I'm graduating college soon and don't really have a definite plan, so I've been researching teaching English as a foreign language for a couple years. I'm already aware of the process of getting certified and the requirements in many countries. I don't want to be an English teacher or even a teacher at all as a career, this would just be for a couple years after I graduate.

Anyone done this/thinking about doing this, or even knows someone who has?

Mostly I'd be interested in knowing how difficult it was and if you are able to save a decent amount of money.

It’s the most plug job tbh Like you already know english

My cousin does it in Asia

where are you planning to teach english

I have a friend that did this in Japan and really liked it, he got engaged to a girl there. I considered it too, but didn’t like the thought of teaching but kinda wish I did it

You're gonna get corona

I did this in Japan for 2 years. I know another KTT member that did too. really enjoyed it, would recommend for anybody who wants to spend a few years abroad (or more)

a lot of the job depends on where you land, ie location, company, culture, students, etc.

what do you want to know?

If you could answer these questions that'd be great

1. How competitive is it to find a job at a school that doesn't overwork you and that pays decently? And how do you find schools that don't overwork you and pay decently?

2. The actual job itself: obviously it varies by school, but how much does the TEFL course prepare you for actual day-to-day teaching?

3. Is the pay ever good enough so you can save even a little bit of money or are you basically just going to live paycheck to paycheck?

Not sure yet I'd have to do more research on where I can find schools that pay well vs the cost of living

But I'd be most interested in ending up somewhere in either Latin America, East Asia, and Europe

Obviously not very specific rn but this is at least a year out

1. it's kind of competitive but being a male and recent college graduate plays to your favor i'd say. show some people skills and highlight relevant experience in your job interview and you'll find a good job. i'm assuming you'll find a job before moving, which makes it hard to tell what the job is like but try to find out as much information as you can during the interview or before regarding pay scales, lesson planning, hours per week, transportation, living situation, and work culture. as i said though, it will depend on a lot of factors. i had people in my same company who were overworked and stressed out due to where they lived and the students they were stuck with while others lucked out.

2. TEFL courses will be all theoretical. they're necessary for the certification but like all training, it kind of goes out the window once you're in the field. plus your new company will probably give you 2 weeks of training more specific to your job. either way, you'll learn more in your first two weeks teaching than you learned in your training. every teacher is different and has to find their own style. it will help a bit though, not discouraging it at all just saying that the certification is the main importance so do the easiest one you can find that gives a legit cert

3. depends what country you go to and where they place you. for example, if you're in tokyo you won't save but should be able to live comfortably. if you're outside of a major city everything is cheaper and you can save. all depends on your spending habits of course. if you really want to save go to United Arab Emirates if you can tolerate it. UAE, Japan and Korea I think are top choices for saving.

so it really all depends on where you go. each country has their own ESL industry. Latin America is damn near impossible to earn a living wage and you'll have to supplement your income, Europe you'll find more competition, and East Asia varies a lot by country but there are plenty of shady schools there and the industry is very much in flux.

if you want to save though, you could work part time at English institutes and part time teaching English online. though the benefit of a full time school is that it settles your visa situation.

i've been teaching ESL for like 6 years now and I've turned it into an enjoyable part time job where I can save well and focus on other pursuits. lmk if you have any more questions

Friend teaches english in korea, he lives it

But you would also need to know the other language enough too right? Or you think it’s cool if you know the bear minimum? Lol

Would you have to be bilingual to a certain degree?

Thanks for the advice bro

Tbh I’m fine not saving as much but having a good quality of life, just wouldn’t want to be in a s***ty situation and barely breaking even

Yeah I would want to find a job before moving. Is there any website that you think is better for finding jobs, especially for filtering and looking at more legit places, so I'm not faced with like 1000 listings, or should I just try to find as many potential jobs as possible?

@nomadfox

Obviously it helps to know the language, especially in daily life, but in a big city you can get by on English and learning the other language. So it’s not needed to speak the other language beforehand

internationalteflacademy.com/blog/i-don-t-speak-a-foreign-language-can-i-still-teach-english-abroad

Oh this what y’all talkin about, like being an English speaking teacher

I thought it was like being a English tutor and s***, was tryna find a rich Asian family to hire me to teach they kids English and Spanish so I can bank and live out there

you got it man. if you're gonna do a ESL training course you should try to do one that helps with job placement too ideally. they'll find you a good job with a reputable company

if you're on your own, google and send resumes out and check Dave's ESL Cafe, Glassdoor, and maybe even reddit to see what other people are saying about the companies. though take that with a grain of salt because hella esl teachers are bitter

Lmao I’ve noticed that bitterness on reddit, it did kind of make me wary. I think it comes to people with bad experiences being more likely to speak out and people generalizing their specific bad experiences to other people who wouldn’t feel the same way in that situation.

But yeah thanks again, hearing a positive experience like this helps me feel that I can do it

you're exactly right. I was in a similar situation as you, graduating and not sure of my next step. my two years in Japan taught me a lot and it was an amazing experience. stepping out of your comfort zone, immersing yourself in a new culture, and being completely independent can only lead to good things. it will build character and open new doors if you do it right. best of luck!

i know a girl who teaches in thailand, but i’m pretty sure teacher was her career path

Yes but that’s what you get certified for you def have to know some of language to start but I feel like living and teach there with help you learn as well

Yes

nah you have to be fluent in that country language too

otherwise everyone would be teaching english in tokyo you know

you don't have to be bilingual to be an ESL teacher at all. being able to speak the native language will obviously benefit you outside the classroom but most ESL companies actually prefer that you don't speak the local language because they have a strict English only classroom policy.

when I arrived in Japan I knew how to say hello and thank you. that's it. now if you want to work at an international school that's a different story

What qualifications did you get before you started doing this? I'm about to get an associate's degree in english and I have no idea what to do with it. I doubt that's enough but I'm just wondering what you were qualified for

Living in Brazil with my girl rn teaching English with her. Really long story but I had no English teaching background before this. I can’t even speak Portuguese tbh. But when my girl sells the course and I walk in and she tells the client I’m american they are 95% instantly hooked.

In Brazil it kinda sucks cause for every one usd$ = 4 $R. So if I made 20R$ on a hour 15 min class I’d only make 5usd. So currency conversion is always a problem. Luckily I have a good stack of money saved so I let my girl take all the profit of our clients and pays for everything and try’s to expand business.

If you really would like to try it I’d advise try to pick a market that does not have a lot of native speaking people around. I live 2 hours from São Paulo and I’m probably the only native speaking person in a city off 200k.

Certain certificates can definitely help I saw someone mention tesol you can also get a “tefol” (I think that’s what it’s called) and both can help your case.

I actually used to work with a Mexican, and when I told him that I was moving to Brazil to teach English he said that was a great business move since I’m young. His cousin moved to Spain 20 some years ago and she teaches private English classes and helps people prepare for trips and stuff. He said she does really well and she still finds time to visit family in Mexico and the USA.

Any more info let me know, or if you want tips on how to stand out I can ask my girl some info. She’s been teaching since she was 17 and she’s mastering spanish right now to open a spanish branch for us.

Depending on how competitive your city is... Right before Covid we ran a one week ad in our city on ig-fb saying we have 4 certified English teachers and a Native American speaking teacher. We got like 50 interviews in a week. F***ing 2 weeks later quarantine happened and we lost basically all of the prospects. In short if you find a city with demand and limited natives, just run an ad for 2 weeks saying your offering private English classes, I’m sure you will book a few!