Twenty Influential English Teacher Websites to Watch in 2025

Teaching English can be a thoroughly rewarding experience, which is why I have been involved in this profession for quite a while now. It obviously becomes natural for any professional educators to share websites that have guided their teaching and as I approach my 20th anniversary teaching English to international students, it seems fitting to share twenty influential English teacher websites to access in 2025.

Let me know which of the following English teaching websites that you consider crucial for newly certified English language teachers and any that you have discovered from this post.

1. ELT Planning

The first website on the list is someone that I recommended get into blogging, Peter Clements, when we were working together at a language school in Eastbourne. At the time, I shared the benefits of setting up your very own website and, before I knew it, he had already set his website up, ELT Planning.

It has been amazing to see his website go from strength to strength, and Pete regularly shares his personal insight and experiences of materials writing, teaching EAL (English as an Additional Language), job hunting, as well as professional development.

ELT Planning is certainly a website that I recommend adding to your favourites, as you are likely to learn more from Pete’s insight, which he is willing to share to his audience.

2. Sandy Millin

The second website on this list is one that I have followed since 2011, by the highly experienced and perceptive Sandy Millin. Although our paths have never crossed, she posted a lot about her teaching experiences. Sandy’s posts have so much available for English teachers regardless their experience.

Anyhow, her website includes a wealth of valuable information for anyone who is seeking to develop professionally, whether it be the CELTA or the DELTA. On top of that, Sandy has complemented her website with posts related to reviews as well as running courses aimed at English teaching professionals seeking to complete, particularly the Take Your Time DELTA.

3. JoannaESL

This next website, that makes the list, is an English language teacher who trained and completed their CELTA course prior to COVID-19. Needless to say, Joanna Hebel had to contend with securing employment in Spain, post-CELTA, during the height of the pandemic. With undeterred perseverance, she was able to teach online courses and she now runs a successful website sharing lesson plans and reflections about her online teaching with JoannaESL.

Her transparent and honest details regarding her online teaching and experiences offer an insight into the potentials which exist. It provides readers with some reflections and comparison, without any of the bold claims, which is obviously rampant across social media, much in the same vain of “Complete my course and you too can earn thousands in a week!”, “You are teaching wrong! Follow my course to learn how to improve.”, or “Are you still relying on platforms to find students, follow this course to become independent!”. On top of all this, most of her lesson plans are all free but, for those wishing to donate, some are only a Euro or two at most.

4. The TEFL Zone

One of the challenges that English teachers encounter is connecting and discovering alternative approaches to teaching. What I enjoy about reading The TEFL Zone is how transparent and honest Rachel is sharing her teaching experiences. Rachel has written a number of posts on The TEFL Zone about either teaching ideas, podcast contributions, or thoughts about professional development.

There is so much valuable content on The TEFL Zone and it would be a shame for English language teachers wishing to improve their teaching to miss such a wealth of information that Rachel shares so willingly. I would, without a doubt, recommend teachers, who have the desire to improve their teaching, to consider spending time on this website.

5. TEFL in Colombia

Next on the list is TEFL in Colombia which is run by Martin Hajek. Coincidentally, I was asked by Martin Hajek to contribute towards a collection of essays, More Than a Gap Year Adventure: How to Make a Long-Term Career out of TEFL, and I soon discovered more about Martin’s experiences of teaching in South America, particularly Colombia. For English language teachers that want to gain a little more insight into teaching in Colombia, TEFL in Colombia provides some context and Martin is quite honest about the challenges that he encountered early on in his teaching career.

On top of valuable information which helps budding English language teachers wanting to navigate the difficulties of securing visas or finding jobs in Colombia, Martin provides additional reflections about teaching. This website is a valuable resource for anyone regardless their experience.

6. An A-Z of ELT

When I continued my teaching in the UK, I was introduced to Teaching Unplugged and The A-Z of ELT (also now republished as The New A-Z of ELT). Each resource was a huge influence upon my theory and practice of teaching. Soon afterwards, I discovered that Scott Thornbury, had his own website named his publication, The A-Z of ELT.

When you browse Thorbury’s website, you will notice that he has organised his content into alphabetical order, with over 200 posts. He has shared his personal reflections and ideas freely with other language teaching professionals, and is a worthy update to the original publication, The A-Z of ELT. I am unsure to what extent this connects to the The New A-Z of ELT, but I am pretty sure that much of what has been updated has been drawn upon Thornbury’s vast experience and will correlate to his website. This website is a valuable source of information for anyone doing their DELTA or MA in English Language Teaching.

7. EFL Creative Ideas

Our next website is a website run by Silvina Mascitti where she shares a variety of teaching material for other language teachers on her website, EFL Creative Ideas. Some of the lessons are free but some of the other lessons can be purchased for less than a price of coffee. If the free lessons are anything to go by, the lessons are engaging and encouraging for both learners and teachers. There are also a variety of lesson plans which cover either Business or General English.

On top of the lesson plans, Silvina shares her experiences of materials writing and has contributed much towards podcasts, interviews, and workshops. If you are looking for inspiration towards materials writing or would like to access some lesson material for less than a price of coffee, then Silvina certainly has you covered.

8. TEFLtastic

Whenever I had to seek inspiration about teaching a particular grammar point or to incorporate some writing somehow into my courses, searches would invariably lead me towards Alex Case’s website, TEFLtastic. For those that are unaware, Alex Case has been an English teacher for over 25 years with teaching experience in Turkey, Thailand, the UK, Spain, and elsewhere. Alex has drawn upon all extensive experience and provided teaching ideas as well as material for readers to use for their own purposes.

TEFLtastic is regularly updated with content, with materials being made available across a range of specialisms such as IELTS or Proficiency Exam preparation. Alex Case also shares paid-for material on the Using English website, with teaching material being costed for a few shillings and will not set you back. Furthermore, there is so much freely shared on Alex’s website that it is worth adding to your favourites.

9. EFL Magazine

This website is EFL Magazine is a wealth of information for English teachers, with many posts authored by a variety of highly experienced teachers across a breadth of topics, such as teaching business English, exam preparation classes, or others sharing their experiences of teaching in specific countries or contexts. Once you start browsing EFL Magazine, you will come across articles that could interest you or inform your teaching, providing you with ideas that you could incorporate immediately into your classroom.

On top of the articles, the website offers teachers lessons resources that could be used within lessons and are logically organised whether it is grammar, vocabulary, speaking topics, or phrasal verbs. EFL Magazine certainly makes the list due to the amount available for teachers no matter their experience.

10. Lizzie Pinard

We are now half way through the list and this would Lizzie Pinard’s website, also named Reflections of an English Language Teacher. Lizzie has been blogging for quite a while now and she has shared various written posts related to teaching reflections, materials development, learner autonomy, as well as a variety of other posts. Furthermore, if you are wanting to complete a DELTA course, Lizzie has shared the steps and experiences of each of the modules and it is well worth time reading.

On top of Lizzie’s personal reflections regarding her professional development, she shares the projects that she has been involved with regarding materials writing and development, lesson activities, as well as contributions to conferences. There is a great deal of information for English teachers which could encourage others to get involved.

11. Sponge ELT

The next website in our list is a website run by Jim Fuller, where he shares book reviews, reflections of teaching or academic management in language education, as well as teaching ideas, and it is none other than Sponge ELT. Reading Jim’s background into teaching kind of indicates perhaps how we all got into English language teaching – much by chance or making a decision to head abroad to teach to learners.

On top of the website, Jim also runs a YouTube Channel, Sponge ELT, and has created related content for those of us who wish to consume video rather than read. He has interviewed other English teachers as well as detailed his processes that he follows when it comes to developing a training workshop – have a look at this video below. Sponge ELT certainly add weight to the content in the language teaching profession and it would be great to see more YouTube content in the future.

12. Sam Shepherd

We are now on number 12 of the list would be from a teacher of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Sam Shepherd. Unlike most English teachers, Sam Shepherd is based in the UK which offers a unique perspective. In my experience, teaching in the UK can be challenging at times but Sam offers practical ideas for either providing active feedback to students, writing as research, or recognisable student progress.

If you are one teacher who would like to shed light on to an alternative perspective or strand of teaching, particularly ESOL, Sam Shepherd’s website will help suffice. Sam regularly posts on his website and is keen to share his thoughts and reflections, much of which is invaluable for other teachers, not just those in ESOL.

13. CELT Athens

The next on our list is a website run by Marisa Constantinides and it is none other than CELT Athens. When you first look at the website, it obviously promotes Cambridge courses such as the CELTA and DELTA, as Marisa runs such courses through her teacher training Centre in Athens. Graduates of Marisa’s courses have included Martin Hajek of TEFL in Colombia, whom we recommended you also follow earlier.

CELT Athens also offers a wealth of information for potential English language teachers who wish to undertake a CELTA or a DELTA. On top of all the details shared on Marisa’s website, they run a YouTube Channel that has quite a following and thereby providing additional content to be consumed in such a digital age. If you are keen to develop professionally, then CELT Athens is well worth keeping an eye on.

14. Teaching English with Oxford

Teaching English with Oxford is a website/blog that has been created and managed by Oxford University Press (OUP). This website offers regular posts and explains that it is “intended for teachers, trainers, lecturers, authors and anyone else with an interest in keeping up with what’s happening in the world of ELT”. OUP have written hundreds of posts on a range of topics, whether you are teaching adults or young learners, using technology, or would like to learn more about professional development.

If ever you need to find some insight or ideas about teaching, regardless your situation or experience, there is always something posted that would benefit you on the Teaching English with Oxford website. Reading this website during the pandemic or more recently with AI being incorporated into the classroom, gives further consideration. I would highly recommend other English teachers add this website by OUP to their favourites.

15. The Teacher James

Number fifteen on my list is a longterm English teacher, James Taylor, who has blogged extensively over the many years of his teaching career and it is The Teacher James. On his blog, he draws upon a variety of ideas from outside of teaching and repurposes it for education. His latest blog post looked at lessons from his pilates teachers and reflected on his own teaching, while also being placed as a student in this context.

On top of the teaching and lesson reflections, James shares some lesson ideas that readers could incorporate into their own classes. Most lessons are completely free, and James shares PPT slides as well as the teaching notes to help aid with the delivery of the lessons. In additional to all this you can find out more about James and his contribution to English education on his other website, Taylor Made English, where he shares additional information about about his contribution to podcasts, presentations, as well as published material.

16. Teacher Phili

The next website on the list is by a retired English teacher, who I hold the greatest respect towards. Despite the personal challenges that this retired teacher has encountered, Phil Longwell from Teacher Phili, he has continued to write and share personal reflections. It is refreshing to read as it is not solely teaching related and it reminds readers that there are often personal struggles that could impact individuals.

When you read more about Phil’s experiences of teaching abroad, he had taught in Tanzania, South Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and the UK. He completed his MA with Distinction at the University of Warwick in 2012, and had been involved in the delivery of various pre-sessional courses within English for Academic Purposes (EAP), ESOL, as well as being an IELTS Invigilator. He had a varied career in English teaching and his personal website is testament to his dedication of teaching 17 years in the industry.

His website is wealth of information and reflections from over the years of his teaching career, with it spanning from January 2014 to date. You can find more information from his early years of teaching on his YouTube Channel.

17. EFL Summer School

For those that are new to teaching English in the UK, the vast majority of teaching becomes available during the summer months with most teachers in ELT being employed during that time. The seventeenth website in our list is one that Oliver runs and it is called EFL Summer School. In this website, Oliver shares lesson ideas, reflections, as well as thoughts about teacher training.

The lessons that are shared on EFL Summer School are freely accessible and downloadable to all. Browsing the material that is shared, they are high quality which are crafted to prompt learners to communicate in English. Furthermore, the material shared are in an editable format which offers teachers the chance to customise such material for their own classes. The generosity that is offered by Oliver is incredible and I appreciate what he has shared on his website – I recommend that you check out his website and if you are willing, you could always buy him a digital coffee.

18. TEFL Kat

Our next website is by an English teacher who started her teaching career in 2017. TEFL Kat shares her own musings and thoughts about language learning, with regular posts shared by Katharine. It is amazing to think that Katharine has only been involved in English teaching since 2019, and has built a highly regarded and respectable website in such a short time, as she has only been running her website since 2021.

When you look at what Katharine shares on her website, you will come across many posts related to professional development or classroom activities. She is currently undertaking a DELTA course and has recently shared her reflections related to the volume of terms that DELTA trainees will need to understand. However, in relation to the classroom activities, TEFL Kat has recently shared a lesson task related to contranyms (a term that I hadn’t come across until reading Katharine’s activity but kind of makes sense) for high level learners. As with some previous websites recommended, TEFL Kat’s lesson ideas are all freely shared and readers are able to build up their reportoire of classroom tasks from Katharine.

19. Adaptive Learning in ELT

The penultimate website in our list is managed by Philip Kerr and is called Adaptive Learning in ELT. For those that are unaware, Philip Kerr is a highly experienced teacher and lecturer, teacher trainer, and materials writer, having written materials such as Translation and Own-Language Activities, by Cambridge University Press, and How to Write Vocabulary Presentations and Practice, by ELT Teacher 2 Writer.

Philip Kerr has been sharing regular posts related to English language teaching on his website since January 2014 and recently his posts on Adaptive Learning in ELT focus on more relevant matters related to AI, digital literacy, as well as technology in the language classroom. You will find Philip’s posts highly insightful and could offer some food for thought regarding the incorporation of technology inside or outside the confines of the language classroom.

20. A Hive of Activities

We are now at the end of the list and I wish I could add more blogs and websites to this list. Anyhow, the final website that has made this post is A Hive of Activities, which is a website run by Emma Gore-Lloyd. When you first browse Emma’s website, you notice that she has been blogging since October 2013, with the most recent blog posts being March 2023. However, it would be nice to see more recent posts.

Nonetheless, the posts that are shared on A Hive of Activities include a variety of teaching ideas that readers could consider incorporating into their own lessons or courses. Much of what Emma shares on her website is freely accessible and she has been kind enough to offer downloadable access for readers. For example, her most recent material that she shared included producing a problem-solution essay helpsheet for IELTS students, with this helpsheet being offered in an editable format.

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Final Words

It has been an interesting task reviewing various English teaching related websites, as this was the first time have done so. Conversely, I soon discovered that the old ELT websites that I used to follow are no longer available (i.e., Jason Renshaw). However, it is great to discover new English teaching websites from those who have recently entered the profession – they are certainly the future of us.

If there are any additional ELT-related websites or blogs that I have missed, let me know in the comments. There could be a possibility that additional websites could be reviewed in the future.

Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed this post.