In order to truly understand this story, you must understand that both Perlie and myself were at a crossroads upon graduation college. So many things running through our mind … What do we want to do with our lives? Travel was certainly an important part of our lives, as it had been a large part of our childhoods from trips abroad to Europe, Asia, and South America. It became clear that our path moving forward had to have travel involved. Luckily, TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) was an option, and it honestly seemed like a no-brainer – a chance to live abroad for an extended period of time and teach our mother tongues to eager students around the world.
Starting TEFL Journey in Ribeira, Spain
After receiving my (Matt) TEFL certificate, I secured a gig teaching in a small coastal town in northwest Spain called Ribeira. I had never heard of Ribeira, but it didn’t matter, I knew I wanted to go wherever I was needed. I went through a recruiting agency called UP International, which helped secure interviews for myself and walked me through the visa process. To be honest, I cannot say enough about UP because it truly felt like they were with me every step of the way. As I joined mid-year, I didn’t have many options, but I knew Spain was calling and they offered me a position in this small town. I was off to begin my teaching career, compliments of receiving my TEFL.
My time in Ribeira was characterized by a full-cultural immersion as I had the opportunity to live with a host family, which I highly recommend because it gave me a chance to practice my Spanish that I had studied in college. (side-note: I was truly humbled with my Spanish, or lack thereof, as there was so much I thought I knew but in reality didn’t…but hey that’s part of moving abroad). I wanted to offer a disclaimer – UP International offers teachers the choice to either live with a host family, in which you receive a lower salary, or be responsible for your own housing with the higher salary that you have.
I loved my time teaching in Spain as I got to work with the young minds of Spain with my students aged 3-15 years old. Much like other recruiting companies in Spain, you work as a language assistant, meaning you work side-by-side with a Spanish teacher or teachers and supplement lessons with activities and games. It was the perfect first teaching gig, as I wasn’t completely thrown to the fire with my own class or a million students without support.
My time in Ribeira was nothing short of incredible as I really became part of the community and got to see so many places during the week and weekend that I wouldn’t necessarily have thought of in previous trips to Spain. But, hey that’s the beauty of TEFL…it’s truly your key to the world. I enjoyed my position so much that I pushed to stay another year with UP, but this time in Barcelona. The position was similar to my previous one, but I was now working with high schoolers, which had its advantages and disadvantages to my previous school. Much like my time in Ribeira, it was the perfect opportunity to truly live the Barcelona life. I was going to places that tourists miss and really just having the time of my life, in addition to picking up valuable skills and refining my teaching style, which then prepared me and then Perlie for the next chapter: South Korea. If you are nervous about teaching or moving abroad, I can honestly say Spain is the best place to start because, as mentioned before, you work as a language assistant, which can give you a glimpse into understanding if TEFL is something you want to continue further.
Discovering South Korea
Perlie and I knew little about South Korea other than your cliche things: K-Pop, Kimchi, and of course Gangnam Style. But, it didn’t matter….we knew there must be a reason that so many people opt to move abroad and teach in the country. So, we went through various recruiters and kept pushing, albeit with a level of naivety, for Seoul…not much for any reason other than the fact that it was Korea’s largest city. Yet, after countless interviews with recruiters it became apparent that Seoul was very difficult to get into because everyone wants Seoul. So we settled (a strong word but truly a blessing in disguise for Korea’s 2nd largest city– Busan. WORD OF ADVICE: PUSH FOR BUSAN (it has everything that Seoul has but is less chaotic and for sure more beautiful….you can’t beat the beach).
We were then off to Busan in separate hagwons (Korean for private language academies). I was working with children aged 3-7 and Perlie with 6-9 years old. Korea was a shift in responsibilities compared to Spain, as we were teachers with Korean language assistants. This was definitely an adjustment as we were more responsible for lesson planning and the idea of controlling a classroom. While the classes were smaller than that in Spain, there was truly a learning curve in understanding classroom management. However, after some time, we nailed it and were quite comfortable with commanding a classroom, even working on discipline tactics. Our time in Korea was just as special as Spain as, once again, it was an opportunity to become fully immersed in Korean culture and of course having the chance to visit much of the country.
With a large network of native teachers scattered throughout the country, it was the perfect balance of mingling throughout the unknown with a degree of familiarity, as so many people are in your same situation. Of course, we wouldn’t do this blog justice if we didn’t give some advice about Korea, so here it is: do your research. There are a lot of horror stories when it comes to working at a hagwon, and there is some merit to these stories. In order to avoid being stuck in a toxic workplace (quite common in Korean schools), it is of the utmost importance to ask your recruiter to speak to current or former teachers of that academy who will hopefully give you an unfiltered review of the school. This will allow you to make the best decision when it comes to picking your hagwon. Additionally, unlike Spain, each contract when teaching in Korea includes housing or a housing stipend if you reject the provided housing. This was so much easier in terms of adjusting when compared to my time in Barcelona when I was responsible for finding housing. Another piece of advice regarding teaching in Korea: DO IT! Odds are it will be an incredible experience…don’t believe me? There’s a reason it is one of the top TEFL destinations.
Teaching in Türkiye: Embracing a New Chapter in Istanbul
This brings us to our 3rd TEFL destination: the beautiful country of Türkiye and its mega-city of Istanbul. As we were looking for the next teaching gig, we found a job on Dave’s ESL Cafe about teaching jobs at a private academy in Türkiye’s largest city. After having already been twice before, it was truly a slam-dunk in location. We arrived in Istanbul and we were put up in our new home– a furnished apartment provided by our school (ADVICE: Always ask about the benefits of a TEFL position) in a nice green, quaint neighborhood, which was a nice way to acclimate to a city that spans two continents. As was the rule of our academy, couples could not be at the same campus. Therefore, we worked separately at two different schools in different parts of the city. Türkiye was the next step in the teaching ladder as we were now in charge of our own class with a Turkish co-teacher (whom we shared responsibilities with, unlike Korea where you have a higher position than your co-teacher). I was responsible for a class of 15 Turkish 5-year olds while Perlie with 14 4-year olds. It was a chance to be with one class for the duration of the school year and an opportunity to watch each individual student grow, unlike that of Spain and Korea as we floated between classes. While it was an adjustment working alongside a Turkish co-teacher, as there were often examples of miscommunication regarding responsibilities, it was very rewarding to compare the growth of our students from the first day to the last day of the year. The curriculum was focused on learning by play and was much more relaxed and laid back compared to the students in Korea, who are driven by test scores and completing books. It was more enjoyable in that sense as you could see the happiness in the students with each and every activity. As Türkiye is a much larger country than Spain and Korea, we had the opportunity to see so much on the weekends including balloon rides in Cappadocia to swimming in the crystal clear waters of the Turkish Riviera. It was a year of learning and refining our teaching skills while also a year spent jet setting around the country and even hitting a few other countries on the many holidays in the Turkish school year. We had made so many friends and memories in our time here which, much like our time in Spain and Korea, was made possible with TEFL.
After having spent time teaching in three countries with completely different cultures, languages and customs, we are so glad to have had the opportunity to call ourselves locals, not tourists in each new place. With our TEFL certificate, the world became smaller as we got to navigate life in countries that before only would’ve been possible to visit as a tourist. If you are unsure of what to do next in your life, no matter where you are in life, I can’t recommend enough to get TEFL-certified and go out and find your Spain, Korea and Türkiye much like we did. The world is a big place, so go out and see where TEFL can take you.
If this story has lit a spark in you and you’re craving your own adventure, now’s the time to make it happen! The 120-Hour Advanced International TEFL Course is your golden ticket to a world of endless possibilities.
Find out more about Perlie’s and Matts adventure:
