5 places to find CPD online

I have been seeing many teachers New Year's resolutions and many seem to be to learn new technology, try a new technique in class, or, basically, to keep growing. As a teacher it is really important to always be growing. We should strive to be a better teacher every day. Luckily, there are tons of places to find professional development: local conferences, at your school, and even online!


1. LinkedIn / Facebook / Twitter etc. That's right! Social media is an easy and informal way to keep developing as a teacher. You can join groups on Facebook and linked in that are devoted just to your subject, or all educators. With twitter you can follow certain hashtags or other teachers. Teachers share blog posts, links to awesome videos, and help one another out when they have questions. When I first started teaching a deaf student I had NO idea how to adjust my lessons. LinkedIn gave me some great responses and encouragement!

2. Webinars There are tons of webinars online! Some of them charge, but I've found a great number that don't. Keep an eye on social media to see when new ones come up. The British Council just did one on teaching Special Needs students, Cambridge recently did one on teaching higher level learners and American TESOL does one every Friday on technology to use in class! Most book publishers will hold webinars so you can search their sites too (e.g. MacmIllan). Attending these live (or watching the recording) is a great way to grow as a teacher. Sometimes completion of these webinars will even get you a certificate.

3. Classes Websites like Udemy, WizIQ, iversity and others make it easy to make yourself a better teacher without every leaving the room. There are the classes you'd normally think about (like online TEFL certificates) as well as ones that may not be as obvious. For example, learning to code, or taking better pictures could make you a better teacher. Keep an eye out for MOOCs too! These are classes which are typically held on a large scale. Many universities have started offering these for free. Harvard, Yale, and others  

4. Blogs That's right, I count reading blogs as professional development. I get great ideas from seeing what other teachers have done. I love being able to be inspired by other teachers and adapt their lessons or ideas to my own classes. Don't limit yourself to just your subject area and age level. I have gotten great ideas from math teachers' blogs and many activities designed for little children are easily adapted to adults. Just by seeing how other teachers do things (and learning from their mistakes) you will be a better teacher! I admit I don't really have bloggers that I follow regularly. I mainly check out whatever blogs look good when they are posted on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

5. Read I tell my students one of the best ways to improve their English is to read. I feel that one of the best ways to become a better teacher is also by reading. Read online journals, news articles, e-books. Whatever you can get your hands on that will give you more information and make you more creative or make you a better prepared teacher.

In the end that's it. The five different ways you can become a better teacher online.

What do you think? Did I leave anything out?

Jobs for experienced teachers

In another post I point out a few good places to check out jobs if you are just getting into the TEFL. There are other places to look when you are already an "established" teacher and looking for jobs.

Now I am at a point in my life where I have experience teaching at multiple levels, a CELTA, and a Masters in a relevant field in addition to my Bachelors. This means that I am looking for other jobs than I did in the past.

I still think you should keep three things in mind when looking for a new job.

1. Is it legal? I always avoided anything that appears to be under the table. First, because I hate breaking the law (yes yes I am a goodie goodie) and second because I planned on spending most of my life living abroad; the last thing I needed was to be blacklisted from visiting some country because of visa violations. It is also safer to have a legal job. At this point in your career you are a professional and should not be sneaking around.

2. Is it verifiable? Google those people! Use your blind date stalking skills for good. Google e-mail addresses, names, the company, etc. Check out their LinkedIn profiles. Check blogs for past employees. Ask to speak to past/current employees. Again, you shouldn't need to take many chances here you aren't a risk so they should be a sure thing.

3. Is it appropriately compensating you? In Mexico I don't make as much as I would in San Diego (assuming I could get a job), but my apartment is much cheaper than what I would be paying in San Diego (as well as other expenses). So even though I am making less I am still able to save, and overall my pay is appropriate for my experience and location. There are other jobs here that pay half of what I make. Those may be great for other people, but at this point in my professional life they aren't for me anymore.


If you are looking into Korea I still recommend  EPIK(rural Korea and Seoul) or GEPIK (involving the doughnut shaped province that surrounds Seoul). Again you must be a "native English Speaker." You do get a pay raise depending on how your level of experience. Salary varies from 2 million won to 2.5 million won depending on your experience and qualifications (2,000-2,500 USD roughly) plus a one time settling fee (to buy pots, pans, etc). If you finish your contract you get a months salary as a bonus. You are given an apartment (which is paid for by the school) and there are often workshops. You work 8 hours a day 5 days a week, but you should only teach 22 hours a week. I believe now GEPIK requires a TEFL.

There's quite a few job search sites that you can find focused on different grades:

• Now, everyone will tell you to check out Dave's Cafe, as it is a pretty good site with jobs worldwide. It is very popular (which means lots of jobs!)  but it doesn't really regulate who posts jobs. Because of this, it is really important to thoroughly check the company.
• HigherEdJobs is available for people looking for jobs in higher education (which normally requires more experience).
• The Chronical of Higher Education has a job forum which also focuses on higher education.
• ESLJobs is a decent job forum as well.

Social Networking

• Mainly however I find these jobs through networking. My Masters program still e-mails me when jobs are available that would be suited to my major. 
• I am a big LinkedIn fan. Especially if you are active in relevant discussions people are more likely to think of you as a fellow teacher, rather than a stranger. 
• I know that facebook is traditionally a personal site but every year when my school hires new teachers I make a quick announcement on my facebook to let my fellow teachers know that they can apply. If they were to apply then they would have a plus: a teacher working here now who can talk to the director personally. What a leg up! In addition a lot of schools have facebook and will post job openings on their social networks before reaching out to recruiters or job sites. 
• Nowadays Twitter is a pretty easy place to check out jobs. You can keep it like facebook where you just follow schools' tweets and look for hints of jobs. An alternative is to look for relevant hashtags  there's also a twitjobsearch page worth checking out.

 Am I missing any? What programs do you find great for EFL teachers with more experience?