back to England to be educated and travelled to Singapore with her son where she received an invitation to work in the royal household of Siam. King Mongut wanted Anna to give his many wives and children a Western education, although they frequently clashed over what should and shouldn't be taught . She spent more than five years in Siam which were immortalised in the novel Anna and the King of Siam and the hit Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, which was later turned into a Hollywood film starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.

3. Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

Dulce et Decorum Est is a poem that you will often hear recited on Remembrance Day or in tribute to any fallen servicemen. It was written by poet Wilfred Owen in 1917 as a way of expressing his anger at the cruelty of war. Owen had seen the horrors of the battlefield first hand while serving on the Western Front during World War One. Before fighting broke out however, he had been working in Bordeaux as a tutor at the Berlitz School of Languages. Owen died in battle at the age of just 25 but his poems live on as a reminder of the sacrifice made by those who lost their life to war.

4. J.K. Rowling (1965-)

J.K. Rowling is one of the world's best-known authors. She is responsible for creating the Harry Potter series, which has sold more than 400 million books, spawned a series of hit films and turned Rowling into a multi-millionaire. Before she got the inspiration for the boy wizard however, she taught English in Portugal. Working in the city of Porto, she taught in the evenings while writing in the day. It was here that she met her husband, the Portuguese journalist Jorges Arantes, although they later divorced.

5. Ed Norton (1969-)

You will no doubt recognise the award-winning actor from his star turns in Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk and American History X. But what you may not know is that after graduating from Yale University he worked for his grandfather's company, Enterprise Community Partners, in Osaka, Japan. While there he appeared in an EFL textbook, Only in America, which was used by Nova English language school. He also gained one of his first acting credits by appearing in the company's hilarious instructional videos, an image from which can be seen below.

Love is in the air...

It's that time of year again. Love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is upon us once more. As people here in the UK spend the day exchanging cards, chocolates and flowers, we thought we would take a look at how it is celebrated in some top TEFL destinations around the world.

Giving gifts in Catalonia, Spain

1. Spain
Most Spaniards will be doing much the same as us Britons, except those in the North-Eastern region of Catalonia. Catalans instead celebrate La Diada de Sant Jordi (otherwise known as St George's Day) on April 23rd. Traditionally this is marked by men giving women roses and women giving them books in return.

2. Peru
As in most of Latin America, Valentine's Day is about friendship as well as love. Many Peruvians take part in 'Secreto Amigo'. The game is similar to Secret Santa and involves giving gifts anonymously.

3. Estonia
Estonians take the friendship theme even further. They observe Sõbrapäev on February 14th, which is a celebration based entirely on platonic love.

4. Saudi Arabia
Saudi authorities consider the holiday to be un-Islamic and as a result the sale of Valentine's Day gifts have been banned on a number of occasions!

5. South Korea
There are three separate celebrations in South Korea. On February 14th women give chocolates to men and a month later, on something known as 'White Day', they return the favour. A month after that, on 'Black Day', single South Koreans mourn their loneliness by eating a dark-noodle dish called Jajangmyeon!

Single South Koreans chowing down on 'Black Day'

Doha Days: From Merseyside to the Middle East

Vivien Smith took a UK-TEFL course in 2009 and within a few months she had found a job working in Doha at the Qatar International School. Five years on she is still there and is now Learning Resource Manager, after gaining successive promotions. We caught up with her to find out how she's enjoying life in the Middle East.

Vivien with some flowers she got from her students

Hi!

My name is Vivien Smith and I have been working at Qatar International School, Doha, for the past four years. We have 1,600 students ranging from four to eighteen years old and follow a British teaching system.

Before that I was working in local industry in Wirral, Merseyside. Like most people I was finding there was too much month at the end of the money and felt it was time for a change in profession. It may have even been a mid-life crisis. I knew I could do more, I just wasn't sure what.

After scouring the internet for inspiration I came across a course being advertised in Liverpool. After a bit of research, I thought this was just what I had been looking for. It was a whole new change of career and life, just what I needed.

So with some apprehension I thought I would give it a go to find out if it was for me. We all met at a local hotel. With a fabulous instructor by the name of Mike Furber. I managed to get through the first day. Even on the way home from the first day I felt a huge sense on achievement and thought 'I really can really do this'!

UK-TEFL Trainer Mike Furber in action

By the end of the course i was so excited to start a new chapter in my life and applied to Qatar International School. I started in November 2009 in Yellow class, pre-school, as a teaching assistant. What a fantastic experience it was, knowing I could actually make a difference to our students.

Then a place in the library came up. With my knowledge in private industry I thought 'I can do this'. I was still working with the students and making the most of my new found confidence and TEFL know-how. I was fortunate enough that I was appointed Librarian, then graduated to Senior Librarian, and then lo and behold Learning Resource Centre Manager.

The Learning Resource Centre at Vivien's School

I cannot thank UK-TEFL enough for giving me the confidence to go out in to the wider world with a knowledge that I could do it and make a difference, now five years later I am still in touch with my fabulous teacher Mike.

I have never looked back and would recommend anybody who thinks they aren't sure to give it a go. It was certainly worth it to me. Like me you may find you never know what you can do until you try. Doing nothing is never an option.

The Doha Skyline

Get your UK-TEFL certificate and you could be weeks away from working in Doha. Visit our website to find out more.