To TEFL or Not to TEFL…

If you’ve seen “Sliding Doors” then you’ll know that one small event can cause your life to change direction completely! Today you might be bored out of your mind in a dead-end job; but today’s the day you could start a whole new adventure, overseas. So with this in mind, why not take a minute to think about how different your life could be in one year’s time, if you booked a TEFL course today!

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So, picture this… you wake up one morning feeling completely fed-up! You’ve finally snapped from the same old, mundane routine…day in…day out. You’re sick of your job, you’re bored out of your mind and you feel that your soul is slowly being trampled into nothingness. (Alright, I admit this may be a little dramatic…but the point is you’ve had enough!)

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You decide to make a change…to really shake things up, and you quite like the idea of teaching English abroad. You look into it and find that i-to-i offer some great courses, at affordable prices in convenient locations around the UK (www.onlinetefl.com). You think to yourself, “Perfect! I’d love to immerse myself in a completely new culture, experience a new way of life and do my own thing for a while”. So you go online, book your course and get the ball rolling!

A few weeks and a TEFL course later, you’re fully qualified and fully assured that you have all the skills and confidence you need to step into the classroom on your first day of teaching. You do some research and apply to a language school that you like the look of and wait for your response. And, what do you know! You got the job! (Well done you!)

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This is when the excitement (and nerves) really hit you, because you’ve packed your bags and you’re heading out to begin a life changing adventure. You arrive in the country and feel overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and smells that are overloading your senses. You begin teaching and fall in love with it – you love seeing the kids; smiling and waving as you come in to work. You love the new friends you’ve made and, most importantly, you love the person looking back at you in the mirror!

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OR… If you decide not to take a TEFL course, you could just keep plodding along in the same old job, doing the same old stuff, with the same old people, in the same old town, for the same old wage, with the same old attitude and feeling the same old sinking feeling. So if you’re reading this and even if you’re just thinking about it…then go for it! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. And it’s one of those things that one day you’ll look back and always wonder what could have been…

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But don’t just take my word for it, here’s what fellow TEFLers have to say about how TEFL changed their lives:

"After taking a TEFL course 6 years ago, I volunteered in the Peruvian Amazon teaching EFL to the workers working at the tourist lodges. After that unbelievable experience I was hooked. 2 months after my return from Peru I took a paid teaching position in South Korea, my contract was a year and I ended up working there for 3 years. I never thought teaching was something I would be interested in for a career. TEFL and my first travel experience with i-to-i gave me the confidence, guts and knowledge to teach in countries and help people improve their skills to improve their lives. I have travelled all over the world since I took my TEFL course 6 years ago. I now live in Texas, USA as a qualified elementary teacher. Thanks TEFL for giving me the confidence and travel bug to go places and do things I never imagined doing."
- Jillian Perrin

"Without TEFL I would not have made all the friends I have now, I would not have experienced Japan the way I have, I would not have taught awesome students that give me a reason to go to work, and to top it off I wouldn't have experienced a ...9m earthquake followed by a tsunami and survived which will become one of those stories I tell when I'm old and wrinkly. Without TEFL I would have stayed at home, bored and stuck in a job I don't like. Thank you TEFL for making life exciting!"
- Paul Dixon

"I fell into boring jobs here in Australia, a boring marriage and a life of being miserable and wondering what life is meant to be. Then, two and a half years ago I had some medical issues diagnosed and treated and it gave me a new lease on life. I left my marriage, I left my job, lost loads of weight and started to turned my life around. I met a new partner in life and encouraged him to join me on a six month trip to Vietnam. I wasn't planning to but ended up travelling for one month and living for five months in Nha Trang where I got two teaching gigs. After six months we came back to Australia to clear all our debts with the intention of returning to Vietnam. It's been a year that we've been back and Brett and I have cleared the debts, bought a great laptop and gathered loads of resources. We've just bought our tickets and we head off in six weeks. Brett has now embraced TEFL and is doing his course. We're making a long term move to Asia and having a TEFL cert seems to be a logical addition to our bag of tricks."
- Jennifer Yuen

Image by: Eric Broder Van Dyke

So…If you’re interested in changing your life today with i-to-i TEFL; download our free eBook, TEFL Uncovered. You’ll learn all about the world of teaching English abroad and how to get started as an English teacher. Get your copy today – it’s free! Or alternatively, visit www.onlinetefl.com for more information.

• TEFL
• teaching abroad
• TEFL course
• work overseas