United Kingdom
UK
Joel Ntoto
Teach Enrich Empower
Na Zdrowie! To A New Life
Hi! Cześć! My name is Joel. I’m 24 years old, and I currently teach English in Poland.
Before teaching English in Poland, I was working as a travel agent. I worked long hours, and ended my duty at midnight, five days a week.
This was not ideal for me, therefore I needed a change. I completed The TEFL Academy Level 5 Combined Course – up to this point, the best decision of my life.
When I became a qualified teacher, I chose to teach in Poland because its always been my dream to live and work in Europe.
I teach at Helen Doron, located in a town called Busko-Zdroj. Helen Doron is a worldwide language franchise that spcialises in teaching English to children and teenagers in the natural way, ie. the Helen Doron method.
At my school, I teach children as young as ten years old, and teenagers. I also have an adult conversational class who I see once a week.
I enjoy teaching at my school for a bunch of reasons: the lessons are fun and engaging; my students are as bright as a lightbulb, with a great hunger to learn and improve; my colleagues are very supportive of me as a new teacher; and my boss is incredible.
Outside school hours, I have two clients who I give private lessons to – a bright 11-year-old boy who would like to become a pilot, coincidentally for the airline that I worked for; and my neigbour’s wife, who is a talented artist.
So far, life in Poland has surpassed my expectations.
Coming from Cape Town, South Africa, I’m used to the big city life – I’m surprised as to how I’ve comfortably adjusted to life in the small town of Busko-Zdroj. I think the biggest factor is the people that I’m associated with – my boss, colleagues, students, landlord, neigbours have welcomed me and included me like one of their own.
I arrived at the end of the summer, so the weather has been great. My weather honeymoon is coming to an end, because winter is slowly creeping in. The upcoming winter will be my first ever white winter! Although I’m worried about how cold it will be, I can’t wait to see snow for the first time.
My travelling experience so far includes, Krakow, Tychy, and Kielce. I plan on visiting more places in Poland soon, such as Zakopane and Auschwitz birkenau; and then the rest of Europe in the new year.
Polish cuisine has impressed me on how healthy it is. I’ve eaten pierogi, and most of the soups, including rosół, a traditional soup based primarily on meat broth, which is good for fighting colds. Out of all the foods I’ve eaten so far, my favourite is zapiekanka – a toasted open-face sandwich made of a sliced baguette, topped with sautéed white mushrooms, cheese and sometimes other ingredients such as ham. I’ve drank Polish beer, homemade drinks, the world famous vodka – with every glass, we say, “na zdrowie,” which means “cheers.”
For anyone wanting to teach English overseas, my advice would be to choose a destination that suits the direction you’d like your life to take.
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