Otherwise known as TEFL. 

This is a qualification you can obtain, when put alongside a degree or internship, it will give you enough experience to venture over to another country and teach English as a foreign language.

One thing I never mentioned to anyone. ( I wanted to wait until I was ready to take the plunge) Is that during my time in America, I purchased my TEFL qualification. It has been waiting for me to start it, since August. I knew the earliest I would begin would be November as I’ve been so busy travelling. 

But now I’m ready. I cannot think of a more perfect time in my life to pursue this. (More about my current situation in the next post).

Once qualified, I can participate in an internship that will provide me with experience of teaching for real and allow me to figure out whether it’s the right job for me. After all, you never really know until you try.

The other option available once qualified, is the ability to accept teaching jobs all over the world. I could go as close as Spain or as far away as China. The world is my oyster. 

But until then, I have what could be an intense next 3 months whilst I study to obtain the qualification.

I would like to just point out that this isn’t just a rational decision I’ve made during the past few months. It is something I have thought about for well over a year. I have attended various TEFL talks provided by different organisations, researched many internships and even spent the summer working alongside a colleague in America who spent 7 years of his life teaching English in China. He was a very handy source of information for me. I’ve even taken Japenese classes where I’ve been able to ask my tutor about his time spent teaching English in Japan for 9 years.

If you are considering doing TEFL like me, don’t just rush in to it thinking it will be an easy option. I’ve heard many different stories – not all good.

I go into this next step with an open mind and the understanding that it might not be for me. But I won’t know until I try it. So instead of leaping in to a job in the middle of nowhere with no support. I want to try out a short-term internship that will provide me with an insight to teaching and if it’s not for me long-term, it will certainty be a worthwhile experience I won’t regret.