You know you’re a TEFL teacher when…

…you watch Eastenders and want to correct their pronunciation and grammar.

…you think it’s perfectly fine to say close the light.

…you meet the parents and understand immediately why the child is the way it is.

…you want to correct the apostrophes outside greengrocers’ shops.

…you want to laminate your birth certificate, your shopping list, post-it notes and any other random piece of paper you find.

…you believe IQ tests should be given to people before they’re allowed to breed.

…you add an explanation whenever you use a difficult word in speech.

…you begin to have “feelings” towards the photocopier.

…you hear about a terrible national tragedy on the news but don’t feel sorry; instead you just wonder how it can be turned into a lesson plan.

…you own more than four red pens.

…you know the difference between a preposition and a participle and wonder why everyone doesn’t.

…you feel the urge to use correct grammar and full spelling when you text message.

…you see a webpage or forum post entitled you know your a… and can spot the mistake.

…you genuinely drink alcohol for medicinal purposes…

…and a hangover is an occupational hazard.

…you have regularly explained that English people don’t all wear bowler hats and drink tea all day.

…you arrive back in your home country and can’t use the money properly.

…you know the difference between your and you’re and their, there and they’re and you wince when you see them used wrongly.