If you want a CertTESOL, there's probably not a better place to do it!

Hello potential ABCi-er. Below is just a few thoughts on my experience here. I'll start with some positves but then draft in some negatives too at the end. Just as an introduction, I completed the beginner course having never taught before in my life. It was a summer course (this is very important given how the seasons change quite drastically in this part of the world). With the completion of this course and the gaining of my CertTESOL, I have been appointed to work at a language school in Spain (my desired location!). So was hard but well worth it...!

I had never taught much before, and I have found that I love it! Absolutely love it! And it had a lot to do with the wonderful course tutors who you will be travelling to the various schools with. So we do project days and project weeks. There are advantages to both these styles of teaching. The project days you have two classes only for three hours each and you never see them again. This is great for learning how to build rapport and change and adapt activities. These classes can have up to 28 students from ages 10 - 16.

Project weeks I prefer, because you are with the students for a whole week, you get to really build a relationship, learn their traits etc. You do a whole week using the ABCi program and then a big performance. Okay you'll learn about all this, but it's amazing. I've never quite had that feeling with any other work I've done.

The experience you'll get is like no other place. When I'm applying for jobs now people are just so impressed by how much I've learnt in this time and how well the course prepares us as teachers. The course tutors have so much experience and are able to really guide. Lots of conversations in the long car journeys about grammar and teaching...

There are so many observations so you will have all that experience and you learn from everyone you watch. And you get filmed and can watch yourself and send this to employers etc.

I guess the best thing though has to be the people. I'm actually away at the moment teaching in the south and was so upset to have to leave the others for even a short while. I've made such good friends from all over the world, people of all different ages and from different places. On the weekends, we've been able to travel around Austria, and although I'm not a fan of the cities so much (except Graz), the rest of the country and countryside is stunning.... I mean I just sit in the car and stare at the snowy mountains and rivers. Austrians are so friendly, the food is great, there's plenty of good places to visit.

Okay, for balance, some negatives! - If you are not happy about getting up at 5 o'clock for 2 weeks in a row then you might find it tough. But then I thought I would never get used to it and I have. You will always likely be sharing rooms with people for all the four months, which has been tough for such a long time if I'm honest. I'm a little older than most of the volunteer trainees so a little past the whole sharing thing - Also, the course is incredibly difficult. Sometimes, especially during the CertTESOL component, we were working 14-15 hour days perhaps.

This was testing for everyone and the atmosphere and mood can be really low during these times. Also, ABCi have one accommodation where up to 20 people live together in this big flat. It's fun up to a point but then so hard to keep clean, but if you are with cool people then it's so nice having so many people around. Communication at times has been a little poor but for a fairly new organisation I can see that changes are being made to curb this problem.

Okay that's enough! To summarize: It's tough but one of the best things I've done. It's set me up for a new career. The course asks a lot but everything you did will be rewarding. If you're bored of sitting at a desk in an office, if you want to gain confidence in all kinds of ways, if you want to meet dozens of great individuals... DO THIS COURSE!