Last weekend (beginning Friday 14th September) I studied and completed the TEFL course in London. I thought it best to have a back up in case I couldn't get a job that suits the skills I have picked up in employment to date when I'm in China. I thought it would be a good safety net because finding a job might prove tough. I only ever intended teaching to really be a last resort.

To say that it was an eye-opening experience would be a gross understatement. I went there not expecting too much; sitting at a desk, listening to the teacher spout some theoretical mumbo-jumbo about how best to go about forcing reams of essentially pointless and irrelevant information into people's minds. Occasionally I thought I'd come out of my stupor enough to make an important note or add to my collection of doodles and spend time during coffee breaks making snide remarks about the dull teacher to equally bored students.

Well, that couldn't have been further from the truth. As soon as the teacher had given out the information packs to the students the fun began. And, seriously, it never relented until the sad time came on Sunday that the course had ended and everyone had to go their separate ways. This is what teaching should be like; engaging, fun, activity filled, students being encouraged to speak out and question ideas. Everyone in the class was raving about how unexpectedly brilliant this was.

And now? Well now I'm going out to China with the intention of teaching. If I can be half as good as the person who taught me then I'll be a resounding success. I can't wait. Lesson ideas have filled my mind ("not difficult" I hear some of you cry!) and I want to put them into practice and have fun doing it.

I massively recommend doing the TEFL course. You will not be disappointed. I don't want to speak for any of the other teachers (although I'm sure they were excellent as well) but if you're lucky enough to get Jeremy Taylor (please, please visit his website) then you will be guaranteed to have an amazingly mind blowing time. After all, what could possibly be better than going to various different countries around the world, seeing some spectacular sights, sunsets and sunrises and all the while you're having bags of fun teaching? Sounds pretty idyllic to me.