TEFL Madrid BLOG

We’ve all had the proverbial night out where we go to our favorite restaurant (or perhaps some place you’ve never been to before), and went to see a movie. It’s certainly pleasant. It’s a night out. People don’t typically venture too deep into the unknown. Guess what? If you’re studying to get your TEFL Certification in Madrid, you’re already there. You’re in a new country. You’re surrounded by something new (which is ironically something old). Of course, you still want the creature comforts of food and entertainment. I say, give yourself the same…only different.

As every TEFL Teacher might know, there are six levels of comprehension in the English language. They range from A1 – C2. A1 is an extremely limited understanding, and C2 is Operational Proficiency, and the student will have no problem producing language. There isn’t a week that passes when I don’t visualize the conundrum that TEFL Teachers face when they actively pursue and practice their Native Language as a career. It’s at the forefront of my mind as an educator.

I’ve been living as an English Teacher in Spain for the better part of five years, and if I’m capable of finding something different around the corner after this long, then I found myself in a country that’s tantamount to a classic film. There’s always something different around the corner, and Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the time of the year when those differences come out in a week of solemn processions, and local traditions.

For anyone who’s known me long enough, you know that I’ve been working as an English Teacher in Spain for the past four years (and going on five!). It’s been an unbelievable experience, and I’m looking forward to another four years of helping TEFL students achieve their goals in my classroom. When I started learning, and further understanding the mechanics of the English language, I didn’t think that I would be able to handle its complexities. I know that this next sentence is going to sound a little cliché, but it was like being back at University.

I don’t think that there was ever a single day when I couldn’t walk out of my apartment in the middle of the City Centre in Madrid, and not see the hustle and bustle of people living their lives. Cafés, restaurants, those guys who run around the city centre with cheap knock-offs of professional soccer jerseys, the ongoing tale of a city living its best life. I usually wake up early, and go to the gym first thing in the morning. I work out, get home, have breakfast, check my schedule for the day, and then it’s off to the Exam Madrid Academy.