What inspired you to go abroad?
I have always had a passion to teach. So I have found a way to do that by teaching English as a foreign language. My inner adventurer has also played a huge role in inspiring me. I just love travel, seeing new things, meeting people across the globe and learning about their cultures.
The students congratulating us for passing
Why did you choose Bay Language Institute?
I chose the program in 2017 because I wanted to teach English as a foreign language. The organization Bay Language Institute was chosen because they have excellent reviews and I can completely understand why. They prepared me to be the best English foreign language teacher possible.
Where do you hope to teach abroad?
My future host country is South Korea. My visa has just been approved.
How did local staff support you throughout your TEFL program?
They were great. The staff were always available to give additional advice and guidance when needed.
How would you describe the TEFL course you completed? Was it effective?
It was a lot of hard work and was challenging. But the course was extremely informative, interactive, and a lot of practice.
What were some of the assignments you completed during your program?
During this program we did a lot of homework and preparation for our presentations.
What is one thing every participant should know before participating in your program?
Be prepared to spend a lot of hours working on projects and presentations. It will only benefit you.
What was the hardest part about completing your TEFL certification?
It was hard work. Working eight hours per day, that included teaching, learning, group work, and then having to go home and continuing on for preparing for the next day.
What was the most surprising lesson you learned during the certification course?
We had a teacher come in and just speak Chinese to introduce himself. This method was used to prove to us that we will one day be doing that to learners who have no concept or understanding of the English language. It was a real eye opener for me.
What is one thing you wish you would have known before completing your TEFL course?
Go back to the basics. As an English speaking person, I learned the fundamentals early. And many people take advantage of that fact. So learning about the basic fundamentals—like what an adverb was, for example—would have been great prior knowledge.
Why did you choose to teach in South Korea? Where else do you hope to teach abroad?
As it will be my first time teaching, I chose South Korea because they have co-teachers which will be great for guidance and setting the pace. I hope to travel quite a bit in the future, so perhaps I’ll teach in Vietnam or Dubai eventually.
What do you feel the biggest benefit of teaching English abroad will be?
Helping students to understand and converse in the English language, which will help them in the future as English is a global language.
Can you tell us more about your experience with BLI? Were classes online, in person, a combination of both, etc.?
It was a 120 hours in-class course. To me having in-class hours was beneficial as I’ve never experienced teaching. The exposure to foreign nationals learning English was great too.
Would you recommend Bay Language Institute to others? Why?
I certainly would. Not only is the program great, but the lecturers and staff at BLI are amazing and welcoming. We were able to actually teach English as foreign language to some of their visiting students too which was simply amazing.