A letter from Karen Lomas

Sick of the stresses of my job and wanting a complete change of lifestyle and career direction I decided to take a 20 hour basic TEFL qualification through ITC. It seemed that if I was going to take time out I might as well do it big style!

I began applying for teaching jobs around Europe in July 2000 and was amazed at the level of positive response, especially as I have neither a linguistics nor a teaching background. However I met the main criteria which is to be a native English speaker, and in addition I had a TEFL certificate, and a degree and some training experience.

Whilst on holiday in Portugal I turned down a job offer from a school near Lisbon and on my return was thankfully offered my first choice in Catalonia, Spain and took up the post on 15th September.

I work for a privately run English Academy which children attend from 5.15pm onwards, after mainstream school finishes. They do learn English at school so these are extra lessons, and to learn from a native English speaker is seen as far superior to a Catalan teacher. I teach 9 year olds up to adults.

Perhaps surprisingly my 14 yr olds are better behaved and more productive to teach than the younger kids. I find my older teenagers and adults, who are there by choice and obviously therefore co-operative, much easier and more rewarding to teach - although I wouldn't be without the variety.

Karen Lomas