Teach English Abroad
The Complete Guide
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Deciding Where to Teach Abroad
Where you decide to live and work is usually the starting point when considering a career teaching ESL. The big question everyone wants to know the answer to when considering teaching English abroad is “Where are the best places to go?” As you might expect, there is no one quick answer to this. It depends on what you are looking for.
The majority of people want to experience life in another country. This could well include travel, learning or improving a language and living as the natives do. Pay, providing it covers living expenses, is usually secondary. Other factors needing consideration include the availability of English teaching work, working restrictions for foreigners, climate, the standard and cost of living, infrastructure (transport, internet access, etc), social life as well as the typical reasons any tourist might visit, such as sites, beaches, nightlife and so on. There is a huge choice of wonderful destinations in Asia, South America and Europe.
Some teachers will be looking to save money to pay off student loans, for travel or simply to save for the future. Those whose main motivation is financial will need to balance salaries against cost of living. ESL jobs in Tokyo, for example, pay well but the costs involved in living in the city mean many teachers aren’t able to save, at least in their first one or two years. The one region that stands out as an ideal place to teach and save is the Middle East. In countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE job offers often frequently include accommodation, flights and other expenses. Living costs can be very low and salaries generous.
Living in a place is quite a diffferent experience to visiting as a tourist and living there. Moving somewhere completely new where you need to find accommodation, work, and register with the authorities, amongst other things, can be much trickier if you are unfamiliar with local norms and rules, not proficient in the language and don’t have any local contact to help. A healthy supply of funds to keep you going while you settle and a good deal of planning and will help smooth the process.
It goes without saying that any decision on where to go should of course be well-thought through. With the advent of the internet there has never been a better time to plan and embark on an ESL career. The right choice will put you on the road to an incredible experience teaching English abroad.
See the Teach English Abroad - Guide to Countries for more information on deciding where to teach abroad and in-depth country profiles.
The majority of people want to experience life in another country. This could well include travel, learning or improving a language and living as the natives do. Pay, providing it covers living expenses, is usually secondary. Other factors needing consideration include the availability of English teaching work, working restrictions for foreigners, climate, the standard and cost of living, infrastructure (transport, internet access, etc), social life as well as the typical reasons any tourist might visit, such as sites, beaches, nightlife and so on. There is a huge choice of wonderful destinations in Asia, South America and Europe.
Some teachers will be looking to save money to pay off student loans, for travel or simply to save for the future. Those whose main motivation is financial will need to balance salaries against cost of living. ESL jobs in Tokyo, for example, pay well but the costs involved in living in the city mean many teachers aren’t able to save, at least in their first one or two years. The one region that stands out as an ideal place to teach and save is the Middle East. In countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE job offers often frequently include accommodation, flights and other expenses. Living costs can be very low and salaries generous.
Living in a place is quite a diffferent experience to visiting as a tourist and living there. Moving somewhere completely new where you need to find accommodation, work, and register with the authorities, amongst other things, can be much trickier if you are unfamiliar with local norms and rules, not proficient in the language and don’t have any local contact to help. A healthy supply of funds to keep you going while you settle and a good deal of planning and will help smooth the process.
It goes without saying that any decision on where to go should of course be well-thought through. With the advent of the internet there has never been a better time to plan and embark on an ESL career. The right choice will put you on the road to an incredible experience teaching English abroad.
See the Teach English Abroad - Guide to Countries for more information on deciding where to teach abroad and in-depth country profiles.