When and why did you start teaching English?

Martin Dansky : In 1977 I decided to help new immigrant students and adults in the Jewish community.I needed to support myself financially as a university student and this offered me a chance to branch out to schools and private teaching a year later.

Elizabeth Legge : I first began to teach English and other core subjects when the University of British Columbia in Canada hired me as a tutor for the Student Union. There, one of my Chinese students introduced me to a few of his friends so I started a private tutoring and editing business at the same time. The next year, I decided to go to Japan on a work holiday to teach English. I'd already travelled the world since early childhood, but this was my first time to live on my own in a non-English country. After finishing my second university degree, I decided to go to Thailand for my first graduate program,

Ashley English : I fell into the role as a 15-year-old expat living in Germany. Whether friends were asking me to check their homework, friends' parents asking for lessons, or my sports club asking me to write copy.....I have been teaching English for over half my life! I have learned a lot through my other jobs along the way and that has only improved my teaching & solidified my choice to be an English teacher!

Lindsay Clayman : I became an English teacher because I have always been passionate about the language; having studied English Literature and Linguistics at university and being a total grammar nerd as well. I also knew that I wanted to help people improve their lives and this was the capacity in which I could do that.

Jenny-Lyn Usher : This is a long story, but the abridged version (summary) starts with knowing at a young age that I wanted to be a teacher. While other children were playing with Barbies or trucks, I was running pretend classes on reading and writing with stuffed animals. However, it was in university that I found my interest in working with English Language Learners. I saw the inequalities and extra hurdles friends who were international students went through because of language barriers. I volunteered and found I was drawn into continuing this as a lifelong career.

Maria Procaccino : When I was young, my culture and community status gave me only two choices: teach or get married. I chose teaching. Languages came naturally to me since I was raised in a bilingual home. I also have a terrible character flaw: I LOVE to talk to people, any where, any time. The most frustrating thing is NOT being able to talk with them, share ideas or interests because of a language barrier. I needed to learn and speak more languages and then share that desire with as many people as I could.

Dakota Smith : I decided to become an English teacher after finishing my Bachelor Degree. I wanted to travel and try something totally different, so I got my certification, found a job, and moved to Taiwan. I discovered that I really enjoyed teaching, so I continued to teach as a private tutor. I now live in Germany, where I have worked as an English teacher at two different language schools.

Eleftheria Nika : I have been teaching for 12 years! Since i was a little girl, i wanted to be a teacher and when i studied Modern Languages, i decided that teaching languages was what i wanted to do!

Rosemary Elman : The interest began as I was travelling through New Zealand with Germans. It became stronger during my year abroad in Spain.

Syed Faiz Ali : After meeting with the intelligent people and seeing them only struggling because of the language barrier, I got interested in teaching English language.

Sean Legere : I decided to become an English teacher in 1998; when I decided to move to the Dominican Republic. In the beginning, it was partly the best way I knew how to make a living in a foreign country, but I quickly grew to love it and have never regretted my decision.

Safoora Sharaf : It's been seven years when I decided to become an ESL/EFL/TEFL/TESOL instructor. That allows me to meet people around the world who want to learn that language who are enthusiastic and take it seriously. It keeps me motivated.

Bev Hotchkiss : I once had the opportunity to spend three consecutive years travelling before returning to university. It was during my travels when I met people from all around the world that I knew I wanted to stay connected to this global community. My love for writing and language felt like the best way to stay connected. That's when I decided I wanted to be an English teacher.