You 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 where.

One way to help you decide is to make a list of reasons why you want to teach English in abroad, trying to include as many as you can. An example might look something like this:

I want to each EFL 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 overseas. 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 prioritized list might look something like this:

I want to TEFL overseas so I can:

1. live in a foreign country
2. pay back student loans/save money
3. travel
4. learn a foreign language
5. 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 South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, or China where TEFL salaries are high and the savings potential is greater.

Once you have decided where you want to teach English overseas, you are ready to start looking for a job.