Here are the 5 ways teaching can bolster your confidence

Does it ever feel like words are unnatural to you; like everyone else glides through conversations whilst your left fumbling and mumbling through them?

Yes me too!

Maybe volunteering as a teacher can help!!

Today I am going to share what I learned volunteering as an English teacher in Thailand. I think teaching can benefit everyone somewhat, but could be amazing for those less confident in themselves. I think it has the potential to really bolster your confidence!

At the time of writing this I had been solo travelling Thailand for just over 2 months, here is a link if to my previous post… if you want to check out what else I have been up to!

Firstly, here’s a quick overview of what I did:

I used the website Workaway to find hosts, which is a volunteering and work exchange platform that allows you to stay somewhere, exchanging some work for free or really cheap accommodation.

Initially, I helped out at a hostel in Phitsanulok, a beautiful, non-touristy Thai city, in between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.  The owner ran and his wife ran a hostel and an after-school classroom to teach English to students. I was helping out at the hostel and teaching English. Overall the experience was great, but whilst I was shown a little how to teach I felt I had to learn on the job; on my first day I planned and taught a full 2 hour lesson on my own!!

Afterwards, I volunteered at The Superhero English programme in Bangkok, a non profit organisation led by a husband and wife. The aim of the organisation is to teach English to kids in the more underprivileged schools so they have broader opportunities when they grow up.  This was real work and we would start early and finish late, but it felt great to be part of a team and (I know it sounds Cliché) to be ‘making a difference!’

So, Here are the 5 ways teaching can bolster your confidence!

You are the centre of attention

For 20, 30 or 60 minutes you are the centre of the world, you are the driver and your level of engagement, enthusiasm and mood dictate the engagement of the students.

I have the tendency, when I am talking to others, to allow others to drive and control the conversation whilst I stick to the sidelines. I often subdue my speech even when I am talking about something I am passionate about; I often short my sentences and deflect questions in order to not speak myself.

You cannot stick to the sidelines whilst teaching a class, you are the one in control. You have to be carefree, extraverted and full of energy. You have to act as if you do not care what others think.

For example, during the second Workaway all the volunteers had to dance in front of 200 students and teachers, with all of the eyes on us!! it was incredibly embarrassing but you just had to let go of how people were perceiving you.

You are practicing being the centre of attention, fully engaging and projecting what you say, being the leading force in social interactions. You are also practicing being carefree and extraverted. You learn that you can be the centre of attention, in a position where everyone is watching and be ok, and even thrive. That is why I believe working as a teacher can improve you conversational skills, bolster your confidence in speech and in yourself.

You are speaking in front of a group

During the 2nd Workaway, we were doing an introduction ceremony for the school, and I had the dreadful realisation that I would have to introduce myself and the country which I was from in front of around 200 people, students and teachers included! So there I waited as the other volunteers introduced themselves, heart pounding. I eventually took the microphone and introduced myself, my hands were shaking and my face went tomato-red. Julie, the lady who was leading the ceremony, saved me and stood in when I lost face, thank god. Anyway, eventually I just about managed to stumble through it. I was awkward and nervous but looking into the crowd after I finished I saw that no one cared, and the ceremony proceeded smoothly in spite of my awkwardness.

The following day I repeated the introduction, still very anxiously, but a little more confidently and a little less cautiously. Imagine if you had to do a similar thing every day, and stand and speak in front of a large group, you would get increasingly comfortable, and the act of speaking in front of a large group would become less and less of a scary thing. You would become more confident in the act of speaking to large groups, bolstering your confidence in speech and in general.

You are actively contributing to the world around you

You are teaching others’ how to improve at something. Giving up some of your time so that others can learn. During the 2nd Workaway we went to a more remote hilltribe school in which they had less exposure to modern developments, and it seemed were underprivileged. We were teaching English to those who were less fortunate, so they would have more opportunities. And, selfishly, this made me feel good when I finished each day. Even if you feel really, really bad about yourself, doing something good, that helps others, could give you some evidence that hey, maybe you are not so bad, ‘I may be useless but at least I did this 1 good thing today!’ Teaching helps to bolster your confidence as you are actively doing some good.

You learn lots from the kids

Kids are full of energy. They are playful. And they have an ability to make anything fun, anything silly. All they want to do is play. After a while this rubs off on you and your serious adult brain. During my first Workaway we played this game where the kids would answer a question and throw a ball into a basket. That was it, that was the game. They would be jumping up and down in the air in excitement, they could not wait to have their turn! And the act of winning would make them shout out loud in exaltation! I would then be laughing at home much fun they were having. Their ability to make the simplest of things fun, whilst it may not directly improve your confidence, can improve your outlook. Making you be more in the moment, engage and seek enjoyment more in the simple things of life.

You are improving at something

The first lessons which I planned during my first Workaway were not great, if I am honest. I was a bit of an anxious wreck, I was not energetic or engaging and the lessons did not flow. I felt teaching just was not for me and a few times I walked back to the hostel after class feeling pretty bad about myself. But I kept on trying, learning from the mistakes I made previously and really trying my best to plan engaging and informative lessons. I spent hours planning each night, buying a football to try and engage some of the older students! In the end my lessons still were not great, but I knew I had improved greatly, I was more confident leading a class and the lessons began flowing more smoothly. Teaching is a skill, and as I mentioned in one of my previous posts, improving at things can greatly bolster your confidence.

Volunteering as a teacher abroad has been an amazing experience for me and it is something that I really want to pursue further. Workaway and Worldpackers are great websites to use to find hosts if you want to volunteer abroad.

I really believe volunteering and working as a teacher, even if it is just for a bit, can be really good for anybody. Hopefully reading this has given you some inspiration!

Thanks for reading!