Author:
Brittany is from LA and has taught English in China, Prague and Vietnam and has travelled to 35 countries: sheruntheworld.net; YouTube;@sheruntheworld_
The pros:
There are opportunities for everyone: I think this is the main pro- ANYONE can do it. In most countries you have 3 different types of places you can teach at: language centre, public school, or private/international school. For people who just have a TEFL certificate and not an actual teaching licence, you can typically find a job at any language centre and a lot of public schools (depending on the country). And for the more experienced teachers, with a license and/or Master’s degree in Education, you can find jobs at international schools which pay similar salaries to those back home. (This mostly applies to native English speakers only- but there are some countries that accept non-native English speakers once they pass a test).
Visa help: this is a big one. Anyone who has tried to work or stay in a country long term, knows that getting a long-term visa and work permit can be crazy stressful with tons of paperwork and minimal instructions or help given. But when you’re hired by a company or school to teach English they will sponsor you and help you with the entire visa process step-by-step. This makes your life stress-free knowing it will get taken care of properly and efficiently.
The job isn’t stressful: now of course there are exceptions to this, especially if you’re an experienced teacher at an international school (but that’s why you make the big bucks there); but typically, teaching English abroad is a pretty easy job. The curriculum is provided for you, so there is minimal planning involved. You will have some preparation, of course, like printing and gathering materials, but it’s a job where you’re only working when you’re on the clock. You don’t bring it home with you or think about it outside of the classroom. Which leaves more time for experiencing your new home country.
Immersing yourself in a new culture: it’s not very often that you have the opportunity to actually live in another country and experience the day-to-day life. When you teach and move abroad, you are able to experience a new culture and social norms, which help you grow and expand your mind even more than just travelling for a short holiday.
Travel opportunities: this will depend on how much you’re able to save of course, but you are going to have a plethora of new travel opportunities. Whether it’s just around your new home country, or to nearby countries as well. It’s an amazing way to see so much of a certain area of the world, since you have a home base to easily go back to.
You are able to save money: this depends on the location you decide to teach in, but if you choose wisely, you’ll have the opportunity to both travel a lot and save money. Typically teaching in the Middle East and some parts of Asia will allow you to save a lot more, compared to teaching in Europe and South America. But just do your research on the salary you’ll make, the cost of living, and the amount of traveling you want to do- this will show you which places will allow you to save the most money.
The cons:
Language barrier: I’d say this is probably the hardest challenge to overcome- at least for me. We are very fortunate to have smart phones will translator apps these days, but sometimes it can still be a challenge trying to communicate with locals. This can be very frustrating when you purchase the wrong bus ticket or get lost trying to find a place or even order the wrong thing at a restaurant. But the longer you live there, you’ll pick up on small words and phrases in the local language that will help you get by. And if you really want to thrive, you always have the option of taking language classes to help you learn more.
Culture shock: this kind of stems off the previous point and will depend on how much you’ve travelled before and where you’re moving, but you could be in for some real culture shock. It could be something as small as shops closing for siestas for several hours a day, so you have to plan your day around that. Or something as big as crazy driving rules (or lack thereof) or being immersed in crowds of people all the time with minimal personal space. There are definitely going to be things that you don’t like or just need some time getting used to. But the more you travel, the less shocking these “culture shocks” will be and you’ll start to appreciate all these cultural differences around the world.
It can feel lonely: depending on your location (for example, if you choose a smaller city) you might feel out of place or lonely. It can sometimes take a lot of effort to find expats and make friends, and an even greater effort to make local friends with that language barrier there. But working at a school, that’s hopefully filled with foreigners teaching English like yourself, should help make this a little bit easier to start off. You can also join expat Facebook groups for your city to find out about events happening to meet people.
You can get homesick: this of course isn’t a guaranteed thing, but most likely at one point or another you will get homesick. Whether it’s missing certain people, foods, or different comfort things from your life back home. It can be hard! But that’s why having a good group of friends is essential because they become your new family. All the expats living abroad go through the same homesicknesses, so it’s nice having that support system to help you find new comforts to make you feel at home.
Brittany:
I’m a California girl who decided to chase my dreams of travelling this beautiful planet. I’ve travelled to over 35 countries and am here to show you the REAL and ORGANIC sides of travelling. Not the glitz, glamour, and extremely edited content. Make sure to check out my website for more details sheruntheworld.net; my YouTube for travel vlogs and my instagram feed.