Merines At DSL

Teaching English abroad is one of the most rewarding summer  or post-college jobs. No other job is as in demand than the teacher of English worldwide, and few pay better for recent grads looking to move around from place to place every few weeks or month. In these tough economic times, it indeed seems practical to pay for any kind of prolonged travel with the income from a job taken while abroad – and TEFL fits that bill: practical.

TEFL certification is recognized worldwide as a stamp of credibility for teachers of English to speakers of other languages. No other certification is more comprehensive, so those who hold the distinction are respected and highly desired to fill jobs as English teachers in schools and in private homes. But getting the TEFL certification has been a hassle recently. It required partaking in several hours of classroom work at great expense to the student – the cost of food, transportation, and work missed in addition to the cost of the course itself. Thanks to advancements in internet and internet education technology, Online TEFL courses are available now at a fraction of the price of their classroom counterparts. Since there is no physical meeting place for the class and since software materials are infinitely scalable, institutes that offer TEFL certification are able to offer the online courses at a lower price than a physical course – a win-win for both the instructional company and the student, who gets to save money and learn at their own convenience.

For student still in college who are planning to travel after graduation, and especially for those with a bad case of senioritis, getting a TEFL certification online is ideal not only because it guarantees income that will support any globetrotting endeavors but also because – since class is at the students’ convenience – it ensures that the student is attentive and focused when he or she actually chooses to receive instruction, whereas in a physical class with a set schedule, the student is often not mentally tuned in to what is going on.  

In all, it’s safe to say that the advent of online TEFL certification is a good thing for would-be travelers, would-be learners of English abroad, and the institutes that offer the certification. What remains to be seen is what other kind of certification can be offered online in the future that will make learning more convenient for those looking to acquire specialized credentials like a TEFL accreditation.

Has this scenario ever happened to you, personally I hope not. Just checking your site out to breeze over your latest revisions, everything is fine and you leave for a few minutes. Upon returning, you try to access your site and - Blammo - your site is down. At this point you only have a few emotions that resemble a hybrid of sheer panic, stress and anxiety as you attempt to access your website time and time again and it’s still off-line.

Granted, if you have a website that is visited from search engine spiders once a month, or every few weeks it no big deal right?
But to a thriving website with loads of traffic, a great reputation or lots of activity this can be disastrous. Down time from a bad server, or for lack of better terms digital gremlins that are known to show their faces from time to time can result in a dramatic dip in rankings (if search engines are attempting to access your site), loss of existing clients trying to access your site, or worse yet potential clients trying to reach your site for the first time being greeted with an error (not your best first impression right?).

So, what can you do? Screaming at your internet service provider or website host won’t help, maybe for a few minutes as your blood stops boiling, but instead here is a nifty little tool that you can use to check your server to see if all is up to par, just in case.

Personally having gone through one of the most agonizing hours of downtime in life of my website from switching to a dedicated IP address. The sense of helplessness that accompanies the experience is something you would only wish on your #1 competitor. One can only cross their fingers in the hopes that the server resolves and your back to business within a few minutes instead of days (which has been known to happen).

Server side issues can bring a business to it’s knees, so make sure that your website host can pass the muster and has 24 hour tech support to deal with real life circumstances as they unfold. Your online reputation is at stake and you are only as strong as your weakest link. Don’t let trying to save a few bucks on a hosting plan vs. getting a plan that can handle some serious bandwidth be the end of your website address as you knew it.

If you plan on doing SEO or article marketing for your website, make sure your servers handle the increased activity. Quite frankly, making the wrong decision regarding your hosting plan could result in your website getting buried from a top story at Digg by some heavy traffic (as website unavailable) or being able to fully capitalize on a newsworthy event that is directing droves of traffic to your site. Expect the best but plan for the worst so at least when or if it ever happens to you, you know what is causing the problem and can assist in diagnosing and fixing it in the least amount of time possible.

The only thing nearly as frustrating is having your DSL go down or you lose the ability to connect to the internet, but that is another post / rant in its entirety.