Teach English and Travel the World!

Hello Readers! Welcome back! This is our first blog in the travel career series. Our focus today is – ‘Teach English and travel the world!‘ Teaching English abroad is an awesome chance for those who want to flush away their normal routine and get moving. It’s one of the best ways to earn money.

If you are bored with your normal life or running out of money? Switch to teaching English and travel the world!

In recent times ‘Teaching English as a Foreign Language’ [TEFL] has become a popular thing to do. Earlier, it was thought of as a way for students to boost they curriculum vitae. Moreover, it was thought of as a way for graduates or students to earn pocket money.

As more millennials around the world are showing a liking towards this new trend, we see that Indian millennials are not far behind in adapting it. More and more Indian millennials have become inclined in recent times to move out of their boring 9-5 routine. They are seeking various opportunities that allow them to travel and work in parallel. TEFL is one among the many options for Indian millennials.

Who knew teaching English could become a life-changing career? Some even consider this as a career break. This sudden interest in TEFL comes from the fact that travel has woven to become an integral part of one’s life. In the olden days, the perception was, ‘Travel is for the luxurious.’ Well, times have changed. As they say, ‘Travel is the New Black’!

With the increase in global digitization, countries have become closer than ever before, making it necessary for everyone to learn a common language for interaction. English has risen as the language of the world. Many non-English speaking countries, especially Asian countries like China, Korea, Vietnam, and several European and African countries, have found the necessity to learn the language in order to succeed.

The need to learn English opens many doors for those having a penchant for teaching. It gives them a reason to get out of their boring daily life and end up in breathtaking destinations. For many, it is like a holiday on the go. That’s the perk of travelling. And for all you know, you could end up moving to the country of your choice!

Getting started

How can you turn the fantasy of teaching English abroad into reality?  With innumerable teaching opportunities available, the gap between quitting your loathsome 9-5 routine and hopping on the bandwagon to teach English and travel is very less.

Here’s what you need to do to teach English and travel

Before you start seeking opportunities to teach English abroad, you need to certify yourself. You can do it in three ways:

• Join a local training centre in your city – There are a huge number of institutes and colleges that offer certificate programs in English. One downside to this is that you will not be established in the destination country during training making it slightly difficult to land a job in another country.
• Join a training centre in a destination of your choice – There are options to apply to a training centre at several destinations. It will help to take the course at a destination you later wish to teach at, as you will be able to experience the culture through the local institute and they are usually well connected and knowledgeable enough to guide you regarding the job process and paperwork for their country. However, this will prove to be more expensive than seeking training locally.
• Enrol for a certification course online – This method clearly has an upside over the previous ones, as you are established in your destination country during training. Often, online certificate programs offer placement assistance, making it easy to hunt jobs.

Asian College of Teachers [ACT], TEFLOnline and TravelBud are some of the places where you can embark on your international teaching journey.

Destinations that offer jobs

Asia

Latin America

Middle East

 Europe

North Africa

Although certifications may not be mandatory in several countries, it is better to have one. Once you are all prepped and ready you can actively start hunting for job opportunities abroad.

You can use the help of a recruiter in countries like India, China, the Middle East and Japan. However, Recruiting services often come with a small fee and you may not have control over the places you apply to.

Another option is to enlist yourself in government programs. There are a lot of government-led programs for people looking to teach English and travel abroad. These programs target communities in need and send their teachers.

Here is a list of government-led programs in different countries:

1. Language and Culture Assistants Program – Spain
2. English Program in Korea [EPIK]
3. English Open Doors Volunteer Program in Chile
4. Teaching Assistant Program in France [TAPIF]
5. Japan Exchange and Teaching Program [JET]
6. Teach and Learn with Georgia [TLG]
7. Academic Information Agency in the Czech Republic

A word of precaution: Different countries offer different salaries. It is necessary to compare the offered salary with the living cost of the country. Weighing the cost helps you determine how much you can save while teaching abroad.

What’s it like to teach English and travel? Let’s hear it from an expert

Will Hatton an adventurer and vagabond, Owner of TheBrokeBackPacker says:

“Teaching abroad is a great opportunity to travel forever and keep earning whilst on the road.”

Although there are several universities and colleges that offer certificate programs to teach English, getting a job in another country may turn out to be cumbersome. Anuja Prabhu, Senior Manager Operations & Product at Travel Earth tells us why:

“I did the TEFL course through Threshold Institute in Prague, Czech Republic. I thought getting the certification would be a good way to combine travel and work because graduating that course qualifies you to teach English all over the world. The course was a great experience for me and it allowed me to live in an amazing place like Prague (even if it was only for a month). However, I didn’t pursue a career in teaching English because there’s a lot of paperwork involved, and it’s more cumbersome if you don’t have a first-world country passport. I will probably pursue it later on as a passion instead of a full-time bread-earning career.”

Pick a country, find a job, start teaching English abroad! Do write to us about your experience travelling abroad.