In part one we discussed the first set of people you usually find who takes a TEFL course. Besides, those who are freshly out of college and looking to explore the world, the second group of people we see come in our doors are those who are looking to change careers.
Change of Career Professional
Many of those who take our TEFL course in Madrid have had professional careers in marketing, law, finance, HR etc. but wake up one day and wonder how they got there. All those years of study, slogging through their commute every morning, working all hours and getting that dream promotion and then suddenly realising that they are not really happy. Where is that work-life balance they keep going on about in all those glossy magazines?
Teaching English in Madrid, or in the rest of Spain, can be stressful when you first start off. You are putting together your teaching schedule, planning endless lessons, getting to grips with speaking Spanish, getting used to banks closing at 2.30 and nothing being open on Sunday. It’s normally around 3 months in when it all begins to seem more like the dream you had that day in your hermetically sealed office. Life begins to have a sense of routine, you know people to go out with, you are used to starting your nights out at midnight and eating dinner at 10.30pm.
Those with previous professional backgrounds tend to teach executives in companies. They need help with their jobs, writing emails, preparing for presentations and to generally increase their level of English through chatting with teachers with life experiences and professional backgrounds.
For some who come to TEFL in Madrid, teaching English is a stop gap until they learn enough Spanish to return to their previous profession but in Madrid. Whilst for many this is the plan, in many cases, they never return to their previous jobs as they really enjoy TEFL in Madrid and find it hard to give up the 4 day week and free time they have during the days. One of my graduate teachers recently said that she didn’t think she could ever go back to the 9-5 routine because she could no longer survive without her afternoon siesta!
TEFL in Madrid can be a very professional job where you get to meet interesting and high flying people while still finding time to do those things in life that truly make you happy. Take a look at some of the people who have taken our course.
