 and we're live again hello everybody hi let me know if you can hear me if you can see me if everything is working well and yeah I'm so ready for this live today I'm super excited we have a very exciting topic topic that we're gonna talk about today and let's see what's gonna happen you know so as you probably know our topic for today is 10 pieces of advice for new TEFL teachers or new EFL teachers so very very exciting and just gonna wait a little bit for more people to join you know high-goes yeah and also please if you can see me if you can hear me if you are out there just leave a high and where you're watching from into the comment box below we are live on Facebook and on YouTube right now at the same time super exciting so please let me know where you are in the world where you're watching from and maybe also where you are right now in your TEFL in teaching journey are you already TEFL or T-cell certified are you currently taking a course where are you planning on teaching are you already teaching abroad are you teaching online you know how it goes right let me know if you've watched some of my lives before you know what this is all about how this works so I have prepared some slides for you I always like to include a visual just that goes along with what I'm saying instead of just me here I find that that works much better and it's more interesting my name is Linda by the way here from ITTT I am in South Korea about an hour and a half south of Seoul in a city called Cheongju I've been here for almost six years now it's been a long time time flies especially because we can't really count 2020 can we so yeah awesome we have some familiar people here hi Irma from the Philippines that's awesome Juliana still from Illinois thanks so much for tuning in it's so great to see familiar faces week after week and I know I keep saying this every week but I appreciate you guys so much for tuning in and I hope we're also gonna get a bunch of new people because that's always fun a new set of people so yeah we are doing these live sessions twice a week one time myself and then one time my colleague Lisa who is a non-native English speaker a teacher from Russia and so that's really interesting if you're interested if you're a non-native English speaker you really really should check out her live sessions because they're super informative and give you a different perspective she has a lot of great tips about what it's like building or establishing your teaching career as a non-native English speaking teacher so that's really really interesting because I know at ITTT we get a lot of people from all over the world not only native English speakers and you don't have to be a native English speaker to have a successful career in teaching either so there we go so that's why that's where I was going with this don't forget to like and subscribe you know subscribe to our YouTube like our Facebook page because that's how you'll get notified whenever we go live and we also share a lot of other interesting stuff besides our live sessions on our Facebook page and on YouTube a lot of teaching resources a lot of you obviously TEFL information you can check out some course grads testimonials and what they say about ITTT you can reach out to some of them you know and build connections build your network which is really really important and things like that so also there is a 30% off I need to practice this more here 30% off any TEFL or TESOL course so you might want to check that out as always that's the best discount out there you can find we only share 30% discount codes typically during our live sessions so if you're watching you're very lucky you can get that 30% off any TEFL or TESOL course if you haven't taken one yet or if you want to get you know an upgrade we have different course options I did a live probably in October or November about all our different course options so you might want to check that out you can always rewatch all of our live sessions on YouTube or on Facebook you can find the videos section and there will be a folder or playlist called live events or live videos or something like that and you can rewatch all of them also we're always turning our live events into audio only podcast episodes so if you're into podcasts that might be something you're interested in I always listen to podcasts while I'm driving and it's very relaxing so that might be an option for you you can find our podcast on you know Google podcasts, Spotify, Apple what is it called iTunes Apple podcasts you know what I'm talking about you can search for ITTT or TEFL podcast it's called the TEFL and TESOL podcast by ITTT every recently I think in January or in February we hit a thousand downloads which is super exciting so there we go I got a couple of responses here in the comment section please bear with me we don't have a mod or an admin or anything like that who's helping me out with comments it's just me I have two laptops in front of me I have a mic I have some something to drink and all that good stuff so bear with me if I'm not getting back to you right away but as always you can just throw your questions at me at any time that's what I'm here for and that's what I love doing just having a conversation I don't want this to be just me talking I want us to engage and have a conversation with each other all right we have Luciana who says hello good night for all what time is it where you are and where are you at oh good question Luciana Luciana is asking do you have a channel on Instagram yes we do let me share the link with you because we have a different sort of a different handle over there it's called international TEFL training we were thinking of changing the handle name perhaps just ITTT or something like that let me post it in your in the comment section here that's our Instagram please head over there and give us a follow we are trying very hard to grow our Instagram you know you need 10,000 followers to get that swipe up function the stories and that's what we're really aiming for so if you could do that that would be great that's one of your homework one of your assignments for today okay go to our Instagram and just follow us it'd be great we also have a hashtag on our Instagram hold on it's called my TEFL adventure so if you tag your Instagram posts with hashtag my TEFL adventure then you can get featured every Friday today today's feature Friday so if you post something about teaching about living abroad anything that has to do with TEFL then you can get featured on our Instagram so how about that that'd be awesome you could do that please that'd be awesome alright let's see who else we have here oh Irma says we keep coming back because we learn a lot from your sessions thank you so much thank you I really hope that you do because that's what I'm here for I always tried to you know come up with new topics and make them as exciting as possible I guess and it's really fun I like doing these live sessions if you've seen some of the earlier live sessions that I did maybe you can tell the difference like the first time I guess with anything it was more I was more nervous and I didn't really know what to do and it took me a long time to prepare but now I mean it still takes a lot of time to prepare but I'm enjoying it it's fun I like and because we were like a TEFL family now there's so many people that come back here week after week it's awesome Moses to Moses is in the house hi Moses what's up how are you yes sounds cool the hashtag yeah if you are an Instagram please use our hashtag my TEFL adventure and you can get featured on our account that would be awesome so please please please do that today's feature Friday well it's Friday already where I am but I'm probably gonna post the feature Friday or we are gonna post it in probably six or seven hours so if you have time in the next six or seven hours you can post something with the hashtag you will be featured today if not next week all right please do so that'd be great we have Juliano hi Juliano it's good to see you again as well he says hi Linda it's always a pleasure to hear your tips congrats thank you that's awesome and then we have Brett hey Brett I remember you too you've been watching a couple of times as well see we're growing our families growing week after week familiar faces I love it I love it that's awesome all right so then without further ado here today's topic 10 pieces of advice every new EFL teacher needs to know so that's the topic that I chose for today I think it's really important just to share this with you guys even if you are already teaching abroad and if you are you know please also share your advice that would be awesome I'm gonna present every advice starting with one obviously then as we go until 10 and feel free to you know add your comments I want to start a conversation and please add your advice as well that would be awesome we can all benefit from each other I always also learn so much from you guys during these live sessions and I appreciate it so much so without further rambling let me get rid of this and let me add my presentation here to the stream I'm a little smaller now I hope you can still see me down here but yeah that's what we're doing and like I said at any time feel free to scan the QR code in this upper right hand corner if you can and I'm also gonna share a discount link let me just share it right now before we forget and that also is gonna get you 30% off if you apply through this link and we have a what's it called cookie cookies cookie system on our website so if you use the link right now and use you leave the website I think it's for 30 days you return later you can still get a discount so alright here we have interesting Debbie Moore styles the nature wanderer awesome that sounds very cool I'm have I'm probably gonna have to check out that channel afterwards but hey watching here from the Philippines awesome thanks for joining us Debbie I wish I was in the Philippines we I went on my honeymoon well with my husband to the Philippines and it was amazing I want to go back okay let's get started and I'll keep an eye on my comment box so at any time feel free to talk with me or I'll get nervous if nobody's talking to me and I just talk to myself but yeah so let's jump right in as always I like to add a brief introduction about myself because there are some new people here that don't know me or anything so or well not anything but me or ITTT so here we are my name is Linda Dunsmore I am a travel writer and content creator under the name Linda goes East you can find my personal website at Linda goes East or www.lindegoseast.com and on social media at Linda goes East especially on Instagram I love to share my adventures on there that's one of my Instagram pictures at a last year at a temple in Korea I loved it there and I am originally from Germany slash USA my mom is German my dad is American and I spent some time in both countries and since 2015 I've been based in South Korea and I also taught English in China and also in Korea here and yeah I'm also a Teflon TESOL marketing professional at ITTT that stands for international Teflon TESOL training you can find us at Teflon course.net and on Instagram like I mentioned just a couple minutes ago at international Tefl training and like I said we have a feature Friday so every time you use hashtag my Tefl adventure you can get featured on our Instagram so please do so you know anything that's teaching related or traveling you know abroad everything that's sort of related with Tefl you can use that hashtag and we would love to share that on our account and yeah ITTT is a leading Teflon TESOL course provider worldwide okay all right then let's get back into the topic advice right away advice number one here we go you need to prepare myself all right advice number one teaching is actually not that hard when you are prepared okay that's my first advice for new EFL teachers a long time ago or actually not that long ago it was a misconception that just being a native English speaker means that you're you can teach English you know and that is not the case right just because we're native English speakers or we're fluent English speakers doesn't mean we actually know how to teach so if you don't if you are not prepared teaching can be very challenging I've seen a couple of people who you know in their career early on they were obviously new they didn't even take a Teflon course they were just going abroad you know for fun and then it's like here teach 15 little kids six year olds here you go and then they're just standing there like oh my god what they do what they do so we want to avoid that right how can we avoid that taking a Tefl or TESOL certification course a course like that will give you the perfect base of know how to be able to lead a classroom abroad or online I think we all agree on this point right and I think also that more and more countries and more and more schools abroad are also realizing that only being a native English speaker does not make you a great teacher that's why more and more countries and more and more schools make Teflon and TESOL a requirement for example I taught English in China probably seven years ago and at that time I was just starting to get to get into teaching and I wasn't Tefl certified yet because at that time a Tefl or TESOL was not a requirement to teach in China so but then I knew I was going to come to Korea and I wanted to have better opportunities in Korea in terms of teaching because I knew exactly where what city I wanted to go to and that's why I took a Tefl course at that time but yeah it was not a requirement for teaching English in China at the time but fast forward to now a Tefl or a TESOL is required to teach English in China so it's changing all the time and you know countries governments are tightening their requirements and make Tefl and TESOL one of the requirements that you need to have so it's always good to have it and like I always say it's not only this piece of paper in your hand that certifies you but it's much more for this reason this reason that it teaches you exactly you know what you need to do so that you can avoid not just being in this classroom and totally being overwhelmed so that's why we always recommend a Tefl course all right Christina over here is watching from Trinidad and Tobago awesome hey Christina thanks for joining us we're talking about 10 pieces of advice for new EFL teachers all right moving on to number two oh there's more from Christina she says I'm currently doing the Tefl 120 hours with it TTT hashtag loving it thanks girl that's awesome so happy that you love it and so happy that you're here all right let's move on to advice number two for new EFL teachers yeah patience is gold that's not only for new EFL teachers but literally for everybody right patience is gold that's such a good such a good advice so even though you take a Tefl course you know you work through all the units you learn all the techniques you learn everything there is to know during your Tefl course still does not mean that you're going to walk into your first class and it's going to be perfect it's not going to be perfect your first class is not going to be perfect your second class is not going to be perfect and neither is your third class so you know with any profession with teaching it's just going to take time so be patient you will get better at teaching and learn and develop your own personal teaching style over time don't expect just because you took the Tefl course you walk into the classroom and you boom you're an amazing teacher that's not how it's going to be most likely so be patient and you'll figure out your own style as you go and I think a lot of people you know they walk into the classroom they're obviously super excited but then there's like 15 kids or 15 students and it's overwhelming right I mean yeah it's nerve-wracking if you have your first class and you're in a different country it's a different culture you're in a different environment you're nervous so of course you know you're going to make mistakes but that's all okay nobody expects you to be perfect also the schools are not going to expect you to be perfect typically the schools that I worked at most people teaching there were fairly inexperienced so the schools know that and the schools have like training staff most of the time in place or teachers who have already been there a year or two they are going to help you and guide you and teach you you know all the tricks and tips and then you put your own spin on it and you develop your own teaching style what's going to work for you because every situation is different every classroom is different you might have a problem student and you can't really learn in a Teflon course or without you know any hands-on experience you can't really learn how to deal with that so it's always going to depend on the specific situation and your own character and yeah patience is gold be patient don't be frustrated if your first week of teaching is a mess because it's most likely going to be let's be honest you're arriving in a new country or if you teach online doesn't matter but you're nervous and maybe you have jet lag so all of those things you know it's and it's understandable you your students are gonna understand everybody's very understanding so do not worry about that hey foes on good to see you again and hi Linda hi everyone yeah awesome so what do you think about that one patience is called can you relate do you does anybody have a story of their very first class how did that go hi Allah is that how I hope I say it right Allah Allah hi good to have you here I'm sure somebody has a story for us about their first class ever and how it probably didn't go so well okay Allah wants to participate he's Egyptian awesome yes welcome welcome we are talking about 10 pieces of advice that every new EFL teacher needs to know we are at advice number two patience is gold and it's great life advice in general okay so when I started teaching English in Korea oh just Allah I'm sorry I don't know how to say it I'm so sorry anyway please forgive me all right when I first started teaching English in Korea I started or in China too I mostly taught children so and sometimes they were just like really like every class has a problem student I suppose and so that was kind of difficult to deal with in the beginning if you're like if you don't know what to do right so yeah and actually we had in typically actually all the schools where I worked at we have like the English teacher so me and then we would also have like a local teacher so a Chinese teacher or Korean teacher who would be in the classroom and they also help you right they also help you with problems problem students they can take them out of the class and talk with them while you are teaching the other kids so you're not alone in there you have a support system in the school so do not worry right Irma says I'm not yet a teacher but working in customer service for a few years I believe patience is gold yes right it's not just for teachers it's for everybody in general okay awesome all right then moving on and it's still if you have a story feel free to write it in the comment section and I will share it with everybody advice number three all kids are the same or all students are the same I taught kids mostly so that's why I'm saying kids but all students are the same in general so what I mean by that is no matter where you teach in the world you can apply the same teaching techniques and strategies to students all around the world right so especially children classroom management in a class of young learners works like a charm with a reward system so that's a really good piece of advice for anyone who's completely new to teaching and it also works with adults use a reward system you can develop your own reward system you can google it like esl reward system esl reward system and there is a ton of options so what we had at the school that I taught at in Korea we had sticker boards so every student it was like this sort of smaller piece of paper sort of in the front of the class under the whiteboard and with every student's name on it everyone had their own sticker board and every time they did a good job you know they were sitting nicely they threw away their trash you know they were paying attention they raised your hand anything like that they would get a sticker and then they would collect the stickers and then at the end of the day they would come to the front of the class they would put their stickers on the sticker board they were like I think maybe 50 50 each sticker board had like 50 spaces or something so the goal is to fill the sticker board and then I think they would get don't remember exactly but depending on how many stickers they got then they would get a reward we're actually my school they because it was quite a bigger school they had market day once a month and so the students were able to exchange their stickers for like items like snacks they could buy snacks for that or they could buy like stationary items like pencils or rulers or even small toys so things like that so that's what really um what they really loved or if you don't have stickers if you teach online you could do like smiley faces you know draw smiley faces oh how many smiley faces did you get today um things like that so reward systems work really well and also for adults um you can maybe find a reward system but usually for adults they tend to be they tend to want to be there in class and they tend to be more motivated for themselves than children are so all right let me see what you guys say so Juliana says I always did did that in my art design class cool you had a reward system also stickers or what um what kind of reward system did you have Juliana says well I believe that teachers need to be organized prepare the class and do the best it's difficult at the beginning but it's normal yes exactly so that was the the something for um advice number two patience is cool yes Juliano have you ever used a reward system yeah so either way uh pretty much all students worldwide function the same way or you can manage them the same way because we get this question a lot or I get asked a lot because I taught in China and now I teach in Korea you know how are the students different what's the difference and of course there are some differences because it's they are from a different culture they speak a different language but basically they function the same way they all want the same things especially children um you know so reward systems are always really great Juliana says I do it lots of lollipops okay lollipops are good yes however you do need to be careful you know always usually if you work for a bigger school not just by yourself they will have a reward system in place so you can ask them you know how do you do it how is it appropriate because maybe some parents or some people don't want their kids to get too much candy or whatever it is so that's just something to note but yeah all right moving on to advice number four of 10 pieces of advice every new if l teacher needs to know let's have a look advice number four and this is very important don't underestimate culture shock so this is for people who go brought to teach English right so I've seen teachers coming to Korea or China and just not being able to handle culture shock and then after two weeks they would just go back home it's rare but it can happen so be aware of that it's not just this how do you say it's not just this cheesy concept culture shock is real so do as much research about your new country the country that you're moving to as you can to understand the local culture so what you can do is you can read blogs of people living there you can engage with them there's lots of Facebook groups you know teachers in Korea teachers in Peru whatever it may be you can find Facebook groups you can find blogs there as well so you can reach out to people you know via Instagram now we have clubhouse you can find rooms on clubhouse clubs and join and that's a really really good way to get yourself prepared so that you understand there's lots of blog posts about you know 10 things I wish I knew before teaching in Korea or something like that there's tons of blog posts like that or YouTube channels watch people you know there's tons of YouTube channels of people living in different countries and teaching and stuff like that so that's always a good resource so what else was I gonna say oh I forgot oh yeah yeah yeah so also a good way to sort of combat culture shock you could take some language classes before you move abroad you know for example if you move to Spain you could take some Spanish language classes and usually language classes also include a bit of like culture topics so they would talk about some differences between your culture and their culture so you can pick up a few things like that as well and you pick up some language you know some words and phrases that you can use when you move and that's also gonna help you adapt to the new culture much faster right Mariela says I usually do stamps that's also cool a good reward system yeah love that and then if they have 20 stamps or something you give them a snack maybe or a pencil or anything yeah that's good okay let me take a sip of water as I always say there is sort of a 20 second delay between me talking and then you receiving so I want to give you as much time as possible so that we can talk about this point before moving on to the next point but we can always go back to it but yeah culture shock definitely don't underestimate and just prepare as much as possible Juliana says I usually sang a Chinese song for my student if they did well in class that's such a good idea yeah cool so if they were doing well then you would reward them by singing a Chinese song that's awesome love that Irma says I always do this reading blogs and watching vlogs about my desired location for teaching this really helps the do's and don'ts are sometimes shocking right do's and don'ts that's also good lots of blog posts about oh the do's and don'ts in Spain or whatever it is yes absolutely absolutely okay awesome then let's move on to advice number five sort of connected to the culture shock issue so you will be confused probably a lot if it's a very different culture and that's okay all right so oh my gosh I I've been living in Korea for almost six years and I get confused about things you know still on a daily basis you know you turn on the tv and there's something and you're like what's going on what why are they doing this so it's okay even though you do so much research you watch all the different youtube channels in the world you live in a country for six years you you're still allowed to be confused and that's okay um just one important thing to remember so don't try and place your way of doing things onto the locals like oh at home we do it this way that's better that's the better way um you are after all the guests in their country but at the same time you know stay true to your own values and don't completely change yourself it's all about compromising and finding a balance so what I mean by that is yeah I've been living in Korea for six years I've adapted to the culture but of course there's still some some things that I don't like about the culture that I don't that don't align with my own values and so um I stay true to my own values I don't change completely I'm also I'm not Korean I will never be Korean so there needs to be a mutual understanding right from the locals the local community and you so it's all about finding that balance right and connecting and exchanging we are living in this super globalized international world so this is what it's all about these days exchanging information sharing ideas um yeah and we all get confused sometimes you know the locals in the country where you are they might get confused like oh what is what is she wearing why is her hair like this or whatever it may be and that's okay too you know um so yeah you will be confused they will be confused we will all be confused it's okay it's okay um as long as it's a good balance all right juliana says using cock-made words in class comparing to students language is a good strategy yes I agree that sounds great very good right yeah or especially children teaching children you know they will be very confused um I remember oh what did they say oh my god like those kids they said so many things but it's like or even like blue eyes I have blue eyes so you know kids here they'd be like why do you have blue eyes why are your eyes like this and stuff and she's like why am I blue but like for them it's very special nobody has blue eyes naturally in korea so um they're confused about that and I'm confused that they're asking me that right so those kinds of situations Irma says for me it is called respect to their culture so you can be respected as a guest as well that's what I think it should be yes I agree a hundred percent that's very very well put I couldn't have said it better exactly yes mutual respect exactly that's what it's all about for sure for sure great thank you Irma that's what I was trying to say perfect okay all right are we ready for number six number six you might get sick surprised you might get sick some people you know they move abroad they they're only planning on spending maybe a year there so what could happen in a year well look at 2020 what can happen in a year right so before you go oh let me answer this question real quick so Wesley's asking can I watch this live stream later yes you can on youtube and also on facebook on youtube there is a section or a folder playlist called live videos live events so you can rewatch that later no problem all right getting back to this advice number six you might get sick so before you move abroad to a new country ask yourself or find out if you have access to health care in the country you choose that's very important you know you never know what might happen you know you could nothing might happen but something really bad could also happen you could have an accident you could have you know whatever um everything's possible there might be a pandemic a virus right so you never know and um so make sure you have health insurance if you do not get health if you don't have access to health care in the country you can get your own health insurance you know from your home country for a year while you go abroad that's totally recommended definitely recommended and then also it's highly recommended that you pack a health kit with all essential medications that you might need right so things like painkillers headache medicine allergy pills if you have allergies contact lenses if you wear contact lenses and also things like birth control those things you can buy if you're able to in bulk for a whole year for example or for six months and then you can take that with you so just be prepared you know different countries have different different countries are different so they might not have that medication that you use at home they might not have those allergy pills they might not have those contact lenses or the birth control so make sure you are prepared and you prepare it and you have it and you bring it with you a lot of people are doing this so that's just one advice to think about a very important one and a lot of people might forget or they just assume oh yeah you know you will have the same stuff there but it's not always the case it's not always the case or it might be a lot more expensive to get it you know in a different country all right advice number seven um your friends and family might not be able to relate right and for people who've already lived abroad in different places they are uh very well aware of what i'm talking about so it can be like things like you know cultural issues or like uh even like little things you know they might not be able to understand what you're going through because they have never maybe lived abroad or they've never lived in that country in that culture before so it's very difficult for them to relate to your issues right so as much as you're trying to explain to your friends and family back home what you're going through they are never 100 obviously going to understand right so there's just something to think about and sometimes it can it can go even that far as to where family or friends back home are asking when are you coming home and when are you going to get a real job right as if teaching being an english teacher abroad is not a real job right um we hear that a lot um so my advice is no matter what people say back home you know don't take it too personally they don't know what you're going through and after all it's your life and you can live it the way you want all right that's I think and that does not only go obviously for EFL teachers abroad that's for everybody okay no matter what people say um they don't know what you're going through and it's your life and you can live the way you want if you want to teach english abroad in Asia for 10 years for the rest of your life that is a real job and that's okay and maybe your friends and family won't be able to understand that but at least they should try and respect your decision so that's my piece of advice number seven for something that you might have to deal with just so that you know and you can be prepared for that conversation right um yeah just waiting if somebody has a comment for that but we have somebody familiar in the house hey hekmatullah good morning I am very fine how about you we are talking about 10 pieces of advice that every new EFL teacher needs to know thanks so much for joining hekmatullah okay then um I'm moving on to advice number eight but feel free to keep your comments coming advice number eight very very important yes Wesley I already answered you you can watch this later I answered that a couple minutes ago you can watch it later on youtube and on facebook you can always rewatch our sessions there'll be folders for it so you can rewatch okay okay Juliana says my gosh I've never thought about it it's a kind of prejudice when they don't consider your job a job yes right um I think it also has to do with how um teaching abroad is always advertised right it's always advertised as this adventure it's like vacation you know and um it's not it's a job you know when I was working I mean my first year teaching in Korea it was literally it was so much work like I was working all the time I didn't have a lot of free time so it's not like going on a vacation right you might live in like an exotic place by the beach or whatever but it's not you're still working it's a job right Irma says I gave my family a hint that I'm planning to go teach abroad and my dad was like how long will you live there yeah I mean and they also worry right parents worry that's their job they need to worry so obviously they're like when are you coming home you know they want you there and I get it you know totally get it hey Gwen hi no problem you can always rewatch you know from the beginning we're talking about 10 pieces of advice that every new efl teacher needs to know and we're just talking about advice number seven that family and friends back home might not be able to relate to your experience abroad and how to deal with that hey Richard 12 years in seven countries I've seen the good and the bad things you may not believe oh yeah please share some stories we should do a live together one day and you can share your stories that would be really interesting we should make a live about all the crazy stories that we had right while teaching abroad that would be really interesting all right awesome then let's take it to advice number eight very important read and understand your contract okay we talked about this last week was it last week the scams the Tefl scams so obviously read and understand your contract to make sure that you are not falling for a scam but also teaching English is big business in many many countries and there are more vacant positions than teachers to fill them so a lot of schools are trying to you know give you a very disadvantageous contract because they feel like they can because you as a foreigner might not be might not understand local laws and regulations so they give you a contract to sign with loads of loopholes in their favor that can happen so when you interview for a job abroad ask as many questions as you can about the school about the employer to see if they seem trustworthy right before you sign your contract and also reach out you know there's a lot of Facebook groups actually it's called like they're called like legal like legal support for teachers in Korea or something like that there's lots of groups for teachers in lots of different countries you can do a search and there will be people often free of charge that will be able to help you with your contract you can send them a copy of the contract they can read it over they are lawyers they know if they will be able to tell you if it's a good or a bad contract if you should sign it or not I have experienced a lot of things like that as well in my teaching career where schools try to take advantage of foreigners because yeah we don't know the local laws you know and we trust them right we think that they're going to be my employers they're sort of going to be helping me they want the best for me but oftentimes they just want the best for their wallet so yeah that's the best that I can say so be sure that you read and understand your contract and reach out to people you don't have to just sign the contract after you get it talk to people like I said reach out to those Facebook groups and you'll be able to get a lot of great advice there if the contract is you know valid or not okay Wesley says thank you Linda if I may ask a question how could we overcome language barriers when teaching abroad good good question yes um well one easy fix would be you learn the language right and I mentioned that before that it would be great if you're planning on moving abroad that you take some language classes before you leave so that you at least know some basics that goes a long long way um but most of the time most people abroad the locals are going to be very very understanding they they know you're a foreigner and they don't expect you to obviously be perfect right or know their language actually it's funny here in Korea I've had so many situations where people were talking to me in English and then they felt bad because their English was not perfect or not great and their English was fine but like this is Korea why do you feel bad that you can't speak my language like I feel bad that I can't speak your language perfectly after six years you know what I mean so most of the time locals are going to be so helpful and understanding and they're going to do everything to you know figure things out with you you can also obviously overcome language barriers by with you know different apps translation apps or something but the best way is just to immerse yourself in the local language and try to pick it up there's a lot of language courses in pretty much every city where you're moving right and they also combined language with culture so yeah that would be my advice all right good anything else about the contract let me think but definitely definitely if you are moving abroad before signing anything I really recommend you checking out those Facebook groups the legal legal groups there's so many out there there's a lot of good information yeah sure Wesley you're welcome all right then moving on to advice number nine yeah or just not an advice but the statement I guess you might not go back home so just keep that in your mind for me it was actually funny because I moved when I moved to China my mom she was like you're gonna love it so much you're not gonna come back you're not gonna come back home and I was like what are you talking about I'm gonna come back home I might you know two years three years seems like a long time and then I'm gonna come back home like yeah but here I am after eight years abroad nine eight nine years abroad and here I am and I don't have plans on going back at the moment so you know there are many reasons for teachers to stay abroad attractive career opportunities you know you can make good money there's always vacant positions at schools typically a lot of people also decide to open their own schools up um others they might find love and settle down and start a family abroad you just cannot predict the future that's I think what I'm trying to say with this um you just can't predict the future so you know just I also always liked making like a timeline or a plan like a five-year plan right um and that's great that you have you know your mind set on a goal and everything but you cannot predict the future it always comes differently as you're thinking as you're expecting as you're planning you cannot plan your life you can't like it's just how it is you cannot plan your life so just be open to that idea that's what I'm trying to say I guess don't let good opportunities slip away because of your plan like oh no I'm going home next year I already told my family I'm going home next year I can't take this job trust your instincts trust your gut trust your heart and you'll find happiness this is getting deep here but um that's how it is right in my opinion Irma says pack everything when you leave you might not go back yeah that's some good advice too sell everything sell everything sell your house sell your car take the money and then go bro just kidding just kidding but a lot of people are doing that no good good yeah that's what I'm trying to say I'm just gonna wait a few seconds and see if somebody makes a comment and then we're moving on to the last one already we're already an hour in now and last piece of advice and then we can do a Q&A you can ask me things or we can just chill for a little bit and then say goodbye all right let's do the last one yeah um advice number 10 or statement number 10 you won't be the same person and this I know sounds so cliche we've all seen the TikToks of the people coming back home and they're like uh you know I mean you probably know what I'm talking about but anyway also culture shock like we talked about is real and so is reverse culture shock right I experience this also every time I go back home it's just weird right when you live abroad or in a different country for so long and then you go back home like reverse culture shock is a thing it's a thing when you're living abroad for a long period of time you change you adapt to your surroundings that's that's human nature um that's what you do also me I adapt it's a really funny funny story um in Korea I love I've been living in Korea for almost six years now and in Korea they bow a lot right like when you greet somebody or when you say thank you you do like this little bow and I started doing this back home when I go back home and I feel like I do it just automatically like oh thank you thank you you know when I do it I'm like oh my god no I'm back home I'm in Europe or I'm in the US what are you doing they're gonna think you're stupid so it's like little things like that um yeah and also on another note um things to remember a thing to remember is that life when you go back you come back home after a couple of years and you expect everything to be the same right this is how you left but life goes on for those staying back home believe it or not life goes on you know so maybe some of your friends have moved away or some of your friends have kids now or some I don't know some of your pets may have passed away it's a little morbid but you you see what I'm saying right so life goes on even without you and that can be a little bit difficult I also experience that sometimes I have my group of friends and we meet every time I'm back home which is obviously not very often um and they their lives go on and they meet regularly and then sometimes when I'm there you know they have all their inside jokes or they have all their inside like oh last time we did this or oh we love this restaurant we come here all the time and last time we ate this and this and you're just missing out on that so um just be aware that you might you can feel like a little weird when you come back it's not the same anymore so yeah I don't want to make this sad or anything but yeah all right let's look at the comments there's some funny ones I think Gwen says oh my god yes nobody ever believed me when I said reverse culture shock was real but it is it is absolutely when you live in a different culture for long enough you'll feel it for sure yes absolutely absolutely yes agree Juliana says well I believe it's easier when you're young and have the whole life before you but when you have already reached a certain age with family children it's more difficult going back home are you talking about going back home I agree yes definitely sure more difficult and like even traveling back and forth with the family like it's more expensive it's not so easy yeah Irma says this is what I want rebirth but in a good way so when you're coming back home you're like a new person yeah I guess that's interesting that's an interesting perspective I like that that's awesome Juliana says yes I agree I did not stop speaking English in Shanghai when I visited my grandma four years ago okay yeah totally or well because I lived in China maybe Juliana you'll be able to relate or Gwen in China six is this right six this is how they say six in Chinese so sometimes I would do that like oh yeah six six beers or like and obviously outside of China nobody knows what that means so they're like what what are you talking about six hang loose what does that mean let's say little things like that and you pick up and then when you go back home or you go to another place they're like what are you doing so yeah it's funny but that's then makes you who you are right so that's very interesting and you always have something to talk about right you always have stories to tell so yeah all right then let's move on to Q&A and we can have a bit of a chit chat before I am before I am signing off but yeah hang loose right six are hang loose yeah yeah it's funny or also like especially like hand things right in different countries different things what I I don't know if there is anybody here who's Korean or who knows anything about that but it's really funny here with measurements right when you describe like oh yeah it was like this big or like it was like this you know you would go like this normally right or like where I'm from right I would do this in Korea they'd be like yeah it's like this it's like this so thick and length they'd be like yeah like this or like this like this I'm like the first time I saw that I'm like what what does that mean what is that so it's like little things like that and that's why living abroad you know every day is exciting every day you learn something new even still after six years every day there's something new and funny and confusing and something new that I learned so it's never boring even after this amount of time so I'm sure some of you can relate but that's just oh somebody says I think I saw you in an ad what ad I don't think so or maybe they stole my they stole my face I don't know I don't know what ad was that I'm doing these lives every week maybe that's why or ITTT's live ads or something all right cool so just a reminder for 30% of any Teflor TESOL course you can scan the QR codes here and I'm also just going to share share the 30% off link again in the comment section you can see it on Facebook and on YouTube if you click on that you'll actually go straight to our application page but because of the cookie-based system that we use the coupon URL is actually saved I think for up to 30 days so whenever you go back and you're ready to apply you will still see your discount there all right um yeah I hope today was fun I had fun I hope what I was saying made sense sometimes I feel like I can't really express myself really well I don't know it's weird I think COVID and lockdowns made me or a lot of people like not being able to socialize because we're all just home we're not really among other people um but yeah I don't know what to say but yeah before I start rambling and before this turns awkward I'm just gonna say I'm gonna sign off thanks so much for being such a fun and active crowd today I really appreciate you guys and like I said I hope it was um helpful oh there's a question okay cool Brett is asking what about getting documents episteld does it depend on which country you're taking the course if so which docs okay um yeah so it's going to depend on the country where you're going if they needed episteld or not um so you would need to ask you know your your the embassy usually it's for visa purposes right so you would have to check with the embassy the visa requirements if you need your documents episteld or not so typically for me what I had to get episteld was my criminal background check I believe and perhaps my university diploma the copy you don't have obviously not get your original episteld but a copy so you would have to do that and I actually because I already lived abroad at the time I used a service for that there's a lot of different services that will help you do that as well the epistel yeah so check with that embassy or with your employer which documents you you need to get episteld it's you it's not for every country but I had to do it for Korea I remember and China I don't think for China I also I think I also had to do it for some documents to get married in Korea um maybe or just notarized oops I wanted this one Gwen says you're doing great I haven't socialized in months and now I can't talk outside of my early years teacher voice I know right it's the same with me um I work from home I even have before COVID so I think I'm even worse than you guys uh in terms of socializing um yeah it's it can be really awkward sometimes Irma says I had so much fun sorry if I talked too much today you didn't talk too much I love that that's what I love about our group here because I want us to talk together I would hate it just like just me talking and giving a lecture you know so um I'm just so into the topic awesome um I'm really happy to hear that because you know every week I'm like oh what should I talk about which topic because I don't want to do repeats um so I wanted to be interesting every time and something new and yeah interesting so thanks so much Irma that means a lot Juliana also says thank you so much and have a nice day yes guys all of you also bread you're very welcome thanks so much for watching again today and um for being so nice um you know sometimes um social media people on social media sometimes are not nice so I appreciate you guys for being so nice and um sharing your stories asking your questions having a conversation exchanging information that's what I'm all about and um I hope to see you again next week I'll be there um I'm excited and uh if also if there's a topic that you want me to talk about let me know you can also DM me let me make yourself bigger you can DM me on instagram at linda goes east give me a follow um you can DM me about what you want me to talk about next and also let me share that again because maybe some people missed it where was that anyway I can't find it now but on instagram if you tag your posts with hashtag my tefl adventure you can get featured on the ittt instagram account so please do that that would be awesome I'd love to see what you guys are up to um because I can only see your profile pictures so I would love to see what you guys are up to behind your profile behind the name and um network and engage and have a yeah have a good time so thanks so much Juliano also thanks so much for sharing your great comments and everything um thanks Juliano oh Juliano says have a nice day you're the best thanks so much okay here we have something has has now oh my god I can't pronounce it has now we probably not I'm so sorry um yes about teaching methods okay teaching methods that's a good one I'm going to write that down and I'm going to work on that one okay I also recently started teaching English online so maybe that's also something that I'm going to talk about in the future um so yeah anyway I'm starting to ramble I don't want this to be weird at the end so I'm going to sign off now thank you so much oh my gosh no let's just stop thank you so much for watching and for your great comments and I wish you all a wonderful day a wonderful weekend um go out have fun responsibly wear your masks and um yeah I see you next week I need to stop talking now all right bye guys thank you so much bye guys