Thomas

United Kingdom
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Profile information

Travel information
I am currently
At home
My next destination:
Poland
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Description
Hello, I'm Tom. I'm a native English speaker, live in the UK and have a UK passport.
A qualified EFL teacher, I took a CELTA in 2023. Since then, I have taught English as a second language to Ukrainian, Polish and Romanian adult students in the UK. I have also taught children on summer camps and schools throughout Europe.
Previously, I studied History to MA level, worked in a secondhand bookshop and volunteered on organic farms.
I would really like to travel and see new places, starting in Europe, and gather more experience abroad.
Italy (two weeks in June 2024) was great fun. The host family were very kind and generous people and we stayed in touch afterwards. Besides seeing new places, the most important thing for me is to live and work with friendly people. I've also done Workaways in Poland and Czechia; Czechia was my favourite and I would really like to visit again, hopefully to work there full-time as an EFL teacher.
Please note I don't have Whatsapp but I'm happy to give you my phone number so that we can call or text as well as messaging through Workaway. I could also give you my email address so that you could send a Zoom or other video call link.
Interests
Culture
History
Drawing & painting
Art & design
Books
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
General Maintenance
Babysitting and creative play
Languages
Some knowledge of:
Helping around the house
Charity Work
Able to teach about:
Art Projects
Teaching
More details about your skills
I'm interested in learning more about all cultures and languages.
I could teach art, British history, English literature, chess, draughts.
Age
28
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  no
- Special dietary requirements

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14 Mar 2025

Left by Workawayer () for host (Teach conversational English ...)

I have just finished two weeks in Veseli nad Moravou, teaching Grades 3 to 9.

The guesthouse accommodation is the most pleasant that I've stayed in. The town is beautiful, with a ruined castle in the park. As Veseli is in the countryside, you can go for a walk along the Morava with fields on either side, a beautiful view--and it's possible to see… read more otters and deer in the park and nearby if you're there at dusk. Picturesque nearby towns such as Vnorovy and even Straznice are within walking distance.

But I didn't visit many other places, because the children were so happy and welcoming that I wanted to stay for after-school club every day . . . that says a lot about how nice it is to teach here. Grades 3 to 5 were the best, with many endearing 'characters' whom I will miss. There are board games and card games at the club, and the children introduced me to many that I had never played previously, such as Ubongo.

If I have any regrets about this stay, they're probably that I wasn't prepared enough. As the school's native speaker, teaching a wide range of ages, you will be a focal point of attention and interest because of your language and country. There was also some culture shock in my case. Being observed during lessons and being able to talk with 'real' teachers and ask them for advice, was a great benefit. My recommendations would be to prepare some presentations about your country before arriving here, and to learn the correct pronunciation of local place names which can be quite difficult.

The teachers at the school were all good to work with and generous with their time, and I was treated as a colleague. Many thanks to Jana and Petr in particular, for meeting me at the station, taking me for a meal immediately afterwards (utopenec or 'drowned man', much tastier than it sounds) and for driving me to local village Velehrad at the weekend. I am very appreciative and grateful. This was my second Workaway and third time abroad as an adult--and even though it was only two weeks, it was by far the happiest.

As someone who aims to work either in young-learners TEFL or in UK primary teaching, I have learnt a lot here--making presentation slides for lessons for the first time, running classes with another teacher for the first time, trying out new activities and so on. Anyone who likes teaching will have a good time here.

(Excellent)

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