Where I went and what I did

My first year teaching English as a foreign language took me to the North of Spain. I graduated from Cardiff University in the Summer of 2015. After a summer as an activity leader for a language school in Devon, I headed to live in the small town of Mungia, just outside of Bilbao. I found a job on the TEFL website with a company called Meddeas. 

The attraction was immediate for several reasons: I was super keen to go to Spain and improve my rusty A-level Spanish, it was close enough to home that I wouldn’t feel too far away, I could continue studying at the same time as teaching and, most importantly, they offered the opportunity to live with a host family. I jumped at the chance to do this as I thought it would be a fantastic way to spend my time in another country for 9 months. And although it can be a trying experience, living in another family’s house for such a long time, I can safely say it was the best decision I could have made. I had such a great time, and I now have another family to whom I still speak and will certainly return to visit very soon.

During my first year of teaching, I taught all types of English to many ages, and it was wild - in a good way. I taught English conversation skills to teens in secondary school, played games and sang songs with younger children in ‘fun, after-school English class’, and even participated in baking and playtime with little ones at home. The experience pushed the boundaries of my confidence and teaching abilities, and I often found myself doing activities I hadn’t anticipated. I played the guitar and sang Christmas songs with my students to nursery school children; I invigilated exams; I went on a week’s residential trip to the mountains and even half-directed an end-of-year performance.