United States
US
Molly Riley
Teach Enrich Empower
My Online TEFL Story
Hi all! My name is Molly and I am an online teacher, also a TEFL Academy ambassador and alumna. I’m 22, and I am from Settle, in the north of England.
So, let me tell you about my TEFL journey, and what inspired me to get into this amazing, albeit crazy, industry!
After my first year of university, I travelled to South East Asia; after the second year I travelled to Central America with my boyfriend. Upon finishing my degree we travelled to Europe. I had a job throughout uni, which subsequently funded my travels. Because of my plentiful experiences, I decided to begin a blog (thelifeofriley.blog) and more recently, a travel account on Instagram (@__lifeofriley). Writing about my experiences fuelled my passion, and I wanted to know how to turn travel into a lifestyle.
I studied English Language and Linguistics at university, as I wanted to broaden my career opportunities. Since I was young, writing and journalism have always been at the forefront of my career aspirations, but travel and the ability to teach children while living abroad enticed me, therefore I began more research. In winter 2018, my boyfriend and I came to the decision that the next December we would move out to Vietnam to teach.
“I work for an amazing company, teach amazing students, and I’m earning enough to save to get back out to Vietnam when the borders ease.”
I finished my degree in summer 2019, travelled through Europe for the summer, and began my TEFL course shortly after. We were able to work full time alongside, so it did take me a few months to complete, but I enjoyed the flexibility and ease. I worked in a cafe for 5 months, in order to have some funds behind us. In December 2019, we flew out to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam to begin our lives. We quickly settled, meeting new people, and socialising on the weekends. The expat community in Vietnam is amazing, plus the locals are so friendly! We taught for 2 weeks before the Tet holiday, and I loved every moment of it. We decided to travel with the two weeks’ holiday we had, going to Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.
Unfortunately, news of COVID19 became rife while we were away, and Vietnam began taking precautions, subsequently shutting schools immediately. This put a strain on us mentally, due to the uncertainty, and lack of money! We decided to teach online instead, and to this day I am loving it. Due to the virus, and a family illness, we chose to come back to the UK on 1st March. I can honestly say that online teaching is really getting me through this difficult time. I work for an amazing company, teach amazing students, and I’m earning enough to save to get back out to Vietnam when the borders ease.
2020 hasn’t been our friend so far; however, if there’s one thing I can say, is that it has lit a fire inside me, and motivated me even more to get back to Vietnam. I will continue teaching online when we move back, as it is a great side hustle, and completely recommend it for anyone pondering the idea!
I hope everyone’s well and staying safe; if you’re thinking about completing a TEFL course, do it! There isn’t a better time to do it than now! Drop me a message on my instagram for more info!
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