Teaching English Overseas, part 2
In part one, we talked about the different types of jobs you can get. In part two, we’ll discuss the qualifications you need to teach.
Teaching English around the world requires different things in different places. Depending on where you go and what type of job you want, what you need is different. Generally speaking, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:
- Be from an English speaking country.
- Have a bachelor’s degree.
- Have a TEFL/Celta certificate.
- Have some experience.
More about qualifications
All countries require that you be a native speaker. This means from the UK, US, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. While some countries will hire Filipinos, they typically prefer Western employees.You will also need a bachelor’s degree from a 4 year accredited university. It doesn’t matter what your degree is in. Whether you have a degree in biochemistry to English to yoga doesn’t matter so long as you have a university degree. A four year degree is a MUST in the higher end countries like Korea and Japan. (Note: In countries that have looser restrictions, many of the schools will turn a blind eye and hire you without a degree. This usually occurs in more rural areas where attracting western teachers can be tough. I met a few teachers in Thailand without any college experience.)
Lastly, while experience is not required, it helps, especially with the high paying jobs. If you have a valid teaching degree or a TEFL certificate, your chances of getting hired also dramatically increase. Having a teaching degree from a Western University will pretty much guarantee you a job, even without experience, at the majority of government, private, or language schools.
What’s TEFL?
A TEFL degree is what can give you an edge or be a total waste of money. TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. It’s a certificate program given that teaches you how to teach English as foreign language. The program typically lasts for 120 hrs or roughly 4 weeks. It combines lectures and classwork with a practicum at the end. The program is offered anywhere around the world and prices vary depending on where you get it. In America, you can pay as much as $2,000 dollars while paying half that in Asia. Moreover, the quality of the program also depends on where you take it. Classes can be very rigorous if taken in some one’s home country but more lax in foreign countries.
Is the certificate worth getting? That depends on the type of job you wanted. As we talked in part one, each job type requires something different skills. As we’ll find out in the next part, each country also requires something different. The short answer is that there is no short answer. Depending on where you go, what previous experience you have, and the type of job you have, you may need it or you may not. As a rule though, if you have no experience and no teaching degree, it is worth getting your TEFL. This will help give you credibility when applying for jobs.
Benefits
Not all places will offer you benefits but some of the better countries and jobs do. Benefits usually include the following:
Free round trip airfare- Upon completion of your contract, companies will reimburse you for the airfare in and out of the country.
Free Accommodation- Many companies offer you a free apartment, though it’s usually tiny and sparse.
One months severance package- This is given at the end of your contract.
A lot of vacation time- You’ll get Western holidays and local holidays off plus usually 3 weeks holiday.
In the past, only countries like Korea and Japan offered these benefits. Now, they are also standard in Taiwan and are being offered more in China. Outside of Asia, benefits, outside free housing, are rare but do occur, especially in the Middle East. Typically, international schools anywhere will also offer these benefits.
Salary
Salary varies greatly from country to country and job to job. You can earn as little as 500 dollars a month to upwards of over $3,200 dollars a month. (We’ll discuss salary more in depth in the next sections.)
Other requirements
Keep in mind that each country also as their own rules when giving out visas. Be sure to check the rules and requirements for each country before you apply for a job.
Wait, they pay for airfare?? I should totally get on that.
Interesting article. Looking forward to read the next one!
Oo! I’m very glad that you are posting this stuff. I am planning on looking into this once I finish my degree next year. I was already planning on getting an ESL certification as well, which would work out very well!
What about people like me who are not from English speaking countries? ;(
In general this is all excellent and accurate information about teaching in Asia. However, it is certainly possible for non-native speakers, who have a high-level of English to obtain employment as an English teacher, especially in Thailand and China. You can expect to make the same salary as a native English speaker as long as you have a Bachelor Degree and a TEFL certificate. Many of my students are not native English speakers, but have a high level of English and upon completion of their TEFL training all of them have found good jobs primarily in universities.