How Much Is a Person Paid for Teaching English Overseas?
If you want to see the world, travel to new places and experience different cultures, teaching English abroad can fit the bill. While many people don't have the money to pay for airfare, lodging and the other expenses involved in exploring faraway places, teaching jobs offer the opportunity to travel and get paid at the same time.
You can find different sorts of teaching jobs, with differing requirements and compensation tend to vary. High demand for English teachers can be found in many areas, especially Asia.
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Types of Jobs
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Teaching at a university can earn you a decent salary and a host of benefits. Meanwhile, many private language institutes pay by the hour and offer meager wages combined with an unsteady schedule. Wages for teaching at a private elementary school or high school vary greatly from region to region and country to country.
Qualifications and Benefits
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Some institutions may ask you for either a CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) or TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate. Others may require that you have a college degree in English, education or a related field. In some cases, no experience or certification is needed to get a teaching job. Pay rates may vary depending on your background and accreditation.
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Teaching in Asia
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Asia offers a wide range of opportunities for English teachers. While pay scales are by no means fixed, the cost of living also varies from place to place, which is an important factor to consider when searching for work.
English teachers in China can earn any where between 4,500 and 10,000 yuan renminbi (roughly $650 to $1,450, at 2009 exchange rates) per month. This may not sound like a lot, but the cost of living in many parts of the country is quite low, and many employers will even cover your airfare and housing expenses.
Teaching work in Japan can pay anywhere between 1,500-4,500 yen ($16-$50) or more per hour and as much as 300,000 yen ($3,300) per month. Keep in mind, however, that the cost of living is notoriously high, and many employers require that you already live in Japan before applying for a job.
Language instructors in South Korea can expect to earn between 200,000,000-3,000,000 won ($1,600-$2,400) per month. Many jobs also include free airfare and housing.
Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia also have a growing demand for English teachers. Wages and living arrangements can vary considerably.
Latin America
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Just as in Asia, teachers' salaries vary greatly throughout Latin America, as do working conditions and the cost of living. In general, private elementary schools and high schools pay far better than language institutes.
Mexican employers usually pay some where between 10,000-13,000 pesos ($750-$1,000) per month and may offer as much as $10 or more an hour, although it may be difficult to get more than 15-20 hours worth of work per week. In Central American nations such as Costa Rica, wages for English teachers are typically as low as 2,500 colones per hour (less than $5) and seldom exceed 5,000 colones (about $8.50). In addition, many jobs require you to be available between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., while offering very few paid working hours.
Unlike Asia, most paid teaching positions in Latin America require that you cover your own living expenses. In addition, airfare is seldom provided by employers, and benefits are hard to come by.
Other Regions
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If you are looking to make money, Europe is a good option. English teachers in Spain can make as much as 2,200 euros ($3,200) per month. Work is also available in Italy, Germany, France and Eastern European nations such as the Czech Republic.
Other popular places to teach include Africa and the Middle East. While there are well-paid positions available in these regions as well as others, many offer little or no compensation, and your living expenses may vary drastically.
Other Regions
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