TRAVEL
REAL LIFE
GAP ADVENTURES
Teaching English in China Drama graduate Sarah Hailstones tells Source about her experience teaching English in Beijing after obtaining a TEFL qualification
I
had always been of the university, but I teach interested in teaching but children. I have been here for wasn't willing to pay to two years. I teach many kinds study for a PGCE/PGDE of classes, mainly reading, qualification in teaching before I but I also teach singing and had tried it, so decided to try my dancing classes, arts and crafts hand at teaching abroad. I also and drama. have a keen interest in travelling The course I studied really so decided teaching abroad helped me to understand and was a no-brainer! I didn't want appreciate how difficult it is for to continue working two jobs the students to learn another back to back, paying crazy rent language, and gave me the and always wishing for the next tools to teach them best. The holiday to come so decided course introduced me to the to take a gamble and importance of building up move to China. students’ confidence, THE BEST PART IS To teach English, and how best to do ACTUALLY WATCHING I completed a that. It also helped me THE STUDENTS GROW course with understand my own TEFL.org.uk (TEFL native language better, AND INVESTING ALL means Teaching and understand how YOUR TIME AND ENERGY English as a Foreign language works. IN THEM Language), and I I love my job, and completed the 140everything about it. The best hour teaching programme. part is actually watching the I had to complete the course students grow and investing all online, which meant watching your time and energy in them. videos and reading articles The feeling you get when you and providing written work. I see them blossom and grow is also competed the classroom the greatest thing. component which required a I try to travel as much as weekend of classes. I can when living in China. I am currently working I have managed to visit some at Beijing Foreign Studies Chinese cities such as Qingdao, University, teaching the K-12 Shanghai, Hangzhou and programme. This is a branch Suzhou, and I've also managed
to get across to South Korea twice and also visited home three times! This year, I hope to travel to Japan, the Philippines and Hong Kong. My future plans are to continue teaching as a career. In a few years I would like to return to the UK to complete my postgrad and become a teacher in a British school, but first I want to travel all around the world and teach more and more. I am hoping to volunteer in a few schools around the world as a teacher, as I would really like to spend some time teaching children who do not have access to a good education, particularly young girls in poorer countries. I hope to do this in a few years' time. I would absolutely recommend doing a TEFL qualification – it has opened so many doors for me and has actually changed the whole path of my life. Without my TEFL qualification, I would not have realised my ambition to become a teacher as a career.
Find out more about TEFL at www.tefl.org.uk
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