Dannie Sowden

Teach Enrich Empower

TEFL in Action! Think Fast!

Despite already having worked as a teaching assistant some time ago, I'd never originally thought of becoming a teacher until after a two-month sabbatical to India in April 2016 changed all that.

Returning from my trip I wondered how I could make my way not only back to the country I love, but also to give back to others. I began researching volunteer opportunities and hit upon the idea of training as a TEFL teacher.

I began my studies in August 2016 and I left in January 2017 to come to Jaipur, India, to work with children who live in the slum. I work in an NGO school in a slum in Jaipur, working with children anywhere between the ages of 6 and 12. These children originally didn’t know any English and so it could have been overwhelming, that feeling of not knowing where to start. This is where my TEFL really helped. The course was in-depth but hugely beneficial and had it not been so detailed and covered all areas of learning from grammar to the drilling of vocabulary, I wouldn’t feel as confident with teaching the children.

The TEFL course not only instilled confidence in me, but also provided me with practical skills too, such as how to plan the lesson to get the most out of it. It taught me the importance of teaching through different methods and especially for these children, task-based learning is a more effective way of learning for them. Learning English for these children who have so little is extremely beneficial as it opens up future job prospects, such as working with the many tourists who come to the area.

“The TEFL course not only instilled confidence, but provided me with practical skills.”

Whilst I may not get paid financially for my work as a TEFL teacher, a smile from one of the children, seeing the number of pupils attending school increase because they are enjoying the learning approach and listening to children speak English is so rewarding and makes up for the lack of pay and gives me the more enriched life I was after.

The great thing about the voluntary work is that you get to work with groups of children or adults you may not have had the opportunity to otherwise. You learn a whole different skill set that you may not have had by working in a private school and you learn how to think on your feet quickly! At my school, I am always coming up with new ways to teach the children. They love learning through games and suddenly cardboard can be used to make flashcards to teach them colours in English! I’m currently in the process of setting up private online tutoring work as a TEFL teacher which goes to show the many ways this skill can be used.

India is a great place to come and teach English. Despite it being one of the national languages, there are many people who do not speak it and it’s an opportunity to give back to less privileged people and put your skills to the test!

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