Teach English Abroad

Teaching English Abroad

Teaching can be a rewarding and enlightening way to travel and live abroad. With flexible hours, you can live in an exotic location and learn the local customs, culture and language while helping locals improve their English-language skills and thus broaden their career options.

Your Options Abroad: In 2006 ATC moved to China to teach English in Beijing. They worked at a private English-language company, but several options exist for teaching in China, and elsewhere. International Schools for expat children are a higher paying option. If you are interested in teaching people in the countryside, the American Peace Corps is the best option for training and placement with a two year commitment abroad. There are always private companies, like the one ATC worked with, but they are expensive and often unaffordable for low income locals. Teaching at regular schools abroad is, most likely, the best way to increase your impact abroad and help people who couldn’t otherwise afford to have a native English speaker instructing them.

Requirements to Teach Abroad: There are a few things you’ll need before you start looking for schools, companies or government non-profit organizations to teach for. The requirements for teachers abroad are often lax, but vary by country. You should aim to be the best teacher you can and fulfill as many ‘requirements’ as possible, including: a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, any major. Previous teaching experience, even if it is not professional, say with a Church group or Boy Scouts. TOFEL certification is extremely helpful, and easily earned online. And, finally, teaching resources at your disposal (see links, right).