Costa Rica TEFL graduate, Charlie Rasbuary is teaching English online and vlogging her lessons from the United Kingdom! See story below.
How did Costa Rica TEFL prepare you for teaching abroad?
So many of the skills, techniques and approaches you learn with Costa Rica TEFL can still be applied in the virtual classroom. TPR is needed when teaching English in all scenarios! Most importantly I was prepared to use my initiative like never before. You can plan a lesson and plan games that you think will be great but they just don’t work in reality. An old me would have panicked about this but the calm, professional manner of my TEFL teachers rubbed off and taught me how to be responsive in any class situation.
Where are you working since getting your TEFL certification?
Currently, I teach and live in Hull, United Kingdom and I plan to live here until next year. I teach children’s one –on- one tutoring and adult conversational tutoring online from ages three and above. When I’m not teaching, I record videos for my Instagram page, ‘charlies_english_channel’ or for my Youtube channel ‘Charlie Rasbuary’. Right now, I’m back home saving for my next adventure, so I spend my weekends seeing friends and city hopping through England when I can. I love that Costa Rica TEFL has enabled me to find a career where I don’t feel ‘stuck’ in one place. Being able to teach English online is so liberating because where ever I go next, I can take my job with me knowing I won’t have the stress of having to find a new career every where I go.
What has been your favorite teaching moment?
So far my teaching experience has been enhanced with lots of little moments rather than one big moment. When I use something as simple as a Mr. Potato head to show parts of the face, or have a simple ‘drawing competition’ with a student and they fall off their chair laughing I know I have their attention to have a fun class.
What has been your biggest life-lesson while traveling?
I used to be relatively shy around new people, and I used to think I needed to have my next few moves booked and planned out. Hostel hopping meant there was no time to be shy when new, like-minded friends were to be made and I’ve brought that attitude back home with me too. I soon learned the joy of deciding where to go from one night to the next depending on who I’d meet along the way, so I feel much more relaxed and spontaneous now too.
What’s the next step for you?
I’ve applied for a Masters course in Creative Writing! I love to write, and the flexibility of my job means I can make my hours work around the course. If I’m not successful at getting on the course, I’ll be moving somewhere in Europe. Perhaps Lisbon, Budapest or Vienna. If I’m successful at getting on the course I’ll be taking advantage of school holidays to travel too, so either way I won’t be sitting still for long!
Be sure to check out Charlie’s English Channel for EFL tips and a great example of how to teach engaging lessons online! For more information on what teaching English online is like while living abroad, see CRTEFL graduate, Jenn, and her interview here!