How to English TEFL Podcast

Gav and Em

Welcome to a teaching and learning English podcast. Meet Gav & Em, two experienced teachers, discussing the most important topics for both teachers and students. Each week they'll cover teaching techniques and learning tips. Whether you're up at the board, or behind the desk, you'll get something from How To English TEFL Podcast. Show your support here: https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

  1. TEFL Tales, Training, First Impressions

    Jun 5

    TEFL Tales, Training, First Impressions

    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) student pets 🐱, mega-long commutes, and the classroom games that got way too competitive… with adults 😅. Then things get a bit more reflective as we dig into our CELTA experiences—what stuck, what annoyed us, and how it’s shaped the teachers we are today. We talk about classroom dynamics, teacher “fingerprints” on students, first impressions (and first-lesson nerves!), and why being human in front of your class might just be your biggest strength. As always, it’s relaxed, honest, and packed with teaching insights you’ll definitely recognise—whether you’re in the classroom or learning in one. ☕ If you enjoy the show, you can support Gav & Em (and keep the coffee flowing!) at 👉 ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod Resources Quiz music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=proOvlY-WKk ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro with TEFL nostalgia 03:17 – Gav’s “true or false” quiz begins 😄 03:47 – Weirdest places we’ve taught English 04:40 – Cutest (and strangest) student pets 06:02 – Longest commutes & travel stories 07:09 – Funny things students have called us 08:02 – Essential TEFL survival items ☕ 08:32 – When classroom games get too competitive 11:02 – CELTA reflections: love it or hate it? 17:05 – Teaching style, classroom vibe & being approachable 18:22 – Can you spot another teacher’s influence? 23:18 – Bad habits students bring with them 25:24 – First lessons, pressure & first impressions 26:59 – Surviving the “autopilot” lesson blur 31:06 – Being human, making mistakes & wrapping up

    33 min
  2. Emails, Accents, Websites

    May 22

    Emails, Accents, Websites

    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 also a brilliant live email-writing activity, an impromptu Jackie Chan listening lesson, favourite teaching websites, and a very important discussion about forks. Support the pod and fuel the tea and coffee fund at ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod Resources: Jackie Chan interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0IWSyc5AQQ Wikipedia: https://www.wikipedia.org/ BBC learning: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/ Google images: https://images.google.com/ https://test-english.com/ Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro and what’s coming up in this episode 02:07 – How Gav and Em start the first five minutes of a lesson 05:39 – Greeting students and avoiding classroom monotony 10:17 – Being stuck inside teaching when the weather is beautiful 14:03 – The creative freedom of TEFL teaching 16:01 – Gav’s spontaneous live email-writing lesson 21:59 – Em’s improvised Jackie Chan listening activity 26:01 – Favourite websites to use during lessons 29:19 – Safe searching, grammar websites, and online teaching tools 32:11 – “Put a fork in me, I’m done” and outro banter

    34 min
  3. TEFL Strengths, Weaknesses, Growth

    May 8

    TEFL Strengths, Weaknesses, Growth

    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 just curious about TEFL life, there’s plenty here to reflect on and laugh about. ☕ Support the pod: https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod Timestamps 00:00 – Intro & episode overview 01:28 – Strengths and weaknesses as TEFL teachers 09:04 – Exploring teaching weaknesses (and honesty time) 20:21 – How to deal with distracted students 24:27 – Starting from scratch with new students 27:23 – Recognising student progress & using praise 32:10 – Listener shout-out & teaching reflections 33:11 – Outro & support the pod

    34 min
  4. Students' motivations, Managing TTT and STT, Teaching with AI

    Apr 24

    Students' motivations, Managing TTT and STT, Teaching with AI

    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 for balancing TTT vs STT, how to handle awkward silences and dominant speakers, real examples of using AI in lesson planning, and a cautionary tale about why you should always check your materials before class… Grab a coffee (or tea), settle in, and join Gav and Em for an honest, practical conversation about what actually happens when you’re teaching English — and why it matters. ☕ Support the podcast: ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod Quiz music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpSEdFEwCS0 Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome to How to English TEFL 01:50 – Why do students come to English classes? 05:24 – Different motivations in the same group 07:56 – When students have the same (or similar) names 10:14 – What to do when you say the wrong name 12:49 – Turn-taking: order, randomness, and balance 15:44 – Encouraging quieter students to speak 16:22 – Awkward silences and “no questions” 22:01 – When students ask the teacher questions 23:15 – TTT vs STT: how much should teachers talk? 26:18 – Using AI in lesson planning 30:34 – Why you should always check your materials

    34 min
  5. Teaching Tension, L1 and Translation Apps

    Apr 10

    Teaching Tension, L1 and Translation Apps

    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 discuss how to grow their podcast. Whether translation apps help or hinder language learning. And finish with a surprising deep dive into the words don and doff. Honest teaching talk, classroom realities, and plenty of reflection for teachers and learners alike. ☕ Support the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpodTimestamps00:00 Introduction00:39 What teachers do while teaching05:23 Movement, posture & staying healthy10:53 Leaving the class and L1 switching17:24 Not answering the question22:08 Getting deep and technical26:11 Growing the podcast29:10 Translation apps in lessons35:36 Don vs doff (word origins)

    40 min
  6. TEFL Lessons, Breaks and Hand Gestures

    Mar 27

    TEFL Lessons, Breaks and Hand Gestures

    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 always show your thanks at ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome to the 3rd, no 4th episode 00:52 – Who listens to this podcast? 01:43 – Ideal weekly teaching load 04:47 – What's a teaching hour? 05:02 – Small talk: essential or excessive? 09:01 – What teachers do between lessons 13:33 – Admin, notes & digital vs analog 16:24 – Giving grammar real context 22:54 – Why students don’t react to your stories 29:26 – The art of TEFL hand gestures & goodbye

    37 min
  7. Books, Yawns and Fresh Faces

    Mar 13

    Books, Yawns and Fresh Faces

    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 lesson than any feedback form ever could. If you’d like to support the show and help keep the coffee flowing, you can visit ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod Timestamps 00:00 – Warm welcome, rumbling stomachs 01:06 Anywhere/anyone/anything 5:10 Medical English & pronunciation discoveries 07:12 Remembering students’ personal info. 15:39 Long‑term students vs. new students 26:04 Books: useful tools or unnecessary burdens? 31:31 The yawn test for lesson success

    35 min
  8. Fun or Stress, Cold Coffee and Cancellations

    Feb 27

    Fun or Stress, Cold Coffee and Cancellations

    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 lessons make us really feel. Plus, Em attempts to entertain us with some questionable teacher jokes… 😅If you enjoy the show, buy us a hot drink (which may go cold while teaching!) at: 👉 https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod Background music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbOkPxriS6sShort Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 00:57 – Interruption & DIScover 02:25 – Fun vs stress in the classroom 09:19 – Gav’s Cold Coffee Syndrome 14:19 – TEFL life and “real life” 21:38 – Online vs face‑to‑face skills 24:20 – How cancellations make teachers feel 28:29 – Em’s English teacher jokes 32:12 – Wrap‑up & Ko‑fi

    33 min
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Welcome to a teaching and learning English podcast. Meet Gav & Em, two experienced teachers, discussing the most important topics for both teachers and students. Each week they'll cover teaching techniques and learning tips. Whether you're up at the board, or behind the desk, you'll get something from How To English TEFL Podcast. Show your support here: https://ko-fi.com/howtoenglishpod

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