I want to teach English abroad for a year. Can anyone recommend any countries to teach in?

Question

I would like to go to Asia, but am open minded about where.

Answer 1

If you have a degree and your first language is English, you can teach in Korea for a year. The wages aren't great from a UK perspective, but the cost of living is so cheap, you should be able to save at least £4000. The standard contract is to work for a private school and they will pay for all your accommodation. One law in Korea is that at the end of a one year contract, you are due an extra months wage. Also, almost every school will pay for your return flights and visa. Please be aware that contracts are not quite the same as they are here, and be careful what you sign. It's unlikely you'd be able to get to teach adults unless you have previous teaching experience. Also, you can go through a recruiter (who get paid by the schools, NOT by the teachers, so dont pay anyone), or look for a school and contract yourself. The folowing link to dave's ESL cafe has a great forum for people who already teach in Asia - mainly Korea and japan, and also has a jobs board. Don't hesitate to ask any questions on the forum, people will help you out. Other reasons for Korea - they have the best standard broadband connection accross the country - almost all apartmnts have under floor heating - you can go snowboarding or to the beach!!!

Answer 2

You can teach anywhere in the world if the pay doesn't matter a whole lot. I would recommend joining TESOL.org, which will help establish you as a Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages. In March or April, they have their annual meeting, where they have a Job MarketPlace, where you can interview for dozens of jobs in two or three days. Or check out their webpage. The easiest teaching positions to get are in Japan (check out the JEMS program) and Korea if your degree is not specifically teaching English as a second language, but there are certainly other options! If you want more help, feel free to e-mail me!

Answer 3

You don't say if you have one or not, but you should get a CELTA (certificate in english language teaching for adults) qualification first. It's true. There are places in Asia that will take you without one but they are generally cowboy schools who will treat you like crap. I taught in Siberian Russia for 18 months (and still live there although not teaching) and had an amazing time. I know a few people who have been to Taiwan teaching. Kuala Lumpur is good too and the schools are usually high quality there. Check out English language schools carefully. There are a lot of cowboys. EDIT: You definitely don't need to know the local language. I went to Russia knowing the words for hello, goodbye, please and thank you. That's what the CELTA qualification is for. It teaches you how to teach English to speakers of other languages using just the target language (ie. English)

Answer 4

I taught English in China for two years and had the best time of my life. I went through an organization called JourneyEast.org and couldn't have been happier with their service. I worked 18 hours a week, made 7000 RMB a month while living for free in a fully westernized apartment. Upon arrival they picked me up at the airport, showed me around and brought me to my apartment. They also supplied me with a free tutor for the first three months to help me get situated and learn the language.

In your case though they have a different program for highly qualified individuals that you would qualify for. I personally only had a bachelors but I had a friend that had a masters like you and he went through the other program they offer and made over double what i was making working the same amount of hours.

If you looking for somewhere to teach abroad i would highly recommend China, and i would highly recommend considering JourneyEast.org to help you get there. They really make the process easy and enjoyable.

Answer 5

It depends on your qualifications. Most countries won't let you work without a Bachelor's degree. The type of schools that take unqualified teachers are the type of schools to avoid. I did some time in Italy and found it really stressful, as most of the work was in-company stuff. We did a lot of long days with split shifts.

Answer 6

You can look at what is available on this job board to get some idea of what countries are looking to hire:

DavesESLCafe.com

This is a really good site for all things ESL including the job boards that I mentioned, teaching ideas, etc.

Good luck!

Answer 7

I here Japan is are great place to go teach English in and the pay is better than in many other nations. However, I would be curious myself personally to see what is really going on in China and would think that might not be a bad choice either.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 8

China or the middle east. You would get paid highly for teaching English in the UAE and Qatar. I have taught in both places.

Answer 9

If you are a qualified English Teacher then many schools from Asia will surely welcome you. I advice that you go for countries that you think will best qualify for your liking. The Cultures, locations, accessibility for communications, the people and over-all is your own intuition for the place. Good luck!

Answer 10

The Philippines. You won't have any difficulties communicating with them. They can understand English but most Fiilipinos specially the poor have a lot to learn as to how to to talk to you in straight English.