About
During his bachelor’s degree studies, Rhys led his university’s improv comedy society as its president. Every week, he met with his peers and taught them about acting and storytelling.
Although he wasn’t teaching English back then, Rhys discovered his passion for teaching through this experience. He learned different techniques like planning, modeling, eliciting, and timing. He also became better at public speaking, adjusted to individual needs, and used humor to help students learn better. Even now, Rhys still uses these skills in his teaching style.
As he finished his degree, Rhys began to consider how he could continue teaching professionally. So, he went to China to teach English to children. He became very popular, and soon high schools and parents were asking him to teach their kids too. Rhys ended up teaching people of all ages, from young children to grandparents.
Living in a new country can be scary, but Rhys found it to be a fresh, exciting, and challenging experience. He understood that many of his students had dreams of moving abroad, and he knew what they were feeling because he had done it too.
Soon after, Rhys went to live with an Italian family. He taught the children and their friends at a summer school. In the evenings, he spent time with the parents.
Rhys knew that learning English was important, but talking to parents allowed him to truly empathise. Learning English could open doors to studying abroad, working in international companies, and help with future travel plans.
Rhys’s experience inspired him to improve his qualifications, not only for his own personal growth but also out of respect for his students.
So, Rhys moved to Austria to study for his Trinity College London CertTESOL and Cambridge University CELT-P, both of which are highly respected in the field of language teaching.
In exchange for education and accommodation, Rhys volunteered 450 teaching hours to elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools around Austria. During this time, Rhys had to wake up before 5am every day, go to different schools, plan lessons, observe peers, have his lessons observed, and analyse student needs. Then, he’d return to his lectures and study into the night. He even studied a foreign language at the same time to understand his students better.
Despite being a demanding six months, Rhys believed that his hard work would make a huge difference in the lives of his students.
Thanks to his new qualifications, Rhys got the chance to create and teach an entire curriculum for a mix of Bulgarian and Russian students at a summer school in Bulgaria. His improved knowledge helped him to deliver lessons that were far more effective than before.
In addition to planning and teaching each lesson, Rhys wrote weekly reports for each student, assessed their English levels and performance, gave advice to parents on how to improve at home, and helped his fellow teachers with their classroom problems.
One of Rhys’ proudest moments was with one student at this summer school. On the day the student arrived, he couldn’t read at all. But on his last day, he read a short book he had written himself in front of his peers and parents on stage. What Rhys remembers most was the expressions on the parent’s faces.
Less than two weeks later, Rhys was on a plane again, this time headed for Thailand.
In just his first week, he received countless offers of work, including becoming the headmaster of a kindergarten. However, Rhys chose to teach adults and businesses at an independent language centre.
He taught general English three days a week and visited boardrooms around Bangkok two days a week. Rhys had already learned to teach business English during his time in Austria, but it was in Thailand that he got the chance to teach at real businesses.
Over time, Rhys refined his business English skills, and his clients noticed. By the end of his time in Thailand, companies such as Adidas, Shisheido, and Ingenico had requested Rhys as their English teacher.
Rhys enjoyed his time teaching in Thailand, but he knew that there was still more to learn. So, he moved to Manchester, England to study for a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Applied Linguistics.
The course was important for him to understand his students’ needs and abilities better. Rhys learned about the different ways humans learn languages, how to better assess learners, how to design effective courses, he improved his knowledge of phonology and morphology, and he even continued his studies of a foreign language.
After a year of studying, Rhys graduated top of his class with a distinction and a wealth of knowledge. Now that he had completed his master’s degree, it was time for Rhys to decide what to do next with his education and experience.
Rhys’ journey has been challenging and rewarding. From teaching in China and Italy to studying in Austria and England, he has grown both personally and professionally.
Starting his own business was scary, but Rhys persevered. He started with just a few students. Then he took on more and more. As the business grew, Rhys created a website, made videos, and even designed podcasts and courses. He prides himself on his commitment to providing high-quality English lessons to his students so that they can achieve their goals.
Rhys’ journey shows that with dedication and hard work, anyone can achieve their dreams. His story is a testament to the value of education and the power of perseverence, inspiring others to follow their dreams and make a difference in the world.
Qualifications
