Tips for Teaching English Abroad

5 Tips for Teaching English Abroad

How do you get the most out of the experience of teaching English as a foreign language in a foreign country? A lot will have to do with where you go, how long for, and the type of school or institution tou teach in. But you need to get the basics right before you even set off.

One of the first things you’ll have to do is – get certified. Certified to teach – not certified as crazy! That will normally mean doing a TEFL or TESOL course if you’re not already qualified. Which one to choose? You’ll need to do some research based on where you fancy teaching. Yes, some countries do have preferences, even minimum standards, often related to work visas and such.

Having an idea of where you’d like to spend your time teaching makes the rest of the process a little easier. Here are some of the other decisions or things you should consider before packing and boarding that plane for the adventure of your life.

Where to teach?

Decide where you’d like to teach. Then do some online research about the country. Find out about some of the basic details such as everyday life, culture, language and living conditions there. Wikipedia is a great source for this, and it’s all nicely categorized for you.

Teaching qualifications

Yes, there are still some countries where they will accept English teachers who have successfully passed a TEFL or TESOL course, even an online one without any teaching practice element. But many of the best teaching English abroad jobs are in schools or institutions that may require either more advanced level training or even a teaching degree.

Find out what’s available in the country you’re interested in. And if you need to – get the most training or the highest level qualification you can before setting out.

Teaching contract

Most contracts are for a minimum of 12 months or 24 months in some cases. This is usually based on the stability the employer is looking for or the complexity of the bureaucracy required to get you the necessary work papers and permits.

There are places you can go and treach for just 6 months, even without a contract, but they tend to be at the bottom end of the market (and payscale) or are volunteer positions. Think carefully about what’s important to you and your future plans, before you commit to anything.

EFL students

They can vary greatly depending on where you teach, but they can be broken down into young children, high school students typically in a bilingual school/college, university students, and adult learners.

Again, it’s pretty important that you know what you want and also what you can do. If you’ve never taught young children before – it can be a nightmare trying to do it in a foreign language with them. Teaching university level students or adult learners is somewhat easier (no discipline problem!) and if an active social life is important to you – probably your best bet.

Teacher salaries

Yeah, it’s not all about the money, is it? Let’s be honest, nobody goes into teaching to make money. You do it for the adventure, to learn a language, live in another culture, meet your future wife or husband and have some cool stories to tell when you get back home. But you’ve still got to live while you’re teaching abroad.

Salaries for teaching English in a foreign country vary wildly based on the country, employer, your experience and qualifications(or lack of), and demand. From just enough cash in you pocket to get by to air conditioned accommodation, paid flights and paid vacation and health insurance. Again, you might need to revisit what’s important to you. But make sure you’ll have enough to live ‘comfortably’ on during your stay. Your initial research should include the cost of living in the country where you want to teach English.


There are just as many types of English teacher as there are teaching positions and it’s all as varied as any other sphere of life – the good news is that you’re sure to find something you’ll like - you just have to be clear about what you want to do, and what you’re prepared to and not prepared to accept (put up with) while you’re doing it.

Take care of the basics, and you’ll get the best out of your time teaching English abroad, be it 6 months, a year, or maybe even longer … as many others have.