ABSTRACT
In this autoethnography, I reminisce about my experiences as an English as a second language (ESL) teacher back in my home country of Sri Lanka. I started my career as an ESL teacher while I was still an undergraduate student. I taught at a state university (from 2014 to 2017) and at several other educational institutes (from 2008 to 2017). During this time, I was often intrinsically motivated to be in the profession due to my deep passion for teaching and the need to help my community. Giving something back to my community and engaging in a profession I absolutely loved while developing positive relationships with students and coworkers gave me a sense of satisfaction. Nevertheless, when recollected, lack of opportunities for professional development, lower salary scales, job instability, and workload sometimes caused burnout, making me feel drained both mentally and emotionally. While these accounts are solely based on my experiences and may not be transferable to other ESL teachers in Sri Lanka, certain issues such as lower salaries and lack of opportunities for professional development hold true for ESL teachers all around the globe, especially in developing countries. To overcome challenges affecting teachers’ well-being, a strong support system from the university, including coworkers and the department heads, is suggested.
