Now, for the social side of teaching.
Moving to a new country/city/town can be VERY daunting – trust me, when I was teaching English in China I was in a town in the middle of nowhere. But fear not, as there are many ways to meet other teachers and foreigners wherever you are.
You could always take my approach when it came to making new friends, which was as soon as you see a fellow foreigner, jump on them and don’t let them go until you have their number and a guarantee that they’ll meet up for dinner or a few drinks later.
Or if you don’t fancy that approach, there are certain social media sites which are designed for like minded souls like ourselves who wander off into the four corners of the globes. I found the following website very helpful.
The web site above is designed for anyone in the world who is new to a country/city/town to sign up and find other people in their area. They also run monthly and fortnightly events such as bowling, park walks and for the party animals out there – pub crawls.
Plus, you can always use the Chalkboard site on i-to-i’s site to get chatting to other TEFLers and arrange meet ups, a great excuse to travel to a new part of your destination!
Well I think I’ve just about covered everything, there’s only a few things left to say, well first of all I’m VERY jealous, will somebody PLEASE swap with me, I mean there’s only so much of a 9-5 job in a lovely Leeds office one guy can take!!
And secondly, I wish you the best of luck. Remember, although you are going away to teach and enlighten your minds, most all you are out there (wherever that may be) to have fun, so please, enjoy yourselves.
Remember to send us a postcard, until next time,
Your friend at i-to-i.
Nick. TEFL Guru
Having taught English in China, Nick Malia is now back in the UK and lucky enough to work at i-to-i Towers with us! If you give us a call, you’re likely to chat with him on the phone. Whatever you do, don’t ask him about China… you’ll be there for HOURS as he now has a new audience to tell his TEFL stories to… :)
You can reach Nick directly by calling his direct number on 0113 205 4576 or emailing nick.malia@i-to-i.com
