Ben in Zaragoza

My name's Ben and I'm an English teacher originally from Leeds, UK, but now living in Zaragoza.

This is my first job since I qualified with a  TEFL Org UK qualification and I can't describe the impact it's had on my life. A year ago I was working as a dull, monotonous call centre drone taking repetitive calls from people who had no interest in talking to me and vice-versa. Now my day is filled with new experiences, talking to people from different cultures and backgrounds whilst teaching them a language they want to learn.

Classes are generally split into three categories - exams, children and general English. Each one is extremely different and adds a unique piece of variety to your day. You might start the day off teaching basic English to the managing director of an international company, spend the afternoon helping teenagers with school exam preparation and finish the day playing English-themed games with adorable children who are having so much fun they don't realise its purpose is academic.

The satisfaction you get after a really enjoyable class where the students are enthusiastic and chatty is indescribable and I'd recommend anyone who's stuck in a boring, dead-end job to give it serious consideration. Job opportunities are surprisingly easy to find, especially if you're from the EU or fancy teaching out in the Far East. Life outside of the UK is incredibly different - I'm not even in the south of Spain and it's cold for barely three months a year here. Life is so much more relaxed here and I now can't imagine living anywhere else.

Due to rising unemployment levels in the Eurozone there's an abundance of teaching positions available as students are wanting to learn English and increase their career prospects both at home and abroad. Also, if you're an EU citizen you have a much better chance of finding a job within the EU as employers must prove there is nobody in the EU with the credentials they're searching for before hiring people from outside the federation. It makes that competition pool a lot smaller and your chances of finding somewhere fantastic a lot greater.

As you can probably tell from the tone of this article I love this career and if I ever become bored of a place, it's so easy to move on - You're never stuck in one place forever. I've got no idea where I'll be in 3 years time, let alone 25 so if you're dreaming of the day you hand in your notice or book that one-way ticket to somewhere exotic, get yourself started with a TEFL certificate - it was through the  TEFL Org UK Jobs Centre  that I got this job and I haven't once looked back. Good luck!

If you're interested in teaching English in Spain like Ben, find out positions available now in our TEFL Jobs Centre .