Where to teach English Abroad

You should consider the visa requirements to work abroad. That fact can make some countries more difficult.

Wow. There is so much misinformation and wishful thinking here that I don't even know where to start.

pdoons86 said:
> Visas should not get in the way no matter where you intend to go.

I agree - should not - but yet they do. If you don't pay attention, you can easily find yourself sitting in a immigration jail somewhere, wondering when you will get out. They can be quite nasty places. Developing countries, for example, just don't have the money for individual cells, A/C or cable TV or TV of any sort. You'll find yourself sitting on the floor in a large "cattle pen", pooping in a bucket, if they have one.

S/he also said
>It's incredibly easy because it's your first language (I'm assuming) and your students will have very poor language skills so any knowledge you can give them will help.

I will be the first to admit that teaching English is not rocket science, but is work and is not always "incredibly easy" just because you speak it as your native language. AND - not all students have "very poor" language skills. Some are counting on your help to get into quality and even prestigious universities in Western countries. If you don't know what you are doing - you can, in fact, inflict a fair amount of damage on someone who has paid you - often generously - for your help.

pdoons86 ALSO said:
>In a place like Kenya, for example, you could earn up to $80K USD a year teaching English.

Perhaps in Kenyan schillings, but certainly not in US$. Geez, if that were true, I'd probably be there right now.

And . . . pdoons86 ALSO said:
>The OP should trust him/herself and just go for it.

I am a big fan of that kind of thinking, but one also needs to know the facts. Wishful thinking gets someone nowhere - or worse. Good logical thinking with some reliable facts behind their assumptions is the basis on which one should stake their future. And from there they can "just go for it". I do think we should ALL "go for it". Life is too short to do anything else.

And . . .
>I choose to believe that people with the dream to travel will succeed.

I really like that, but teaching English is a JOB. It is WORK. It is not travel. It does pair well with travel and seeing the world, but first and foremost it is a job. There are responsibilities that go with it. Namely, that there is usually a classroom of students who have paid good money to sit in a room with you. Often, what is for them a LOT of money. Suggesting that it is easy to meet their needs and help them succeed - by virtue of wishful thinking - only hurts the students and potentially gives future teachers some bad guidance on which to make a decision to move to the other side of the world.

Now . . . you can suggest that I TOO am very old and should calm down (I am pushing 60!). You should know that I am VERY calm. But I am not a fan of giving people misinformation.

I've been working abroad continuously since 1989 in the Middle East, Asia and Africa and feel like I have a pretty decent handle on it - certainly not all the answers, but I do know the difference between beef stew and bull sh*t. And there has been a lot of BS on this thread, of the stinky kind.

And . . . for the OP - do a bit of research and find a culture/people that fascinate you, that you feel some respect for. That is a good place to start. Maybe the best place to start.

You can basically teach English anywhere in the world. Certain regions are known for taking certain accents of English. For example, Europe loves the American accent. Southeast Asia tends to like the Canadian accent. South America likes the Australian accent.

That is the biggest nonsense. How can anybody like the Candian accent? most people outside North America can't tell a Canadian from a US accent.

If you can prove your knowledge of the language, you can legally obtain work.

More nonsense. e.g. Americans don't usually get visas to teach English in Europe. It simply won;t happen as there are enough Brits and Irish to do the jobs. That doesn't mean there are no Americans teaching in Europe- but most of them got a visa in a different way of happen to have a passport that allows them to work here.

pdoons86, You admit you've never taught abroad yet you are full of 'advice' that is absolutely baseless. I suggest you start posting only about things you actually know something about, not wishful thinking crap that only confuses posters who look for real information.

OP, there is a good FAQ thread at the start of this board all about teaching tefl. You will have to dig a little to find it, but it's full of excellent information. To summarize:

1. After you finish university, you'll need the SKILLS to teach English if you want to do it well (and make a decent salary.) The two most well-known organizations which offer one-month certificates for this are Cambridge and Trinity. There are dozens of other excellent courses out there, and THOUSANDS of rotten courses as well. Caveat emptor. But get a good one.

2. Despite what many hopeful people tell you, it WILL help you to teach a language if you have studied a second language yourself. Do it. It'll help you to know what students have trouble with, to make friends and gain respect in a foreign country, and to appreciate what it is to be on both sides of the desk.

3. Regarding where you can work - I assume you are north american? Europe is out. Don't even consider it until you have been teaching for a few years, and know how to persuade a company/school to sponsor you for a visa. South-east Asia - of which I have no experience personally - is reputed to be easy-going, but you can't make good money. North-east asia is excellent but there are thousands of bad schools: be careful to make CERTAIN you find a good place. South America - I can't help you there. The middle east is more popular with experienced teachers. Turkey and Russia are good choices for risk-takers: people tend to be either extremely happy or very miserable in those two places. (I live in Turkey.) Morocco - can't help you. Sub-Saharan Africa - this is fourth-hand advice, but someone told me that it's depressing, as you find that 99% of the people who have money to pay you have acquired their money by exploiting people. Central Asia is a black hole of corruption but also fascinating - not for a newbie. (Again, that's second-hand advice.)