Moving to Rome with TEFL level 5

I began my TEFL level 5 qualification while still working full-time in my home country New Zealand. I found it hard to commit time to it while working a 9 to 5 job, but once I left and started preparing for my trip to Rome I started making good progress in the course.

Now I'm in Italy, a certified teacher, and I'm working for a private language school in the centre of Rome. I have two students so far; one is the personal chef of an Italian diplomat, the other is a prominent Italian actress. I interviewed at about 6 or 7 different schools and found one where my employer has a genuine interest in catering to my specific talents and expertise.

When I moved to Rome, where the Jubilee is now in full swing, I quickly realised that finding an apartment was going to be difficult. I was running out of savings fast and had to find a solution, so I applied to volunteer at one of the hostels here in Rome. This decision came out of necessity but now I realise it's one of the best things I could have done moving to a new city, because it helped me make so many great friends here right off the bat.

Now I've found an apartment here in Rome and I'm feeling reasonably comfortable looking at the year ahead!