How To Teach ESL: Books To Buy

Me, my parents (haha), and my students in Mexico City.

Teaching ESL is often the only job option for foreigners in Mexico City, or elsewhere in the world. And if you don't have a TESL certificate, it can be hard to know exactly how to teach your students. You can speak English, but you realize that teaching the language is a whole other ball game.

I've been teaching English as a Second Language in Mexico City for four years and I learned the hard way—by myself— how to provide fun and productive classes for my students and become an ESL professional.

That's why I'm starting a series on teaching yourself how to teach ESL ... so you don't have to suffer like I did.

In the first installment in this series, I'm listing all the books that will make your life 100% easier. Don't spend hours making your own lesson plans, there are already tons of books out there that are thorough, effective, and actually fun. You can always add or subtract material as you like, but having a book keeps you focused and on track in your teaching.

BOOKS

• Market Leader by the Financial Times. If you're teaching business English, this series is ESSENTIAL. I typically use the lower intermediate, upper intermediate, and advanced books. A beautiful mix of grammar, listening, speaking, and vocabulary exercises in each unit.
• 50 Common Errors. If your students repeatedly make the same mistakes, this book is sure to have lesson plans and exercises to fix them.
• American Accent Training. A whiz of a book that's perfect for advanced students who already have excellent vocabulary and speaking skills. Take your time to review the lessons in-depth before class because the techniques will be totally new to you. Guaranteed to impress even the snobbiest student.
• Interchange. Looking for books to teach beginners or kids? This series starts with the most basic of basics and moves up. Perfect for getting new students to an intermediate level and preparing them for the Market Leader series, if desired.

Where do you buy them? I've included the links to Amazon. You can buy some of these books at the Gandhi bookstore chain in Mexico. You can also torrent these suckers but, yeah, it's illegal and all that jazz.

Up next: ESL websites with lesson plans and activities to supplement your books. Stay tuned!

What ESL books do you like to use with your students? Any questions for me or the community about ESL teaching? Comment below!