Lifestyle Upper Intermediate Teacher 39;s Book

[Temika]

Whenmy well-being hit an all-time low at 27, it prompted me to press pause on the life that I knew. I booked a one-way ticket to Sri Lanka, quit my 9 to 5, sold the majority of my belongings and left London for good.

Being naive about this type of opportunity, I assumed teaching English abroad required an English degree or teaching experience. And because I had neither, I never even considered it as an option for me.

But then I spoke to my brother. He had previously taught English in South Korea so I asked how he made it happen. It was then that I realised I just needed to be a native English speaker and have a degree.

During the training, I was already actively looking for teaching jobs abroad. Anything that would help get me out of the UK quicker. I was looking for opportunities in Mexico and South America including Chile, Columbia, Ecuador and Bolivia.

Being based in an English language school also meant that I taught a range of students from teenagers and university students to full-time working professionals and elderly people looking for a hobby. The levels ranged from beginner to upper-intermediate and it was a mix of listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Travelling around other parts of South America was always the plan and I needed much longer than 1 day to visit them. It was a tough decision but I chose to follow through with my original plan. I also knew that there were plenty of online teaching opportunities so I was set on that being my next form of income.

The lessons are shorter and you only need to focus on one person. And although I eventually got into the swing of lesson planning (IYKYK), all the lesson material was already online. So I just needed to show up, follow it and listen.

I took my laptop to Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador before it got stolen on a night bus from Guayaquil to Quito. Thankfully, I was travelling with my boyfriend so I was able to use his laptop to continue my online classes while we were in Columbia and Panama.

Japan had always been number 1 on my travel bucket list but due to expensive flight tickets and accommodation, it was always a little bit out of reach for me. But if I was teaching there then things would be different.

Being an online English teacher opened the doors for a digital nomad lifestyle. It supported my ethos of doing things on my own terms and solidified the idea that I have the freedom to work from anywhere.

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