English Teaching Overseas – First Head
English Teaching Overseas – Every year, tens of thousands of people go overseas and teach English. Young and old, they go for many reasons: to learn about a new culture, make some money to travel, seek adventure, or just experience something new.
The time I spent teaching English overseas in Asia was life-changing. In Thailand and Taiwan, I learned that I could make friends and start a life in a strange place, as well as adapt and thrive in a different culture. It gave me a confidence that nothing else before had ever done. It helped make me a better version of me.
Yet, with seemingly millions of places to teach, most people often wonder: where are the best places to teach English overseas? What countries provide the best experience, pay, or benefits? Here’s my list of where to score a fun, rewarding, and well-paying job teaching English overseas:
Countries
South Korea
South Korea is one of the best places — if not the best — to teach English overseas. Jobs are abundant, the pay averages $1,600-2,600 USD per month, and you get awesome benefits, like a contract completion bonus, free housing, and airfare reimbursement.
A lot of recent college graduates are attracted to Korea because of the money, benefits, and the fact that Korea takes many first-time teachers. If you don’t have any experience, this country is one of the best options for you. As a place to live, Korea has plenty of things going for it: the food is delicious, the country is dirt cheap, and the people are friendly.
Plus you will find lots of other international young expats there. Since you earn so much money in a country with such a low cost of living, most people leave having paid off a substantial portion of their debts! You could easily walk away after a year of teaching with your loans (school or non-school) paid off AND money for travel!
2. Japan
Japan has a reputation for good jobs which means it also attracts as many people as South Korea. Though the years of easily teaching in Japan and making quick cash are long, long over, people willing to stay at least a year can generally save a substantial sum of money.
While the cost of living can eat up a lot of your salary, especially in Tokyo, there are a number of programs out there (including the government’s JET program) that reward long-term teachers with generous benefits and completion bonuses.
Additionally, the Japanese are incredibly friendly and polite, the food is endless gourmet heaven, and the culture is unique. It’s one of my favorite countries in the world.
3. The Middle East
The Middle East lures many teachers in for one reason: its salary packages. Middle Eastern countries offer incredibly large salaries (up to $70,000 USD per year for an experienced teacher), lots of benefits, and no taxes. A teacher can walk away with around $40,000 USD after one year.
However, this is no place for the recent college graduate. These countries want certified and experienced teachers. If you couldn’t teach at a public school in your home country, you have little chance of getting a job in this part of the world. As such, most of the teachers here are older and more settled and have families.
Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia are the most popular destinations for teaching English in this region.
4. Thailand
Thailand attracts lots of young and new teachers with its cheap cost of living, warm beautiful weather, tropical beaches, mouth-watering food, and party atmosphere.
Most of the language school teachers are ex-travelers looking to save for future travels…or travelers who thought they were doing that but ended up never leaving. The pay in Thailand isn’t that high ($1,000–1,500 USD per month), unless you teach in Bangkok or at an international school.
However, teaching English in Thailand isn’t about making lots of money — it’s about everything else: the ease of getting a job, the food, the fun-loving atmosphere, the weather, and everything in between. It’s one of the best destinations for young, new teachers, especially in a larger city, since you’ll fit right in.
5. China
As China rises in global stature, its need for English teacher grows as more and more citizens need to know the language for their job. Moreover, the culture puts an emphasis on learning it. As such, it is one of the easiest places to find work. No matter where you go, you can find work, even in saturated cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
You can earn a decent salary teaching English here (upward of $1,500-2,000 USD a month), and many jobs give completion bonuses, free housing, and airfare reimbursement.
China is the brave new world and a country in constant change. It’s a good location for teachers of all abilities — there’s something for everyone there!
6. Prague
Prague has a seemingly abundant supply of teaching jobs. The city has grown in size over the last few years, attracting a variety of tech start-ups and expats, which has created a lot more job opportunities for teachers.
While it’s very hard to get a job in the public school system or a university, there are plenty of language schools in the city to choose from. The pay isn’t as high as other countries in the world and there are few benefits (especially when compared to Asia or the Middle East), but you’re a stone’s throw away from everywhere in Europe.
The city is one of the most beautiful, vibrant, fun, and popular cities in Europe, which makes Prague an excellent central base from which to explore the continent.
7. Spain
Teaching in Spain is one of the best opportunities for anyone looking to work in Europe. There are plenty of jobs, the government has an active program for attracting teachers, and your visa means you can freely travel around Europe.
There are also many opportunities to teach private lessons on the side. You don’t get many benefits (or high pay compared to Asia or the Middle East), but the pay is still enough to live off of.
8. Taiwan
Taiwan is an excellent country to teach English in, thanks to lots of job opportunities (though they tend to be with young kids), high salaries, benefits similar to South Korea, and lots of other young teachers to share a social life with. The country places a high importance on learning English, and you’ll be able to find freelance tutor opportunities besides your regular, steady teaching job!
I loved my time in Taiwan, made some wonderful friends, and adapted to a completely new culture.
English Teaching Overseas – Third Head
After reading “English Teaching Overseas”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. You can also visit my channel on YouTube.
I had a lot of fun teaching English overseas. It was on my favorite experiences on the road and it taught me so much about myself. You gain a lot of perspective on life by living in another culture.
While there is an opportunity to teach wherever English isn’t the native language, the destinations above draw the biggest crowds, offer the best pay, the best perks, and are the most fun.
If you are thinking about becoming an English teacher overseas, my advice is to head to one of these destinations and just do it!
Living in a foreign country, working as a teacher, and making money — teaching abroad sounds nice, doesn’t it?
It almost sounds too good to be true, but luckily it’s an opportunity available to people of various backgrounds, education levels, and experience. Teaching abroad is an incredible experience that gives you the chance to immerse yourself in a different culture, learn a new language, explore new frontiers, and forge wonderful new friendships.
There are over 1 billion people learning English as a second language worldwide, so the demand for English teachers is high. You don’t need a degree in English, prior teaching experience, or even a college degree at all to find a position. So what’s the catch? Well, it’s important to remember that hiring requirements are different in each country and school, so you need to find a job that works for your level of education and expertise. Here are some frequently asked questions about the requirements needed to teach abroad.
Do You Need a College Degree to Teach Abroad?
In some countries — especially in western Europe, the Persian Gulf, and parts of Asia — a college degree is officially (and sometimes unofficially) required to be hired as a teacher. Other times, individual schools may have their own requirements, depending on whether they are public, private, or follow a particular teaching methodology.
However, there are plenty of other countries where English speakers without a four-year degree can be paid to teach English, including most of Latin America, Eastern Europe, and certain countries in Asia, such as Cambodia and China.
There is plenty of information available online that compares the degree requirements for teaching English in over 50 countries around the world. You can also find additional information, such as salary expectations, hiring seasons, and visa requirements, that will help you decide where to go.
Do You Need a TEFL Certificate before Teaching Abroad?
A TEFL certificate verifies that you’ve completed training to teach English as a foreign language (TEFL). Though it is possible to find a position without training or prior experience, a TEFL certificate will make the job search easier by opening the door to more opportunities in more countries; otherwise, you’ll have to restrict your search to certain areas. Without a TEFL certificate, you can also work as a volunteer.
Regardless of whether or not it’s required, a TEFL certificate is still recommended. There is rarely any training prior to getting started as a teacher, so the course will teach you the skills you need to provide a good English education to your students. Additionally, it is a requirement for many schools and it is even a legal requirement in some countries. As an added bonus, most TEFL courses will help you find and apply to jobs based on your interests and background.
Do You Need Teaching Experience before Teaching Abroad?
Though teaching experience is useful and it’s what some schools are looking for, the only way to gain experience is to work! Luckily, having teaching experience is not required by most schools, and thousands of English speakers find work every year without prior experience.
However, having a TEFL certificate will make your application more attractive to potential employers and will give you an edge over other applicants. Countries as diverse as Turkey, Mexico, and Kazakhstan will hire teachers with a TEFL certificate but with no experience.
Countries with the most lucrative teaching positions, such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, require prior teaching experience, but those countries make up the minority.
Do You Have to be a Native English Speaker to Teach English Abroad?
Whether you need to be a native English speaker to teach abroad depends on where you want to go. Latin American countries do not usually care if you are a native English speaker or not, but the Gulf countries and many major Asian countries — such as China, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam — prefer to hire native English speakers. For some programs, such as the Cultural Ambassador program in Spain, being a citizen of a native English-speaking country is a requirement.
For European citizens, you may have an easier time of finding positions if you’re not a native English speaker by working within the European Union, where there are many positions that are not open to non-Europeans.
If you want to teach English abroad but are not a native speaker, you must consider:
- Your level of fluency
- Your accent and comprehensibility
- Your training and experience. Finding a job will be easier if you have a university degree, TEFL certification, or prior teaching experience.
- Your passport. Citizens of certain countries may have a harder time finding a teaching position due to different visa requirements, though things can be easier if you are already a permanent resident of the country you wish to teach in.
Do You Have to be Young to Teach Abroad?
Some teaching programs are restricted to certain age groups — for example, the French TAPIF assistantship program is only open to people between the ages of 20-35. However, there are so many opportunities out there that people of all ages can teach abroad.
If you’re younger than 20, you may have trouble finding a full-time teaching job, but you can still gain experience in the meantime by volunteering overseas or working at summer camps. If you’re older and are looking to go overseas, you should be able to find work depending on your experience. Southeast Asian countries, such as Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as many Latin American countries have plenty of opportunities for older adults.
Do You Have to Have “Startup Money” before Teaching Abroad?
You certainly do not have to pay to teach. Just make sure that you have enough money to cover your flights and the first month of living expenses. Though there are some positions that will cover your flights and “startup costs,” in the Gulf countries, in particular, it’s better to have an emergency fund just in case. The specific amount you’ll need depends on the cost of living where you are teaching, but between $1,000-$2,000 would be a good idea.
Those participating in a volunteer program may have to pay tuition to cover housing and program costs. There are also organizations such as CIEE that will help you obtain a visa, find accommodation, and secure a position in exchange for a reasonable fee.
What Else Do You Need to Teach Abroad?
Teaching English abroad is an exciting way to immerse yourself in a new culture while building your resume. It’s not always easy, but it certainly can be very rewarding.
Though requirements may differ from country to country and school to school, what’s most important is to keep an open mind and a spirit of adventure. Having a TEFL certificate will certainly help expand your options as well. However, if you meet the requirements and you have the motivation and desire to go overseas and make a difference in both your and your students’ lives then you’re all set to begin this eye-opening journey!
After reading “English Teaching Overseas”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.