Gwyneth Hamann

My name is Gwyneth, I’m 27 and I’m originally from North Wales. I studied Psychology at the University of Manchester and graduated in July 2009, and due to the economic climate and my desire to travel, I applied for English teaching jobs in other countries. I lived in Hamamatsu, Japan from March 2010 until July 2011 teaching English to children and adults, an experience which I found amazing and life-changing. In August 2011, I moved to Prague, Czech Republic, with my boyfriend Jeff (now my husband) – a fellow English teacher who I met in Japan. While he had lived in Prague before (as a student), it was my first time in the beautiful city. For four weeks, we took the challenging 4-week TEFL course at TEFL Worldwide Prague, a qualification that massively boosts anyone’s chances of finding a job as an English teacher in Europe (and not just the piece of paper – it’s given me a lot more confidence and a bunch of skills I didn’t have before). I spent two years in Prague teaching English in the mornings, and observing/giving feedback at TEFL Worldwide in the afternoons. I am also a qualified Life Coach, meaning that you can come to me if you need direction in life, want to shake things up and make changes, or just want to feel more alive. In June 2013, Jeff and I got married, travelled around South-East Asia for two months, and came to the UK to do our Masters courses. I’m currently studying the part-time Masters in Applied Positive Psychology at the University of East London, while working to pay the bills and living in lovely Stratford-upon-Avon. I realised that I never really paid much attention to the UK and its travel destinations until I returned, so I plan to write a little more about my home country before the travel bug takes over and uproots me again!