English with Rhys

About Me

My experience and qualifications

When I was at university, I was the president of the improv comedy society. Every week, I met with my friends and taught them about acting and storytelling.

 

At that time, I was not teaching English, but I found that I loved teaching. I learned how to plan lessons, show examples, ask questions, and use time well. I also became better at speaking in front of people, helping different students, and using humour to make learning fun. I still use these skills today.

When I finished my degree, I started to think about teaching as a job. I went to China to teach English to children. Soon I was popular, and parents and schools asked me to teach their kids too. I taught people of all ages, from small children to grandparents.

 

Living in a new country was scary, but also exciting and challenging. Many of my students wanted to move abroad, and I understood them because I had done it myself.

Later, I lived with an Italian family. I taught the children and their friends in a summer school. In the evenings, I spent time with the parents. Talking with them showed me how important English was for their future. It could help them study, get jobs, and travel.

This experience inspired me to study more and become a better teacher. I went to Austria to do my teaching qualifications: the Trinity College London CertTESOL and Cambridge CELT-P.

 

In exchange for education and a place to live, I taught 450 hours in Austrian schools. I woke up before 5am every day, went to different schools, planned lessons, observed other teachers, had my own lessons observed, and studied my students’ needs. I also studied a foreign language to understand my students better. It was a very hard six months, but I knew my work could help my students a lot.

After this, I taught Bulgarian and Russian students in a summer school in Bulgaria. I planned and taught lessons, wrote reports, checked levels, gave advice to parents, and helped other teachers.

 

One of my best memories was with a student who could not read when he arrived. At the end, he read a short book that he wrote himself in front of everyone. I will never forget the parents’ faces.

Less than two weeks later, I flew to Thailand. In my first week, I got many offers of work, even to be the headmaster of a kindergarten. But I chose to teach adults and companies. I taught general English and also business English in real companies like Adidas, Shisheido, and Ingenico.

After some time, I wanted to learn more, so I moved to Manchester, England. I studied for a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Applied Linguistics.

 

This course helped me understand my students better. I learned how people learn languages, how to check progress, how to make good courses, and more about the sounds and words of English. After one year, I graduated top of my class with a distinction.

When I finished my master’s degree, I decided to start my own business. At first, it was scary, but I began with a few students. Then I made a website, videos, podcasts, and courses. Now I am proud to give high-quality lessons to help students reach their goals.

 

My journey has not been easy, but it has been rewarding. From China and Italy to Austria and England, I have learned and grown a lot. My story shows that with hard work, we can reach our dreams.

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