Managing in TEFL - Are we still loving it? (aka 7 reasons the love affair continues)

Valentines day has drifted away, the roses are still looking perky and love is still in the air. How much are we loving Managing in TEFL? Is it a deepening love or is love on the rocks?

Managing in TEFL is a fortnightly companion for language school leaders by Simon Pearlman and brought to you by Active Language TeacherTraining. Subscribe on LinkedIn or receive a copy straight to your inbox by subscribing here.

There's so much to love about making a living in TEFL; many of us were captivated by the chance to travel, live in different places, connect with colleagues and students and feel like we make a difference. As we move through our careers, like all relationships, we find ourselves asking if this really is still for us. Of course there are many challenges in managing in TEFL and, hopefully, many things we love too.

What do we love about Managing in TEFL? Here's reasons the love affair continues.

1. Variety.?

No two days are ever quite the same. We go to work and we are invariably met with something different, life in TEFL management is never boring, sometimes we wish it could be! So often we need to be ready for the unexpected, we never quite know what’s going to happen. We have our plans and our lists but so often it works out differently.?

2. Connection.

With the variety we connect with so many people in so many different ways; learners from 3 years old up to adults as well as their parents (not so much with the adult students!), fellow teachers and colleagues in admin, other business people and school leaders, lunchtime monitors and cleaners and everyone else along the way. We can create connections with all these people and be enriched by them all.?

There’s also the online and more distant connections we can make; the conferences, the associations, the courses, the groups. The TEFL community is a constant source of joy and inspiration, and so often support and help too. We’re lucky to be leaders in a profession that is so often so wonderful.

3. Challenge.?

There are challenges a-plenty too, of course and when we believe in what we're doing and are surrounded by great people meeting those challenges can be so rewarding. Maybe it’s a struggling learner, maybe an unsatisfied customer, maybe it’s a shift in academic processes or new administrative developments, things are constantly moving, change is inevitable, the challenge can be exciting.

4. Making a difference.

As language school leaders we have an opportunity to help those around us. We can be caring leaders, “servant leaders”, thinking deeply about the people we connect with. We can have a positive impact on those around us being part of creating an atmosphere where people feel appreciated, trusted, respected.? We can have an impact beyond the classroom, we can affect more people. We can drive change across the organisations we work in, whether that be changes around the benefits of the inclusive classroom and the inclusive business, around launching reading programmes across ages, etc. We can make a difference.

5. Development?

We develop every day with every interaction. We keep moving forward and adding to our skills, working on our strengths and our weaknesses. For some of us language school leadership has been part of our lives for many, many years, for others of us it’s newer. There are so many ways for us to continue to develop, we can look within the organisation and we can look outside too. There are so many ways to develop.

6. Covering classes

Perhaps one of the greatest joys for many of us who come from a teaching background is the requirement to cover classes when our colleagues might be unwell or away for whatever reason. Spending a few hours with students connects us to our learners, our customers, in a completely different way. So often being in the classroom can feel like a safe space for us where we can connect, have fun and reconnect with our teacher selves.

7. Creating our own utopia (more for the language school owners perhaps)

Someone wise said that running our own business gives us the chance to create our own utopia. We have the opportunity to do things according, at least to some extent, to our own world view. Working within language schools often exists within but separate from mainstream teaching and we often have a significant amount of freedom. We can use that freedom to create something really special.

So, 7 reasons why the love affair continues. Yes, we can write a similar piece about why we're falling out of love with TEFL and the struggle is real for many of us, that is for another day. Today as the Valentine's flowers still sit pretty in their vases, let's reflect on why we love it.?

Please share your thoughts with us, why do you love managing in TEFL? We'd love to hear from you. Comment where you're reading this or send us a direct message or email.

Managing in TEFL is brought to you by Active Language Teacher Training providers of Trinity CertTESOL, DipTESOL and Teaching Younger Learners courses. We specialise in small teacher training programmes in-class and online in a personal, professional and inclusive environment. We also provide ongoing careers support for all graduates. For more information about our courses, visit www.activelanguage.net?