Teaching English Abroad, Spain.

After I graduated from University in Kansas, I came out to Europe, and travelled for a bit. I was pretty much taken in by the culture, and the architecture (which is what I went to school for). I wanted to make a bit of a transition in my career by working on projects in Europe. Before I pursued that career, I wanted to take a bit of a detour, so friends recommended that I teach English. I thought that this was a pretty good idea, and I wanted to make a bit of money while I was looking for the right opportunity. I saw that Teaching English in Spain was very likely the best option as that was the country that needed the most teachers. The people at TE Madrid explained that because I had experience in a professional field that I would be able to find private students in the business world, and that they would help me find a job upon completing a TEFL Certification in Madrid. Their academy was located near several Universities, so looking for students would be easier. Okay, so I had the plan, I knew where I was going, and I pretty much put down my deposit for the TEFL Course that they offered at their academy, and I was off before I knew it. When I started, I wasn’t surprised to see that I was in a room with other people in my position. Some were teachers, nurses, business professionals, and they were all making some kind of change by moving to Europe. I was pretty glad that I wasn’t alone in all this. It would be pretty isolating if I was a professional in a class filled with only party-goers and travellers. The teacher was also very friendly, too. He has lived in Madrid for a couple of years, and was happy to show me the ropes. We went out on the weekends as a way of not only taking in the vibe of the city, but also to make the learning a bit more personal than it would be in other situations, and I kind of like having a beer with the instructor (His name was Jordan, if I remember correctly). Things were pretty close to each other, and while I was doing the course, I also made sure to put some feelers out there with my professional services related to Architecture. Before I knew it, the course was finished, I had a couple of hours of teaching practice, and I was ready for the next step. I wanted to focus on working with other professionals to network and market myself. It wasn’t difficult to find professional students, especially when they either, all need to speak English at work, or that they want to study or work in the United States. I was able to help them out by being a bridge of sorts. When I finished my course, the administrative staff helped me organize my residency appointments. In terms of finding work, I was already doing that, but they were happy to send my resume out. I guess because I was being proactive, I didn’t necessarily need too much help in that department. I ended up with more than I expected. I taught English for a few months before I found another job, and I also held on to a couple of my students as professional contacts. Teaching English in Spain was an unexpected opportunity, and I’m glad that TE Madrid helped me out. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone when I say that moving overseas is a difficult move, so I’m glad that I had the help that I needed to make the move possible.