Short bio

I am a 63-year-old female, a mother of two, and I lost my husband 10 years ago. I have been a full-time housewife for 25 years. I needed to find a job fast. I studied to obtain a teaching license and started working immediately.

My Story of empowerment

In 2014, I lost my husband. For 25 years, I was a full-time housewife as I had stopped working in accounts when I had my first child in 1988. I needed to get a job fast. Looking through vacancies, I soon realised I was as good as illiterate. In 25 years, the world has become computerised. Malta had joined the EU. In September 2014, I took a course to prepare for the TELT exam and spent every free minute studying. I remember struggling with the phonetic alphabet. In November, I sat for the 3-hour gruelling 3-hour grammar exam. I trembled to go in for the exam; all the other participants were years younger than me. '' 

"What was I doing here? I might as well walk out now... Wasted money... Wasted time...'' These are some thoughts that accompanied me as I sat for the exam. 

I completed all the exercises and, to my delight in December, found out that I had passed the first part of TELT.January 2015 found me preparing for my oral exam. As soon as I received the news that I had passed, I completed a TEFL course. By April, I had obtained a licence to teach English as a foreign language. I applied at a school close to where I live, and in June, I received a call to start working the first Monday in July. I spent all weekend preparing for class.

That was the beginning of my teaching career. 

By 2017, I was feeling restless. I wasn't happy with just having basic qualifications. My DOS suggested that I should do the CELTA course, completed by April of the following year, the CELTA opened new doors for me. 
Now, I teach at different ages, levels and in different courses. And I loved it! 

I found myself helping others. My self-esteem grew... From not knowing how to connect a laptop to a whiteboard, I ended up teaching technology in classroom courses. 

The rest, as they say, is history. I've been teaching at the same school since 2015. Heartfelt thanks go to my two daughters, who would pretend to be my students while I practiced my lessons and backed me with everything I needed. To Ms Patricia Marshall, director of Alpha School, who offered me a job when I had NO experience, and Mrs Mary Abela, DOS, who believed in me and kept challenging me with new courses. I'm continuously taking courses to stay updated on what's new in the teaching profession...

To all of you who are unhappy in your current situation, I have only this to say: Study something you are passionate about! Believe in yourself! If I could do it, anyone can!