I would like to teach English abroad, but I'm only 19 years old and I obviously don't have a degree. I know that countries like South Korea, Japan (for now), Taiwan, ect... absolutely require a bachelors, but are there any countries out there that I could work in legally?
1
zzark
Both Cambodia and Indonesia are countries that can provide you with legal working papers without a degree.
Most employers in Indonesia will want a TEFL certification of some sort. I am not sure if it is required there or not.
In Cambodia a TEFL certification is not a requirement, but many teachers left Thailand (where a TEFL cert is required) when a degree became a requirement a few years back - and went to Cambodia. So, it would be in your interest to get some training as you will be competing with people who have them.
Your relative youth means you'll likely be teaching children/kindergarten/preschool.
2
fluffy_bunny
Depending on your nationality, you might qualify for a working holiday visa in Japan. Thus negating the degree to teach problem.
As ZZARK said, being so young is a strike against you. You will definitely need a TESOL/CELTA cert of some kind to land a job. And even then, you will most likely teach kids. But it is possible.
4
wannabeteacher
Thank you so much! I have no problems teaching children. It might be more difficult, but what is life without challenges, right? I'll definitely get a TEFL certification soon, but I haven't decided where I should get one yet. By the way, once I become certified, what site is the best site to find jobs in Indonesia or Cambodia?
5
zzark
Jobs in Cambodia are best obtained in person. You won't often see jobs for there advertised - anywhere.
Indonesia - try the SE Asia sections of most jobs boards such as: TEFL Jobs Now and/or the international jobs page at Daves ESL.
You won't see a lot of jobs advertised for Indonesia, but there are some big chain schools there, such as English First and you could check their website as well.
6
fluffy_bunny
Just as a correction to #5, ACE (Australian Centre fo Education) is the largest ESL school in Phnom Penh (they won't hire you anyway). They advertised frequently TEFL.com and Home of English uses ESL Base But considering none of these schools provide airfare or housing. It is actually better just to show up and look for work. There are countless schools around. Just try your luck.
A quick look at TEFL.com shows 8 jobs for Indonesia and ESLBase has 3. ESLEmployment has nearly 20 in the last 2 months (some are repeats) And so on and so on....
China also hires without degrees if that interests you.
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