A UNI TESOL/French teaching degree has taken Elizabeth Rench around the globe. Most recently, you can find her in Irbid, Jordan, where she is teaching English and providing teacher training through a Department of State fellowship. She is one of just 175 U.S. citizens selected for international teaching through the 2024-25 English Language Fellow Program.

“I think it was meant to be that I ended up at UNI because I'm not sure I would be doing what I'm doing now if UNI had not introduced me to this pathway into international teaching,” said Rench. 

No matter where her teaching journey has taken her, Rench has always welcomed the adventure of working in an unfamiliar environment.

“I love being immersed in new experiences and new languages and something unknown,” she said. 

Rench was born in Chicago and primarily grew up in the Midwest, frequently moving around. She started her higher education journey at a private university in Missouri, but only completed one year of studies. By the time she left, her parents had moved to Iowa. It was a colleague of Rench’s mom who first suggested she go to UNI, sharing all about her positive experiences on campus. Rench was set on being a teacher at this point, and she knew UNI would be a great place to make that dream happen.

As a student, Rench gained experience helping international students with their English as a conversation partner through the Culture & Intensive English Program. She thought she might ultimately teach kindergarten, but a study abroad experience in France changed the trajectory of her career. Rench loved France so much she stayed there for a year and worked as an au pair after finishing her academics. She also did some tutoring.

Upon returning to the U.S., Rench declared her majors in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and French, with dreams of international teaching.

Rench was able to get into international classrooms right away, even before she graduated. One of her student teaching experiences organized through the College of Education was in Casablanca, Morocco. Because UNI had thoroughly prepared her for this experience, she felt ready for her own classroom.

“By that point, I had already been in multiple classrooms with multiple different teachers in different settings, different subjects and different schools in different cities in Iowa,” she said. "After this range of classroom experiences and support from my professors in the College of Ed, I felt prepared to take on the challenges of first-year teaching."

According to Rench, it’s unusual for teachers to get placed in schools internationally in their first few years of teaching, but this student teaching experience helped pave the way. In fact, her first real teaching job was in the school in Casablanca where she student-taught.

“If you're at UNI, you're definitely at the right place for international teaching,” she said. “I feel like I got a jumpstart because of the number of classroom experiences I had prior to my semester-long student teaching experience, in addition to my final international placement at Casablanca American School.”

After her time in Casablanca, Rench returned to the United States to obtain her master’s degree. In the years that followed, she taught in Thailand, Turkey, Colombia and Taiwan. She met numerous American co-workers who were introduced to international teaching positions through the UNI Overseas Teaching Fair.

Her latest opportunity came along when she received an email from the English Language Fellow Program through the Department of State, looking for applicants who might be interested in being paired with teaching projects around the world. At the time, Rench had no idea where she might be placed. She was accepted into the program and shortly after matched with her current position in Jordan.

For Rench, there is excitement in experiencing a culture, country and education system she previously knew nothing about. She has loved getting to know her students and the people of Jordan. 

After her fellowship, Rench is considering renewing for another year. No matter what, she knows she has many more international adventures ahead of her, and she is eager for what each one holds.