Why did you choose UK-TEFL?

I was already in the process of moving to Helsinki to live with my Finnish girlfriend. While not primarily planning to teach English, I was aware of the possibility that doing so would be my most marketable skill. I had experience of teaching and tutoring before but, knowing how the Finns like qualifications, the TEFL certificate struck me as the most usable. Having read around various options the UK-TEFL course impressed me the most as it offered the chance to sign up to a network that would assist me after the course. I genuinely enjoyed the course weekend. Initially I had seen it as a means to an end but I came away feeling much more equipped to teach abroad.

Have you used your UK-TEFL qualification?

I saw the Nordic camp advertised on the TEFL website and with already being in Helsinki, I applied.

What did your role in Finland involve?

On the Nordic camp I did through UK-TEFL, I taught two separate groups for two and a half hours a day each. They were Russian kids aged around 8 to 16 from St Petersburg and Moscow who had caught a coach from Russia. There was a classroom, a computer and a decent printer/copier at our disposal but the 25 hours of teaching material really was down to us. The afternoons and evenings were our own to do with as we pleased, but a large part of this was spent preparing material for the next day. The Russian youth workers were fantastic and the activities the kids did the rest of the day were great. I didn't speak a word of Russian but this only added to the experience.

Tell us about your recent role in Finland.

You get to teach people something that (for the most part) they really want to learn. You have to be aware of your own language and the variations and colloquialisms that might confuse learners, but essentially it's teaching a subject that you've spent your whole life doing.  It is amazing how something you do effortlessly everyday becomes a resource others are interested in. I particularly enjoy it as you communicate a culture as much as a method of communication and in doing so you learn how other cultures think.

Any interesting stories?

The Russian kids are far too used to being sycophantic. In an essay competition set by the camp leaders on "Finland and Nordic Camp" they were all too happy to write "I love Finland, I love Nordic Camp" etc. I told them I'd give more marks out for honest and entertaining answers (hoping to stretch their vocabulary) rather than predictable pleasantries. My last instruction to the class was "Do something creative with your essay!" I looked up a few minutes later having helped one pupil with her writing only to see that one lad had deliberately taken this in a literal way and had folded his essay into an origami paper hat that he was now proudly sporting on his head. I laughed, gave him a point for original thinking and handed him a fresh sheet and a pencil! 

Tell us your top tips for TEFL teaching:

Prepare material! Even if it's only a scribbled page of ideas, games and activities. As a TEFL teacher your performance and style should be fun, energetic and organic but this doesn't mean the lesson won’t benefit from some structure and pre-planned material. You can be more spontaneous and entertaining with material you've planned. Students will spot if you're dragging a lesson out on a thin or ill-prepared idea and it's not fair on them.

Also, get your students moving, laughing and playing games to make learning a fun and engaging experience. Speak clearly, and learn to communicate without over-complicated instructions.

And finally, you'll have heard this before but it's SO true, ‘If you’re bored, chances are they are too!’ so keep it interesting!

Where do you plan to teach in the future?

Somewhere warmer!

Any advice for anyone looking to teach abroad?

If you find yourself responsible for your own classes make sure your students within a group are of a fairly equal ability. The TEFL approach works well for anything from absolute beginners to professional advanced but a mixed ability group is a lot less pleasant for all concerned and much less efficient for the learners.

I would advise anyone thinking of teaching EFL to do it. You learn through doing and you'll quickly learn your own style and what works and what doesn't. You're lucky enough to be doing a job where not only are you allowed to have fun but it's far better if you do. Few jobs can say that!