What inspired you to work for TEFL.org?
As an educator, I know that experiential learning is the best way to truly learn a new skill. My organization emphasizes this in our TEFL certification courses, making them not only fun but truly enriching and educational experiences for trainees. I am amazed by the progress achieved in just a few classroom days of our program, and it is inspiring for me to guide future teachers in gaining confidence and skills in their craft.
My kindergarten class posing for a picture during a field trip
What makes TEFL.org standout from other TEFL certification programs?
My organization is affordable, while still providing high quality training and fully accredited certification. We offer are many options for course length and intensity and a lot of post-certificate support for graduates. It is rare and special to find a TEFL certification course where everyone, even the administrators, is knowledgeable about and committed to high quality education and success of graduates. Our curriculum is in line with current best practices in the field and is developed to give trainees a comprehensive and solid foundation in teaching in a relatively short time.
Furthermore, in the field of TESOL I believe it is crucial that we support the development of teachers from a variety of backgrounds, not just those who can afford expensive certification courses to get ahead. TEFL.org is one of the few organizations committed to this equitable vision.
Why do you do what you do?
I originally wanted to teach English just so I could travel abroad, but I quickly discovered a genuine love of teaching, of linguistic diversity, and of cultural exchange. Sharing this love with students and with trainees is the most rewarding job I can imagine. I believe it's immensely important for us to seek to understand each other better, both literally, through language learning, and more intangibly, by understanding the world (and ourselves!) a little better through the lens of language and culture.
Celebrating the end of the semester with my brilliant college students
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
Having experience teaching literally every age and every level of students in a variety of international contexts, I feel especially equipped to guide classroom teacher trainings. I can cater activities to trainees' future goals and help them reflect on how age, level, and location (e.g. probable access to resources, cultural considerations, etc.) might affect their teaching, as well as helping trainees with more practical job search advice. I am so grateful to share these experiences with others.
Furthermore, as someone who has lived abroad and studied several languages, I bring a great deal of empathy to my language instruction. I believe it's important to remember how scary, overwhelming, and frustrating it can be to try and express yourself in a new language. I find this awareness to be crucial in creating lessons that empower language learners. Learning a new language is and should feel like a huge accomplishment rather than feeling like a deficit.
Why do you think learning a second language is important in the world today?
Learning a new language is important for so many reasons. I believe it is nearly impossible to truly know another place and another culture without knowing the language. In my mind, nothing feels as wonderful or as human as the ability to communicate with someone else in their language. Language learning also helps you learn more about yourself: your own language and culture and how these have shaped your worldview. And, for those of us who have the luxury of choosing which languages we study and where we travel, it can give us more empathy toward those who were forced to move abroad and learn a new language, and respect for those who are multilingual.
What challenges do you face in your role and how do you overcome them?
Students and trainees learn at their own paces, and every classroom is a multi-level classroom. Finding ways to tailor lessons to meet the needs of diverse students is a constant challenge, and the truth is you simply can't do it 100 percent of the time for 100 percent of your students. This has forced me to let go of some of my perfectionist tendencies. It's important to work hard and prepare well, but sometimes the best lesson is just doing your best and learning for next time. This challenge is also something I love about teaching - it is always new and exciting. You can teach the same lesson again and again, but it's never really the same!
After school hugs in rural Thailand
Why is TEFL.org easy to market to potential participants?
Simply put, our program is high quality for a very reasonable price. Many of our potential participants are money-conscious (I know I was when I first became interested in teaching English). Price is a huge consideration when choosing a program.
What questions do participants often ask you, and how do you typically respond?
Participants usually have a lot of questions about the nuts and bolts of finding work abroad. I try to share what to look for in a job advertisement, red flags to watch for, and practical advice for successful search strategies and interviews.
If you could participate on one of TEFL.org’s programs, where would you go and why?
I would absolutely love to do the TEFL internship in Vietnam. Participants complete their TEFL training course and then travel to Vietnam to complete a teaching practicum. Accommodations and Vietnamese lessons are included, and it seems like a wonderful way to experience a new country while getting some real life teaching practice. I've always wanted to travel to Vietnam to see beautiful beaches and enjoy delicious food and coffee.
What advice would you give someone who has little to no travel experience?
Travel instagrammers do not show the whole picture. While travel and life abroad can be rewarding and fulfilling, it can also be challenging and frustrating. Remember to embrace everything, even the negative - it is all part of the experience, and it will make a great story someday!
Group shot of all the teachers at the school I worked at in Suzhou, China
How do you define meaningful travel?
Meaningful travel to me means that a person is able to give back more than he or she takes. In my experience, travel can sometimes feel incredibly consumerist. You are constantly paying for things and taking in sites and snapping pictures, and while none of these is inherently bad and can all be important steps to personal enrichment, after a while it can feel very selfish. My more meaningful travel experiences have been based on exchange and on giving of myself, through volunteering, through advocacy, and sometimes just through tolerance and open conversation. Most of these have taken place in small scale settings via involvement in communities and schools and groups through which I was able to forge true connections.
What hopes do you have for the future of TEFL.org?
I am excited to be part of the early stages of expansion into the U.S. and hope to see TEFL.org continue to grow in this area. There are not a lot of quality certification courses, and certainly none which are affordable while also including classroom instruction, so I know there are a lot of prospective teachers who would greatly benefit from this experience.
What is one thing you wish you could change about the TEFL industry?
One issue that frustrates me is the false value placed on the "native speaker" and specifically on teachers that come from the "big five" countries (U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand).
At my very first teaching job abroad I was called the head English teacher just because I was the only American at my school, even though I lacked experience and did not at all deserve this designation. Bilingual educators, from the host country or elsewhere, are an incredible asset and should be valued as such. The message that there is a "native English" proficiency that is always superior to an "English as an additional language" proficiency is damaging to programs, teachers, and students alike. It is important for communities to have representation at various program levels - administration and teaching included. Not only do bilingual teachers possess important insights into bridging the two languages, the also serve as an important image for students, representing the message that it IS possible to master the language so diligently being worked towards.
I believe that more emphasis should be put on (1) access to teacher training and professional development for host country English instructors and (2) an positive, equitable, and mutually beneficial relationship between foreign teachers and host country teachers.
