Teaching English abroad

Hi youngoznomad,

I had the same idea around 13 years' ago, with the idea of spending 2 years as an English teacher in Hungary before travelling round the world, but have stayed put in Hungary (though not teaching anymore - 3 years teaching was enough for me).

To answer your questions, in my opinion:
- No, it's not a difficult job, but then the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it....
- The "language barrier" is as difficult as you make it - I made a determined effort to learn Hungarian and it was worth it for me. It pretty much depends on how much you want to get to know the country/society/culture, how long you intend to stay, etc., but I'd say this depends on you and your attitude...
- As for wages, it depends what you're used to, but you should be prepared to expect a considerably lower salary than in the UK for example (where I arrived from).

As for advice, the main thing is to enjoy the experience and learn as you go along. I did a one-month TEFL as well, it was a big help, but it doesn't suddenly make you into a great teacher. Also there are (were?) plenty of opportunities to do private lessons in your own home, or wherever, including swap lessons (i.e. you teach English, they teach you the local language).

Good luck!

Use the search function at the top of this page. TEFL gets done to death here every week. You and 10,000 others.

terribly sorry, sir.

sometimes its always good for a SPECIFIC response.

how about post if you are answering a question, if you are whingeing or having a crack at someone, which I have noticed you do a bit on here, maybe take a deep breath, close your browser and try something else bud.

but as you didn't ask a specific question how can you get a specific response? Reading through some of the previously posted queries about TEFL would have given you loads of information and links to other sites for further information, people don't like repeatedly posting the same replies to the same general question, when by using search most of your question would have been answered!

There are loads of forums specifically for TEFL, they might be more help fro your queries.
Try:
eslHQ

Dave's ESL cafe
just two out of hundreds.

I wonder if any of these wannabe TEFL teachers ever consider 2 things.

1. Judging by the number of queries here on the TT it is pretty safe to presume that there are far more wannabes than there are TEFL jobs.
2. Most of the wannabes, wanna as a way to earn money to travel. NOT as a way to contribute to someone's education. In other words, their concern for the student is often non-existent. I know I wouldn't want many of them trying to teach my kids anything.

This apparently widespread assumption that simply because you can speak a language, you are able to teach, really annoys me. It's all about the 'ME' and without consideration for whether you would be a good teacher or not.

Can you work legally in those countries? When I worked in Italy I needed the help of the police, and before they were willing to help me they checked ALL of my immigration documents, including my work permit, proof that I had registered my address with the police and my employment contract. If you're planning on working illegally, you had better be prepared to accept a lot of risk, in terms of not only safety but job security. I worked (legally) with some Americans who were working illegally, and they were fired with zero notice when my school took on some in-company work with local government agencies. It was more lucrative for the school to fire the Americans and re-hire new teachers than to lose the government contract.

Unless there is a specific reason why you want to work in one of those three countries, I would suggest also investigating teaching possibilities in Poland. I know that English teachers are very much in demand there right now, and therefore you might have an easier time finding a job and could potentially receive a higher wage. Unfortunately, I don't have any specifics on wages, but it could be worth investigating.

Demand for English teachers far outstrips supply nearly everywhere.

Then perhaps it is just my perception based simply on the lack of numbers of those who post here asking about doing it and then return to report on their success or failure.

Then again, as most of them are only concerned with the 'Me' as I mentioned above, why would they return to provide feedback for others.

What do you think NOMAD? Do 9 out of 10 wannabes find work but just aren't telling us?