The World is Your Classroom
I graduated from The New School MATESOL program in 2013, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go into education management, become more of a teacher trainer or even continue teaching English as a Foreign Language with an eye more towards curriculum development. So, I decided to continue teaching EFL in Kyiv, Ukraine where I had already been teaching. Not long afterward I noticed an advertisement online that promoted a program called English Language Programs: The World is Your Classroom. Below the announcement, it read: Transform you career, your life, and the world. The announcement said that the program offered a generous stipend, a living allowance for housing, food, utilities, and local transportation, round-trip transportation from your home base to your host country, etc.
In addition, the announcement said that The English Language Fellow Program was a U.S. Department of State public diplomacy initiative that sent talented, highly qualified U.S. TESOL professionals to academic institutions around the world. Assignments are 10 months (usually September to June) with Fellows receiving comprehensive support throughout.
At that point in time, I thought “This sounds great, but it sounds too good to be true, though. I wonder what the catch is?” I went online to their homepage to learn more about the setup of the program and to learn more about what was on offer. There was a particular section entitled: What are we looking for? Below that, it read:
- U.S. citizenship
- A master’s degree in TESOL or related field
- Experience teaching English to speakers of other languages
- The desire and freedom to live and work abroad for 10 months
- Patience, determination, flexibility, initiative, and a willingness to be part of a team
I got really excited at this point but began thinking about how I could seriously do this.
I have a wife. And two young daughters.
Moving to a foreign country was something our whole family had to think long and hard about. For instance, how far would our place be from the school where I would work? Where would our girls go to school? How far would the school be? Would there be a nearby hospital? A grocery store?
I talked with a Fellow who was serving in the Republic of Moldova and he reassured my wife and me that the questions we had were similar to questions others had had and that there were definitely solutions in place for any of the issues we had. So, after thinking some more about this relatively major life decision, we decided to take the plunge.
I filled out an application online and after some time, I was contacted and invited to interview via phone call. After the interview, I learned soon after that I had been rejected. Truth be told, I was discouraged. However, I was told that my application would still be considered for other potential posts—I was determined not to give up. A short time later, I was told that I would interview with a U.S. Embassy official in Moldova. We had an interview together and afterward I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Soon thereafter, I learned that I had been accepted and that I would be serving as a Fellow in the Republic of Moldova at a university!
Fast forward to more than a couple of years later: my wife, kids and I spent two years in the Republic of Moldova and have had numerous life-enriching and generally positive experiences to talk about—more than we can remember. I have put together a number of projects, workshops and seminars alongside in-country Peace Corps Volunteers and Fulbright grantees in that time. Along with some others, we were able to put together community service events as well as arrange cultural events which informed local citizens of U.S. holidays and traditions while celebrating these special occasions with them.
Graduate students and me post-semester in Moldova (2014).
Has being a Fellow been challenging? Of course, but that part of the experience was what truly allowed me to develop my teaching practice, to learn to effectively train other English language teachers, to organize events—in short, I grew because it was such a demanding role. I’d had such a positive experience during those two years that I had applied once again for the Fellowship and was fortunate enough to be accepted and sent to the Republic of Armenia, where I currently teach English for Occupational Purposes.
So, am I a recruiter for this program? No, I’m not. I’m merely an alumnus of the MATESOL program at The New School who wanted to share my story and to urge those interested to seriously consider applying–those who might want to add some variety to their lives, those who would like to continue developing professionally all while serving as cultural ambassadors for their country.
*Disclaimer: This blog is intended to provide personal insight into my own experience serving as an English Language Fellow. It is not associated in any way with Georgetown University nor the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. government or any of its agencies or departments.
Author’s Biography: Nicholas Huzieff has been teaching English since 2007 and has taught in Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Moldova and now in Armenia. He holds a CELTA and received his MA in TESOL from The New School in 2013. He was a co-trainer for Fulbright English Teaching Assistants in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2015. He enjoys spending time with his wife and two little princesses.