The idea of TEFL had always appealed to me, ever since I first heard about it in my early twenties. Initially, it was purely the travel factor which drew me. After all, how many other jobs offer the opportunity for months-long stints in countries all over the world, often with all expenses paid? It was a budget traveller’s dream.
However, it wasn’t until after the completion of two degrees and seven years of work experience when I felt like, all of a sudden, the time was right. Contrary to what one might believe, it hadn’t been something I’d thought about for many years. In fact, the decision to move abroad to do a TEFL qualification happened over the course of one weekend.
My TEFL journey has taken me to places I never expected to go to, such as Gmunden in Austria (July 2024).
The build-up
At the time, I was working as a digital marketer in Brisbane, Australia, for a not-for-profit organisation. Although I enjoyed my job (it was stable, it paid well, and the cause I was marketing was amazing), something was missing. As a digital marketer, I was always behind a screen and, although I had the opportunity to meet a lot of our staff and clients, I couldn’t feel the difference I was making in my role as tangibly as I would have liked. Yes, I was supporting the incredible work of the organisation through my role, but I wasn’t doing the incredible work myself. I wanted to do something which had an impact that was immediate, apparent, and directly connected to my day-to-day activities.
In addition, I was feverishly trying to save for a house deposit in the midst of a housing-obsessed market. It wasn’t that I was ready to buy a house (mentally or financially), it was what I felt I had to do. At the time, rents had increased across the city by as much as 35% and the vacancy rates were 1%. It was a landlord’s market and it felt like all of them were taking full advantage of Australia’s lack of basic rental protections, such as limitations on increases (unlike Spain, and much of the developed world). I had had a series of bad experiences renting and saving for an apartment felt like my only option at the time (my parents were generous enough to allow me to stay with them for a time while I pursued this goal). But, again, it felt like a decision I’d made because I was backed into a corner.
The difficult housing market in Brisbane was a key contributor to my decision to embark on my TEFL adventure.
If I achieved my goal (which I’d calculated would take me another year), I would have had to make a huge sacrifice: travel. Living in the Land Down Under means travel is already difficult. Tickets prices are exorbitant and it takes a minimum of 24 hours to travel to most places (although places like Thailand are just a ‘short’ flight of eight-ten hours away). With a mortgage, travel would be even more difficult, if not impossible. I specifically remember feeling incredibly downcast when my newly minted home-owning friends confessed that they would not be travelling anywhere for the next 5-7 years. As someone who’d travelled to almost thirty countries on five different continents (and lived in four), the prospect weighed heavily on me.
The big moment
One Friday afternoon after work, I was trudging back to the train station to start my 1.5 hour journey back home. It was a beautiful day in Brisbane, but I didn’t notice that as I joined the stream of other office workers on their way home in their sharp suits, leather shoes, tight pencil skirts, high heels, and various other office attire which is neither practical nor comfortable in the sweltering Brisbane heat.
Suddenly, the sound of ABBA boomed through the streets as a carload of young people drove down the slope, singing at the tops of their voices. They seemed so carefree, and I found myself thinking “I want to feel like that”. In one epic moment I had the epiphany that I wasn’t feeling like myself, and I hadn’t been for a while. I was on the cusp of turning 30 and felt like my situation needed a shake-up (is there such a thing as a midway-to-midlife-crisis?).
I knew that I wanted to keep working and progressing with my financial goals. But I also wanted to travel and experience more of the world. Much more. If entering the housing market meant shackling myself to a mortgage and forsaking that for the foreseeable future, I realised I didn’t want to do it.
So, I asked myself, How can I do that? Which job gives me the chance to travel as much as possible, as often as possible, and as affordably as possible?
The answer came to me in a flash: TEFL. As soon as I got home, I delved into researching the possibilities and had made my decision by the weekend’s end. Seven months later, I left Australia and began my TEFL adventure. The rest, as they say, is history.
South East Asian countries, such as Vietnam, are also popular destinations for TEFL teachers.
Do I have regrets about TEFL?
No. None, whatsoever. Of course, I miss my family and friends in Australia dearly. But I am also fortunate enough to have family in Europe who are just a short flight away, and to have had my parents and brother visit me here in Spain. I’ve made some incredible new friendships and strengthened old ones. If I’d stayed in Brisbane, I could have been a home owner by now. But I also wouldn’t have worked in Spain, Austria and Germany, travelled to five new countries (and counting!), learned Spanish, diversified my career path, experienced all the culture that I have, and lived five minutes from one of the world’s most visited beaches. Nor would I have the possibility to work almost anywhere in the world.
Am I better off financially?
No, not really. I earned more in Australia at my job at the not-for-profit. However, I am still moving towards my financial goals and I am able to travel while doing it.
Money is definitely one aspect which needs to be carefully considered when making a decision about starting TEFL. Although some countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, pay very well, it often isn’t the case in the more popular markets (such as Spain, Italy, and France). So while you can live fairly comfortably as a TEFL Teacher who hustles, I wouldn’t advise doing it if you’re purely in it for financial reasons.
Reflections on my journey to Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Most importantly, I’m here. Every day I work one-on-one with people from all walks of life, of all ages, and of all English language abilities. It’s an honour to hear their stories, listen to their thoughts on a myriad of topics, and witness their improvement as a direct result of my work.
Language learners of all ages show their appreciation in lots of different ways.
One thing I was not expecting when I started teaching English was the strong bonds you form with your students, something that inevitably happens when you spend a lot of time actively listening to every word they say. Through your constant encouragement and praise, you boost their confidence not only in the language, but in themselves. And that is priceless.
This is my TEFL story. What’s yours? Share your reason for starting your TEFL journey below!