Eviloution Of The Internet

Lots of people want to travel but don’t know how to foot the bill – especially recent grads who are always strapped for cash. Many would be willing to work as they traveled in order to pay the bills, but temporary work isn’t easy for the less savvy traveler to come across. Savvy travelers know, however, that one of the most flexible and best-paying jobs is teaching English in foreign countries. English teachers are in very high demand as a more global economy demands English speakers on all corners of the globe. But how does a strapped-for-cash kid with wanderlust translate good intention into money and action?

Those in the know will tell you that a TEFL certification is absolutely necessary for finding lucrative jobs teaching English of the sort that a traveler wants – low responsibility, high pay. And even savvier travelers know that it’s possible to get the certification while you’re already on the road. English teaching institutes offer English teaching classes in several interesting and sometimes exotic locales.

Some of the most popular places to get TEFL certified for Americans is in an English-speaking non-American place like the United Kingdom. And indeed, there are a number places within the UK to learn to teach English and get a certification in TEFL. London, for instance, is full of English teaching courses that will give you the tools not only to make money on the road, but to achieve the satisfaction of teaching a speaker of a different language your native tongue – enough to give you a real sense of accomplishment, if not a little bit of Anglo pride or patriotism.

If you’re wondering whether courses to teach English in London are all fun and games, the answer is that – for the most part – they are. This is because the most difficult aspect of teaching in a language is having the fluency in the language to make it fun: and for the most part Americans have this (or at least one would hope!) The other 30% or so is in the technique, and this is easily mastered in the course of 3 to 4 weeks in classes filled with other like-minded adventurers hoping to see the world “until the money runs out.” It’s no wonder that TEFL classes for ESL in London have gotten so popular in the last year or so as the prospect of finding a high-paying entry-level job in this economy has evaporated!

My uncle was young then, but this is my favorite story of his.  At 19, shortly after graduating from high school, he went into the Navy and was discovered to be adept at languages.  They trained him (being smack in the middle of the Cold War) in Russian, which he spoke fluently for a long time.  Then he became the “button man”.  That was his name for it.  Quickly elevated to G4 or G3 status and assigned to military intelligence, he carried a bag around and was always no further than 10 feet behind President Nixon.  I guess they thought that if a war broke out, they wanted a smart guy throwing switches.
Because of this story and others like it (he missed the moon landing, because he was on the aircraft carrier with the President and didn’t get to see it) I have always wanted to see Russia.  I’ve always wanted to know what the big deal was.  Since my father wouldn’t let me join the military, though he was a two-tour vet, I had always wished to travel there and do business or just live, seeing beneath the dark and minor tones that Russia seemed to call to mind.

So when my company offered me a position that meant moving from the USA to Russia, I didn’t stand around.  I had my hand up and my bag packed before anyone knew what was going on.  There was more to going than just going, though, and I had to slow down and think about how to get there.  Asking around (I had a budget and a deadline but no help from headquarters), I picked an international moving company that offered special packages moving people from the USA to Russia.  This international moving company was right down the road and very easily accessible to me.  I was lucky.  They were professional, efficient and, after a while, even likable.

My rep took me through the process and made sure I understood it.  There were taxes and duties to pay on my stuff.  I said this stuff??  He nodded emphatically and moved on.  There was packing to do and a van to hire to get my junk from point A to B and then to my residence.  I did have a residence, right, said the international moving company rep, sternly.  Yes, that was one thing that I had definite info on, the flight and the flat.
From then on it was just filling out forms, updating my passport, getting an exam, buying the appropriate insurance, writing check after check, and finally I stood at the gate of the international moving company dock, receipt in hand and nothing but a week’s worth of underwear in my valise.  My stuff, in eight mammoth boxes, was going ahead of me and would probably arrive a tad behind me.  Good bye.  Or should I say, “Do svidaniya.”

International Moving