I am willing to bet the first question you're asking is, "Weren't you trying to be a cop?" The answer is, "Yes I was". I had internships, years of volunteer experience, cops I rode with liked me, I have a degree and a lot of civilian experience, I've even known the people in charge of hiring. No luck. I tried for well over a year and applied to multiple departments and everything was a no-go. When every department receives hundreds of applications for 1-3 available positions and you are competing against already POST certified, lateral transfers, and those with military experience, PD's don't always care what sort of civilian qualifications you have. Sure there are smaller departments I could apply to, though not all can afford to pay for POST so I can get ruled out there. Or I could try a backdoor way of getting hired by joining a Sheriff's Department and work as a Corrections Officer for a few years. However, I have no desire to work in a jail. My plan was to travel with any vacation time I was going to accumulate over my career, so when I kept getting dropped from processes with no explanation as to why, I decided to just put everything on the back burner.
I love to travel, and I am going to blame my parents for that. They have been taking me camping since before I can remember, and don't forget that we traveled the United States in an RV for 14 months when I was 14/15. I have gone on multiple trips around the US with Melanie over the past several years, the problem is I am never satisfied with visiting a place for a day or a week. I always wonder what it's like to live in a place, to become immersed in daily life and the culture (I mean, I do have a Bachelors degree in Cultural Anthropology), and if you asked me where in the world I want to go most, I don't have an answer other than, "anywhere". I also have the hardest part of my qualifications to become an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, the bachelors degree, already completed. So why not go? What is required to be an ESL teacher? Most countries require a bachelors degree, it doesn't matter if it's a BA or a BS (or higher) and some form of ESL certification. The level of teaching experience required depends on several factors. My next blog post will be all about ESL, so I'll have more information about it there. In short, all I need is a TEFL certification and I'll be ready to go! What's my plan? My TEFL course starts 1/14/19 and I graduate 3/29/19, upon completion I will try to teach English online. This will help me gain more experience so I will be more marketable, as well as help me feel more comfortable teaching. I feel this will help to alleviate at least one stress laid on me when I move to another country. Where am I going? I do not have any countries set in stone, however, I feel I will most likely begin in China as they are the largest job market for ESL teachers hiring several thousand ESL teachers every year. Typically, teaching contracts are for one year. I will teach for 1 year and then reevaluate at the end of the year, I'll decide if I A) like it or B) hate it. If I feel A, then I may stay for another year or may transfer to another country. If it's B, then I can quit and return to the US. The latter is clearly the worst case scenario, however, even in this case I will still have, a job, housing, sufficient income, and will still be gaining invaluable life experiences. In reality, there is no downside to this plan, at least not to me. Do people think I'm crazy for uprooting my entire life and changing every plan by changing career paths and moving to a county that I don't even speak the language? Sure. Do I care? Nah. I love a challenge, I love to see and experience new things, even when the worst is happening I try to see how it is shaping me as a person. Honestly, I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, but I'm doing it now and that's all that matters. Is this going to be crazy? Hell yes. Am I going to have hard days? I know I will. Am I going to miss everyone and everything? Yep. Will I learn, grow, see, and experience so much that it will be worth it? Damn straight. So, raise a glass to the first step in a new direction, to new experiences and a path that may take me anywhere! Follow along to see this through from start to finish, whatever "finish" may be. To quote Bilbo Baggins, "I'm going on an adventure!" Much love, Jess
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AuthorJessica Marie Cunningham - Intentional lifestyle blogger, aspiring author, and podcast host. All things Slow Living, Books, Writing, Art, creativity, Christianity, and personal stories. Archives
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