ESOL Queen

Over the years, I’ve written lots of posts on this blog, but I’ve rarely shared much about my own journey. So, here’s a little look at what led me into teaching—and why I would recommend ESOL as a career.       My interest in teaching English to international students began when I was a teenager. My family regularly hosted students from other countries visiting the UK, particularly from Germany, China and Hong Kong, so I grew up with many international friends. I really enjoyed studying French at school and later had the opportunity to work as a short-term English teaching assistant in France while studying for my A Levels.  This experience led me to pursue a degree in English Language and TEFL at Swansea University, where I achieved a First-Class degree. After graduating, I decided to take my Cert TESOL course in Bournemouth.                       The Cert TESOL course taught me how to teach English with co...

Wow, the world of teaching has changed dramatically since I first started this blog during Covid-19 in 2020. Back then, I would spend hours creating and designing teaching materials from scratch.  Now, in 2026, AI tools have completely transformed the way I plan lessons. Over the past year, I’ve been exploring different AI tools that help me: save time on lesson preparation create targeted ESOL resources set clear SMART targets and lesson aims In this post, I’m sharing some of the tools I’ve found most useful in my own teaching practice. My Favourite AI Tools for Teaching Materials 1) Chalkie Chalkie is a great tool for quickly creating lesson PowerPoints and worksheets. I’ve only used it a few times, but one thing I learned quickly is that you need to be very specific with your instructions to get the best results. Why it’s useful: Fast lesson creation Simple to use Free and paid options available Best for: Teachers who want quick, ready-made lesson content. 👉 I’d definitely rec...