Marika Mando Fedorcova | Online TEFL Course Instructor

• TEFL Certificate (CELTA), 2003
• DELTA Diploma (Diploma in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), 2007
• IHYLC - International House Certificate in teaching young learners, 2006
• IHCO - International House Certificate in teaching one-on-one classes, 2006
• MA in Teaching English Language and Literature to Speakers of Other Languages from University of Presov, Slovakia, 1999

I am a teacher and a teacher trainer with over twenty years of EFL/ESL teaching experience. My journey started at a local elementary school in Slovakia. After having a go at running my own language school, I decided to move to Prague in the Czech Republic where I taught EFL in a language school and ESP (Business English) in companies. After relocating to Pennsylvania in 2008, my context shifted to teaching Academic English and preparing international students (mostly from China, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil) to study at US colleges and universities.

UK, Greece, Italy, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Egypt, and Ireland.

Spending 3 weeks exploring the beauty of Greece without any itinerary, just thinking a couple of days ahead. Between being in awe with historical sites and being rocked by the sea,  I stumbled upon lots of little nooks not visited by tourists much and ate the greek salad I still dream of.

As for living in a new country, don’t make a checklist of places to see, instead ask locals and go with the flow; you’ll be surprised by “off the beaten path” discoveries. Remember that not only are you exploring a new environment but people around you are also learning about your culture through you.  Regarding teaching, don’t expect to be perfect. Lesson planning is important but so is getting a night of good sleep!