Teaching abroad can give you freedom in speaking and opportunity to know a new culture with and new people!

Ellie Colegate spent five years studying French at school in Kent, but opted not to continue beyond Year 9. "Learning a new language was never something my teachers made appealing or entertaining. My experience was purely an academic one. My French teacher just made us copy and complete exercises from books. And this is a top set French class."

Colegate, 15, has taken some of her GCSEs early and is already looking ahead to a bright future at university, but it's clear that the British approach to language education has failed to engage her. "During lessons, my teacher spent little time speaking the language herself and she would only ever get a handful of the best students to speak in class."

After three years or more studying a foreign language at secondary school, the majority of British school leavers are unable to read, write, speak or understand more than a few phrases, pre-learnt and repeated until they can be said on command, parrot-fashion.

When talking we usually link words together so that two words can sound like one. Simply put, we link words ending with a consonant sound to words beginning with a vowel sound (consonant > vowel). We link words ending with a vowel sound to words beginning with a vowel sound (vowel > vowel). Practise these to improve your listening and pronunciation.

At the same time, the industry around Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) is exploding with activity and seeing increasing success across the globe. TEFL teachers teach English abroad to people whose first language is not English. There are TEFL courses – sometimes also referred to as TESOL (Teaching English as a Second or Other Language) – across the globe, offered by a number of accredited course providers. 

Deena Boraie is president of the TESOL International Association and dean of continuing education at the American University in Cairo, and she believes that methodology is what makes the sector different – and successful. "The field of teaching English to speakers of other languagesreally is a unique discipline with its own pedagogy [and] it combines a number of academic areas," Boraie explains.

Italian student Caterina di Mascio, 19, has learned most of her English through TEFL-based techniques. "Learning English with a native teacher isn't like formal education," she says. "It's fun and interesting, and your teacher becomes your friend." The characteristic TEFL emphasis on spoken language quickly breaks down inhibitions and forces each student to pay close attention throughout the lesson. This style of learning and teaching could have made all the difference to Colegate's perception of languages.

Think about your strong and weak points. Write down which areas you want to improve on and work on improving them. Of course, don’t ignore your strong points. Congratulate yourself on how well you’ve done!

Benny Lewis, a travel blogger who teaches English, has created an entire brand from examining different ways to master languages with his website Fluent in 3 Months. He believes the TEFL approach is successful because it emphasises alternative elements of language learning.

The secret to TEFL methodology is simple: teachers create natural situations for students to interact in. Every student speaks throughout the lesson, and physical movement is exploited to avoid boredom and fatigue. 

But this is – to some extent – dependent on delivery by a native speaker. "It's easier and less exposing for non-native speakers teaching a language to hide behind a text book or grammar book than it is to engage in activities a TEFL teacher would engage in," says Johnny Harben, who has taught English as a foreign language in the UK and abroad for the past five years. "Unless somebody is absolutely fluent, there's always the temptation to speak in a common language with students," Harben adds. "The TEFL methodologies are absolutely for the native English speaker."

Much communication comes through body language and gesture. These can be different between cultures and countries. For example, the two-fingered "V" for victory symbol is fine palms-out. If you make it with you palm facing toward you, you'll offend a British person. It means…well, you ask a British person and find out for yourself!

Carol Syder, director at The English Experience School of English in Norwich, agrees that immersion with a native speaker is an integral part of the process. "We only employ English mother tongue speakers at both our school in Norwich and on the camps we run abroad every year. Why? Because this is the best way to ensure that the students gain confidence and it gives them the best opportunity to improve their language skills in a short space of time."

Pupils who took part consistently exceeded national reading targets for their age and achieved better academic results than their peers who did not participate in the scheme. Most importantly, students who took part were openly enthusiastic about languages and wanted to continue studying French. Despite its success, the scheme lost funding after its three-year inaugural run. Yet these are the programmes with the potential to signal real change in British language education.

If you studying abroad, mix with people from other countries not only people from your own country. It’s not a good idea for you to live in a shared house with people from your own country. Enjoy a more cultural experience by spending time with other nationalities.