Interview with Jocelyn Pollak: tefl pros and teaching in thailand
Show Notes
This week, our special guest on the podcast is Jocelyn Pollak. Jocelyn is the co-founder of TEFL Pros, which she and her business partner, Whitney, created with the mission of offering the best online teaching certification available in the industry. In this episode, we’re talking about her teaching experience in Thailand as well as what inspired her to become a TEFL entrepreneur and help other teachers achieve their goals through the certification program that she and Whitney designed. If you’ve ever been interested in teaching in Thailand or if you’re curious about the different teaching certification options out there, you’ll definitely want to tune in!
In this Episode
Why Jocelyn left her high-paying sales job to teach abroad
How she knew teaching English was the right choice for her
What she loves most about teaching now
What attracted her to Thailand and why she has stayed for seven years
The courage it took to buy that one-way ticket
Why the adjustment to the new culture wasn’t that difficult
The hilarious misconception she had about dining in Thailand when she first arrived
Why new teachers have no idea what they’re doing when they first start out - and why some of them don’t end up keeping their jobs
What inspired her and her business partner to create TEFL Pros
How the TEFL Pros certification course is different from other online TEFL certificates
What the TEFL Pros graduates benefit from the most
The process of creating and launching the program
What she’s most proud of about TEFL Pros
Why some students ask teachers if they’re “real” teachers
Why she feels that education is moving online as opposed to only in-person
The type of candidate that would be a good fit for a TEFL Pros certification
Why the TEFL Pros certification is actually a great step before the CELTA course
What teachers who want to teach online should know
Why being able to speak English is not at all the same as being able to teach English
What she wishes she’d known before she started teaching
The challenging aspect of teaching that she particularly loves
Her favorite destinations and travel recommendations in Thailand
Why tourists should give Bangkok a chance - she convinces me!
“People say, ‘If you find something you would do for free, then you should keep doing it.’ And for me, I really found that teaching is [like that].”
“We actually unlock a module of the course for free. (…) So it gives you a feel for what we’re all about. So we want to be really, really transparent and let people know what we’re all about. And we’re not shy to show people that, and to show people what we’ve built.”
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