My first experience (as a non-native speaker) teaching English in London

Para português, clique aqui.

Here’s me (very shyly) talking about it if you don’t fancy reading today:

Still a bit shy about videos and finding my feet with editing, but working on it! Here's a little video on one of the main reasons why I have fallen in love with this city.

I want to start with a confession: there have been times when it wasn’t easy to be a Brazilian working in an industry where so many employers and clients openly say they prefer native speakers. Something I’m just not and will never be. I have always found the argument difficult to counter because it’s not something achievable, like a skill I can’t develop, a course I can’t do, a qualification I can’t get. Just pure luck of the draw. So yes, I had insecurities, just like you (and everyone else).

As I progressed in my career, I realised that it took more than a first language to make a good teacher. There is a canyon between being so good you know what you do right, and being so good you can recognise when you do something wrong. I discovered soft skills are hard to master and often they don’t come naturally to many. Dedication, compassion, and wanting to make a difference in other people's lives is not something simple. Above all, I learned that being a good teacher is about making something easy for you, the expert, also easy for someone who has little or no knowledge on that subject. More than that, I learned that being a good teacher is getting the others excited and curious about something you love, even if they don’t. That often takes experience, interest, and effort. With time, I became well aware you can have amazing (both native and non-native) teachers, and that has motivated me to pour my heart into everything I have done in my career.

When I moved to the UK, I carried on working full-time online with my Brazilian students, all of which were either people I’d already been teaching or referrals I got from people who trusted me from my f2f work. They were all willing to give remote learning a try, and knew I’d be doing my best to keep the quality they knew me for. By then, I’d already also learned being a private teacher is not just about your classroom skills; you need to learn to negotiate contracts, say no with a smile, reinforce rules, pitch to prospects, and all the entrepreneurial stuff we as teachers never think about when all we do is teach. Back home, I never needed to pay for advertising. I built a business 100% based on word-of-mouth and had a comfortable life with all my bills paid for and a few little luxuries like international travels once a year. I have, throughout my entire adult life, been able to tell how many teaching hours every single purchase I have made cost me (hehe).

Fast-forward to me moving to London, where I have been living for 3 months now. When I first arrived, the old insecurities kicked in.

The first concern (well, worry) was because I was not British or even a native speaker of English. Would employers hire me? Everything is so competitive in this place and there are so many good professionals! When I said this to a British friend he called my words utterly non-sensical and highlighted there were lots of opportunities out there for qualified people in London if they were competent. I was taken aback by what he then said:

 In this country, we do not state our age, gender nationality, marital status race, or national origin on a CV.

I thought, "really Britain?"

But then I told myself, "well, when in Rome…"

I decided to try and see. 

It took me less than a week to started getting interview invitations from language schools. LESS. THAN. A. WEEK, which, by the way, didn’t seem to surprise any of my friends. It was VERY strange to go to these and not talk about my origin, not answer questions concerning marriage or other personal things they ask in Brazil. And it felt so good to have interviewers from all over the world. In three weeks, I had part-time work in the two schools I currently work for on top of my private clients in Brazil. On top of that, I also got invitations for interpreting gigs with the NHS and police. The funny thing about the entire process is my employers only know my nationality (well, one of them) because I had to show proof I was entitled to work in the UK (like any other candidate, including British people). One of my coordinators thought I had grown up in Italy because we had never talked about my heritage; all she knew was what passport I held. I grew to like and admire the way people do things here and I grew to feel more and more like a Londoner.

When it was time for me to start teaching, the little devil started whispering stuff in my ear again. I was insecure that students would still prefer a British teacher. I was happy that my interviewers liked me, but what about the students? Would they be okay with having me as their teacher?I remember turning up for my first lesson and feeling quite (by that I mean extremely) nervous. But then I reminded myself I had faced the challenge of proving my competence (mostly to my perfectionist self) throughout my entire career, and students had consistently liked my classes. I brought my A-game and turned the projector into an eboard, added my iPad pro to the lessons, created a fun technological environment for my learners, researched about common challenges of speakers of their L1. Once again, I did my best.

Last week was the end of the term for one of my groups, so I decided to have them write a letter to Lachesis's future students. I almost cried when I read the things they had to say about me as a teacher. They have benefited so much from their time with me and I genuinely think they’ve had fun learning. The things they seem to have enjoyed the most are:

•  having learner-centered lessons, or working in pairs, as I (apparently) say all the time. One of them advised future students they don’t need to worry if they don’t know anyone because I make sure they always work with someone. He says he even made a good friend because of that. Awn!

• how strict (but not humiliating) I am about not using L1;

• the techy stuff I bring to class;

•  my friendly approach and general knowledge;

• how much I cared that no-one was left out and everybody talked. 

This first and last ones mean a lot to me because I always want to make sure everyone is included and I am happy they have noticed that.

I thought getting a job as a teacher in London was a dream come true. But learning that, also to students, my competence, skills and effort matter more than my age, gender, nationality, marital status, race, or national origin, is for sure even better than what I could have hoped for. I feel, once again, I have managed to touch people’s lives and contribute to them not only perfecting their skills, but also learning to be kinder to each other and to themselves. But above all, I am so pleased to acknowledge one more time that, once we are given an opportunity, a good teacher is a good teacher and it doesn't matter if you are a native speaker or not. I am proud and grateful London has awarded me this experience and hope for many more. So let to shout out a big thank you to all the people who have allowed me to feel this immense wave of joy.

And to all teachers out there: don’t let your insecurity keep you from trying. People might find you more competent than you think.