What inspired you to teach ESL?
Ben: I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I have also always wanted to travel all over the world. I heard about teaching ESL a few years ago; the thought had lingered in my mind for a while and I knew that I wanted to do it at some point. After traveling around the United States for a year, I knew the time was right to try a different country, and what better way to support myself in another country than by teaching English? Sure, you can always save up for months, travel to a different country, spend a few weeks there, but you only experience the country for a brief time as a tourist. I wanted to really experience a new culture and teaching English has provided me with the means to stay grounded in a foreign country long enough to become more than just a tourist. I am actually integrating into another culture, learning a new language, and learning about local cuisine, music, and art. While I am gaining so much from living in a new country, I am also able to give back through my teaching. I can help people learn English which in turn helps them improve their lives.
Why Did You Choose Costa Rica TEFL?
Ben: I knew that I wanted to teach English in a Spanish speaking country because I had studied Spanish in high school and college, but I yearned for a chance to improve my fluency. The question was, which country? I narrowed it down to Costa Rica among a few others. As I searched for TEFL and ESL programs, finding Costa Rica TEFL actually helped me to decide on Costa Rica. I discovered that the program was centered in Playa Samara, a beautiful, small, and friendly beach town in Guanacaste. The idea of being at the beach while I took my TEFL course was very appealing. I could swim at the beach, surf, and enjoy the sun when I wasn’t in class. Another enticing quality of Costa Rica TEFL was its affordability compared to many other programs that I had been researching. After reading many positive testimonials about the program and after deciding that Costa Rica was where I wanted to go, it was a no brainer. Costa Rica TEFL was the perfect fit for me.
Describe your day to day activities as a student with Costa Rica TEFL.
Ben: During the program, each day was broken up into about five different components. We began each day with troubleshooting for any student who was teaching a class that day. We would briefly review the lesson plan and help each other out with any fine tuning that needed to be done. Then, we had our first class session for the day. We learned about teaching methodologies, learning styles, teaching techniques, and grammar. Luckily for us, class was not only fun, but we were also participating in activities that we would later be able to use in the classroom when we became teachers. During our second class session of the day, we learned about a wide range of different activities that incorporated all aspects of learning.
After class, we had lesson planning time to prepare for our classes. We had several computers to work with, and plenty of construction paper and other materials to help us make our lessons fun and worthwhile for our students. Movement, media, and a concentration on student talk time were all incorporated into our classes as trainers and subsequently, we incorporated them into our lessons. In the evenings, we taught English classes to local Costa Ricans which was a lot of fun, and was a great learning experience. We took everything that we had learned during the day, and put it right into practice in the classroom. Getting that real teaching experience in the classroom was definitely one of the most rewarding aspects of the program.
How has this experience impacted your future?
Ben: During the final weeks of the program we worked on our resumes and Barbara, the program director, put us in contact with several employers in Costa Rica. I began the interviewing process during the final week of class. At the end of the program, I was ready to teach and had several good leads for employment thanks to Barbara’s networking. Fortunately, within one week’s time of completing the program, I was able to secure a job at Idioma Internacional in San Jose, Costa Rica, a well renowned English teaching company. It really blew me away that things worked out so well; I had traveled to a foreign country with no job, no plans for employment or where I would live, and within one month everything had fallen in place. Costa Rica TEFL was definitely the springboard that launched my ESL teaching career. Many of the teaching techniques and activities that I learned about during the program are used in my classroom on a daily basis. I walked away from the program not only a better teacher, but also a better person who had learned a lot in a very short amount of time.
What is one piece of advice you would give to those thinking about pursuing a TEFL certificate?
Ben: Don’t be afraid to pursue your dream of teaching English in another country! Take advantage of being a fluent English speaker; it’s your ticket to explore other parts of the world. Sure, there are many things you will have to consider: where to teach, travel expenses, living situations, and many other aspects of adapting to living in a foreign country. It almost goes without saying, you will have to do a thorough amount of research about the countries and programs you are interested in. Think deeply about not only where you want to go, but where you want to live. Find the country that appeals the most to you, get that TEFL certificate, and start teaching. Don’t worry about all the small details, because they will all fall into place if you are passionate about making it all work out. Make that first move by getting your certificate and before you know it, you will be living in the country you always dreamed about, experiencing a new culture, and giving back to the community through your teaching.