Do you feel like fear is controlling your life? Do you need that push to move you forward? Have you dreamed of teaching in Costa Rica?
So did our 2022 graduate Maddie Kay! Maddie decided to take charge and stop letting fear steer her life. She took a leap of faith and decided try teaching in Costa Rica with Costa Rica TEFL, little did she know this giant leap would guide her into the life she had always dreamed of, the Pura Vida!
TEFL graduate, Maddie comes to us from New York City, New York and moved abroad to Costa Rica in February 2022 to escape her everyday routine and the cold. She is now teaching kindergarten through fourth grade in this quant beach town, Samara beach. She says, “Costa Rica TEFL was the best risk I’ve ever taken”. Maddie chose Costa Rica TEFL for various reasons (price, job placement, reviews, beach location etc.) but mainly because she wanted to break out of the concrete jungle and experience a real-life jungle. Maddie loved the idea of getting TEFL certified in a tropical paradise but she says the best part is that the tropical paradise is right on the beach! What more could you ask for?
Maddie shares with us that one of the most valuable lessons that she’s learned during her time teaching in Costa Rica was learning how to find comfort in the uncomfortable. Teaching isn’t all sunshine and rainbows; there will be times when you find yourself nervous but if you are able to embrace that nervous energy and break the ice with the students, it makes the classroom atmosphere greater! You’ll also realize the students are just as nervous as you are!! Vulnerability is by far one of the most important parts of trying something new because it shows us that everyone is human. Showing your vulnerable side to your students makes them loosen up and shows them it’s okay to make mistakes, it is all a part of the process of learning something new!
While completing her TEFL course in March, Maddie interviewed and was placed in a teaching position at a local school making this beautiful town her official home abroad. Not only did Maddie’s leap of faith gain her two new best friends, Maizie and Sam, but it also led to her dream job in paradise! She shares that her favorite part of being a teacher is connecting with her students and getting to know their individual personalities, especially when teaching children! She says “ It is so rewarding to have their trust and respect”.
One of Maddie’s biggest realization going overseas is that she is much more capable of achieving her dreams than she thought. She emphasizes the importance of keeping an open mind and heart everywhere you go when traveling abroad, and this was especially helpful while she was teaching in Costa Rica.
Her advice to anyone thinking about participating in Costa Rica TEFL is: “Even if you’re scared, do it! Don’t let the fear of failing or fear of the unknown stop you from trying”.
