The English Council Level two course is a full Certificate TESOL course: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. EC Cert TESOL could be your passport to travel anywhere in the world, to be able to teach others what is now basically, the world language. Completion of this course will open up many opportunities for you to take up your first post as a teacher of English as a Second Language and will give you a firm foundation for self-evaluation and further professional development. To qualify for the EC Cert TESOL, trainees must undertake the course with full commitment and complete all assignments, including teaching practice, to the required standard set by the English Council’s Examination Board.

Trainees must be at least 18 years old and at this stage, they must demonstrate a high level of spoken English, with the ability to explain and model it to others, whether or not English is their first language. The course is designed to equip trainees with a good grounding in all the 4 skills; Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, plus the knowledge needed to give them the ability to teach: adults, teenager and children English whether they are advanced and need extra help or are complete beginners. On completion of this course trainees will receive a certificate of TESOL along with a checkable record of actual teaching practice (the most valuable aspect of any TESOL course) The EC TESOL course consists of 10 (classroom or online) modules, 10 assignments, 5 hours of observed teaching (classroom or online) and 10 hours teaching time:

Part 1: of the course is a follow on from the Introduction course, with a more in-depth look at all aspects of ESOL, taking you through all you will need to know, step by step, and allowing you the opportunity to put it all into practice.

Part 2: consists of five hours of observed/monitored classroom/online teaching time (Trainer observing your lesson) Teaching learners of various levels. To include, Lesson planning and monitored feedback.

Part 3: consists of ten hours of classroom/online teaching time. Teaching either Speakers of Other Language or ones from your own language who wish to learn or improve their English in one-to-one and mixed lessons, with lesson planning and student feedback.

Completion of this course will qualify you as a Teaching Assistant for ESOL in all English Council registered schools and many others. This course is also suitable if you are a student thinking of taking a year out before or during university or taking a summer job in TESOL.

Trainees must be at least eighteen years old and at this stage they must demonstrate a good level of spoken English, whether or not English is their first language. The course is designed to equip trainees with the basic skills and knowledge needed to give them a firm foundation for self-evaluation and further professional development. It must be stressed that this is an initial pre-qualification course only. After completing these course trainees will be “assistant” teacher level. On completion of this course trainees will have enough insight of TESOL to be able to decide whether they wish to continue. For trainees to continue on to level two they must first have completed all assignments, projects and tests of the level one course, to the standard set by the English Council Examination Board.

The Introduction to TESOL course consists of five two hour lessons plus five assignments allowing trainees an insight into all aspects of a fully certificate course:

1. Language awareness; an overview of all aspects of English grammar.

2. Language awareness; an overview of all aspects of phonology.

3. Teaching awareness; methodology, classroom management, techniques & record keeping.

4. Materials compilation; planning, producing and evaluating classroom teaching materials .

5. Learner profile; linguistic profile, needs analysis for students and testing methods.

Having chosen English as the preferred language in the EEC, the European Parliament has commissioned a feasibility study in ways of improving efficiency in communications between Government departments.

European officials have often pointed out that English spelling is unnecessarily difficult; for example: cough, plough, rough, through and thorough. What is clearly needed is a phased programme of changes to iron out these anomalies.

The programme would, of course, be administered by a committee staff at top level by participating nations.

In the first year, for example, the committee would suggest using ’s’ instead of the soft ‘c’. Sertainly, sivil servants in all sities would resieve this news with joy. Then the hard ‘c’ could be replaced by ‘k’ sinse both letters are pronounsed alike. Not only would this klear up konfusion in the minds of klerikal workers, but typewriters kould be made with one less letter.

There would be growing enthusiasm when in the sekond year, it was announsed that the troublesome ‘ph’ would henseforth be written ‘f’. This would make words like ‘fotograf’ twenty persent shorter in print.

In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reash the stage where more komplikated shanges are possible.

Governments would enkourage the removal of double leters whish have always been a deterent to akurate speling.

We would al agre that the horible mes of silent ‘e’s in the languag is disgrasful. Therefor we kould drop them and kontinu to read and writ as though nothing had hapend. By this tim it would be four years sins the skem began and peopl would be reseptive to steps sutsh as replasing ‘th’ by ‘z’. Perhaps zen ze funktion of ‘w’ kould be taken on by ‘v’, vitsh is, after al, half a ‘w’. Shortly after zis, ze unesesary ‘o kould be dropd from vords kontaining ‘ou’. Similar arguments vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.

Kontinuing zis proses yer after yer, ve vud eventuli hav a reli sensibl riten styl. After tventi yers zer vud be no mor trubls, difikultis and evrivun vud find it ezi tu understand ech ozer. Ze drems of the Guvermnt vud finali hav kum tru.

 This is obviously a joke, or is it – it does seem to sum up the mentality of the EU – Independence for England is coming.

Here at the English Council, the other day, we were asked this question and it has set us all thinking now. It is a fact that many aspects of English are different from American, to such an extent that it could be construed as a different language all together. So we ask ourselves, why do the Americans, who are very proud of being American call the language they use and spread all around the world “English” instead of American. As the famous English Politician, Sir Winston Churchill once said, “America and England are two countries divided by the same language” As true Native English Teachers of English, we have all decided to research this subject and publish our findings in the near future. We already know from our own teaching of English around the world and from our teaching of students from around the world, who come to England to study with us, that there is a big difference between American English and what is called British English (that is another subject that we will be writing on in the near future)The difference, sometimes is so great, that we basically have to re-teach our students, to help them speak and understand “English” English. With so many differences in: spelling, vocabulary, syntax, the use of tenses and the pronunciation we do often feel we are dealing with a different language. To aid our research on this subject we would welcome any comments from any; teachers, students or users of the English language.

One of our registered teachers recently when to China to teach English and was shocked to find the depth of ignorance there or is it just the depth of success in our politicians, destroying the actual existence of England, the country. As we all know England is a country, in fact the largest country of Britain (it seems a little facetious to say Great Britain any more).

Our teacher filled out his Immigration form saying he was English as all English people should, but the authorities could not comprehend the fact that he had a British passport. He tried to explain that he could not get an English passport and was forced to have a British passport. This really baffled the Policeman in-charge of Immigration control in the fairly modern but backwater Town in China.

Eventually, after looking in many reference books the police officer found the connection between England and Britain. How sad this is, that what was once the most powerful and advanced country in the world has been reduced to a mere mention in some reference book, especially in a country that is begging for our language, English.

Let us know if you have had any similar experiences when you said you were English.

The English Council is not in any way political but our aim and our mission is always to preserve and protect the English Language, the English culture, English Traditions, English History and England the country.

We welcome any input and support.

 Let me play devil’s advocate to stir you all up.

 What does it mean to be British? Well when you think about it seriously it means nothing. Nothing except you have managed to get a British passport. You could be any old Tom, Dick or Patel for all it matters.

To be British is probably an insult to most English people, who cannot have an English passport, do not have an English parliament, and do not have an English National Anthem. The English flag is seen as, at best the Red Cross or at worst England football. People of the world have no idea about England now.

If you say you are from England or you are English, I have had some Americans say, “What part of London is that” dear dear dear, what ever next.

In Asia, especially China, they do not seem to have a clue about England, “the country”

England is a country, in fact the largest country of the united kingdom, UK. The British Isles, a number of Islands near Europe.

Even though an obnoxious ex British politician, John Prescot I think his name was, once said “there is no such nationality as English”.  Whom does he think he is, we know he is Welsh and we have to make allowances for this but come on? What an insult to all English people.

Personally, travelling the world, teaching English around the world, and teaching students from all parts of the world, I am saddened by this. By the fact that we cannot stand up and say we are English and be proud of it anymore.

What do you think?

Bring it on; let us hear what you all have to say about this.