Graduate News

Dave Stock (September 2004) regaled the July trainees with stories of his travels in South East Asia. He encouraged trainees to jump in and embrace the adventure of teaching English in interesting and out-of-the-way locales. His high energy and enthusiasm took the TEFL room by storm! At this moment, ever the adventurer, Dave is preparing for Inner Mongolia!

David Connolly (July 2005)
In January, TEFL graduate David Connolly spoke to TEFL trainees in the TEFL Career Workshop. David graduated from the program in July 2005 and has since spent his time teaching and traveling in Argentina. He told eager trainees “Stick to the TEFL method that you’re learning at The Boston Language Institute. You’ll find it benefits your students tremendously.” He also advised trainees to keep their TEFL final projects, as they would be an impressive component of their teaching résumé.
The trainees were eager to ask David questions about his teaching and traveling experiences and came away with renewed confidence in their future teaching prospects. David and poet-partner Kelly Keally (July, 05) whom he met on the program, are currently teaching en Buenos Aires. Wonder if his students greet each other with, “g’day mate!”

Abdel Mouhib (September 2004) and his wife Hanane are now the proud parents of a son, Nour Elyakine. Abdel teaches Arabic and French at The Boston Lanuage Institute, which proves that the methodology behind the TEFL certificate can be applied to any language!

Kris Doane (January 2005) is teaching in high schools in Xuchang, Henan Province, China. He tells us that there are plenty of jobs in Xuchang and recommends graduates contact him for details.

Michelle Montero Fuentes (January 2006) writes to us from Mexico City:
“I’m happy to inform you that I found a job at the World Trade Center in Medico City as a Business English teacher. I’m really thankful because the TEFL course has really helped me. I’m only 18 and I think I’m going to have a wonderful career.”

Sandy Hostetler (February 2006) has some tips to share from Korea:
“I am currently teaching at a public middle school in Incheon. It’s a great experience working at public schools. I did it for two years in Japan with the JET program before I came here. I’m lucky because I work for a great company. They just offered me the position of head teacher. I will be responsible for creating and organizing supplementary materials and planning summer camps. “I have great friends, and Seoul isn’t that far, so it’s easy to get a taste of big city life!” She shared with us many of the benefits of living in Korea, such as the fact that you can easily find a contract any time of the year that will provide airfare, free housing, and a bonus after completing one year. She said there are also many recruiters that will help place you free of charge. Sandy mentioned that it was very easy for her to save money. You can easily live on 1000 a month. On a budget, she lived on 500 USD.

Megan Pace (July 2005) spent a year teaching in Korea. She enjoyed her time there and met up with Paula Dunn (July 2005) who was there visiting her husband’s family in Pusan. Megan, Paula, we’d love to catch up with you so please drop us a line!

Andrew Sullivan (March 2006) and his wife are teaching in Santiago, Spain. Andrew is at the University of Santiago de Compostela and loves it there.
Andrew’s sister Emily (Jan 2005) is teaching in Lisbon.

Kathi Devlin (June 2006) is working for a business college in China. Using her TEFL certificate and her HR background, she is combining her talents teaching both ESL and Human Resource Management and Customer Care.

Lauren Butler (January 2006) taught in Brazil and volunteered in a community outside Brasilia. She had a wonderful time there and is more than willing to give advice to graduates who wish to venture over to Brazil with their TEFL certificates.

Ashley Carr (March 2001) after receiving her TEFL certificate, Ashley taught in Taiwan before returning to Boston to get her Masters in education. South Africa and Cambodia were on her list of countries to venture to once she completed her Masters.

Caitlin Jones (March 2005) popped in during her brief visit home from Spain. She shared with us her experiences of teaching at a private school in Madrid. She recommended using the many websites available to ESL teachers in order to make their course book lessons more interesting. If any of you have discovered any good ones, don’t keep the secret to yourselves – tell us and we’ll pass them on!

Keith Dyer (July 2004) shared some valuable experiences from his two years in Russia. Keith found a position online and, two months after graduating, was teaching at a private language school in Moscow.
He told us that he was very well looked after by his employers, who met him at the airport, took him to the school and showed him around Moscow. He lives in an apartment provided by the school. Keith is very happy in his job and with his life there. He has made some friends among the ESL teaching community and attends seminars connected to his career. Last we heard from him, he was on his way back to start his 3rd year there.

Pat Lilja (December 2001) a regular contributor to our newsletter has completed his graduate studies at SIT in Vermont and is back on board the Peace Boat. If you’re interested in reading about his adventures or would like to join it yourself, go to http://www.peaceboat.org/english

Ryan Opanasets (September 2004) stopped by during his visit home from Thailand where he teaches youngsters. Ryan is extremely happy in Thailand and is always willing to help out a TEFL grad who would like to teach there.

Herb Groom (January 2004) wrote to us from California to tell his news. After successfully completing the C.B.E.S.T. (California Basic Educational Skills Test) in April of this year, Herb has left the world of high finance for good and embarked upon a new career with the Emergency Teaching Credential. He loves the challenge of helping kids for whom this program is their last chance at succeeding at school. Good luck to you Herb! And keep in touch!