Nate spent a year teaching English in China after completing the TEFL Professional Online Course in 2010. Since he returned in 2011, he has joined the TEFL Institute family as a Student Services Representative, helping other TEFL Institute Alumni with their TEFL job search and transition abroad.
"My desire to teach abroad spawned from my passion for cultural exchange and travel. During undergrad, I spent a few weeks in Germany, another week in Ireland, and about a month or so in Russia. I loved being abroad but it wasn’t enough for me. I enjoyed traveling and meeting new people but I never really felt like I had truly soaked up the culture of those places. I was determined to go away for an extended period, but this time, it would be to learn the intricacies of a culture, country, and people completely different from my own. I chose to teach English in China.
So... how DO I get 50 students to practice speaking in 90 minutes? Don't know.. Well, how do I create an effective lesson plan that will appeal to advanced speakers without alienating beginners? Thoughts? One more, slightly off topic - Why does everyone keep calling me 'laowai?' These questions permeated my thoughts as I arrived and began teaching. Suffice it to say, I intially struggled with the process but never let my determination waver. I quickly got to know my students and immediately began to see how communication could impact a person's life. My relationship grew with my students and I loved being able to come to class to teach and at the end of the semester I received an Outstanding Teacher Award - no big deal. :)
If I could just say one thing about my experience it would be that you truly get of something what you put in. I was a sponge for the culture and the activites of daily life so much so that I find myself feeling nostalgic for a life outside of my American way of living.
China was amazing and overwhelming, beautiful and stoic, whimiscal and frustrating, humbling and jawdropping... it was my home for a year and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything."
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So... how DO I get 50 students to practice speaking in 90 minutes? Don't know.. Well, how do I create an effective lesson plan that will appeal to advanced speakers without alienating beginners? Thoughts? One more, slightly off topic - Why does everyone keep calling me 'laowai?' These questions permeated my thoughts as I arrived and began teaching. Suffice it to say, I intially struggled with the process but never let my determination waver. I quickly got to know my students and immediately began to see how communication could impact a person's life. My relationship grew with my students and I loved being able to come to class to teach and at the end of the semester I received an Outstanding Teacher Award - no big deal. :)
