ACCOUNTING HELP

Real Life TEFL: Why I Quit My Job & Moved To Paris – Part 2!

I was quite nervous when I handed in my notice. After a bit of initial investigation, I thought it might have been possible to take a career break, leaving my job open for me to return at a later date. This wasn’t to be, however, and I knew I had to resign.

I had been working in the NHS for 6 years at that point but had been promoted in December 2010 and had moved to a new Health Trust. So really, I had only been with that organisation for 6 months.

I asked to speak to my manager in private and told him what the situation was. He was very understanding and said that he could understand why I was going.

Walking away from an organisation I had been with for six years was both daunting and extremely exhilarating. Daunting for the unknown, exhilarating for the unknown!

The first major obstacle to moving was that my wife had to go on the 1st of July, I couldn’t leave until the 1st September. It meant two long months of being apart just after we got married. And there was so much to organise before I left!

I have to be honest and say it was the most stressful time in my life. I was a nervous wreck by the time I was set to move but in hindsight, it has been well worth it.

If I was to give any advice about doing a TEFL course and moving away it would be:

1.) Do it! Life is too short and I firmly believe that if you want to leave and be successful, the only thing standing in your way is a lack of self-belief.

2.) Be prepared for stressful times if you have attachments or lots of loose ends to tie up before you go. It’s really not easy and you will often question why you are putting yourself through the mill. But it’s worth it.

3.) Be prepared for people thinking you’re mad! Opinions on our move ranged from surprise to outright incredulity at the risks we were taking. If you think you are doing the right thing, then do it. If it doesn’t work out, you can always come back!

4.) Consider what other skills you have in addition to TEFL. TEFL itself will not always open the door and give you the opportunity you desire. Even a person who can speak 5 languages isn’t guaranteed a job, it’s how you can use that skill and couple it with other experience and talents that you have that will push you to the top of employer’s want lists.

5.) Consider carefully the type of job you want before you go. Teaching adults is massively different to teaching teenagers and again, this is so different to teaching kids. Know in your head what you want to do and what your strengths and weaknesses in teaching are. Learning TEFL grammar is a must. A teach who shows weakness in grammar will lose major face with their students.

My top 5 tips to getting a teaching job and living in France would be:

1.)    Prepare a good c.v. and cover letter in English and get a French mobile telephone number and address ASAP

2.)    Learn as much French as you can before you go. It’s not a pre-requisite but if you can put a few sentences together, it creates a positive image and shows you are keen to stay and spend a bit of time teaching in the country

3.)    Know your grammar and be prepared to give a quick lesson at the interview! Even native English speakers may be required to show they understand and can teach grammar before they are even considered for a post.

4.)    Be prepared to put the work in to finding the job. It’s not easy but those with determination will find the job they are after. There’s a massive market and most companies actually struggle to recruit enough teachers, such is the demand.

5.)    If you move to Paris or one of the big cities, be prepared to live somewhere much smaller than you are probably used to! Paris is very cramped in terms of accommodation. Don’t let it bother you though, you will be moving to the best city on the planet!