The best thing for you about writing
this article is that it needs zero research and writing experience.
Everyone just wants to know about your experiences here in a
direct way. The basic article is easy to write but I do want you to show that
you've put some deep thought into it and that you've learned something
important from your experiences. It doesn't matter to me whether
you're completely new and inexperienced in English teaching and
/ or Madrid. In fact, I'm very interested in what you've experienced
in order to both get here and get settled in. In other words,
if you're new here, for example, you're still going through the
process which means it's all still really fresh to you as your
reactions will be: i.e. your TEFL course, getting a room, putting
up with stinky roommates, looking for a job, opening a bank account,
etc. etc... Have you had any mishaps? Surprises? Shocks? Good
things? Bad things? Are you worried? Anxious? Excited? Care free?
Are you disillusioned and overwhelmed or is it a cake-walk? Do
you recommend people do something or not do something else? etc.
etc. In the article, I want to know who you are (or were), what
made you decide to come over here in the first place and is it
what you expected it to be. I want to know what happened and your
reactions. Obviously, the whys and why nots aren't as easy to
understand or to write about.
Above all, don't just assume that there's something I don't want
to hear about because it's either too negative or too light. Take
a risk, there's always time to edit it later and we can work on
the article together if need be. (i.e. there are some things which
I cannot print due to the legal difficulties it might cause the
site, but we can usually work around them.)
I'd rather have you answer all those questions in one article.
What I'm looking for is something general, but focus on whatever
anecdotes or information (resulting from your personal experiences)
that you think will be most interesting to your readers (other
teachers that are either working or thinking of working in Madrid,
Spain).
The so-called "writing style" of the article is not important.
Whether they know it or not, everyone has a writing style: their
own personal "voice" or the way they speak. I'm not interested
in your sounding like an article in People magazine. I'm interested
in hearing you in the article in the same way that you speak and
think about things.
There are some other autobiographical articles here for you to
look at: The
Experience is Waiting for You,
Part 2: The Wrap Up! by Trent Brock, Adrian
in Spain, My
Experience in Madrid,
Mary, Monica
and this one on Transitions
Abroad.
By the way, Photos are obligatory. (Maybe in front of a monument?)
I need at least 1,500 words. Also, if you just got here, you might
consider doing two articles, one when a little bit after you get
here and another one when you leave.
Payment:
This article will be accepted as payment from teachers for two
years of advertising in the "Profesor de Inglés"
pages.
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