Living and Teaching English Abroad: Interview with Marc

Teaching English as a second language is a very fun and exciting job. The opportunity to help people accomplish their goals through learning another language is very satisfying. Even though there are some potential challenges along the way such as homesickness, language barriers and culture shock that prevent some instructors from taking that leap of faith to teach abroad. Fortunately I've been able to know and watch certain teachers via social media travel and live their best life. Marc Cedric Quashie has been one of those teachers that has motivated me to continue to pursue my dreams of teaching abroad.

Thank you so much for doing this interview. Can you explain your background a little bit. Like where are you from? Where did you study? Etc. 

I was born in Haiti and I went to school in Florida for 14 years.

How did you get your start in teaching English as a second language? 

I started looking into teaching English after becoming unsatisfied with my previous line of work while living abroad. After quitting my job as a representative at a call center, I found an advertisement in the paper that read" Tired of working at a call center, wanna make more money, have no experience? Apply now and get trained".

 So after answering yes to all of the above I decided to send my resume in and was called in for an interview. After a successful interview, I was equipped and able to start teaching in classes after 6 weeks of training at the Academia Europea.

Having taught online and in a classroom which setting do you prefer? 

Having taught online and in a classroom I would have to say that I prefer teaching online. Teaching in a classroom is great and I think that all ESL teachers should experience it.

But teaching online is much more convenient and most times pays much better. The greatest convenience for me is that I am able to travel around the world by working on weekdays and traveling on weekends.

In your experience, what’s the best way for students to improve their English skills? 

In my experience, the best way for students to improve their English skills is to not take any breaks. There isn't a secret to learning a language but there are many successful methods and after finding what works for you, just make sure to do it every day, 7 days a week.

 Of all the countries that you have taught in so far which country has been your favorite?

Of all the countries that I have taught in so far, my favorite country has to be Cambodia. Because the weather is similar to that of my home country and so I can enjoy the sun while swimming in the pool any time I feel the urge to.

 What have been some of the challenges of living abroad?

Some of the challenges of living abroad for me personally is visas and strong internet. As a Haitian national my passport isn't as powerful as other passports like an American one, so I am heavily limited to where I can go and how long I can stay.

And when it comes to wifi, I always have to choose an accommodation that is a bit on the expensive side just to ensure that I will not have any wifi issues like power outages or weak signals.

What advice would you give to aspiring ESL teachers who want to live and work in a foreign country?

The advice I would give to aspiring ESL teachers who want to live and work in a foreign country is, do enormous amounts of research into your desired destination so that you'll be prepared for any surprises life throws at you during your journey. And trust me THERE WILL BE SURPRISES.

 What career endeavors are you looking forward to pursuing ?

Right now I've been to 7 countries and I plan on going to at least a dozen more. When I finally return to my home country I want to open a Container School where I will show kids how to obtain a cheap and possibly free education with and without the internet.

If you want to contact Marc for English lessons you can find him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcquashie