As lucrative as it sounds, the teaching profession is demanding and often time can be stressful too. Finding the equilibrium can be a bit tricky when it comes to work-life balance. For starters, understanding the need is fundamental. Plus, it is a proven fact that people with better work-life balance are more productive.
In this fast-paced era, many of us let ourselves drift away by work pressure, and little do we act to consciously value personal life. For ESL teachers, finding a work-life balance can be even trickier. Why? TEFL teachers' service hours are different from that of the other professions. Both the shift and the number of working hours are known to be unconventional, especially individuals with online teaching certification while building their international career may find it difficult to adjust with the time zone.
Here Are 3 Different Ways You Can Rethink Your Work-life Balance
Orchestrate Daily Routine
The key to finding the right strategy lies in what works for you. Planning out your day prior can be one of them. It keeps you grounded and helps you to be informed about what’s coming next. Our productivity is so much correlated to the way we organize our time. As long as we don’t have to boil our energy into figuring things out from messy diary ‘what needs to be done first! We are pretty much aligned.
While planning your routine, be sure to strike a balance between ‘me time’ and ‘work time’. Self-care routines such as meditation, exercising, morning/evening walk, and even just a slow tea time can add to your sustainability deeply. Know that you don’t always need to wait till the weekend to finish that book you were reading or to watch your favorite shows. Taking one day at a time and doing the things that need to be done and not fussing about incomplete works is your choice of living healthy.
Above all, free yourself from the idea of perfectionism. Getting to know your client's expectations and simplifying your deliverable is your only job here. You are into this professional zone means you are already worthy of justifying your job role. The key to harnessing your teaching capabilities lies in you being the facilitator while meeting the needs of your students.
Prioritize Yourself
We are seasonal beings, there is a rhythm to life in how our body clock functions – rest is as important as work. Of course, you have to prioritize your responsibilities and no one is asking you to take away from the attitude of good professionalism. Especially in the ESL field, clients can be from the other side of the world giving you no choice but to be a night owl. In those cases, letting you have that good amount of sleep time is essential.
Many people misunderstand the concept of the hassle as if it always has to be on point all the time without any exception! The source is you who need to be nourished too and only then you will be able to provide quality. There are so many layers to it when we talk about prioritizing oneself and it just makes complete sense when we look into ourselves and actively take actions to what our mind and body need. Things like keeping breaktime as real as possible– when you are in a lunch break, making sure you are in the headspace of taking an actual break and not thinking about the unfinished work.
Also, the beauty of saying No mustn’t make you uncomfortable. The part of balancing your time, therefore everyday life is knowing how much you can do and sticking to that rather than overwhelming yourself with commitments. The idea of ‘doing more’ doesn’t always equal success. Those who have just started their career as TEFL teacher may find this difficult to limit themselves in healthy boundary, but remember your long run goal should not be confined to make money but to building that healthy version of yourself who can impact students life positively.
Restore Lost Hobbies
Bring back those childhood hobbies that use to make you happy, even the smallest things. Spend time doing what you have long forgotten and let your inner child sail the boat for a while. When we grow up we tend to find ourselves making our 'work life' our entire self, and honestly, sometimes we can’t blame ourselves. There is so much to do and the pressure of surviving staggering.
Perhaps this is all the more important to keep reminding ourselves of those things that are connected to our soul. A teacher may find his/her profession to be fulfilling in so many ways nonetheless, taking a periodical detour into your creative self will only expand you to be more vibrant and cheerful.
The notion of being kind does not only click for others, being kind to self, is the gentlest approach we can practice in everyday life. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is our responsibility to ourselves. People who choose TEFL as their teaching career may find the element of flexibility, international experience, money, and travel very intriguing, but truth be told: nothing comes easy.
The way our everyday life takes course is the exact reflection of who we are at present. And if we are ready to shift into a better lifestyle we need to make those changes that no longer serve us.
ESL teaching career is very captivating and demanding. Therefore, the Online teaching certification prepares a 21st-century international TEFL teacher. Learn it from the best to be the best. A prepared mind colliding with passion can do it all.
