As the year draws to a close, we decided to do a bit of reflection! Here’s what the Intrepid English Teachers had to say about 2024.
How about you? How was 2024 for you? Feel free to use the prompts to reflect on your own year, or leave a comment at the end.
Is improving your English fluency a goal for you in 2025? Download a free Intrepid English 2025 SMART Goals Study Planner and let us help you plot your pathway to English fluency!
Lorraine

What were some highlights of 2024 for you?
My 2024 was a whirlwind adventure in Saudi Arabia as I was hired to set up a new English school in Tabuk, Northwestern Saudi Arabia. Some of the highlights included driving in the beautiful desert being careful to avoid the camels, enjoying the nightly stream of incredible sunsets and snorkelling in the Red Sea. I have spent most of the year outside of my comfort zone, so I can honestly say that the highlight for me was wrapping up my project in the desert to move to Riyadh where I am setting up a sister company for Intrepid English, called Jassour (which is an Arabic word meaning Bridge to Excellence). I am really looking forward to being able to focus on Intrepid English again after my year hiatus, empowering even more learners in the GCC in 2025.
The most difficult part of last year was…
Missing my wonderful Intrepid English team. I’m infinitely grateful to Kate R for looking after them so well. It’s great to be back, team!!
The biggest surprise of the year was…
Life in Saudi Arabia is full of surprises, but if I had to choose only one, I was delighted to lead my team in Tabuk to break records for English Learner Satisfaction.
The best trip I took was…
Visiting the seaside town of Hagl, just south of the Jordanian border was incredible. The local people were delighted to meet a European person and I was blown away by the warm welcome I received.
My favourite part of working for Intrepid English was…
Celebrating the graduation of our Employers Who Empower learners. It’s been a joy to witness their progress, their pride in their new English skills and their excitement at the new opportunities they now have available to them.
Three words to sum up my 2024 are…
Sand, sunshine and sealife!
A message to my Intrepid English students for 2025 is…
I can’t wait to see you all again. I’ve missed you!
Some things that I am looking forward to and some goals I want to work towards in 2025 are…
My main goal will always be “Equality in Education” – so watch this space to find out all the fantastic initiatives coming to Intrepid English and Jassour in 2025.
Kate R

What were some highlights of 2024 for you?
Taking on more students with IE and also a more administrative role to ensure all students get the help they need. On a more personal note I have started a couple of different programmes with local French kids aged 2-5 years old to help them already learn the basics in English. I love it when they see me on the street and either start singing an English song or count to 10 for me!
The most difficult part of last year was…
Dealing with mum guilt because both my girls now spend all day at daycare and school for me to work more.
The biggest surprise of the year was…
How popular my Ask Us Anything live on adjectives ending in -ing and -ed was!
The best trips I took were…
All the trips we went back to visit my family and friends in the UK. It is the hardest part of being a mum in a foreign country: not being able to see my friends and family regularly.
My favourite part of working for Intrepid English has been…
Getting to know my students better. I have loved getting to know Kaoru better this year as well as my new students this year: Jorge, Alexandre, Maria, Annalisa, Tania, Robert. I love our lessons as they are always so interested in what we’re learning whether it’s grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation.
Three words to sum up my 2024 are…
Busy, exciting and full of learning
A message to my Intrepid English students for this year is…
Let’s keep going as all my students are making such amazing progress!
Some things that I am looking forward to and some goals I want to work towards in 2025 are…
I am looking forward to helping even more students in 2025 achieve their goals in English. My personal goals are: get the bathroom renovated and make sure we have a family holiday somewhere warm next year.
Kate B

What were some highlights of 2024 for you?
As well as being lucky enough to connect with students online from around the world, I have met many lovely new students here in Mexico, and also continued writing for a local travel magazine for the state of Yucatan, Mexico, where I currently live. I travelled home to the UK in August and spent time with my family and visited my sister in Paris between the Olympics and Paralympics. In 2023 I started practising pole fitness, and I have kept up this practice and seen gradual improvements in my strength and confidence.
The most difficult part of last year was…
Missing home and my family. As the other teachers have mentioned, this is something that comes hand in hand with living in another country.
The biggest surprise of the year was…
How quickly it has flown by!
The best trip I took was…
As I mentioned before, my visit home to the UK was a highlight. Another great trip was in May when I visited San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, a beautiful part of Mexico which had been on my travel wish list for a while. We visited gorgeous waterfalls, canyons, lakes, and the border with Guatemala.
My favourite part of working for Intrepid English was…
I loved writing new content for the blog, as well as keeping Intrepid English members and followers in the loop with the monthly newsletter.
Three words to sum up my 2024 are…
Teaching, learning, moving.
A message to my Intrepid English students for this year is…
Well done for working hard! When you are working on something consistently it’s sometimes difficult to see the progress as it happens so gradually, so December is a good time of year to reflect and feel proud of your achievements.
Some things that I am looking forward to and some goals I want to work towards in 2025 are…
I am keen to keep developing my skills and knowledge base as a teacher by teaching new topics such as exam preparation. In my free time I want to spend more time on creative pursuits as it makes me happy. I also plan to take the SIELE (Spanish language) qualification and I want to get a C1 grade. If time and money allows I would like to join a rock climbing gym!
Natalia

What were some highlights of 2024 for you?
2024 was a year of challenges and new beginnings. I enjoyed working on the Intrepid English Employers Who Empower Programme, helping English learners in Saudi Arabia to improve their business English skills and earn a CPD accreditation. I also worked with groups of study abroad students, and an employability coach. I had some beautiful local trips, met a lot of amazing people. I also graduated from a Counselling Skills Course.
The most difficult part of last year was…
The most difficult part was feeling quite remote from my family which is now scattered around the world and not being able to see them more often.
The biggest surprise of the year was…
Sometimes it is quite hard to start something new or make the first step into the unknown. But as soon as the first step is done – then things start to unfold and I feel more confident and capable of doing things that I was afraid of.
The best trip I took was…
The best trip was the trip to Samye Ling – the Buddist Monastery in Scotland. It is a connection with myself, solitude, spirituality, connecting with others on a different level and connecting with nature, slowing down, and enjoying simple things in life.
My favourite part of working for Intrepid English was…
My favourite part was working with my students – it’s always fascinating to see the progress they are making, I enjoyed our lessons and conversations. Employers Who Empower was an amazing programme. Also a big part – is the support and connection I get from our Intrepid English team – from teachers, technical support, and Lorraine – feel grateful for that!
Three words to sum up my 2024 are…
Three words would be gratitude, challenge, and curiosity.
A message to my Intrepid English students for this year is…
Keep going, keep learning, build up your confidence, work hard, and enjoy what you are doing even if the results cannot be seen immediately. They are growing and they will show up eventually. Be curious and playful!
Some things that I am looking forward to and some goals I want to work towards in 2025 are…
I am excited to be part of a new chapter for Intrepid English and would like to work on new projects, to help more people become fluent in English. I would love to create more content and share my knowledge and experience in teaching English. My personal goal is to become a yoga teacher and start a Retreat Programme that includes body movement, mindfulness, creativity, connection with nature, and coaching practices. Looking forward to 2025 and wishing peace and joy to everyone!