It might be that you are currently
considering the latter option - ending a successful career in one
area to move to into TEFL - an area where you may have precious
little experience. If so, we think it’s important to take
into account the full implications of making this move.
At Cactus Teachers, we will always be there to encourage you and
listen to your projects. We have found that in these circumstances
we can do a lot to explain to you what it will mean to teach abroad,
how each day might pan out, and what sort of problems and issues
you may encounter, and what prospects you may have in the particular
country you have in mind.
Clearly though, when you take on something of this magnitude, attending
a TEFL course and sourcing work forms only a small part of the whole
process of changing your life!
We’ve therefore
spoken to Claire from her Sussex
life coaching organisation Straightforward
Coaching. Her work takes place mainly over the
phone, where she has successfully coached clients from all
around the UK, looking to accomplish a wide range of lifestyle
moves. Claire has also first hand experience of leaving a
previous job to go and teach English in France! |
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Cactus: What did you find
the hardest thing about quitting a career to teach English as a
Foreign Language? Did you have any regrets?
I’d been working in London in magazines such as Vogue and
Harpers & Queen. It was a job that had huge amounts of potential,
so I suppose it was the nagging ‘what if..?’ questions
- “What if I didn’t like TEFL?” “What
if I didn’t get a job?” “What if that golden opportunity
came up with a magazine, just after I’d left?…
As it happened, I found out two weeks into my first teaching job
in France that my (previously) dream job had come up in the office
where I had been working, but by that time I was enjoying myself
so much that I didn’t care! Why would I want to be working
there when I was living in France, meeting new people, enjoying
teaching and generally having a whale of a time?
Of course, there were times when I felt a bit lonely at first, but
TEFL gives you the opportunity to meet so many people, I didn’t
stay lonely for long. No, I can honestly say that I had no regrets
whatsoever about it.
Cactus: So you’re a
life coach now. How does life coaching help people?
Put simply, working with a life coach helps you to achieve your
goals faster than you would do on your own. It is a powerful relationship
where you set the agenda and the focus is completely on you and
what you want to do with your life.
As a life coach, I do not give you the answers but, by means of
challenging questions, I enable you to find your own ways forward
and motivate you to act on them.
Life Coaching usually takes place over the phone at a time to suit
you and sessions are normally weekly for between four and twelve
weeks.
Cactus: What sort of people
use a life-coach?
Anyone and everyone who wants to have some kind of direction in
their life. It may be a direction away from something (e.g. any
job but this one!) or it may be towards something (e.g. teaching
English in Tuscany), but it’s not standing still!
Coaching is forward focused and proactive. You don’t come
to a life coach to have your problems fixed, you come because you
want to be in the driving seat of your life.
Cactus: What advice can you
offer to those thinking about taking the TEFL plunge?
I think that the most important thing is to check that TEFL is
what you really want to do and isn’t just a convenient escape
route from a job or situation you feel trapped in*. TEFL, although
extremely rewarding and a lot of fun, is incredibly hard work, and
you need to be sure that you are ready for this.
If you have decided that TEFL is what you definitely want to do,
then think about where you would like to work, how long you would
like to do it for and what additional experiences you would like
to have whilst teaching. For example, some people may want to be
based in the UK and use their TEFL qualification as a ticket into
a new teaching career. Others want to travel the world whilst teaching
a succession of short-term contracts. There are many reasons why
people want to do a TEFL course, but it is important that you are
clear about your own reasons, expectations and aspirations, otherwise
it is too easy to get blown off track. Write them down - right
now - and you just might surprise yourself with how excited
you get about your plans!
* If you do realise that the only reason you wanted to do TEFL was
to escape, don’t worry - I can help you too! I coach
people contemplating all sorts of life-change situations. You may
not end up doing TEFL, but you will get out of the situation you
were unhappy with in the first place.
Cactus: So how can life-coaching
ease the huge changes that occur when people make such a radical
career change?
By giving you the chance to spend some quality time with yourself
- time you can use to check that this change is in line with
your beliefs and values, time to visualise what your future life
will look like and time to work towards getting to that ideal future.
For example I can coach you towards a decision about TEFL (the course
is a big investment of your time and money and you need to be sure
it is the right move for you) or I can coach you on your plans post-TEFL
course - where you want to be and what you want to do.
If you want to go to Spain, it is easy enough to get yourself there
physically - you just buy a plane ticket - but I can
help you to get there mentally and emotionally too, so that you
arrive knowing that this is 100% what you want to be doing with
your life.
Importantly, as a life coach, I’m impartial. Parents, friends
and colleagues all have their own agendas and reasons why they might
want you to stay where you are. The only agenda I hold is yours.
Cactus: Thanks a
lot.
To register for a FREE 20-minute taster session, or simply to
find out more, visit Claire's life
coaching site, or email
her directly.
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