Why did you choose to do a UK-TEFL course?

As an ex-teacher of Computing and IT, I’d had an interest in TEFL for a while.  Since leaving teaching over 10 years ago, I have continued as a private Maths tutor with on average 7 tutees a year.  I am also currently setting up my own business as a nursery and schools photographer.  I can also speak Welsh and reasonable Italian.

I considered the UK-TEFL course as I could possibly use it to combine three of my main interests namely, teaching, travel and photography.

How did you find the course?

Initially, I was quite apprehensive about the course as I was not sure whether I would be much older than the rest of the group.  To my surprise and delight, it was quite a mixed group in terms of gender, age and nationality. 

The course was an excellent mix of theory and practice and, credit to our tutor, was extremely enjoyable and rewarding.  There was a nice balance between being taught, interaction through activities with our peers plus the preparation and presentation of our own lessons which were carefully selected.

Would you recommend the course to others?

I would most certainly recommend the course to others provided, initially, they had a desire to teach and, secondly, have an engaging interest in the language which they could transmit to others.

What was the best part of the course?

This is very hard to determine as I enjoyed the entire course.  If I had to choose though, I particularly enjoyed the variety of games and activities that were used to illustrate lessons or particular points.  They were frequently used as warm-ups or as stimulation for the topic.

Where do you plan to teach English?

Due to my business commitments, I would primarily be interested in short-term placements.  These could be linked to summer courses at local universities or summer camps abroad or anything else of a similar nature.

Why have you chosen this destination?

 I have not yet specified a destination.  My choices, as I said previously, would need to be inter-linked with my business commitments plus also my family commitments.  However, as my family get older, the variety of possibilities may well increase.

I would plan to undertake the English teaching during the summer break as that is often the time when foreign students visit the UK.  Also, at the present moment in time, there appears to be a slack period in my schedule during January and February

Are you going to keep in touch with other students and trainer?

During one of the final sessions, we all decided to keep in touch via email.  So all of our email addresses were put onto a list and one member of the group was going to email them to everyone.  The camaraderie in our group was such that we would all be interested in being aware of how we progress individually.

I would be interested in maintaining contact with my trainer too!

What are your long term goals or ambitions?

My long term goals regarding TEFL would be to travel as extensively as possible and to stimulate individuals in the learning of the English language.

Have you any advice for those thinking about doing a course?

Yes, if you have any interest in teaching, have satisfactory command of the English language and enjoy travelling then just bite the bullet and do it.You will be glad that you have done so.

Have you done any travelling? Any travelling tips?

Yes, I have travelled extensively around Europe and to Australia via Thailand and Hong Kong.  I have aspirations to travel to Nigeria and teach in a voluntary capacity at a school linked to my Nigerian brother-in-law’s charity.