Hi everybody,

Jordan here writing directly from my new home and Job, teaching English in  Vilnius, Lithuania.  I am officially qualified as a TEFL teacher/ digital artist and I am looking to creatively apply my ideas, energy/ motivation and professional development help to create an effective learning environment.

Education
BA Fine Art (Digital New Media, Contemporary Art History, Curatorship)
First-Class Honours
2009 – 2012 | Lancaster University, United Kingdom

After completing a 120 hours TEFL Institute qualification and +270 hours observed teacher training. Since 2016, I have been working as a ESL teacher within a private language school and photography summer camps, primarily in Eastern Europe: Poland and the Czech Republic and through online platforms. I have just relocated to Vilnius in Lithuania to take on new teaching opportunities.

Moving to another country is daunting to say the least. But, there is already so much I can talk about my time in Vilnius because every day I have been taking in the different cultural offerings, history, language and interactions with people. For the first few days, I have been staying with locals via the Couch surfing application which is a great tool to meet like-minded individuals who are interested in travelling. After a few flat viewings in different regions of the city I now I have my own apartment and I am settling in comfortably, it’s best not to rush into something which will affect your overall stay in the city. Lithuanian is a Baltic language spoken in the Baltic region, but picking up the basics of Lithuanian has been easier than it seems.

I was lucky to catch the final few days of seeing the spectacular Christmas tree in Cathedral Square, which was voted one of the best Christmas illuminations in Europe. I stumbled across a comfy coffee shop called Chaika. I’m a big foodie person so it’s no surprise that I have already tried some traditional Lithuanian dishes – Kibinai are tasty hand pies and sakotis, it’s a traditional Lithuanian cake. Both are well worth trying! I have explored not only the tourist districts such as The Old Town of Vilnius but, also urban districts of the city such as Karoliniškės which has The Vilnius TV Tower standing at 326.5 metres. For me, it’s interesting to see not just the inner city but the places around and document architecture in the former Eastern Bloc – the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Examples include: Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports also known as the Sporto Rūmai, closed in 2004 deemed unsafe. Vilnius is a creative hub and I am confident being here will provide me with the platform to open up new opportunities and collaborations, you can follow my artwork via Instagram – @easternbloc_artist

I plan to explore Lithuania in my free time to cities such as Kaunas which is the second-largest city in Lithuania and to visit the Baltic sea Klaipeda. I’m really excited and lucky to be living and working in Vilnius, teaching English as a foreign language is not always easy; however, the most exciting aspect of this role is the opportunity to grow personally and professionally.

Check back for more regular updates on my Lithuanian experience????????❄️