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Robert Clarke

Escaped his dead-end job by teaching in Indonesia!
Age: 22
From: London, England

Why did you decide to become an EFL teacher?

I had become bored with working in an office in central London, getting up every morning to go to a dead-end job. I wanted to travel and see the world! What better way than get paid at the same time as seeing Asia!

How did you make it happen?

I decided to just do it; I read all the information on the i-to-i website about how long it takes to get qualified and to be given a placement and had several email/telephone conversations with the sales people at i-to-i to make sure it was the right time to do it. Then, the morning I got paid I booked the weekend course that started the next day!

Where are you/what are you doing?

I am in a place called Gading Serpong which is about one hour from Jakarta. It's a small place but is easily accessible to other places. The school I am teaching at is a franchise run school in a group of 6 schools, they are the biggest English school in Indonesia, I have taught all levels and ages however the most common is 8-16 year olds who come here in addition to their school classes. So far Indonesia for me has been very safe and the people here are very friendly and helpful.

How has it affected you?

I have become a more culturally aware person, Living in a country the other side of the world really makes you open your eyes. I have travelled around Europe and I lived in Prague for a while, but living in Asia is really fantastic and different to Europe in so many ways, for example people here are more open and willing to stop and help someone who is not from their country. I have been learning the language since I got here and we have weekly classes at the school for teachers to learn Indonesian which are run by one of our Indonesian colleagues. I have also learned how to take a more relaxed and ‘Asian' approach to my life which is great for reducing stress levels!

What's next?

I am looking to sign another contract at the school, I am really enjoying my time in Indonesia and being such a big country I need more time to see it all.

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