April 15, 2008
Living on a Budget - DVDs
Hello Readers,
I read an article in the paper this weekend about ways to save money. Tips included things like, don't buy a designer hand bag, rent one! Instead of eating out five nights a week, eat out four times! Instead of going to the salon twice a month for facials, go once a month! While these tips may be helpful to some, ...
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Posted by crueckert at 07:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
February 23, 2008
Living on a Budget - Join (or start) a club
Hello Readers,
Do you find that spend too much money on going out with friends? Sticking to a budget can be easy when it comes to food, transport and the like, but when it comes to one's social life, it's easy for the budget to go right out the window. So what's a more affordable way to spend time with old friends and meet new friends without spending too much of your hard-earned cash? Join, or start, ...
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Posted by crueckert at 04:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 04, 2008
Living on a budget- Setting money aside
Hello Readers,
For many of you working in foreign countries, you may be getting paid in cash. If so, I know that having cash at hand can make it even more difficult to put it away. So, what can you do to make sure you have enough money at the end of the month for your basic needs?
One simple solution ...
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Posted by crueckert at 12:24 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
November 13, 2007
Living on a Budget- Pay As You Go
Hello Readers,
Teachers tend to have the knack for chatting. The problem is that in today's world, chatting often is done on a cell phone which can lead to astronomical bills at the end of the month. As cell phone charges vary from country to country, it's a good idea to make sure that you are aware of what you are being charged for, e.g., Do you pay for receiving texts as well as sending them? Are you charged extra for answering an international call?
In addition to learning about how you will be billed for your cell phone use, there are some other things that you can do to keep the cost of your phone bills down. These include ...
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Posted by crueckert at 07:52 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
October 12, 2007
Living on a Budget- Cash for the Commute
Hello Readers,
From my experience, figuring out the commute to work goes something like this:
Day 1: Get up a bit early and walk to and from work.
Day 2: Forgot work was so tiring, take the bus to work but promise to walk home
Day 3: The bus was too crowded yesterday, take the subway to work but walk home
Day 4: Take the subway to work and treat yourself to few drinks after work and a cab home
Day 5: Had too many drinks last night, so get up later than usual...
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Posted by crueckert at 05:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
September 06, 2007
Living on a Budget- Freecycle
Dear Readers,
How do you feel about moving to a new country? My guess is that as a TEFL-er, you're probably quite accustomed to moving from city to city or country to country. While packing might not be something we all look forward to, it's probably not something that we dread as much as non-TEFL-ers. But what do you do with all of your belongings when you have to move to another country? Do you pack it all up and ship it to your new destination? Do you...
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Posted by crueckert at 10:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
August 03, 2007
Living on a Budget-Laminates
Hello Readers,
What's the first thing students do when they are given a role play card or something similar on paper? Do they think about how much time and effort the teacher has gone through to create it, print it, cut it, and sort it? Or do they immediately start to roll it up, peel the paper off the card backing, and pinch the edges down. You can't blame them; it seems to be a natural reaction.
However, there is something you can do to minimize...
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Posted by crueckert at 08:37 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
June 29, 2007
Living on a Budget- Games
Hello Readers,
Many teachers choose to play games in their classrooms to add a little excitement to the classroom. Games can be used to motivate the students, to spark interest in the language, to review what's already been learned, and to provide students with communicative language practice. Sometimes games are also used to simply fill time. Fair enough.
Games like scrabble, memory, pictionary...
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Posted by crueckert at 03:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 21, 2007
Living on a Budget- Material Swap
Hello Readers!
As the saying goes, "birds of a feather flock together". English teachers tend to be no different from the rest. While you may be spending plenty of time with each other at the pub, at a club or at a restaurant, do you actually discuss teaching with each other? With all the experience that each person has...
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Posted by crueckert at 03:24 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
April 25, 2007
Living on a Budget- Lodgers
Hello everyone,
While it's possible to make a decent (and sometimes more than decent) salary in ESL, some ESL teachers find that they're living from paycheck to paycheck. If you're in that situation, there is something you can take advantage of to...
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Posted by crueckert at 05:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
March 25, 2007
Living on a Budget- Staying In
Hello Readers,
As I was getting ready to go to a friend's house for dinner the other night, I heard a DJ on the radio make the following comment: "Staying in is the new going out". Sounds a bit silly, I suppose, but it's worth thinking about. For many ESL teachers, salaries are low. While we all enjoy a good night out, spending money on food and drink in restaurants and bars is...
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Posted by crueckert at 05:02 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
February 19, 2007
Living on a Budget- Free Business English Materials
Hello Readers,
Have you found it difficult to create your own Business English materials for class? Do you need extra Business English materials to supplement your textbook? Do you need something to get you started?
Business English can be a difficult class to teach, especially if you don't have any or much experience in the field of business. That's why having materials you can rely on...
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Posted by crueckert at 04:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 19, 2007
Living on a Budget- Free ESL Journal
Hello Readers,
When I first started teaching ESL, I had no training and no idea what I was doing. However, I was interested in learning more about the field. The only problem was, I didn't know where to look. Well, one journal that I'd highly recommend reading...
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Posted by crueckert at 12:45 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
December 15, 2006
Living on a Budget- Paper-less Lessons
Hello Readers,
Photocopying worksheets and chapters out of a book can be time-consuming, expensive (for those of you who don't have access to a photocopier at your school), and bad for the environment. So, what can you do? You know that your students want to be able to take something away from your class, and that worksheets can allow for review of the language learned. Furthermore, they can provide you with a good visual. The answer...
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Posted by crueckert at 03:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
November 14, 2006
Living on a Budget- Authentic Materials
Hello Readers,
I recently spent some time looking around a well-equipped resource room for teachers in a local ESL school here in Oxford. It came complete with shelves upon shelves of grammar reference books, teaching methodology books, textbooks categorized by level, tapes/CDs , library activities, movie activities, etc. I was amazed. While you most likely won't have enough cash to create such an extensive resource library for yourself, you can start collecting some...
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Posted by crueckert at 03:48 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
October 16, 2006
Living on a Budget- BBC Learning English
Dear Readers,
Do you walk past ESL resources in the bookstores and wish you could afford to buy them? Do you spend hours on the internet searching for up-to-date lessons? Well, look no further. BBC has a special section online devoted to ESL teachers. And the best part about it? It's FREE.
So, where can you find it? Just go to...
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Posted by crueckert at 07:05 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
August 29, 2006
Living on a Budget- Dining with Your Students
Hello Readers!
Is eating out too expensive for you? Would you like to try some international cuisine? Do you need a way to get your students talking to each other? I've got a way to spice up your life, your classes, and possibly your meals, as well!
As school starts up again for the school year, and you have a new group of names and faces to remember...
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Posted by crueckert at 02:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
July 16, 2006
Living on a Budget- Saving Money
Hello Readers!
Are you bad with finances? Do you live from pay check to pay check? Would you like to figure out how to save a little money from time to time? For many ESL teachers who are fresh out of university, saving cash has never been an option. But it's not that hard to learn to save. I've found that while spending money is obviously extremely easy, saving money is...
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Posted by crueckert at 03:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 25, 2006
Living on a Budget – Making Ends Meet
Dear ESL Teachers living abroad,
In Korea, for example, the Won is the currency and has fluctuated from on par with American dollars to much less. However when compared to many other countries it seems easy to go away after a year with a few thousand dollars in you pocket.
Jobs vary but about 2 million seems about average considering other perks such as a housing allowance, health care, and travel reimbursement. Some foreigners are here to pay off student loans and others make enough doing privates to do distance learning and complete a Masters of Arts or Education while abroad.
It is possible to . . .
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Posted by ESL Lesson Plan at 01:06 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (1)
April 27, 2006
Living on a Budget – Extra Sources of Income
Dear Readers,
Let’s face it, few people go into ESL to make money, but when you’re being paid a pittance by your academy to work your socks off, you might start wondering why you didn’t choose a more lucrative career.
So why not think of alternative sources of income to top-up your pay? For most teachers this may mean taking private classes, an unpredictable venture at the best of times, and one that could get you in trouble with your employer if your visa depends on their sponsorship . . .
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Posted by ESL Lesson Plan at 06:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (4)
March 11, 2006
Living on a Budget – Free Movie Rentals?
Readers,
Living abroad? On a budget? Love to watch movies or read? Spend too much money on entertainment (a standard movie ticket in Japan is approximately $17 US!)? It’s time to checkout your local library!
Ok, so maybe this seems like pointing out the obvious, but I’ll tell ya, though I like to think I’m pretty quick, it took me a few months living in Japan before learning about the library and I couldn’t have been more surprised! Not only did I not expect English language movies and magazines, but the book selection was pretty impressive! To get a . . .
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Posted by ESL Lesson Plan at 08:10 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack (1)
June 09, 2005
Living on a Budget - The Hows and Whys
Dear ESL Teachers,
We all know that teachers need to live on a budget. The problem is that most of us try to keep a ‘running tab’ in our heads, and then call it a budget. Guess what? It doesn’t work!
If you want to get serious about making the most of your teacher’s salary, you’ll have to actually sit down and write it down. It takes a little planning to create a budget that you can actually stick to, but once you do, you’ll see those dollars stretching a lot farther than you ever imagined.
Here’s a quick guide to get you started . . .
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Posted by msimmons at 04:03 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (1)
March 29, 2005
Living On A Budget - Accomodations
Dear Readers,
Quick! What’s the number one reason that most ESL teachers decide to go to another country to teach? If you think that it’s to experience another culture and see the world, you’re right! But many teachers find that, because of the low salaries offered in many countries, they can’t travel as much as they had hoped to.
Living on a budget can be a challenge for many teachers, but with some planning and savvy, it is possible to find a good balance. The biggest expense in anyone’s budget is living accommodations. Today, I'll offer two tips to help you reduce yours . . .
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Posted by msimmons at 03:14 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (1)
