The TtMadrid TEFL Course

Teaching Practices

The most important aspect of our course is the teaching experience you will gain.  Each trainee teaches 6 classes which are observed.  You will also see a minimum of 6 hours of peer classes and watch the experienced TEFL trainers teach the English classes during the first week.  We offer free English classes at the school and these people are your students. They are a wonderful group of people and you will have experience of teaching one-2-one classes, elementary to advanced groups and telephone teaching.  Half your classes will be general English and the other half business English.

The process is simple.  We plan a class together using the PPP methodology.  You teach the class and one of the trainers watches you.  We do an evaluation and you do a self evaluation and we then come together to talk about what went well, what didn't go so well and come up with new strategies to improve your teaching for the next class.  It is very structured and very supportive.   

You will also shadow experienced and qualified teachers in real classes for both adults and children (children's classes are optional).  

It is important to note that we make no financial gain from the free English classes - as it should be.  

TEFL Lesson Planning

Planning a lesson is one of the things that really daunts new teachers. On the course you will be given example lesson plans to follow as you observe experienced teachers teach. You will then, over two lessons, dissect the components of a good lesson plan to understand its composition and the rationale behind it. In addition, you will learn how to write excellent objectives that give you a clear focus of what you are trying to achieve. You will also be introduced to the PPP lesson planning methodology that will ensure you are capable of writing a thorough and effective lesson plan, regardless of your level of experience. You will be required to produce six lesson plans whilst on the course.

Classroom Management

During this input you will analyse a range of real life scenarios, things that we know, based on our extensive experience, will happen to you as a teacher within weeks, if not days, of starting work. We are committed to ensuring that you complete the course confident in your ability to deal with a range of students: the dominant student, the quiet and painfully shy student who hides in the back of the classroom and the busy business person that can't be disconnected from their mobile phone. Regardless of the situation, you will be able to handle yourself with both grace and professionalism, leaving the student in no doubt that they are in the capable hands of trained practitioner.

English Teaching Materials and Resources

Many teachers use the same materials year in, year out which is both uninspiring and demotivating for students.  Finding up-to-date and interesting material in books, newspapers and websites, as well as designing your own materials and creating games, is essential to keeping your students captivated and motivated. Teaching business English can be even more of a challenge and we will put you on the right track by providing you with a wide range of materials and skills, to keep your teaching material portfolio up to date.

We even give you access to our resources after your TEFL course with us in Madrid ends. You are always welcome to drop in to use our copier or have a cuppa tea!

The Learner Profile Business Project

This project requires you to work in a group to do an in-depth analysis of the needs and abilities of a business English student. This project is very extensive and will really test, through application, the things you have learnt on the course. After collecting a range of data through testing your student's listening, reading, writing and speaking skills, you will use this data to develop a telephone class, needs analysis and course plan. You will also be required to use the knowledge you've gained of grammar, phonetics, word stress, sentence stress and intonation to dissect the data collected in order determine your students strengths, weaknesses and level in accordance with the Common European Framework.

Error and Correction

Learning how to identify mistakes and correct them is crucial to a student's development. Moving from one level to the next in English is often very difficult and is greatly reliant on thorough correction from a consistent teacher. However, effective correction is not an easy skill to master. What to correct? When to correct? How to correct? Are all important questions that will be answered in this input.

Needs Analysis and Level Testing

We call our TEFL course the TEFL plus course. The reason being is that we do all the subjects of a regular TEFL course as well as some additional units that we believe make you very marketable and extremely employable. We are determined to ensure that our graduates have an edge over teachers - two units that will give you this edge Needs Analysis and Level Testing. Many companies will employ a team of teachers for a few weeks before the start of the teaching year to do comprehensive Needs Analysis and Level Testing within companies. This is a great opportunity to earn extra cash outside the teaching year. Knowing how to design and conduct both these things just gives you an extra string to your bow.

1 to 1 TEFL Teaching

If you decide to stay and work as a tefl teacher in Spain many of the classes you'll be teaching will be 1 to 1 classes however, many of the resources you will find in books and on the internet suit groups not 1 to 1 classes. We will show you how to adapt your material and style to meet the different objectives of 1 to 1 teaching. Many senior executives take this type of class in order to meet specific objectives such as a new project with an English speaking company, a job promotion, or because it is expected within the company. We will teach you how to identify their motivation and needs and how to teach them effectively.

Telephone Teaching and Blended Learning

This is the new phenomenon that is sweeping Spain and most of Europe!  With business people finding it increasingly difficult to attend group classes due to their busy schedules, many are turning to telephone classes.  You call the student at a pre-arranged time and work through agreed themes and topics.  These are fun and interesting but you need different skills and materials in order to teach this type of class. All of our trainers are experienced telephone teachers who have designed and prepared extensive lessons and role plays. We will pass on our knowledge to you and best of all; you don't even have to get out of bed to teach these classes!

Business Intensives

As English teaching becomes more and more essential, companies are requesting specific courses such as presentations, negotiating, secretarial skills etc in order to meet the demands of their business. Courses can last from 4 hours to 2 weeks depending on the needs of the learner. Again, the skills you will need to prepare and execute these lessons are very different to the other types of groups and classes. We will guide you through this process so that whatever the objectives of the company, you can make a course to fit their requirements.

The Skills Course

This is a core element of the course and taught over three inputs. We will comprehensively look at the things you need to consider when teaching these skills and explore varied and interesting ways of helping your students develop in these areas.

English Grammar

This is the module that students fear the most before signing up to do a TEFL course however, once you join our course you'll receive a pre-course grammar pack to do before you start. We strongly recommend taking the time to complete the pack. It is written in a very relaxed way. It takes you step-by-step through the basics of English tenses - minus the complexities and anomalies. Doing the pack gives you a great head start and makes your time on the course a lot easier. This course is intensive so getting to know the basics before starting will just be one less thing you have to worry about.
Whilst on the course you will undertake our Grammar Discovery Program as well as a series of specialized inputs such as Modal Verbs, Conditionals and Phrasal Verbs, to ensure you graduate with the fundamentals of grammar and how to teach them.

Phonetics

Understanding the English phonemic alphabet is a very important tool that will be invaluable as you help your students with their pronunciation. Being able to use the phonemic alphabet will also set you apart from many teachers who underutilize it as a teaching tool. Being able to demonstrate to students how to correctly make a "bilabial plosive sound" and what exercises they can do in order to make these sounds with greater ease in the future, will not only impress your students, but will also result in improved pronunciation in a short amount of time.

Pronunciation is an area that all students of English worry about. As a result they will greatly appreciate your knowledge in this area that is fraught with confusions such as 'ate' and 'eight', 'meet' and 'meat'. We will send you the phonemic chart so you can become familiar with it before the course starts.

Unknown Natural Language (UNL)

Something all great English teachers have in common is the ability to empathize and relate to what their students are going through. Learning another language requires courage, patience, persistence and hard work, and as a teacher you need to understand the myriad of emotions your students feel whilst in the classroom. Putting yourself in their shoes will make you a better teacher and help you design more successful classes.

With this in mind we get you to undertake two lessons in another language whilst on the course. You will receive lessons using the TEFL methodology - this is not only to ensure you experience what your students experience, but it is also to ensure you gain confidence using a system whereby you are only taught in the language you are learning. We want you to be able to work anywhere in the world regardless of the language you speak. TEFL is a methodology that will expand your teaching opportunities; a qualification that is effective and recognized everywhere. We have a range of UNL teachers so you will receive classes in one of the following languages: Thai, Hebrew, Polish or Swahili.

During the classes you will be required to take notes in order to complete a journal about your thoughts and feelings and identify the skills and styles that the teacher is using to help you learn the language.  This really is a fun element of the course and without exception; students find this an invaluable experience.

Teaching Children

You will have the opportunity to observe experienced teachers in real classroom setting with children.  We also offer a young learners extension programme which is included in the visa programme.  Teaching children is not for everyone, but if it is, we will work with you to achieve this.

Orientation, Support, CV Preparation and a Job Workshop

Whether you are planning to look for a TEFL job in Spain, return home, or go to another country to teach English, we will help you work out the best career path for you. We will spend time with you to work out the next stage to ensure your teaching career gets off to a flying start.
If you are planning on working in Spain, we will give you all the information you need from housing, tax and finding a doctor to helping you get your NIE appointment, bank account and mobile phone.

We also have fantastic contacts with some of the best paying teaching agencies in Madrid. We will help you tailor your CV to the teaching market and send it to over 300 schools, academies and agencies in Madrid. If you are planning to go to work in other countries, we have a wide range of information, resources and contacts.
We also offer full support after the course and you can come back with any queries, questions or just to tell us how you're doing - we are always pleased to keep in contact with our former trainees and offer them whatever guidance and support they may need.

Many TEFL courses in Madrid and beyond also employ you as they run they own in company classes.  Whilst we know this seems like a plus, TtMadrid specifically chose not to have its own English classes from day one.  We chose to do this because for us it is simple, we are a teacher training organization and we put all our focus into this.  We also also knew that you can only offer some of your graduates some hours so what happens to the rest?  You then need to find them jobs with your competitors which is never easy.  

TtMadrid works with so many schools, academies and agencies becuase we do not compete with them - so they play nicely with us.  We generally receive about 20 job offers a week from them and work with quite a few agencies that like to interview you before the course is even finished so they can employ you with an empty schedule.  

ALL our graduates get good quality work straight after the course because we are well connected and are relentless in our support to ensure you get what you came here for.