Teaching English has long been a way for travellers to live, work and play their way around the world. This is because English is the language that millions around the world want to learn. And travellers, with and without formal qualifications have topped up their travelling funds by teaching English overseas to some of these millions. Now if you are considering teaching English overseas as an option for you to live and work abroad, then here are 11 reasons to teach English overseas to confirm what a great idea this could be.
People have taught English in many countries with the most popular places to find a job in Asia, Eastern Europe and South America. Now teaching English isn’t for everyone, and in this post, I will give you 11 good reasons why you should teach abroad. But I want to keep it real so explain the cons of teaching English overseas. And to keep it even more real, there are examples from other teachers giving you their first-hand experience of teaching English abroad.
11 Reasons to Teach English Overseas
If you are wanting to live and work abroad you will want to know what work opportunities are available. And one of them is teaching English. If you are weighing up the pros and cons to teaching English overseas to help you decide whether or not to invest in doing a TEFL course, then here are the pros and cons of teaching English abroad.
1. Visa Sponsorship
One of the biggest pros to teaching English abroad is visa sponsorship. Many of the English language schools will sponsor teachers to work for them. This means countries where you only would have been allowed to be a holidaymaker, with visa sponsorship, you will be able to live and work there instead. Fancy a year teaching English in Japan!
2. A career change
Teaching English abroad can be a career change that costs a lot less than going back to university. A university degree can cost literally thousands of dollars. This could see you paying it back for a long time. A Teaching English qualification on the other hand, can cost from a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars, depending whether you do your course on-line or in a classroom. Getting a qualification by studying on-line is very popular and can lead to many Teaching English opportunities around the world.
3. No upper age limit
A good thing about Teaching English is there is no upper age limit so it doesn’t matter how old you are. This is good news for the millions out there who are over the working holiday age range (18-30, sometimes 35 years of age) but still want the opportunity to live and work abroad. However, you must be at least 18 years plus to undertake a teaching English course.
4. Learn a new skill
Having teaching skills will allow you to use them in everyday life. That’s right, in other professions and of course, while you are teaching English.
5. Learn another language
Teaching English abroad allows you to live in other countries and learn the language of that country. This will enable you to immerse yourself in that country’s culture and converse with the locals. Plus, help you communicate better with your students. Some students may be unable to speak any English so you will need to know how to teach English to beginners.
6. Experience living in another country
Living in another country will allow you to grow as a person. It definitely takes you out of your comfort zone and can help you be more accepting of different cultures. You can become more open minded to what the world has to offer. And teaching others to speak English can help you communicate with others better.
7. Gain a teaching qualification
Having a teaching qualification will allow you to use the skills you learn in every day life. Plus with a qualification your can turn your interest in to a career. A qualification that is portable and recognisable around the world. If you want to gain a qualification check out schools that offer courses in a class room setting or on-line.
8. Earn while you immerse yourself in another culture
You can make some decent money teaching English however, this can depend upon the country you choose to live and work in. Some of the Middle Eastern countries pay a lot more than those in say, South America. It depends on what you want, to make money or to experience another country while making some money to keep travelling. Some people are able to save heaps of money teaching English.
9. Support from Your Organisation
If you get a job, your employer should offer support not only to help you adjust to your new teaching job with teaching materials. Even though it is nice to travel with your own teacher resources, the school should have resources for you to carry out your job.
10. It looks good on your CV
Say no more! Having the qualification on your CV will help you gain employment in the future. Many employers highly regard and acknowledge if you have worked abroad as an asset.
11. Perks Included
The biggest reason to teach English overseas can be the perks offered. Many of the teaching English language schools offer perks to attract you to teach for them. This does vary from country to country. Perks include your wage, medical insurance, time off and accommodation with furniture. Accommodation can often be free or available at a small rental cost. Not all employers offer accommodation so stay in a hostel or hotel until you find a more permanent abode. The perks offered depends on the country. And countries want to give you a reason to come and teach English in their country.
Traveling Teachers Teaching English Overseas Tales
Many other travellers have embarked on journeys to other countries to Teach English. I now share with you some Travelling teachers teaching English Tales. You will read first-hand teaching English abroad experiences.
Teach English in Spain and Hong Kong
Kimberley Jeane of Go Places Now
Kimberley Jeane with students in Hong Kong
I taught English in Seville, Spain at an academy that specializes in exam preparation for university students and adults. In Spain, it’s essential to pass the Trinity or Cambridge English exams in order to graduate from university. How I ended up there was a bit of an adventure. I originally applied for a program where I could work as a teaching-assistant while learning Spanish. Once I was accepted, I needed a letter from them so that I could apply for a working holiday visa.
When you apply for a working holiday in Spain (from Canada), you can choose from several different categories. I obtained category e working holiday visa. Even though I needed to show proof of acceptance into the program, this type of visa was flexible. if I wanted to leave the job, I could, and still use the visa to apply for another job. This was good because I did end up leaving. The program wasn’t what I expected as I was placed in a tiny, remote village called Montellano but I didn’t feel comfortable and safe there. I wanted to experience life in a bigger city and actually enjoy life in Spain. So I left and headed to the biggest city nearby, which was Seville.
I found myself in Seville with no job and no place to stay. My saviour was social media and I joined every Facebook group I thought could help me. I connected with everyone who responded to my “I’m stranded with no job and no place to live” posts. Finally, a gentleman was kind enough to put me in contact with the director of the English academy he worked at. I got an interview the next day, and upon hearing my story and seeing my skills, I was hired right away.
Things you need to know about teaching English in the south of Spain:
- Most English academies focus on Trinity and Cambridge exam preparation. These are not easy to teach. Most of the time, you’ll have a bit of training, but you’ll have to do a lot of research and train yourself.
- The pay isn’t great. Most teachers earn 10-15 per hour.
- A lot of Spanish students hate English – this is more true to the south of Spain. The education system isn’t the best there, and many just don’t understand how learning English will help them in the future.
- Students in Spain are some of the worse-behaved students I’ve ever seen. In North America and in Asia (where I also taught,) students learn classroom etiquette at home and at school. This is more rare in Spain.
I also taught English in Hong Kong for 6 months at an academy for kids. After putting my resume on Dave’s ESL Cafe a few days later, I got an email from an educational centre that has over 70 academies in Hong Kong, Macau and China. The interview was done over Skype and the recruiter wanted to know about my teaching experience and asked if I had ever taught kids before. Other questions I was asked included how I handle certain things in the classroom, but also about some of my expectations about living in Hong Kong. As an Asian who doesn’t speak Cantonese, I knew that I had to be prepared to be looked at strangely on the streets.
A few days later, I was offered a six-month contract. During the interview, they mentioned that their contracts are for one year. I made it clear that I wouldn’t be able to commit to one year as I had family events in the summer. The recruiter was kind enough to give me a shorter contract.
Getting a visa to work in Hong Kong involves a lot of paperwork. The company handled the application for me and I had to sign some contracts and forms. Then express courier them a copy of my university degree, my official transcript, my TEFL certificate, and some reference letters. Getting all these gathered within the four-day deadline was challenging.
A few weeks later, I headed to Hong Kong. I had to buy a round trip ticket as my flight wasn’t paid for. If I had signed a one-year contract, the company would have paid my way back. Upon arrival, a representative from the company helped me settle into an apartment they had found for me. I was sharing it with two others who also worked for the same educational chain. They also provided formal training, which got us ready to teach on our own.
Things to know about Hong Kong and teaching there
- Don’t worry about not knowing Cantonese – most people in Hong Kong understand English, at least basic English.
- Hong Kong is a very busy city. People work long hours.
- Education is very important and competitive. If kids want to get into an international primary school, they have to pass the Trinity English speaking exam to get accepted – at 5 years old!
- Kids in Hong Kong have long days – a lot of them study hard at school, then go to English learning centres, then do extracurricular activities as it helps them in their educational path.
- Hong Kongers are very dedicated and strict at work.
- Everything is Hong Kong is expensive – you will live in a very small space.
Teach English in Mexico
Paul Hudson who has been living in Guadalajara
Paul Hudson with his English Group
I have been living in Mexico for five years and just recently started teaching English formally. Coursera has a series of classes in teaching English as a foreign language that I really enjoyed. Living in Mexico, I am constantly asked to give English lessons but until recently I felt unqualified to teach and to make it into a real business that was worth the time.
Before making the transition into teaching I was in the hospitality industry and operated a restaurant. A lot of my time was spent training young servers. I wanted my servers to elegantly wait on tables that did not speak Spanish. Those who were interested would spend a half-hour a day before the shift learning something new. There is no better way to learn new vocabulary than to know what you are selling inside and out (in Spanish and in English).
As I finished the Coursera series of classes I started to apply for online teaching jobs. I really wanted to teach for Open English because that is the largest English language school in Latin America. I speak Spanish and have traveled a fair amount of the region. I love asking my students questions about where they are from and what their activities are.
When I first applied I didn’t hear back for a couple of months. When I got the email saying they were interested in my application it just happened to be the perfect moment to make a change. They asked me to make a short video speaking in English to verify that I was a native speaker. Then I was offered a contract and had to fill out the normal US tax documents. The training took about five hours but I did it a second time just before my first classes in order to calm the nerves. Now, I absolutely love logging into my shifts.
Honestly, it is a huge relief to have a cash flow in dollars. Even though my student loans aren’t outrageous, it was a challenge to change pesos into dollars and deposit into my US bank account so often. Having the primary schedule and cash flow in dollars allowed me to selectively build my personal client list. Earning a living in pesos is challenging if you have to buy dollars regularly. A little diversification goes a long way.
More than anything it is awesome to watch my students grow into excellent bilingual food servers with a solid knowledge of wine and know that I sparked that interest.
Teach English in Bangkok, Thailand
Sally Flint of www.sallyflint.com
Sally Flint
When teachers are considering teaching abroad they should be very clear in the goals of what type of English teaching they wish to embark on. Are they travelling and hoping to teach English to earn some extra income, or are they pursuing a career path in teaching in high level international schools?
I’ve taught English in Bangkok for the last 17 years. For me this has meant teaching English Language and English Literature in a large international school whose medium of instruction is in English. This has involved teaching IGCSE English and IB English to students between 11 and 18 years old.
My experience of teaching English has been wonderful. Children from a range of fifty plus nationalities and backgrounds, with various levels of skills, from having English as their mother-tongue to having minimal English skills, have accessed mainstream GCSE English programmes and achieved excellent results. Where children have had little original English language their mainstream learning has been complemented by English as an Additional Language Learning. The emphasis in these sessions has been on vocabulary building and reading. In my experience of teaching English the focus has been more on immersion than the traditional grammatical structures of the English learning.
Pursuing a teaching career overseas is one that I would highly recommend it.
Teach English in Thailand and The Maldives
Steffi S of beachbumadventure
Steffi S – using one of her top teaching tools, mini whiteboards!
Since I completed the CELTA course in 2012 I have lived and worked in the UK, France, Italy, Thailand and I am currently teaching in the Maldives. My first big move abroad was to Bangkok to teach for the British Council where I stayed for 3.5 years. For me, it was great to be surrounded by inspiring teachers and managers and I really developed my teaching skills while working there. I decided to complete the DELTA (a masters level teaching qualification) in Chiang Mai which was a great decision for me as I improved so much as a teacher because of this.
Teaching English is a fantastic opportunity to work abroad but I think it is important to take a proper teaching course, such as the CELTA, so that you are better able to help your students. I know many new teachers who moved to Thailand and struggled because of a lack of knowledge about how to prepare classes and engage students. The CELTA course may be expensive but it gave me all the tools I need to be a great teacher and I have now been teaching for 7 years.
Last year I relocated to the Maldives to teach the staff in a luxury resort and it’s turned out to be one of my favourite teaching roles so far. The staff I teach are great and because they deal with tourists on a daily basis, language that I teach them can be put into practice right away which feels very rewarding.
Teach English in Colombia
Phoebe Gill of yourgreengrassproject
Phoebe Gill and her students
Teach English in South Korea
Joanne Louie
Teach English in Thailand
Helen of holidaysfromhels.
Helen in Chiang Mai, Thailand
After university, in a bid for an adventure, I bought a book entitled “Work your way around the world”, and discovered a program where you could teach English in a school in Chiang Mia, Thailand in return for free food and lodging.
It provided a window on the world I would never otherwise have experienced. In preparation, I read a TEFL text book. On arrival I was given a timetable for teaching students aged 12 – 36, not only English, but also dance and PE. My training was woefully inadequate but I like to think they did receive some benefit from conversing with a native English speaker during my 3 months at the school. I‘m not sure if anyone’s dancing improved.
I have subsequently trained as a teacher and can see my techniques were rudimentary. As a minimum, a formal TEFL course would have been of real benefit. I got by with very little Thai, but learning a few words before you visit goes a long way and is really appreciated by your colleagues. I’m sure this goes without saying, but dress conservatively.
I stayed with the headmistress of the school so it was a totally immersive experience. I was her plus one at a Thai wedding, spent a weekend sewing banana leaf votives with the other teachers, addressed a crowd of devout Buddhists in a golden temple and participated in a parade in traditional Thai dress (where I featured in the local paper, shaking hands with the Mayor).
I would totally recommend the whole unique experience.
Teach English in Bulgaria
Luisa Kearney of onlinepersonalstylist
Are You Ready to Teach English Overseas?
As you have read, there are many reasons to teach English overseas. It is a great way to help you travel the world and discover new cultures. It is not always an enjoyable experience but mostly is. One thing that I note from the first-hand experiences in this blog is that having a TEFOL qualification is most helpful. Having one will help you get a good job.
For more information about Teaching English overseas check out my ebook Teach English. It has extensive information on gaining the TEFOL qualification, an overview of countries to work in and has many language school contact details.
Teach English Overseas or Online e-book
– What is the difference between TEFOL and TESOL?
– Which countries are the jobs in?
– How do I find a job and can I arrange a job before I go?
– Who will I be teaching? Kids, Adults. Business People?
– Where am I going to live? Does the school I work for provide accommodation?
– Bonus chapter – How to Teach English online.
If you need these questions answered then get a copy of my e-book ‘How to Teach English Abroad or Online’. It answers all these questions plus more.
This is great, really interesting to read about other people’s teaching experiences!
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Many people teach English as they travel. Some have a great experience while others not so. But all have a tale to tell.