How has TEFL, and pursuing this lifestyle, benefitted you with regard to your creative craft?

TEFL itself made sense for me, as I have an academic background in Linguistics, I had acquired English as a second-language, and I was certain then that I wanted to pursue a career in education.

Whilst I only worked within TEFL for about 10 months, the experience I gathered during that time, plus the fact that I was already overseas, meant that it was a lot easier to get my foot in the door for multiple other opportunities.

In this sense, TEFL helped me professionally as an educator, but then it also provided a safety net and a wealth of resources to help me pivot and transition into a more creative career. I was able to save money for gear (such as an action camera, a mirror-less body with a couple of lenses, my drone), and I was able to put money aside to invest into courses, workshops and other resources to strengthen my skillset. Taking this route 100% helped me fast-track in this regard, and it allowed me to make this kinds of investments debt-free.

On another level, living overseas allows you to connect with a wide array of people from all kinds of alleys in life. It will expose you to people, places, circumstances and situations that you would probably not encounter back home. All of this will help expand your perspectives, solidify your interpersonal skills, and provide you with a wealth of new experiences that will definitely have an impact on your creativity (making you realise that there are infinite possibilities in life).

What positive refections can you give regarding your experiences, after having completed the TEFL course and travelled to a new country?

Making the decision to move overseas through a TEFL program was one of the most positive, life-changing decisions I have ever made. I was raised in a bi-cultural family, and by the time I relocated to Asia, I had already been living abroad for three years, which means that moving to a new country and being exposed to different cultures weren’t entirely new experiences to me.

Yet, making the decision to live in a country that was physically and culturally so remote from my two home countries broadened my mind in so many new ways. It truly helped me understand and see the world from other perspectives, I learned about alternative approaches to society, I became fluent in a new language, and I tried out a ton of new hobbies thanks to being around all kinds of new friends (from running Spartan races, to taking dance lessons or capturing my earlier content).

Being on a different side of the world also meant that a lot of my dream destinations were now accessible on a regular basis, and even if I suffered the pandemic abroad, I was still able to make the most of this time to explore remoter parts of China, where I was living at the time. Such a worthwhile part of living abroad! The exploration opportunities are endless.

Would you recommend this lifestyle to aspiring creatives?

100%! I would honestly recommend it to anyone. As a creative, it is important to think outside the box, to get yourself out of your comfort zone, to be open to the world whilst remaining adaptable and flexible. You gotta communicate well and be perceptive so as to capture a client’s vision. It is key to have a strong skillset and a wealth of experiences to inform your craft and your art. Living abroad will provide you with all those skills and tools, besides granting you financial safety to invest into your future as a creator —and if you approach the experience with kindness and with curiosity, it will probably turn you into a more decent human being, which is needed on this planet anyway.

@gabsonearth

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