Hi Neil and Fran!

After just over a year in AR (a fabulous year!), I’ve just returned to my home near Albuquerque New Mexico.  I thought I’d give you all a quick update on what I’ve done with my CELTA.  

I kept teaching business English for American Forum in Capital Federal until December when my family came for a visit.  Then in January I moved to northwest AR.  At first I volunteered at a youth camp and did a bit of sightseeing until I found work at a couple of English institutes in San Salvador de Jujuy.  I loved it!  That move was the best thing I could have done.  Life has a much slower pace up there, everyone was extremely open and friendly, and the landscapes are just awe-inspiring.  

People were delighted to have a native speaker as their teacher and I had abundant opportunities to work on my Spanish as I was living with a Jujueño family.  I taught a bit of everything–beginning English for 7-11 year olds, general English intermediate for professional adults, and upper-intermediate for adolescents.  My favorite was definitely the kids even though I was pretty limited in terms of classroom and resources.  Much as I loved being in Jujuy, however, I’ve now returned to the US to complete my elementary teacher certification, hopefully with TESOL and bilingual endorsements…we’ll see how that goes.

The director of one of the institutes in Jujuy said she would love to employ more native speakers or arrange some kind of cultural exchange if you have any graduates interested in teaching in other provincias.  

I highly recommend the school–it was a delight to work there, not just personally but professionally as well.  Of the three institutes I taught at (one in BsAs and two in Jujuy), this institute was by far the most organized.  Pay is competitive (better than what I generally saw offered in BsAs!) and timely.  Classes are small, up to 8 students, and even though the institute is young they are well equipped with resources and technology.

I hope you’re both doing well in BsAs.  

Best regards,

Emily