Allen has lived in Madrid, Spain for five years. He acquired his TEFL Certification in Sevilla before moving to Teach English and has focused on Exam Preparation.
He currently specializes in TOEFL, Cambridge Exams and TEFL TA.
What is your favorite travel memory?
It was August 2016. I won’t forget it because it was the first time that I had a significant amount of free time. I just left Malaga and was on my way west when I stopped in Algeciras. Across the bay was Gibraltar, and I looked further south and saw what I thought was an island. Then someone told me that the island I was looking at was Morocco. So, I went back to my hotel, saw the prices for some of the places that were available, and hopped on the next boat over.
I spent three weeks backpacking the country.
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
I worked online before I joined the staff at TE Madrid. It was liberating because I was able to work from anywhere, so long as I had an internet connection. I was missing the energy and dynamism of working as a part of a team, and I learned what it was like to be able to depend on others and to be depended on as a TEFL Teacher and a professional.
It was great working online, but I strongly believe that people need real contact, and that’s what I get at TE Madrid.
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
There was one story that I’ll never forget. He was preparing for the TOEFL and didn’t think that he would do well. He came to the academy on time and every day taking English classes and participating in class as much as he could. Given his level, I would have understood if he decided to quit altogether.
When he took his exam, I was surprised and impressed that he was able to get an 80 on his exam, and could apply for scholarships to go to school in the United States, like he’s always wanted.
If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?
I’m always interested in challenging myself as not only a teacher but a learner as well. There are a couple of Exam Preparation courses that I think would provide that much-needed challenge. I sat in on a couple of GMAT classes with one of the teachers and realized that I would need to really study hard in order to effectively pass it. So, taking that into consideration, I think I would very likely take the GMAT course.
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
We’re a pretty friendly and approachable group of teachers at TE Madrid. It was easy for me to get the training that I needed to get started. It was easy to understand how the technology worked.
I also like how quickly and easily it becomes for us to become a creative group of professionals, then a group of teachers, and then friends. That’s something that happens all the time, rather than at one specific time.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
I think that teamwork brings a lot of people together.
There’s one goal at TE Madrid, and that’s something I remember whenever I come into work. Understanding how to do each other’s jobs definitely helps, and that is just in case someone does fall ill or need to take a day off.
I’ve worked in situations where I didn’t believe I could trust the person across from me, so I’m glad that I now have that place where I’m not only able to focus on my job, but that the people next to me will look out for me in case something happens. It makes me happy to do the same for them.
