How to English TEFL Podcast

This week on How To English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em dive into classroom quirks, practical teaching tips, and real‑life language moments — perfect for TEFL teachers, ESL instructors, and CELTA trainees looking to sharpen their classroom practice. They unpack why students make typical errors, how teachers sometimes have to “perform”, and the tiny decisions that make lessons smoother. You’ll hear Em...

Struggling with TEFL homework ideas, online teaching admin, or tricky grammar like wish? In this episode of How to English with Gav & Em, we break down real teaching challenges, share practical tips, and have a bit of fun along the way. 🚀What you’ll learn in this episode: How to create engaging homework tasks (that students actually do!) Why holidays matter for teachers—and how they reset you...

This week on Gav & Em’s How to English TEFL Pod, we take a nostalgic wander through the weird, wonderful, and occasionally chaotic world of TEFL life! ✈️📚 Gav puts Em on the spot with a not-quite-true-or-false quiz that somehow turns into stories about teaching in bathrooms, cupboards, art galleries, and even gas refineries (yes, really). We chat about adorable (and slightly uncooperative) st...

Season 7, Episode 8 is packed with spontaneous teaching ideas, lesson lead-ins, online classroom routines, creative listening tasks, and the eternal TEFL struggle of being stuck indoors when the sun is shining. Gav and Em discuss how they start lessons, ways to avoid classroom monotony, using real-world materials in class, and the freedom TEFL teachers have to experiment and improvise. There’s als...

In this episode, Gav and Em dive into the realities of teaching English as a foreign language. Exploring their strengths and weaknesses as teachers, how to handle distracted students, and the feelings of starting again with brand-new learners. They also discuss praise in the classroom, and give a well-deserved shout-out to a loyal listener and follower. Whether you're teaching, learning, or ju...

Why do students really come to English classes, and what should teachers do about it? In this episode of the How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em dig into the realities of the classroom: student motivation, managing turn‑taking, dealing with similar (or identical!) student names, and knowing when teachers should step back and let students do the talking. They also share: practical strategies fo...

Welcome back to the show. I guess you're wondering what really goes on while teachers are teaching? In this episode of How to English TEFL Podcast, Gav and Em talk about the physical and mental tension of teaching, what happens when you leave a class and come back to find students speaking their own language, and why learners often answer a different question to the one you asked. They also di...

Welcome back to How to English with Gav & Em! In this episode, they branch out into the rhythms of teaching life. From how long a lesson should be, to what really happens between classes, why students sometimes stare blankly at their stories, and how our increasingly dramatic hand gestures somehow hold it all together. Grab a cuppa, settle in, and if you’d like to support the show, you can alw...

In this episode of How To English Pod, Gav and Em dive into the ups and downs of teaching. From juggling long‑term classes and welcoming new students, to grammar slip‑ups, medical vocabulary surprises, and the eternal mystery of whether books are brilliant or boring. They also chat about remembering (and forgetting!) student details, merging groups, and why a single yawn might say more about a les...

Welcome back to How To English: Teach and Learn with Gav & Em! In today’s episode, we dive into the reality of teaching English — from trying to make lessons “fun,” to accidentally stressing students out, to Gav’s brand‑new teaching concept: Cold Coffee Syndrome. We also explore how TEFL life leaks into our “normal” lives, how online teaching affects real‑world conversations, and how cancelled...

Welcome to How To English: Teach & Learn with Gav & Em! A fun TEFL podcast where conversation lessons go wild, ideas run out, car parks become grammar topics, and teachers try to figure out how much personality is too much. Season 7 is all about relaxing, chatting, and seeing where the lesson leads! Support us at www.ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod 💛Timestamps00:00 — Welcome back & Season 7...

It’s the final episode of Season 6, and Gav and Em finish the A–Z of TEFL by squeezing X, Y and Z into one playful, language-packed show. Expect tricky pronunciation, unusual words, classroom games, zeitgeist vocabulary, zero articles, zero conditionals, and plenty of laughs along the way. A fun and thoughtful wrap-up to the season, celebrating language, teaching and learning. If you’d like to sup...

Welcome to another wild ride on the Gav & Em TEFL train! This week, they explore the wonderful world of W. From worst-case lesson nightmares to WH-questions, wish structures, word order, and the moments when teaching really does start to wear a bit thin. Expect laughter, language tips, classroom chaos, and some spectacularly silly sentences (dragons, rollercoasters, and volcanoes included!). I...

Welcome back to the A–Z of TEFL, where this week Gav and Em tumble head-first into the wonderfully vibrant world of V! Expect variety, velvet vests, victorious vocabulary moments, and a VERY enthusiastic debate about voiced fricatives. There are visual coincidences, laughing puppies, identical cars, and a surprisingly deep chat about finding your authentic teacher voice. Grab a cuppa to support th...

🎙️Gav & Em explore the letter U in this fun and practical TEFL episode. From quirky Under to Ultra words, plus uncountable nouns, role plays, grammar tips, and AI-powered sentence upgrades—there’s plenty to unpack. References: English File, Oxford Background music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q83yRKmKKYs&list=PLfP6i5T0-DkKSs8G6YbPHYAR70-f5tP9S&index=21 Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome &a...

🎧 How to English: Teach and Learn with Gav & Em — Episode 20: T Welcome to another tea-fuelled episode of How to English — the podcast for teachers and learners of English as a foreign language! ☕️ This week, Gav & Em tackle the letter T, exploring TEFL, timelines, tone, task-based learning, and a treasure trove of teaching tips from students themselves. Expect laughter, tongue twisters,...

🎙️ S06E19 This week, Gav and Em tackle the letter S with style, sarcasm, and syllables. From subtle shifts in meaning to spontaneous small talk tips, it’s a packed episode full of teachable moments and classroom laughs. Expect staging breakdowns, student situations, and a few classic slip-ups that’ll make you rethink your next grammar lesson. ☕ Support the show at https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpo...

🎙️S06E18: The Letter R. Welcome to another episode of How to English: Teach and Learn with Gav & Em! This week it’s all about the letter R – from grammar to classroom hacks, language origins to fun word games. Expect laughs, real-life teaching tips, and a roller-disco soundtrack.☕ If you’d like to support the show, please visit: http://www.ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod References Spaced repetitio...

🎙 S06E13: Q is for Questions – AMA with Gav & Em In this episode of How to English – Teach and Learn with Gav & Em , we’re going full Q&A mode . From funny classroom moments to TEFL tips, podcast behind-the-scenes, and our Rapid Fire TEFL Round, no question is too big, small, or silly! We even find out Em's favourite competitions in the Teacher Olympics . Expect plenty of laughs, usefu...

🎧 Welcome to How to English: Teach and Learn with Gav & Em! In this lively episode, Gav & Em explore the power of the letter P in English teaching and learning. From PPP to peer correction , picture stories , and even pseudonyms , it’s packed with practical ideas, pronunciation quirks, and plenty of playful banter!☕ Support us on Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod Timestamps 00:00 – Welcom...

🎧 How to English TEFL Pod – S06E15: O Welcome to How to English: Teach and Learn with Gav & Em! In this episode, it’s the letter O – for one-to-ones , on-the-spot grammar , overcorrection , and more! Gav and Em share their usual mix of laughter, insights, and practical classroom tips, with a few onomatopoeic giggles and groans thrown in for good measure. 📣 Support the pod at: ko-fi.com/howto...

🎙️ S06E14 – N is for… Notes, Nuance, No & Nominalisation! 🎧 Welcome back to How To English TEFL Pod with Gav & Em ! In this fun and thoughtful episode, we're (over) halfway through our A–Z of TEFL and celebrating with a bit of housekeeping , a few fruit-related debates , and some grammar goodies – including nominalisation , negative answers , and the power of a simple “No.” 🧠 Expect ling...

🎙️ This week on How To English with Gav & Em, it’s all about the letter M! From matching activities and mnemonics to a modal murder mystery, we explore how memory, meaning, and mindfulness can boost English teaching and learning. Expect laughs, learning, and the return of our matching game—with desserts! If you enjoy the show and want to support us, you can buy us a coffee at ☕ ko-fi.com/howt...

🎙️ Episode 12 – L is for… Language, Lead-ins & Limp Vocabulary! Welcome back to Gav & Em's How to English: Teach and Learn TEFL Podcast – the show for English teachers and learners who love a laugh with their language! This week, it’s L for... lots of things! From Language attrition to Learner autonomy , Lead-ins , and Listening , Gav and Em tackle the TEFL world one "L" at a time. Expect...

🎙️Hello and welcome to How to English TEFL Pod with Gav and Em. Your fortnightly dose of TEFL chat, classroom chaos, and questionable letter themes! This week it’s K, and we’re keeping up, keeping calm, and keeping it together... just about. Expect knowledge gaps, kinesthetic games, and a lot of Ks you didn’t know you needed. Fancy buying us a coffee or tea? Visit ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod – with...