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Love it or hate it, the TOEFL ain’t going away any time soon. Here are some of my, ahem, favourite links to some of the best TOEFL related websites.

TOEFL Prep Info

TOEFL information that will help you understand the TOEFL test.

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If I’m unlucky my day starts with the electronic beep-beep I loathe. The 6am alarm ready for a 7am class. Yes, 7am – the most popular time for classes here, though often it’s only the teacher who actually makes it on time. Possessing the Bolivian work ethic and a desperate need to get ahead of the pack, our students are busy people. Typically 20-somethings still trying to complete their degrees while holding down a full-time job and improving their English. So a bit of studying at “the British” to start a 14-hour day.

But I’m only ever a day away from a lie-in and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I can wake naturally and go to the gym, a block and a half away from my apartment. I live in Sopocachi in the capital, La Paz, which I like because it’s close to where I work and it’s where the bars and restaurants are found.

La Paz is perfect for the pedestrian. It’s compact, so most things are in walking distance, although this often feels like a hike. The city lies in a bowl so you’re either going up or down, rarely along. Add to that high altitude (we live at 4,000m above sea level) and you’re soon gasping for breath. Fortunately, public transport is a Bolivian speciality, so I just step out of my apartment and into a passing taxi. It’s estimated only one in 10 vehicles on the road is private, the rest are buses and taxis. There are three types of taxi and the cheapest charge three bolivianos (30p) to go anywhere in the city.

The standard of living is generally good. Although my monthly salary wouldn’t last a fortnight in England, here I have a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with a terrace to myself, for which I pay US$250 per month. As an EFL teacher in Cambridge, UK, I could barely afford to share. My cleaner comes once a week ($7 for the whole day) and I always ask her to buy me fresh flowers as they’re beautiful and cheap.

We often eat at one of La Paz’s selection of excellent restaurants – Mexican, Japanese, Korean, Spanish – great food for a reasonable price. There’s not much that isn’t cheap here – a local derby at the national football stadium costs 10 bolivianos (or 15 bolivianos if you pay a tout to avoid queuing). Even when Brazil came it was only 30 bolivianos.

I’ve been in this country a year and a half now and still readily drink in the sight of the indigenous women with plaits under their bowlers selling fruit on the pavement. Bolivia is unspoilt, undiscovered. A secret we’re privileged to share.

Once at work, it takes about an hour to check emails, and then there will be a meeting or professional development session, which I love since there’s always something new to learn.

Since becoming a senior teacher I’ve enjoyed the chance to become more involved in the life of the centre while still keeping both feet firmly planted in the classroom. I like having a say in what goes on, having my ideas implemented and helping colleagues to get theirs heard.

The story of my time here makes good reading for those who want to give new things a try. La Paz is one of those teaching centres in the British Council network that is a breeding ground for opportunities. Having arrived with no teacher trainer or examiner experience, I’ve now delivered several teacher training workshops both to peers and to groups of local English teachers – and loved every minute. I’ve now trained as an examiner for the Cambridge main suite of exams – FCE, CAE, CPE and for IELTS. As I write, I’m in tropical Santa Cruz in the east of the country, flown here for the day to do IELTS speaking exams.

Read the full article in the ELT in South America section of the site.

This beautiful account of teaching in this fascinating South American country was originally published in the Education Guardian in 2002.

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If you have any experiences, good or bad, of the TOEFL, I’d love to hear about them and put your thoughts onto the blog!

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