Hello! I'm new... :)
This is the start of my journey... I have no idea where it'll lead or what I'm likely to see on the way. The only thing I can say for certain is that I'm looking forward to this adventure immensely!
With Christmas and New Year over, the thought of going back to work was fairly uninspiring! I do enjoy my job as an Business Consultant/IT Trainer in Derbyshire, UK, but after 6 years it's becoming stale and I'm ready for a change of scenery! I'm not ready to settle down or have kids yet, I want to explore and have fun! I heard a quote in a song once "I need life, more than I need a wife"... I like the sound of that!
I do want kids, marriage, pets, all that stuff... Just not for another couple of years!
Anyway, I'm waffling on about nothing! Back to the point. After spending new years day searching Google for "jobs abroad" or "jobs with travel", TEFL kept cropping up. I read page after page, browsed through forums and affiliate websites and decided that this could be for me.
I'm educated with GCSE's, A-Levels and a variety of NVQ's but at the time I decided university wasn't for me and I'd rather start earning money. Since then I've never looked back, I've learnt so much in the 6 years at my job that 3 years studying at university wouldn't have come close to achieving. Being in a consultant/training role, I'm working with different people in different companies in different UK cities every day of the week and teaching seems to come naturally to me.
I hope my lack of degree doesn't hold me back on this journey (I realise in Japan, Korea and some other eastern countries it would pose a problem) but if it does it'll find a way around it and teach elsewhere.
I'd decided I was going to do this and I'd decided I was going to do the 4 week in-class course. (I'm planning to stay in my current job and use annual leave to take this course, this keeps my options well and truly open, however I've not spoken to my boss about this yet so I'll let you know how that pans out soon!!!)
The next step was picking which country and city I wanted to study in. I chose Rome, Italy. I liked the thought of Mexico, Nepal and Vietnam, but the cost of the flights were too high so I looked closer to home. I've never been to Rome, it's hot in the summer and I managed to find a flight from UK to Rome for £120 so I booked it and paid my course deposit. Happy days.
I've now got 6 months (186 days actually!) to clear off some debt, buy some suntan lotion and get excited about my summer in Rome.
Oh... And the small problem of having a months annual leave authorised by my boss, without him sacking me for seeking employment elsewhere!!! Finger crossed! Hehe. ;)
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haha that would actually be hilarious! get to Hong Kong and be be greeted by "ado duck!" awesome :P altough im sure there are plenty of chinese with stong Aussie accents floating about!
so u sorted then for a place to stay while you're in Rome? sounds awesome, Ireland and Derbyshire are both lacking the whole "warm" thing!
i wish things were moving as fast me...but people keep on at me about going to university....it probably would be a good idea to do work expeirence and a part time degree...see how things go! still got another year and a half left at school before i can get moving anyway! this summer ill have to try and sort out some kind of experience or volunteer work. basically anything that doesnt involve me lying around the house being lazy :D
Haha, you remind me of me! Lol. Well according to the things I've read these are the places you need a degree to teach in: Japan, Thailand, Spain, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan. I think because China have such a high demand for English teachers they let the degree thing slide, not sure about Hong Kong though, sorry!
You keep that Derbyshire accent going then! If I bump into a Chinese dude with a broad Derbyshire accent in a few years time, I'l know he must have been taught English by you! Haha.
If you end up having to work for a year or two in Ireland or UK I wouldn't see it as a bad thing. Even if it's a job as a teaching assistant in a nursury or primary school it'll still be good experience for you. If you get lucky, you could also do a part-time degree while you're working so then you'll have the best of both worlds!
My course is booked for this summer. Starting on July 11th, in Rome for a month. I chose Rome, cus it's not to expensive, flights are quite cheap and it's gonna be red hot in the middle of summer! You should enrole on the same course! My plan is to work my ass off Monday to Friday to get my qualification and then sunbathe and party my way through the weekends!
i lived on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border and no, irish accents are so not cool...i hate the fact people say ive picked it up :( i try to keep it English :D
anyway im thinking same as you.....travel, have a lot of laughs, meet new people and teaching seems to be the best way to pay for it all! i wanna go to Hong Kong as my first choice....if not, China. Having a British Passport gives a good impression in HK and theres quite a bit of English language there too so i wouldnt get lost so easily....i hope. Also...its a huge city which im seriously lacking over here....
Think i'll sign up for the 140 hour TEFL course in summer. Hope its as good i think it is! one problem is that im only gonna be seventeen when i finish school so i reckon ill have to stick around anyway and do some work expierience, most places want people at least 20 years old...
its good that ur so confident...i think you need that to go down this path. when are planning to get started?
Hey! Are you from Derbyshire originally then, but moved to Ireland when you were little?! Are u still there now or what?! Bet you only went so you got a cool accent! ;p Irish accents are amazing!
I'd be interested in teaching around Europe, South America, Mexico, some parts of Asia, Africa... Pretty much the whole world! Lol.
I don't have a degree and I have no plans to get one... Trying not to sound big headed here but I'm just naturally clever and I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that! I've done pretty well for myself so far in life without needing a degree so I wouldn't worry yourself too much about that!
I think if you wanna teach in Japan and South Korea you need a degree to get a visa to be able to teach, but apart from those places, the rest of the world is fair game!
I'm just in this for the experience, to travel, have a laugh, see the world and meet new people... Teaching English as I go!
What's your plan then? Have you signed up for one of the TEFL courses yet?
wooo derbyshire! :) where do u wanna head off to? im still in school but cant wait to leave this place...i moved to ireland when i was seven...its crap. dont really wanna hang around to get a degree but the more i read the more i think ill have too.....it sucks but what can ya do =/
Thanks for that link, it's really helpful. This whole website is great, if anything there's TOO MUCH stuff to look at! :)
Hey,
Congratulations on deciding to make such a big change! You'll be fine without a degree - while some countries do require one for visa purposes there are plenty of cool places where you could teach! This article might come in handy: http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/travel-guides/135-Do-I-Need-a-Degree-to-TEFL-
Good luck and keep us posted with how you get on!
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