We've all been there: you arrive in a new job full of enthusiasm and ideas. A couple of years down the line, some of the joy has gone missing along the way. Here are some signs that it's time to refresh your CV, stick a pin in a globe and go.
1. Little things are annoying you.
Constant, low-level irritation is a sure way to drive you mad. Maybe one teacher slurps his tea too loudly; another one always leaves the classroom in a mess. Maybe they're in the habit of setting their mobile ringtone at full volume and leaving it in their desk in the staffroom while they go to teach a lesson. Maybe the coffee in the staffroom is just terrible. If the small things are irritating you more than they should, time to get out of there.
2. Professional development isn't happening.
If you've been staying in the job just to clock up the number of years' experience, while at the same time seeing no sign of actual professional development, maybe it's time to move on. If you're not encouraged or supported in developing your skills, you'll probably feel pretty demotivated. If there's no reward for striving to be better, then why bother?
3. You don't want to progress.
If you're serious about your TEFL career, you probably want to climb beyond an entry-level teaching position. But if the idea of managing the particular mix of personalities or organising the specific brand of chaos at your school makes your toes curl, best start applying elsewhere.
4. You've 'done' this city.
A picture postcard location can truthfully get pretty boring if you stay there for a long time. Maybe there's just not quite enough to do in your city, or the heat, the cold, the dust or the pollution is starting to grind you down. Maybe you've heard one too many horror stories and want to get out while the going's good. Change it up before you start to hate the place.
5. You've forgotten why you wanted to teach in the first place.
You arrived bursting with excitement and fresh-faced enthusiasm. Now certain things have started to turn you bitter and resentful, such as a negative atmosphere, bureaucracy, bitchiness, gossip, a schedule that wears you out. Avoid getting to the critical point where you're turned off from ever teaching again. A change is as good as a rest.
6. You're making excuses.
"I don't want to have to settle in again somewhere"... "I can't be bothered to sell my bicycle/rehome my cat/clear out my room." Suck it up. Moving is an adventure. Shopping for a new apartment is exciting. Buying a new set of kitsch decorations in a new city is fun. Fussing with visas, work permits, phones and bank accounts is annoying, sure, but it's part of the parcel.
7. The atmosphere is rubbing off on you.
It's easy to do: the environment is bitchy, and then you find yourself constantly bitching about it. People are less than friendly to you, so you respond by becoming less friendly to them. There's a culture of favouritism, and you respond by forming cliques. When you find your job bringing out aspects in yourself that you don't like, time to get out of there before you become bitter and unpleasant, like that terrible staffroom coffee.
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