I want to teach English abroad...but where?
Teaching English overseas is a great way to experience another culture, learn a foreign language, travel, and possibly even save some money. Once you have decided that you want to teach English overseas, the most important and often most difficult part is choosing a where.
The first thing you should do is make a list of reasons why you want to teach English in another country and try to include as many as you can. An example might look something like this:
I want to TEFL overseas so I can:
- live in a foreign country
- learn a foreign language
- get work/teaching experience
- pay back student loans/save money
- travel
After making a list of reasons why you want to teach English in Asia, Europe, South America, etc. the next step is to add a number next to each reason according to how important it is you. If the most important thing for
going abroad is paying off student loans, then write a #1 next to it. If
traveling is the second most important reason, give it a #2 and so on.
*If you can't decide whether saving money or traveling is more important, feel free to give them the same number.
Using the above example the new prioritized list might look something like this:
I want to TEFL overseas so I can:
- live in a foreign country
- pay back student loans/save money
- travel
- learn a foreign language
- get work/teaching experience
Now that you have a prioritized list with concrete reasons why you want to teach English abroad you are ready to look at what options each country can provide. If paying off student loans is high on your list, then it might be better for you to go to a country like Korea, Japan, Taiwan, or China where
TEFL salaries are high the savings potential is greater. In other words, if you want to pay back $500/month in student loans, you don't want to go to a country where English teacher salaries are under $1,000 US per month.
Once you have decided where you want to teach English overseas, you are ready to start looking for a job.
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