Louise’s Summer of TEFL in Romania

This summer, like last, I went to Romania to teach English. Those who know me will know that teaching English as a foreign language is my dream career, and thanks to taking my TEFL course (at TEFL Org) I have been able to do this. Last year I applied for a teaching position in Romania from the TEFL Org job site, and this year I was lucky enough to be asked back again.

The place that I stayed in Romania, is a beautiful city called Brasov, which is located in Transylvania. It is home to beautiful hills, mountains and of course Dracula - or his castle anyway! During my time with English In Action, I was able to teach English in a fun and creative way! I had the youngest of the groups, who were aged between 5 and 8. It's funny because I always said I wanted to teach older children, but I love teaching younger children, because it is much more creative, you can play games, make arts and crafts, sing and dance, although the latter is not my forte. During my three weeks of teaching in Romania, I taught topics such as colours, animals, places and transportation. In addition to this on a Saturday afternoon I was able to have an arts and crafts workshop, where we made dream catchers, from various different materials.

As well as teaching, we participated in evening activities for the children such as discos, film nights, quiz nights and so much more. We also supervised the children in sporting activities such as swimming, hiking and zip-wiring! Hiking in the Romanian countryside was beyond stunning, we adventured along a woodland track and stream into a cannon, complete with stunning waterfalls. Whilst the cannon was a little difficult to get into, with having to climb up various ladders (including a very high vertical ladder right next to a waterfall), it was definitely worth it! Along this same track were zip-wires, I had never been on a zip-wire before and I was extremely scared about it. I am not really into such adrenaline filled things, however much to my own surprise (and others) I went on the zip-wire...and in fact I absolutely loved it, so much so that I went on it a grand total of three times! Going to Romania has allowed me to experience many new things, for instance, last year I stargazed for the first time during a meteor shower; which is something that I shall remember for a long time! I also managed to tick something off my bucket list, which was to let go of a floating lantern.

Furthermore, on a Saturday evening it was closing ceremony, which meant that the children were to leave the following day. This evening was special because there was a beautiful bonfire and a slideshow of that week's adventures.

As well as spending time at camp with the children, on a Sunday we got to go on trips (which I shall make separate blog posts on):

Brasov

- Including going up in cable cars to see the Brasov sign.

Bran Castle - Dracula's Castle

- Including wishing in a wishing well.

Peles Castle

- Including seeing someone propose very romantically outside the castle in the gardens.

Monastery

- Including seeing black swans for the first time.

While all in all it is a great life experience, teaching experience, cultural experience and so on...the best part is the friendships that I have made whilst out there, which shall hopefully continue long into the future.

You can read more posts from Louise on her blog: 'Just Breathe Wanderlust'

Working at a Summer Camp is one of the most popular ways of getting into TEFL, especially if you are looking for a short term contract or you want to work with children. Check out the opportunities available on our Job Centre for Summer Camp positions in 2017.