Home > TEFL & TESOL Infographics > Living and Teaching English in the UK - Habits, Customs & Curiosities

Living and Teaching English in the UK - Habits, Customs & Curiosities

Boasting an impressive number of historic and cultural sites and attractions, the UK is a very popular tourist destination for people from around the world.

Also, the country’s multicultural society makes it a great place for teaching English as a foreign language and the demand for teachers is strong in many areas.

If you choose to live and work in the UK you should find that you have plenty of time to explore this fascinating country.

The following guides cover all kinds of information that you might find useful before and during your stay.

When visiting an unfamiliar country there are always a few things you wished you had known before you set off. As well as reminding you that Brits are sticklers for politeness and orderly queuing, you will also find some useful British-English words that you might not be aware of such as wonky, loo and knackered. Why not try a glass or two of local beer followed by a plate of fish & chips and mushy peas?

If you are thinking of heading to London to complete our TEFL course, check out this infographic for a few simple do’s and don’ts to remember when visiting England. Unlike some other European countries England is not typically well known for its cuisine, however, you may be surprised to find that some of the country’s favorite foods are to your liking.

As Scotland is one of the most beautiful parts of the UK and has a wide range of attractions in its major cities and wild countryside, it is a very popular destination for many visitors. You will also find explanations for a few unfamiliar local words that you might come across during your visit, such as bonnie, radge and pish.

Here you will find a basic introduction to Scotland and its people, from the country’s most popular attractions including Highland games and whale watching, to which traditional foods you should try. Most importantly, don’t forget that it is not a good idea to refer to the local people as English.

Although Wales has been part of the UK for hundreds of years, it still maintains a very distinct culture which sets it apart from the rest of the country. You will find a list of traditional local foods that you might want to try such as cawl stew and Welsh rarebit, as well as a few basic words and phrases in the local language.

If you plan on visiting Wales during your stay you should take a look at this simple introduction to the country before you arrive. Although only around 20% of the population speaks Welsh, knowing a few simple pleasantries might be useful particularly if you visit the north and west of the country.

For many visitors to the UK, as well as some local residents, there is a bit of confusion over the different terms used to refer to this part of the world. Where does England fit into the whole thing? What about Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

What is the difference between the United Kingdom and Great Britain? What is the British Isles? If you are planning to come to London to complete our in-class TEFL training course or are thinking about looking for work across the country, brushing up on these terms before arrival could help you to avoid any embarrassing situations.

As the UK’s capital and one of the most visited cities in the world, London has a huge range of attractions to suit all tastes. Many of the city’s most iconic buildings including the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace can also be enjoyed without charge.

Don’t worry if you are on a tight budget as many of the most popular museums and galleries such as the British Museum and the National Gallery are free to enter. If you have a bit of spare cash it is well worth spending it on two of the most popular activities in London, a 30-minute ride to take in the view on the London Eye and an open top bus tour that stops at all the main attractions.

If you find yourself living and working in London you are never likely to run out of things to see and do in your spare time. From Stonehenge in Wiltshire to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, there are plenty of great attractions that are well worth a visit. Even the most dedicated London lover should find the time to jump on a bus or train and head out of the big city to explore what the rest of the country has to offer.

However, despite its seemingly endless attractions, there is far more to the UK than its bustling capital city. Whether you prefer theme park adventures such as Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, or historic buildings such as Blenheim Palace and Warwick Castle, you will be spoilt for choice.

As you would expect from one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, London has a huge number of diverse attractions to keep you busy when you are not in the classroom. Grand institutions such as the National Gallery, the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Science Museum have been among the city’s most popular attractions for over a hundred years. This list also includes several other lesser known collections that are equally worth a visit.

The city is particularly well known for its world-class museums and art galleries, many of which are completely free of charge. In contrast, the Tate Modern was only opened in 2000 but it has quickly built a reputation as one of the best museums of modern and contemporary art in the world.

For most people one of the biggest concerns about heading overseas to work as an EFL teacher is having only a limited or no understanding of the local language. Every year a large number of Americans arrive in the UK to complete a TEFL certification course and they soon find out that their understanding of British English is not as good as they may have thought.

Native English speakers who choose to travel to another native English speaking country obviously do not have this problem, or do they? Do you know the difference between ‘chips’ and ‘crisps’? What does it mean to ‘splash out’ or to be ‘knackered’? Take a look at this list of British English as it really is the ‘dog's bollocks’.

The British are well known throughout the world for their love of a good cup of tea. Before visiting the UK it is a good idea to brush up on your tea drinking etiquette and the terms that go with it to help you fit in with this tea obsessed culture.

For millions of Brits it is the main drink of choice at any time of the day, which accounts for the astonishing figure of 165 million cups of tea consumed across the country on a daily basis. Do you know the difference between ‘brewing’ and ‘steeping’? Does it matter if you pour the milk or the tea into the cup first? What would Queen Elizabeth II do? Read on for the answers to all these tea related dilemmas.

For the majority of visitors, the London Underground (known as the Tube by locals) is the most convenient method of navigating this vast, bustling city. But don’t worry, with the help of a Tube map you will soon find your feet and be criss-crossing London like a local.

However, with 11 separate lines, 270 stations and 249 miles of track, the sheer size of the system can initially be a little overwhelming. While travelling the Tube don’t forget to look out for one of the estimated half a million mice that call the Underground system their home, as well as the local mosquito population that has allegedly evolved into a completely new species.

Although the UK is not particularly well known for its traditional cuisine, there is one dish that has been the nation’s favorite for over 150 years and is seen around the world as a unique symbol of British culture: fish & chips. The fact that a fish & chip meal is surprisingly healthy in comparison to other popular take-out foods also means you can join the 22% of Brits who visit their local chippy every week without worrying about your waistline.

The popularity of the UK’s favorite dish is quite extraordinary when you consider there are over three times as many fish & chip outlets across the country than there are McDonalds and Subway combined.

Queen Elizabeth II has been the Head of State in the UK since 1952, making her the world’s oldest reigning monarch and a national institution across the country. Throughout her reign she has had a high profile throughout much of the world, but there are also plenty of things you probably don’t know about the Queen.

She is also the monarch of several other countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Head of the Commonwealth and the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Did you know that she is the only person in the UK who is allowed to drive a car without a license? Or that, as well as breeding her famous corgis, she has also introduced a new breed of dog known as a ‘dorgi’?

Visitors to Scotland will quickly notice that the local people have a very strong cultural heritage and a proud national identity that goes back hundreds of years. Did you know that Scotland is home to the highest proportion of redheads in the world at around 13% of the population, as well as the oldest tree in Europe at over 3,000 years old?

There are many reasons why Scotland is such a unique destination, and here are just 12 of them. Golfers the world over should be forever grateful to the country as the game originated here, as did some of the most pivotal inventions of modern times, including penicillin, the telephone and the television.

The kilt has been a part of the traditional dress of the Scots for hundreds of years and is now an international symbol of Scottish history and culture. Take a look at this historical timeline of the kilt from the 16th century to the modern day for all you need to know about one of the UK’s most distinctive items of clothing.

But what does the word ‘kilt’ mean and when did it become the garment that we know today?