A travel enthusiast, who taught English in Malaysia and drove a taxi in Kenya. Rosie Mansfield is an infectious, passionate leader who has been driving responsible, educational travel companies for over a decade.
Co-founding Premier TEFL she continues to help thousands of English speakers gain a life-changing experience by teaching English abroad. Proudly based in Ireland by the sea, she loves to live in the calming countryside whilst having such an international work-week.
Once in Vietnam, I was in the coastal town of Nha Trang and a motorcycle tour guide drove up on the sidewalk to introduce himself. He was called 'Eddie Murphy' and looked exactly like you'd imagine a Vietnamese Eddie Murphy to look like.
He convinced us to hire him for two days and it was a big risk. He could have been a crook. But he turned out to be the BEST tour guide I've ever had. We rode to Dalat and back visiting homes, coffee plantations and private farms -- we saw more than tourists could dream of.
The only country that trumps Vietnam for me, is Cambodia. I've been there twice in two years and it really has EVERYTHING! Stunning beaches, incredible history, a kind nation and heaps of culture to soak up.
I learn something new every day. From our partners, customers and our team. You must always remain open...your heart, mind, and ears! My biggest lesson is in the sustainability of growth. We needed to have the best team of people working together to be able to offer you the ultimate TEFL training experience. I've focused on perfecting the smartest group of TEFL crew members at Premier TEFL so that everything we do is built of the strongest of foundations.
I've also learned that Rome wasn't built in a day and sometimes you really need to enjoy the journey.
I literally just got an email from a travel writer who went on our European TEFL Scholarship. She loved her experience so much she's moved from the UK to Warsaw, Poland!
We have loads of stories from over the years. I met an amazing couple from our internship in Cambodia who were completing 2.5 months in Phnom Penh and then planning to teach in another Asian country.
Another teacher I met recently during their Premier TEFL internship had slow-traveled from the U.K. for 3 months towards Asia with only hand luggage and a skateboard!
Tough question! There are too many amazing ones. If I had to just pick one, I'd choose the China internship. China is one of the most under-rated internship destinations. It is a simply mesmerizing country!
I was lucky to visit China in 2017 and I would say it's one of the most underrated teaching destinations. I saw giant pandas, a dinosaur museum, visited monasteries and explored the area on the subway. Everyone I met was so friendly! People would come up to me chatting to find out where I was from and they were so kind. One lady gave me food while I was waiting for friends and we took a photo with her baby.
We are a bunch of adventurous globetrotters who never have the ‘Sunday night fear’ about waking up for work. We don’t do titles and we lend a hand to any colleague. Everyone feels responsible. We know customers by name. We regularly laugh so hard that no one can breathe and our last Christmas night out was in Amsterdam.
Our team really go the extra mile for our customers. We have a connection with them and feel like we're on the TEFL adventure alongside them.
Remember to walk in your customer's shoes when making decisions.
Figuring out an adventure teaching English abroad can be tricky. We try to foresee what info you'll need and when. And then have it on hand for you. We have lots of experienced TEFL teachers in our office and there's no shortage of helping hands if you want to talk to someone who's 'been there, done that'!