How Gigi Zahir Rebounded from a Setback in Her Teaching Career
| by Alex Skov
Gigi Zahir had already invested months of her time and hard-earned money into a teacher certification program. She’d done all the coursework online while living in Saudi Arabia, only needing to return to the U.S. and complete her clinical practice before reaching the finish line. Then came the news that changed everything: the program’s provider was going bankrupt.
“They sent us an email and they were like, ‘You basically have to go to the state that you want to be certified in and find your own way, find your own internship, and things like this,” Zahir recalled. “That was going to [take] 2 more years. I had already paid for it and I had already done everything…so I was like, let me just check out, more or less.”
Fortunately, Zahir still had her full-time teaching job and could continue working as she gathered her thoughts and figured out her next steps.
Rather than abandoning her goal of earning a U.S. teaching license — a credential that’s respected around the world and gives international educators enhanced career mobility — Zahir searched for an alternative that would work with her schedule. As it turned out, there was a simple, time-efficient solution in front of her the whole time: Moreland University’s Master’s in Education (M.Ed.) with Teaching Credential.
“I was like, ‘Ok, I’ll do this [other] certification program and then I’ll enroll at Moreland for my master’s. That was my original plan,” Zahir said.
When she learned that she could earn both her U.S. teaching certification and M.Ed. in just 12 months total, committing to Moreland became an easy decision — even for someone who never expected to pursue an education career.
Switching from Molecular Biology to Global Education
Zahir earned her bachelor’s degree in molecular biology with a genetic emphasis from California State University, Fresno, with plans to work in a lab or become a genetic counselor. But as she worked toward her degree, Zahir found herself drawn to tutoring, which led to her first official teaching opportunity when a colleague going on maternity leave asked her to teach a special program for high school students transitioning into the university.
Zahir did well enough that the colleague asked her to lead a second session of the program, but she wasn’t able to due to a prior volunteer commitment with the Peace Corps. As a volunteer, Zahir was sent to Tanzania, where leading biology and chemistry classes came with a surprising revelation.
“That was my first time officially teaching, and I discovered that I liked it,” Zahir recalled.
As she tried to find longer-term opportunities, Zahir realized that roles teaching science are difficult to come by for educators who want to travel. So, she pivoted to teaching English, committing to a career that would allow her to explore new countries and new cultures rather than returning to the U.S. to pursue a counseling or laboratory position.
Teaching Across Borders
In all, Zahir spent 5 years in Tanzania before moving to Zambia for two-and-a-half years and working in Rwanda for another year before arriving in Saudi Arabia in 2018, where she now teaches English as a Second Language at the University of Tabuk.
Although she’s visited, Zahir hasn’t lived in the United States since 2007, so her 19-year teaching career has unfolded entirely in international learning environments, where she’s noticed significant differences between her students abroad and what she hears about American classrooms.
“From what I’ve heard, [American students] are definitely less disciplined, less enthusiastic,” she shared. “I think, especially when you go to African countries where they really need teachers and they really are looking for people to engage the students, they’re much more motivated because they don’t have it… They’re more willing to make sacrifices to be in the classroom, and they’re more motivated to succeed.”
Finding the Right Fit at Moreland
When her first certification program collapsed, Zahir was still motivated to succeed in her pursuit of a teaching license that could further validate her hands-on experience. Since she was already familiar with Moreland University and knew M.Ed. with Teaching Credential’s 100% online format would only take 1 year to complete, she made the decision to enroll and start her coursework in October 2025. Moreland’s rolling cohort model allowed her to intentionally select this start date so she could avoid adding more responsibilities at the hectic beginning of her university’s academic year.
“I wanted a cushion before I started,” she said, echoing the thoughts of many teachers balancing busy schedules.
Since her earlier program relied solely on discussion forums without collaborative projects or real-time interaction, two aspects of Moreland’s program that immediately stood out were the weekly live virtual classes and the global cohort model, which enables teachers from around the world to share their unique experiences and perspectives while completing coursework together.
“I do like having the virtual class for guidance just to get an idea of what I’m supposed to do, where I’m supposed to go, and working with other group members,” Zahir noted.
Next Steps in an International Teaching Career
Zahir plans to complete the master’s program by November 2026. Her goals remain focused on what drew her to teaching in the first place: travel and cultural exchange.
“I’ve been fortunate here in Saudi Arabia that I was able to teach with just a CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), but there are other countries [where] I’d like to go teach, and just to not just teach, but also to explore those countries, because that’s how I started out,” Zahir said, “so if I have the certification and the master’s, it’ll make it much easier for me to keep traveling and also get a job at the same time to support my traveling lifestyle.”
The credentials also provide insurance for the future, in case she ever decides to return to the U.S.
“The more [credentials] you have, the better your job prospects are,” Zahir said.
Moreland is ready to support you and your teaching goals. Complete your free application to our 100% online 9-month TEACH-NOW Teacher Certificate Preparation Program or one of our 12-month master’s degree programs today. It takes less than 15 minutes to take this important step in your teaching journey.
