How to Find English Teaching Jobs Abroad

One great way to see the world and experience the culture of a foreign country, is to teach English abroad. English as a second language (ESL) or English as a foreign language (EFL) jobs, are generally referred to as TEFL jobs and can be found throughout the world. Although there are some countries that have more teaching opportunities available than others, there is almost no non-English speaking country that does not want and need native English speakers to teach children and adults the international language of business. This article will give you some ideas of how you can find those English teaching jobs.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Passport
• Be a Native English speaker
• Flexibility

1. 
    

   DECIDE WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. Since English teaching jobs are fairly abundant, it is usually easier if you decide where you want to go to do it. You will have more success finding a job if you pick a region or a country versus a city. For example, South America or Ecuador versus Quito. If you have some knowledge of a foreign language, then you might pick a country or region where they use that language just to make your transition smoother. Finally, there is a much higher demand for Native English speaking teachers in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. If you have your heart set on Europe be prepared for more competition and higher qualifications requirements.

2. 
    

   DECIDE HOW LONG YOU WANT TO COMMIT TO TEACH ABROAD. There are short term volunteer and summer term programs, one-year programs, and long-term programs. Understand that when you commit most of your employers will want you to sign a contract that will have certain monetary consequences for not fulfilling your contract term.

3. 
    

   ACCESS YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND GET TRAINING IF YOU NEED IT. You might be thinking that you aren't qualified to teach English since you have either never taught, or never taught English. Well, the good news is that is not a disqualifier for finding employment as an English teacher overseas. What most employers do want is a Bachelor's Degree. Any Bachelor's Degree will do, it doesn't have to be related to teaching or English. Some of the public or private schools that pay better may not want to hire you unless you have a few years experience or unless you a TEFL, TESOL or CELTA certificate. You can get these certificates by attending and passing a course which is usually at least a month in length. This is an intensive course that teaches you the methodologies of teaching to non-English speakers, as well as providing you with a review of English grammar.

4. 
    

   FIND ENGLISH TEACHING LISTINGS VIA REFERRALS, SCHOOL CONTACTS, EXPAT WEBSITES, AND TEACH ENGLISH ABROAD WEBSITES AND FORUMS. If you take a TEFL, TESOL OR CELTA course, it is better if you do it in the country where you want to teach, especially if that is in Europe. The TEFL schools have ongoing listings of jobs. If you are interested in a particular country, say Italy for example, there are numerous Expat websites that have forums that talk about English teaching jobs. Likewise, there are many websites dedicated solely to finding teachings jobs abroad. I will list a few different sites in the "Resources" section below.

5. 
    

   ONCE YOU HAVE A TEACHING OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN, WHAT NEXT? You will likely get an offer from a private language school or public secondary school. Jobs at the university level are more difficult to find in some countries. The offer should be a contract or offer letter, that lays out what your pay will be, how many hours you are expected to work, what courses or age groups you will teach, whether the school will help you with your work visa, and any other assistance like housing, meals or transportation they are offering you. Make sure you do an online search to make sure there isn't anything negative about the school you are dealing with. Every country will require you to have a work visa to work and to stay. In Europe it is more difficult to get a work visa than it is in other parts of the world. As far as what you can expect to be paid, this is more about the adventure than the riches, so don't look to make much more than it takes to survive on the local economy. There are exceptions, for example in the Middle East they pay much better.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want to teach but don't need the money because you are retired, or independently wealthy, find a volunteer job teaching English.
• Once you have a job, if you don't speak the language of the country try to learn basic survival words in the language before you go. Otherwise, you will put yourself under too much stress, and can even put yourself in danger. You do not have to be able to speak the language to teach English since the best method of learning is immersion.
• This is highly rewarding and personally enriching work, but you need to be able to adjust to different cultures and living conditions. You'll also have to be able to keep any frustration that you feel under control.
• If you aren't sure you are comfortable with the location or the school ask them for references of prior English teachers. If they won't provide you with those contacts, move on.

Resources

• Transitions Abroad
• Dave's ESL Cafe
• Idealist.org

[LilacGirl]

on 7/29/2009 Helpful and informative article. This makes it easy for anyone to take the first steps in teaching English abroad.

[femwriter]

on 7/26/2009 This is a well-written article about teaching English overseas. English teachers who are planning to teach abroad will be glad to read this article. Thanks for the very helpful tips!

[Derren]

on 7/14/2009 Really love the formatting and the topic and the advice thanks :)

[langleycornwell]

on 7/13/2009 Great information. I have a friend who is teaching English in China right now.

[sonni57]

on 7/10/2009 Thanks for the detailed article on teaching jobs overseas.