How and Why did I became an English Teacher so Young?

                                          

                                                          My Career Journey So Far

Greetings again! 

Welcome back to another blog of mine - where I like to release and upload anything that comes up in my mad, complicated brain. 

A topic I would like to talk about today is about my career.  When I tell students for example in games like two truths & one lie that I'm 22 none believes me - I'm not sure if that is due to the fact that there are stereotypes relating to what job a '22 year is old is supposed to do'' or if it is due to the fact that I look young these things remain a mystery to me! but some how I did manage to become a teacher and it is a job that I learnt to love. 

If there is any teacher reading this blog right now, you can relate to me that taking on a teacher role does not only involve teaching something educational, but you also become a mentor, councillor and friend all rolled into one. If I told my bosses half the things I know about my students, I would 100 percent get the sack. 

So..... How did I become a teacher? 

Well the plain simple answer, is that job opportunities in places like Spain are crap. You can't win either way - your Spanish and you need at least a B1 level of English (In most jobs) or your English speaking and you need a high level of Spanish. Therefore you have a higher chance of achieving a good job if your bilingual and even better if you are trilingual. 

When I first moved out to Spain - I worked in a bar for around three weeks and in a clothing shop for probably half that amount of time. (I credit retail and bar workers) you work extremely long hours where you are on your feet for most of that time, by the time you finish you are  shattered. You have to socialise 24/7, deal with shitty customers and have to constantly rearrange something that took you over an hour to do earlier on in your shift. 

Concerning this subject, I felt at the time that I was not in the right job that was suited to me; I'm not the type of person that wants to socialise all the time (Extro-Introverted!!), I'm not practical (I hate anything to do with numbers & money) and quite frankly if I had a rude customer trying to cause me aggravation I would probably tell them to fuck off. Therefore I would either be fired or I would just leave the job. 

So this left me with the choice of becoming an ESL (English as a second language) teacher. My cousin on my Dads side motivated my decision as his situation 9 years prior gave me the push to try and achieve and make a decent wage. He moved to Spain as he was sick and tired of working and living in London so he decided to get a CELTA course in Madrid - moved out - fell in love with a Spanish women - Now two children later, their living a nice comfortable life in Salamanca. 

Thanks to my aunty (RIP) and my parents they paid 250 euros for a TEFL (Teaching English as a foreign language) and this was probably the best money ever spent because since then I have made so much money from actually the basics of this type of qualification. 

So what does the TEFL course enquire? We paid for a 140 hour which included 20 hours face-to-face in a classroom (where a trainer makes us do lots of activities) then at the end he/she gives us a reference. The online part covered things like Grammar, Methodology, Big classes, Telephone teaching etc with assignments and quizzes which are part of you passing this qualification. Where I then went on to add another section (you pay extra) to learn how to teach young learners. 

Let me tell you; I remember the first section of grammar looking at things like verbs and adjectives and thinking what the fuck is a verb? these things that you learn, are not what you learn as a native! things like relative pronouns, proverbs, collocations, phrasal verbs etc can be so complicated to teach. You take so many things for granted when knowing a language taught by our primary socialisation, that until you learn a foreign language yourself (like me learning Spanish.. ONGOING!) Your heart really does go out for people. 

See for me, I find it ironic that I'm now an English teacher. Out of all types of subjects I could teach, I never expected English to be one of them. Yes I got a grade B in English Literature (Curtesy to copying my coursework of Macbeth) but in English language I got a C and that was taking a certain type of course, where coursework was important to our final grade. I never really cared much about grades in school - minus the last 6 months of year 11 where I did shite in my mocks that it made me want to change my life around and I did in a matter of 6 months with hard work, sweat and tears. But all my reports always had the same comments ''If she stopped talking, she has the potential''. 

But let me tell you - Yes its important to take care in your school work. School teaches you fundamental life skills that you need for working life - You need good punctuality; you need to dress smart; take care in your approach etc etc but one thing that teachers never told you were that if you work hard, put your mind to things; it doesn't matter how ''educational you are'' you can achieve anything that you want. 

Prime example of me and some of my friends!! we were generally in bottom sets (we were the best and had the most fun actually), were told by our teachers ''we weren't good enough'' and was made to feel inadequate but now leaving school, some of the ''lower set'' students have done the best. I know people from my bottom sets to have owned salons at 22, some people to be promoted to high positions in their places of work like Asda (at 22) and some people from the lower sets to have become mothers (at 22) whilst also working for university degrees to better their children's lives. So therefore nobody can convince that you need to be educationally smart to have a good life because if you have motivation, determination and drive to see a better life for yourself, that you can put your mind to it and ACHIEVE IT. 

I've lied on my CV for 7 years to say I have a mathematics GCSE where in fact I actually got a U grade - with nobody asking or questioning me about it. Why? Because I've pushed myself to achieve - gain experience and put myself out there in order to have a good life. How? by seeking opportunities, that I know I could do well if I work myself up. 

So how did I get the experience? It was from a spontaneous decision I made at 20. As mentioned above, I took a TEFL in the July (It usually takes longer, but I had nothing better to do so I spent 6 hours a day learning and studying) I managed to pass it in the August (2019) and I was looking online for teaching jobs in Spain where I found a summer camp in Tarragona (Catalonia). 

I had to make a lesson plan - I think I chose a plan based on animals for little children - I had to fill out some forms and if they like you, then they contact you for interview. I had the interview (online) and he gave me the job there and then and offered me 4 weeks - 2 weeks in Vallclara and two weeks in Tarragona. I announced the news to my parents and 3 days later I was in the north of Spain teaching Starters, Movers, Flyers and B1. 5 hours a day. After finishing in the August I applied for 6 jobs around Costa Blanca(Murcia, Novelda, Alicante and some other smaller towns) got asked to go for interviews and managed to be offered the jobs by all of them. I choice Murcia as it was one of the bigger cities and in the September I started working for a company teaching 25 hours including A2,B1,B2 levels of children, teens and adults. I also worked for a semi private school teaching big classes of 30 students key stage 1. I then at 21 moved to Murcia. 

I lived here for around 5 months; I decided to quit because I didn't enjoy the city. I then applied for a job in Alicante (I harassed them for months) as I found out about the company because I worked at a seminar where I met a teacher from that company. In the January of 2020; I worked for a new company where I began to teach Cambridge, Language cert, IELTS and TOEFL exams A1-C2 levels (European framework); I also taught general classes and conversation groups. In December 2020 I moved to the city and have loved it ever since. I then started doing private classes with lawyers and general groups of adults where I also helped prep students for interviews with companies like EUIPO. 

I did this job until June this year; where I left for certain reasons and I taught and was a directors assistant in a summer camp in Elche for the month of July; where I taught teenagers English for 3 hours per day and assisted them on trips. I spent half the month of August resting and visiting my home country. 

Recently I have started a new job in the afternoons teaching at yet another language school to children and teenagers. Though my biggest achievement so far in my career to date has been to do an intensive training course (2 weeks of August) to then go on to teach big corporate clients in and out of Spain. It was intensive because we had learn a new methodology with our trainers (3-4hrs) including 3 hours of real teaching to their clients and then 2 hours+ per night doing homework. Therefore I will now be teaching 35 hours per week (15 freelance) 20 (contracted) on a much bigger scale of money. Within this job, there are many possibilities of work opportunities e.g. Radio work, Marketing and Publishing which I fully intend to work hard and to breach out and try new things. 

I have therefore so far learnt three great methodologies that I can now teach in my classes

1)Direct

2)Blended learning

3)Oral agility 

 (2 years is nothing) but I feel proud of my accomplishments and I hope to learn many more things and to become a better version of the potential that I know I can be. Teaching is natural for me, and I love my job. Only being 22 I have a life ahead of me, that I know with motivation and aspirations I can achieve great things; to therefore have a good quality life. I have never dreamed or planned to become a millionaire; but I have always wanted to have a good quality of life, where I have enough money to do nice things. 

I want to work hard in my 20s so then when I am in my 30s+ I can relax more because I have set out a good life for MYSELF. If I have managed to do all of this so far without a university degree, then what could I achieve with one? my next goals are 

1)Do an open university course to study teaching or linguistics.

2) Take my DELTA course

3) To venture out and maybe get into marketing or publishing 

4) To one day open my own language school 

As a final conclusion; I think you can be anything you set out to be. Some of the most influential people (NOT THE KARDASIANS) have come from nothing or were ''not academically clever'' but they tried; they worked hard; pushed themselves and made it. Your brain can grow, we have millions of brain cells made up of cells therefore to apply yourself, you can do it. If that is to be to open your own salon, to become a doctor, to own your own bar, to even become the next Einstein. You can literally do it. 

Have faith in yourself, Tell yourself you can do it. Adversity makes you stronger; that arsehole at work who is talking bad about your capabilities is only jealous because they wish they could be more like you. Stop focusing on other peoples lives and focus on your own live. Only yourself can make positive changes. Don't mantra positive outlooks if you can't truly listen and believe them. 

Erin