Joara Cristina Barbosa Cavalcante
Teach Enrich Empower
A Hidden Passion
I am a 23-year-old Brazilian, recently graduated in tourism & hospitality, and a language enthusiast who has experienced a life change after starting to teach English.
I went to the US on an exchange program to improve my English. After two years living abroad, I realised how learning English had changed my life and given me so many opportunities and that is when I became fascinated by it. When I came back to Brazil in February 2016, I tried to find a job as an English teacher given my knowledge and passion for the language; nonetheless, I came to discover that being fluent in English was not enough.
I used to think that only native English speakers were able to teach ESL. However, I still wanted to find out the possibilities that were out there for me. That is when I crossed paths with The TEFL Academy. They were so supportive through it all, always answering my questions, and that made a huge difference when looking for the right course to enrol on.
Since they do not offer the face-to-face courses in Brazil, I had to wait until I was in Madrid to start the course with them. Best decision ever! The weekend course was fun and even though it lasted for 10 hours each day, the instructor made it easy to understand and practise without getting bored or tired.
“I crossed paths with The TEFL Academy, who were so supportive through it all.”
Back in Brazil, I felt more confident while looking for jobs and I can say that adding the TEFL course to my CV made a huge difference and I got a job in two weeks. I am now teaching ESL in my own home country to kids, teenagers and young adults in a private English school. I have found in teaching a hidden passion that allows me to teach but more importantly to learn with my students, care for their goals and be a stepping-stone to helping others to achieve their dreams. That has truly changed not only my career, but also my life.
I have been teaching for over a month and I could not be happier. One of my favorite subjects to teach is culture immersion and my students love that. We recently had a Halloween party and they were all over it. I still want to teach overseas and I’m looking to do this soon, but it is good that I am getting experience in Brazil. I can say that for now, it feels great to be close to my family while doing something that brings me so much pleasure.
I see that the majority of teachers are native speakers but do not let that scare nor stop you. You are just as good as anybody is. Do yourself a favour and give this course a try! It is worth every penny.
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