News from our grads
Natasha in Spain
After spending quite some time in Argentina—and finding love!—Natasha and her Argentinean fiancé are in Spain. Here is what she had to tell us about her experiences:
1. How/Why did you first think of doing a TESOL course and going overseas?
I really like learning about the English language and had thought about the opportunities of travelling and teaching English.
2. Why did you choose Teach International?
The flexibility of the course and its practical approach really appealed to me, and after an introduction to the course I was totally convinced.
3. How did the course help you prepare for the journey ahead?
The course gave me a huge range of material and ideas that I constantly use and draw from, as well as providing a base to know what to look for in a job and country information. The links are also really helpful for anything I need to know about other countries, teaching and teaching material.
4. Where are you teaching and how did you get the job?
I am teaching in a secondary school in Spain as I applied for a scholarship as a language assistant through my university (Monash) and was accepted. I also give private English classes nearly every weekday as when I first arrived I put up several notices advertising private English classes and I now have seven students.
5. What do you enjoy most about living there?
I love the way people are so relaxed and love life here. Spain is a beautiful country with so many things to offer – culture, history, great food and music – and it’s such a great experience to live in another country that is so different to your own.
6. What do you find challenging about living there?
It’s quite challenging speaking in Castilian most of the time (outside of work) as it can get quite tiring, and some people don’t have much patience with foreigners. The hours are also totally different… everything closes between 2 and 5 pm, and people eat dinner at 10pm!!!!!!! It takes a bit of getting used to, although I refuse to eat so late - my body just can’t handle it.
7. Do you have any funny stories?
Some other Aussies, who are also working as language assistants here, and I went on a weekend trip to Lisbon, as we are 7km from the Portugal border. We hired a car for our trip and refilled it with unleaded petrol (as many cars in Australia run on unleaded petrol) before returning it to the rental place, but never made it there. We should have filled it with gas! The car conked out at a huge roundabout and we had to push the car across a one-kilometre bridge to take it back to the rental place!
8. What advice would you give to someone planning on teaching there?
Enjoy every minute of this beautiful country. Don’t take comments too seriously, as people tend to be quite direct here, and enjoy the cultural challenges you’re faced with. I also recommend trying paella and magdalenas (cupcakes)!
9. What are your future plans?
I plan to travel to Argentina with my fiancé and try to find work there teaching English, and hopefully return to Spain next year to teach if possible.
Natasha Zanrosso - Teach International Graduate
