Teaching Abroad is Possible

Good authors mature over time: it does take a while. Travel abroad and learn to live in other cultures. That's one of the things about teaching abroad. Richard K. Morgan

In today’s culture, millennials are restless. They want flexible opportunities when it comes to employment and travel. If you’re a native English speaker, for example, there are options to teach English as a Second language in many exotic and adventurous destinations.

But where to start? Are teaching jobs abroad readily available? Surprisingly, they are. Keep reading this article for good tips and a comprehensive guide to finding overseas teaching jobs.

In particular, we’ll cover how one becomes certified to teach English abroad and how to deal with teaching abroad agencies.

How to Become Certified for Teaching Jobs Abroad

Do you love the idea of living overseas? Do you want to experience other cultures, gain work experience and earn an income at the same time?

When you teach English abroad it offers experiences that are unlikely to be repeated when you take up part-time jobs at home.

So, the question is, do you need to become certified for teaching abroad jobs?

Of course the best way to become a teacher is to have studied education at university level, but when it comes to how to teach English abroad, there is such a huge demand to learn English as a Second Language, that first language English speakers with any pedagogy background are in high demand.

To meet the growing need to teach English abroad, there are various certifications that can be achieved in only a few weeks. Some of the main ones are TEFL, TESL, TESOL and CELTA all of which have been created especially to help individuals who want to teach English abroad.

In case you are wondering about what these acronyms mean, here is the terminology in full.  

• TESL: stands for Teaching English as a Second Language,
• TEFL: stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language,
• TESOL: stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages,
• CELTA: stands for Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults.

Certifications like this do take some effort, but if you are serious about teaching abroad, here are a few tips to help get you started.

• Dedication: since the route to looking for teaching jobs abroad can be time-consuming, make sure you are 100% committed to the notion of finding overseas teaching jobs.
• Review Current Accreditations: do you speak, understand and write fluent English? Are you at least over 18 years of age? Do you have a Bachelor's or Master’s degree? After considering the answers to these and other questions, you should be able to make a choice between either a TEFL or TESOL certification.
• Familiarise Yourself with Certifications: there is much to know about all the English Teaching Certificates. For instance, you may want to know about the length of time it will take and where the certifications can be acquired in South Africa. You’ll certainly want to know what online teaching possibilities are available too.
• Shop Around: don't necessarily commit to the first programme you find on the internet, look at as many options as possible. To do this, it’s recommended that you check out Go Abroad and Dave’s ESL café. Talk to as many ESL providers as possible to compare accreditations, schools and the types of jobs you are likely to be able to get.
• Stay Focused: after having selected the right TESL course, it’s time to get going. The best guidance is to stay alert and not get distracted because there is much information to absorb in only a short period of time.
• Think About Your Future: after you have completed your English Teaching Qualification Course, you can start looking for jobs teaching abroad. In the meantime, why not think about where you see yourself in the future and which countries you would like to visit and work in?

After all of this has been implemented and you are certified, you can begin to approach teaching abroad agencies. Make sure you get to know who these teaching abroad agencies are as they are the ones with all the best summer jobs.

Where to Find Jobs Teaching Abroad

Jobs teaching abroad can be found through agencies and the connections that you will make through your TESOL or TEFL programme, but you could also do a general internet search for teaching abroad jobs to get an overall sense of what is out there.

Here are a few recommended sites for searching overseas teaching jobs.

• Teach Away: you could halve your time for teaching abroad jobs by going straight to this recommended website which is dedicated to helping TESL teachers find jobs teaching abroad. This site boasts new employment opportunities every day and it is easy to use because users can search by job title, location and responsibilities.
• Dave's ESL Cafe: another excellent resource for searching teaching abroad jobs are Dave’s ESL café. As an international job board, it offers placements in Korea and China and is a website that should not be missed.
• Superprof: using teaching abroad agencies is one approach to take, however, you could also join millions of tutors all over the world and join the Superprof team of tutors. Once you have created your profile and are verified by the platform, it is easy to receive work that will allow you to teach from anywhere in the world. Whether it is English or any other subject where you have a level of expertise, you can set your price and work remotely. Check out the Superprof site today and read the profiles of tutors who are also experts in your subject.

Other good online resources to help you search for overseas teaching jobs include: Go Overseas, Go Abroad, i-to-i, ESL Job Feed and ESL Employment.

Best Countries for Teaching Abroad Jobs   

If you’re looking for jobs teaching abroad, you could go almost anywhere. From European and South East Asian countries to South America and many others, there are teaching abroad agencies that cater for just about anywhere in the world.

Whether you are intrigued by the mountains of Nepal, Bolivia and Peru or want to surf your way around Indonesia, there are positions available in some of the world’s most exotic destinations.

Alternatively, become a Superprof tutor and work from South Africa or overseas.

Remember that when travelling, living and working in a foreign place, you should be sensible about safety and security. Try to choose a place that has good infrastructure, easy public transport and is free of political unrest.

So which countries are recommended for overseas teaching?

• South Korea: as an extremely well-developed country with heaps of social advantages that make it easy for foreign workers to adjust, South Korea offers great opportunities for jobs in teaching English as a second language. In fact, TEFL positions are very well paid and offer good opportunities for earning and saving money.
• Chile: Asian countries have been very popular for jobs teaching abroad, but in recent years Chile has also become one of the best places to find TESOL jobs. By comparison to its neighbours, Chile is politically safe and has many ex-pat areas that are well suited to foreign workers on short or long-term assignments.
• United Arab Emirates: Even though the cost of living in the UAE is really expensive, it also offers excellent opportunities for second language teachers to enjoy good salaries and countless benefits.
• Spain: according to the latest research, Spain is the best country to find your dream teaching job. As a country with so much to offer in terms of culture, art, architecture, food, glorious landscapes and history, it is a wonderful place to spend time teaching and exploring while earning an income too.

If you’re still wondering about the best countries to research regarding jobs teaching abroad, make sure you also check out agencies that cater for Morocco, China and Japan. We’ve already mentioned South East Asia, but it’s worth emphasising that countries like Thailand and Indonesia are extremely popular when it comes to teaching English overseas.

Finally, don’t forget that whether you are teaching remotely from your comfortable and familiar home in South Africa, or travelling to some exotic destination, it should be imperative for you to find out more about the culture of your students. Remember that establishing a good rapport is foundational to the success of a good tutor-student relationship, so make sure that you understand the customs and other practices of your foreign students.

Another way to explore the world and gain work experience at the same time is to volunteer for jobs away from home.