Teaching English abroad is a perfect opportunity combining the passion for travel and learning new culture and languages. It has always been popular for people who are seeking new exciting while meaningful experiences.
This definitive guide will help you get started by answering most common questions such as qualifications, salary, where to teach etc.
How do you know if teaching abroad is for you or not?
Teaching English abroad has always been popular for people who are seeking new exciting while meaningful experiences.
You might have heard from a friend who just came back from overseas how amazing the experience was, and wondering if you could do the same.
Famous people like Benedict Cumberbatch, John Krasinski and J.K Rowling all had experiences teaching abroad while exploring their calling in life.
Some research and preparations need to be done, such as requirements (degrees, experiences, qualifications etc), which can be different for different countries; and you also want to have a clear and actionable agenda planning, so that you are not feeling too rushed, or less prepared.
Make ensure that you carry out all your checks before making the big decision of moving.
The place will be your home for at least one year, and for some people, many years! So it’s extremely important that you’ve done your research in this part.
This includes the lifestyle of the country, their culture, languages, range of salaries they offer, the average cost of living, whether you are qualified for a legal visa, etc.
Of course, it’s not easy to get everything you want in just one country, but at least you can choose the one that’s the closest to your ideal.
The best countries for ESL starters? I’d recommend China and South Korea, where the demand is huge, and the overall environment is friendly and comfortable.
The pay for ESL teachers can vary a lot depending on which country you teach.
As common sense, every area of the world has their own pay rate, some pay more than others.
Apart from that, you also want to dig into the cost of living in each country, whether housing is provided in your teaching package, whether or not you can save money, in order to truly understand “how much you actually get paid teaching abroad”.
It is possible for some teachers to earn enough between their pay, free rent, and other benefits that they can save hundreds of dollars each month depending on where they are teaching.
TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) is probably the most popular English teaching certificate for those who want to teach abroad.
Most of the time, TEFL certification will take you around 100-hours of coursework and around 20-hours of live teaching practice. It’s going to take some time to build up that body of work. However, if done with a close-to-full-time approach, it’s much faster than you think!
The TEFL certification will make you a better tutor, too. You will learn essential skills for teaching, for lesson planning and for engaging with students. They can often be completed in a matter of weeks, too, which makes them incredibly popular for those in a rush.
Remember that satisfying your chosen nation’s visa law is essential. (Work Visa in China)
Once securing a position, you need to get started with your visa application, which involves paperwork, getting authenticated from authority entities, and some back and forth communications with your employers.
It’ll be a bit of a hassle but eventually, it’s all worth it looking back because of all the amazing experiences and people you’ve met overseas!
