Is there any opportunity for a non-college-degree-holder to teach english abroad?

Question

seems like all foreign companies are looking for college grads just to teach conversational english ;(

Answer 1

Yes, teach English in Saudi Arabia. No degree requirement

Answer 2

Saudi Arabia usually has the most strict requirements for English teachers. There are always a few exceptions but they generally require a bachelor's degree if not a master's degree plus a TEFL certificate. By the way, don't waste your money for an online TEFL certificate if you don't have a degree. There is little chance it will pass muster.

In China, the "Foreign Experts Certificate" requires a bachelor's degree but it is possible for a non-degreed person to get a job teaching English in a rural area or even some cities in western China if you are a native speaker. That certificate is called "Foreign English Teachers Certificate". These types of jobs are rarely advertised on the Internet because the small, rural schools don't have the expertise to arrange it or to screen applicants. Your best bet would be to find contact info for the Foreign Affairs Office of a particular province. For example, search Yahoo or Google for "foreign affairs office provincename china". They will know about the needs of schools in their province and will have the expertise to move forward with finding a a teacher and making all the arrangements. Some provinces where they have a hard time finding teachers are Xinjiang, Gansu, Sichuan, Ningxia and Qinghai. You won't find such a job opportunity in Shanghai or Beijing.

If you can't make contacts that way, search the ESL job postings for "summer camp" listings. Those types of jobs are short term and often do not require a degree. That can open the doors for longer term jobs.

Answer 3

You can forget about both Korea and Japan .'cos they DO REQUIRE a full 4 yr. degree. This also include Thailand as well. Your best bet is only China and Mongolia for now. They will hire anyone, including high school diploma holders, as long as you are a so-called native speaker. As for Taiwan, they will only hire those with a college diploma (2 yr. study) as a minimum, and so is some Middle East countries such as Oman and Kuwait. So go for CHINA !!! It's your only hope.

Answer 4

There are many opportunitys, most of which are poorly paid. You generally need to get a TEFL certification which is no big deal. If you go to this website http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/work/esl/index.shtml#programs they list tons of opportuinities. Many of the paid jobs require a degree, but some do not.