‘I Taught English Abroad’ – a new podcast from The TEFL Org

Here at The TEFL Org, we’ve always looked for new ways to reach out. We’re active across social media, our YouTube channel is packed with webinars and fantastic advice, and our website is updated several times a week with new articles, blogs and deals. It’s a 24/7 operation and will stay that way.

However, we felt that the TEFL podcast market was something we hadn’t tapped into. Travel podcasts are enormously popular, while educational podcasts are a huge industry in their own right. So, why not find an entertaining way to tell the stories of our graduates, whether they’ve worked abroad, at home, or done something else remarkable with their qualifications?

So, today we’re launching I Taught English Abroad ! If it sounds like a simple concept, it is, because teaching “abroad” can mean packing your bags and heading out on the road, or meeting a variety of international students from the comfort of your own home. The podcast has that name for a reason: we want people to tell their stories.

Those stories? Well, so far, they’ve been as varied as it gets. Daniel Gillard, a former councillor and nightclub owner in Manchester, moved to Cambodia and ended up heading a University department while starring in music videos. Claire Mitchell went from a self-described “career rut” to running a YouTube channel and working with refugees.

Frances Fraser-Reid studied biology while daydreaming about travel. Then, she indeed travelled, and taught science and maths to students in Vietnam. Luke Bartsch explains what it was like living through the outbreak of the pandemic while teaching in China, becoming a local celebrity and going on to bring others into the TEFL experience. In an episode with Jenny Hilder, we compare the cuisine of Italy and North Carolina, discuss what you can do to maintain attention and why TEFL really is worth doing.

It’s been exciting to make, and we hope it’s even more exciting to hear. If the TEFL industry is full of anything, it’s stories. Stories that’ll shock, amuse and inspire - that’s what we’ve been after, and we reckon we’ve delivered.

Episodes will come out weekly, with 8 in Season 1. Over time, we’re going to have more and more stories to tell, for both the TEFL enthusiast and the casual listener, the kind of person who wonders what teaching abroad might be like.

Over the course of I Taught English Abroad , we’ll include guest seminars, talk to a range of fantastic guests and provide both the best industry advice and the most out-there anecdotes that the TEFL industry has to offer.

Do you have a TEFL story to tell? Are you interested in telling it to a worldwide audience? Get in touch, whether you’re 18 or 80, whether you’ve taught in foreign classrooms or from behind a laptop - we want to hear what you’ve experienced!

For now, keep up to date with I Taught English Abroad on YouTube , Apple Podcasts , Spotify or wherever you get your Podcasts!

Happy listening - we hope you love it!