Teaching abroad process?

Question

I'm a 7th grade English teacher toying with the idea of teaching abroad next year. I have a Bachelor's, all my certifications, and two years of experience.

Do I have to complete the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course to obtain a job?

Answer 1

I am assuming that you have a teaching degree and that you are American or Canadian.  

Having a teaching degree is going to get you some sweet gigs all over Asia.  Thailand, Korea, Japan, China... Asia has a huge demand for English education, and most teachers are qualified with just degrees and not education.  TEFL or TESOL or CELTA are not in depth.   MOST teachers having completed the course in just a month or two.  

South America will definitely hire you too, but the pay will not be so good.  Europe generally has more restrictions.  Each country demands something else.  Some countries may want CELTA and some may want TESOL.  But I think that is the least of your worries when you go to Europe, a lot of countries want teachers to be from the EU.  Americans generally find it difficult to get a work visa.  

TESOL/TEFL/CELTA are great to have and it is a smart thing to do before you become a teacher.  But, I would first choose the country before choosing the certificate, then find the requirements.  Not only will this help you get the job, but it may help you out teaching too... but most of all it gives you leverage for more salary.  I was able to get an extra $300 a month for having a TESOL in Korea... but it had to be over 120 hours in class time (not online).  If I choose any other course it would have been useless.

Answer 2

I know it seems sort of silly, but YES, I would recommend that you take a TEFL course. I say that for two reasons. The most important is that teaching non-English speakers to speak English is quite different from teaching English to native speakers, and second, because quite often it's a requirement of the job. Unless of course you are looking for a job teaching English in an "English" school, for English kids that is just located in another country. For example, most children of government officials go to "English" schools, no matter where they live. These jobs are hard to find and hard to get.

Also, just so you know, it's hard for foreigners to get jobs in other countries, in general. I'm assuming that you are American, so in Europe, for example, if you don't have some special skills or training above the usual, if you aren't married to a European, or very, very wealthy, it's hard to get a work permit. They hire Europeans first, and only if there are no Europeans who can do the job will they be able to hire an American. It's the same as when a foreigner tries to get a job in the US. Trying to get a work visa is  very time consuming and often impossible. If you are English, from England, that's much easier since it's European Union. There are still many non-European countries, like Korea, Thailand, Bulgaria, etc. That welcome English teachers, although they all have their own visa processes. It's just a bit easier. There are also hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, many working as English teachers. You should check out some of the excellent web pages for TEFL teachers, such as www.tutorabc.com or www.eslcafe.com  for available jobs and help. There is also a good TEFL group on Facebook. Good luck!  

Answer 3

It might help, but you have one thing strongly in your favor, which is that you are an accredited teachers. Here in Korea, employers would jump at the chance to hire you. If your degree is in education (which is my guess) you pretty much are set. My advice is you don't necessarily need it, but it wouldn't hurt. I would apply and see what kind of reaction you get.

Answer 4

Have you looked into teaching exchanges? I know these work between UK and USA, and there are probably other countries that take part. I know you keep your old job and still get the same salary. Search for international teacher exchanges.