Why I want to become an English teacher

Having found the journey of learning Spanish immensely rewarding, and having spent many hours on language exchanges helping native Spanish speakers improve their English, it is a natural progression for me to want to teach professionally.

I want to spend my working life engaged with people, not staring at a computer screen!

My previous career

I began work as an accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers back in 2007, after graduating with a degree in English Law.

It felt like a sensible decision — to get a globally respected qualification that would allow me to travel, and develop valuable transferable skills.

There have been roles which I really enjoyed, but over time I realized that far too much of my time was spent staring at a computer screen, trying to perfect reports that were often not even read properly. The types of roles which allowed me to work in areas where I felt engaged and highly valued were too few and far between, and increasingly under threat from AI.

My last role in finance, for Pfizer UK, was successful (see the ‘My Feedback’ section), but left me craving a more rewarding vocation.

My full career history in finance is documented on my LinkedIn page.

My journey to fluency in Spanish

At school, my classmates and I were required to study French until the age of sixteen. We learned nothing — the experience taught us that languages are difficult or impossible to learn unless the student has the language learning ‘gift’.

Then at the end of 2016, I came across a series of videos on YouTube by polyglots who explained how they learned languages. For my 2017 New Year’s resolution, I decided to try to learn Spanish. Every day for three months, I listened to the Pimsleur audio course on my daily commute to work.

Soon, I began one-to-one lessons with a teacher on italki, and within six months I could hold a basic conversation and had proven to myself that all a student needs is a combination of the right materials, the right method, and the right teacher.

Since then, I have dedicated much of my free time to reading in Spanish, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and talking with teachers and fellow language learners. In 2024, I passed the DELE C1 exam.

Why Latin America?

Over the years, I have developed a strong affinity for the Latin American region. I have found the people whom I have met to be very genuine and very good company. I also enjoy different aspects of the culture such as food, dance, and music.

One of my cousins moved to Mexico in the late 1990s to be a teacher, and speaking with him about his experiences has been one of the most influential factors in my decision. He could easily return to the UK and earn substantially more money, but has never been tempted to do so.