Teresa Jacobs
About me
I started teaching at the tender age of 18, on summer courses in sunny Bournemouth. I had no idea what I did not know and if i-to-i had existed, I'd have been on a course.
My qualifications and experience
I then spent a year in Finland teaching mostly Business English. Came back, did a PGCE with some TEFL and then promptly headed back to the 'frozen north' - Sweden this time, where I did the Diploma in TEFL (took more than a weekend!). Stayed there 3 years and then decided to chill out in a warmer climate. Did a bit of teaching in Sicily and Berlin. Then, quite by accident I ended up in Greece, on a wild and vibrant island. After a year of madness I headed off to the smog of Athens for a fresh teaching experience, if not fresh air. My next stop was Istanbul, Turkey, where I was a Senior Teacher (not in mentality, I'm afraid!). I stayed here for 2 years before coming back to UK.
In UK I taught my way up to management level and did an Advanced Diploma in TEFL Management, closely followed by an MA in TEFL (did not take 2 days either). I finally got to run a school in central London and a chance to support new teachers in a commercial environment.
With all these Diplomas and Certs however, I was getting quite specialised. I got a job in EFL exam management, which took me on some amazing trips to China, Russia, Brazil and even Uruguay and staying mostly in 5 star hotels, which was a real change to the Inter-Rail and Ryanair travel I was used to.
I joined i to i as a tutor in 2002 and have taught all over UK and Ireland. I do the job because I love it and because, 5 star hotels aside, I am at heart a TEFL-er.
