Hi everyone!
If you're reading this, then you've just discovered my new blog on a little corner of the internet. You probably know me, but just in case you don't-my name's Hope, I'm 21, and I live in Wales. Unfortunately, my track record with blogging isn't great...I've tried to start one in the past, but the habit just didn't stick. However, I feel like I might stand more of a chance of making this one a success for a few reasons; namely:
-I'm a little bit less of a teenager than I was last time I attempted to write one
-I'm starting it for a particular reason (more on that later)
-I've just finished university so I have no essays/dissertations to write and quite a bit of time on my hands (more than I care to mention, actually).
Referring to the latter point- finishing uni is a weird one. In one ways, it feels like I've just begun another long, drawn out summer break; but there is something rather different about it, this time around. Perhaps that's mainly to do with the questions I'm asking myself; rather than wondering 'What the hell should I do with my summer?', I'm asking 'What the hell should I do with my life?' instead. Which is both incredibly exciting, and utterly terrifying at the same time.
In the academic world, whenever a big problem needs solving, the advice usually given is to break it down into small, manageable chunks. Being so used to academia now, I've attempted to apply the same idea to my career path; so I'm currently just thinking about the next couple of years, in detail. The plan is to take a much-needed gap year (because, as represented above, I kinda need to get out of the education system for a while), before doing an MA or similar course to really refine and improve my career prospects in a highly competitive field (Drama & Theatre, if you're wondering!).
Having already applied for an MA, my next challenge has been to plan a decent gap year. There's still loads of ideas flying around, at present; being in control of your own decisions and life choices is a bit overwhelming, at times! But from the outset, there's been one thing that I've really wanted to do-and that's train to be a TEFL teacher. For those of you who don't know, TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language, which is guess is pretty self-explanatory.
TEFL appeals to me for the same reason that it has appealed to generations of other twenty-somethings, I would imagine...it's a decent qualification that will make me stand out in the job market and open up a new career path, many courses are cheap and flexible, and I could potentially teach all over the world once I've completed my initial qualification. Also, I would maybe like to be a teacher in the future, so this is a great first step to figure out if this suits me or not. What's not to like?!
Currently, I'm still right at the start of my TEFL journey, as I'm yet to complete the first module of the course. So really, I've started this blog so that I can share with you the inevitable trials and tribulations along the way...from this point to when I (hopefully!) get a proper teaching job in a foreign country. The aim is to also help and support any fellow TEFLers, or those that may be considering doing a TEFL, and make all the mistakes so that you don't have to.
Occassionally, I may also write about other things that are a little off-topic, but may still be of interest to you. We'll see!
Anyway...they'll be more from me very soon. In the meantime, I'd be SO grateful if you could share this blog with your nearest and dearest; particularly any fellow or potential TEFLers!
Thanks guys!
Hope (AKA The Tiny TEFL Teacher) xx
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