How I started doing TEFL online. December 2018
Some days I sit back and take stock of my life...
A year ago I was still the C.E.O. of a maintenance and construction company based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The traffic was starting to get to me, as overcrowded cities have never been my forte. I was longing for a way out of the mad rush, the wasted hours sitting in traffic jams, the endless noise of sirens and the frantic hustle and bustle of millions of people selfishly trying to make enough money to move somewhere quieter.
Trying to keep a level head under all the pressure of endless clients, targets and deadlines, I was starting to feel like a deadline myself.
The lure of making big money in a busy city had worn off and the reality of the daily grind was hitting home, and hitting hard!
Watching incidents of road rage take place on the drive to and from work on a daily basis was worrying as well, as was regularly witnessing horrific accidents on the highways. Everything was wearing me down....
Constantly wondering if 'Today was the day' your luck ran out on the roads is a heavy burden to wake up to.
Plus I was missing my daughter terribly!
Sadly I was not getting many opportunities to see her.
In my opinion, city life is a rather shitty life...
My business partner and I were also at constant loggerheads and always arguing.
More profit! Push the staff harder!
In a temper one day, I verbally resigned over a heated phone call. So I was not really surprised when, in to a meeting one Tuesday morning, early November, I got told that I was no longer needed in the company...
So there I was, stuck in this godforsaken city, a month before Christmas, with no job, no transport and only enough cash to pay rent and buy groceries for one month.
As most construction companies close over Christmas finding another job any time soon was a long shot. I could always get a bar job to tide me over but, without my own transport, walking to and from work at late hours is not the best idea in a city like Johannesburg. I was worried - would I be homeless (again!!) by December? Would I manage to pull through this and see my child or would I starve to death on the cold, unforgiving city streets?
I did what I always do in these situations, I bought some beers, ignored the problem and enjoyed having a few days off. By Friday I was feeling well rested and slightly hung over. I paid my rent and explained my situation to the landlord. I had R2000.00 = $133.00, left over for groceries. Just before going to buy my groceries I sat down and browsed my Facebook feed when suddenlyI noticed a Black Friday advert*, ironic considering my surname is Black!
I saw a TEFL course was one third of the usual price! And I could finally afford it! I had been wanting to do TEFL for 3 years, but could never raise enough cash.
I dont know if it was my crazy Viking blood or my reckless Irish blood that spurred me on that day. Maybe I was still drunk from drowning my sorrows on a 3 day bender, who knows? I threw caution to the wind, took a chance and bought the online course from my cell phone.
Heck, I didnt even own a laptop!
I had R1.00 = $0.06 change and no idea how I was going to survive with no food. Maybe a part of me realized there was nothing left to lose, so I might as well die doing something I've always wanted to do!
I did the i-to-i 120 hour online TEFL course and passed two and a half weeks later!
It seems an empty stomach is great motivation...
i-to-i.com is a U.K. based company and certificates are internationally recognized. The coursework is well presented and easy to understand. I also liked the handy links that one gets throughout the course to various teacher aids and materials. I highly recommend it. You can follow this link directly to the course to find out more : (https://www.i-to-i.com/tefl-courses/120-hour-tefl-course.html)
You can use my affiliate discount code:
Today I bought my daughter new shoes, again, so cool!...
And I get to see her everyday! I get to choose where I live and how many hours I work a week. I get to work from the comfort of home and in front of a laptop.
Plus I get to meet the most interesting people from all over the world and have students in almost every country on the planet!
No more hauling various forms of excrement for a living or constant dust and dirt! Is this not a blessing?
With only 9 months experience teaching ESL, the road ahead is long, somedays it feels as if I have as much to learn about teaching as my students do about learning English.
So what!?!
I am still alive, right? I am still here and I am actually doing it...
-WB-
* Black Friday is when all the big stores have massive discount clearance sales. I think it is an American concept that has filtered into our country.
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