Helpful Tips To Overcome Loneliness As An Online TEFL Educator?
Loneliness is that anguishment that does not leave unless something even stronger strikes hard. TEFL-qualified teachers who travel abroad with a global TEFL/TESOL career often suffer from loneliness abroad. Teaching English as a foreign language abroad and meeting new people sounds exciting but often ESL teachers feel stressed out a lot.
Having an online TEFL training on 500 hours of an international advanced postgraduate diploma in TESOL/TEFL English teachers are getting excellent TEFL teaching jobs abroad with lucrative salary packages. However, staying away from family and friends makes them gloomy. Many TEFL-certified teachers have mentioned that moving on to a new country has quite a hustle initially because they were out of their comfort zones.
In order to get fascinating ESL teaching experiences abroad, English teachers travel anywhere in the world but at the end of the day, they often have no one to turn to. Feeling lonely is a major issue that ESL teachers encounter and here are some tips on how to deal with it.
Tips to deal with loneliness abroad:
Always communicate with your colleagues and co-workers. It is a win-win situation for you. You’ll be able to spend more time and with their help, you’ll be able to understand how to get accustomed to the new culture. In that way, you’ll become a pro in classroom management and will get into a practical teaching world.
Try to spend some time with your colleagues during the recess period. If the lockdown rules after the covid period are not that stringent, you can plan some hangouts with them if you’re comfortable. This will provide a sane work-life balance because your brain also needs some fresh ambiance to perform efficiently.
Stay connected with your friends and family from your country. This is a major need and must be followed at all costs! Your friends who you have known since your childhood know you the best and they can easily understand any anxiety you go through. Speaking with them will make you feel better.
Technology has enabled every one of us to connect with anyone across the globe. You can speak with your family over a video call adjusting the time period. Watch a movie together over various OTT apps because there are many OTT apps having this feature, especially bringing people closer who are staying far away from each other.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to people who are in need. This will definitely make you feel the peace from within. While teaching abroad, your family members may be hundreds, or even thousands, of miles away. Your colleagues can be struggling due to any reason. Help them out if that is within your reach and you can become good friends. A good friend in a different country is a monumental resource.
Also, do not put yourself in any risky situation where your passport may be confiscated, and working in that country might become difficult for you. Remember this especially if you’re in the Gulf countries because laws and regulations in those countries are pathetically strict!
Self-care is very important. It is your responsibility to take care of yourself and make sure that you do not fall sick in any foreign land. Try sticking to a healthy diet and have lots of fluids on a daily basis because staying hydrated is the basic mantra. It might be extremely tiresome for you to come back home and cook for yourself but having homemade meals will help you to stay fit and healthy.
Practicing yoga will rejuvenate your entire body system and you’ll feel fresh and sublime. You can take a stroll on the road during the evening time for 10-15 minutes. Such activities increase immunity and you’ll not be prone to sickness.
Talk to people in need. Mental health should be given utmost priority and staying alone abroad has a broad chance of disrupting the peace of your mind. Feeling lonely every time is not a good sign at all but at the same time having a global TEFL/TESOL career traveling abroad will be almost your daily job.
In such scenarios, if you feel like you need to talk to someone and share everything that is eating your brain, do not stop yourself to reach out to someone. It can be a colleague, a friend from your native place, a family member, etc. The internet has brought everyone close to us and therefore, dial a number before it a different turn.
A TEFL career is a very interesting and fascinating one where you’ll learn a lot about numerous places. You’ll get a thorough knowledge of their culture, you can take part in their festivals, roam around the country during your week off keeping every safety measure intact, and most importantly, you can make friends across the world.
That is the biggest advantage of being a TEFL-qualified teacher with 500 hours of an international advanced postgraduate diploma in TEFL. Therefore, try to follow these tips when you’re abroad so that you can dodge, intercept, and kick all your problems easily!
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