Things We Wish We’d Known Before Teaching English – Practical TEFL Advice – S01E25

What do experienced English teachers wish they had known when they first started teaching?In this episode of How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em look back at the lessons they learned the hard way during their early years in the classroom — from spending far too long planning lessons to building confidence, organising teaching materials and surviving intimidating job interviews.Drawing on years of real classroom experience, they discuss practical TEFL advice that can make life easier for new and developing English teachers. Should you really spend hours planning every lesson? How can you build a reusable bank of teaching materials? Is it okay not to know every grammar rule? And what should you expect when you apply for your first English-teaching job?Gav and Em also discuss why teachers should plan for the actual students in front of them rather than an imaginary “perfect class”, why demonstrating activities clearly matters, and how coursebooks can save enormous amounts of preparation time when you use them creatively rather than simply racing through the pages.They also look at the realities of teaching jobs that new teachers may not expect: lesson planning outside paid teaching hours, observations, level testing, demonstration lessons, summer-school duties and other responsibilities beyond the classroom.Most importantly, they discuss something many new teachers need to hear: teaching gets easier. Grammar knowledge grows, lesson planning becomes faster, useful materials accumulate and classroom confidence develops through experience.The final part of the episode turns to English learners. Gav and Em explain why building a regular English-learning routine early — using videos, podcasts, TV, vocabulary notebooks, apps and reading — can make long-term progress much easier.Whether you're taking a CELTA, starting your first TEFL job, teaching English abroad, moving into ESL/EFL teaching or simply trying to become a more confident teacher, this episode is packed with practical lessons Gav and Em wish they had known earlier.☕ Support How to English:https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod🌐 Free TEFL articles, teaching ideas and classroom activities you can use today:https://www.howtoenglishpod.com/Gav & Em's Top tips:6 Minute English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-englishLearn/Practice Movies With English: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA7lNLNvxTzig5dqfGl8DGbLOvUI08yXg Magoosh: https://magoosh.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_u7254yx6gIVmN4YCh0vPQJFEAAYASAAEgIo4_D_BwEQuizlet: https://quizlet.com/How I Met Your Mother, TV SeriesFriends, TV SeriesThe Office (UK/USA), TV SeriesThe Big Bang Theory, TV SeriesTIMESTAMPS00:00 – Things we wish we’d known about teaching English02:20 – Should new teachers plan less?04:43 – Planning for different days, times and class energy06:07 – Plan for your real students, not an imaginary class07:07 – Build a reusable bank of teaching materials08:54 – Why teachers should demonstrate everything clearly10:23 – How to organise and digitise teaching resources13:06 – Use coursebooks properly and save planning time15:42 – Play more games and enjoy your lessons16:07 – Teacher confidence and not knowing every grammar rule17:58 – TEFL job interviews and demonstration lessons20:08 – The extra duties English-teaching jobs can involve21:37 – The important truth: teaching gets easier24:10 – Building an English-learning routine from day one26:51 – Vocabulary notebooks, apps and reviewing new language27:20 – Why regular reading helps English learners progress28:41 – What do you wish you had known when you started?