I want to teach English overseas, but I don't know how to get started...
Lucky you! Within this guide you will find everything you need to know to start your adventure overseas! I have had a lot of people ask me lately how exactly you go about landing a teaching job in Japan. It seems this job appeals to a lot of people right out of college, especially with the struggles finding work in the US these days. Overall it is not all that hard finding English teaching jobs overseas, but there are steps you will have to take to be successful and find the best position for what you want. Below are the steps, with a timescale for reference. You should give yourself at least 3-6 months to prepare for this trip. Try not to rush into it.
Step 1: Decide what you want to do. (Day 1 - Day 7)
Are you happier working with children or adults? Do you want to teach in the public sector or work for a private company? Are you more comfortable with big classes, small classes, or face to face with one person? How long do you plan on teaching? Is this a career path, or just a way to travel the world and save a little money at the same time?
All of these questions are important to think about before you start on this path, and will affect what sorts of certifications you should get, and where to apply for work. Think about your goals, write them down, and stick to them.
Step 2: Pick a country and get excited about it! (Day 7 - Day 14)
I have always had a passion for Japanese culture, and I learned some of the basics of the language in college so it made sense for me to go there. I have friends who I did my training with that went all over the world, however. Korea has the highest pay of the Asian countries so that drew many folks. Thailand has beautiful beaches and you can get some swanky accommodations in the major cities, although the pay is not as high. Japan has all the draw of the video game, anime, geek culture, with a nice mid-range pay scale, but you will be surrounded by nerds (this might very well appeal to you) and workaholics. South America is beautiful and I hear the pay in Chile is fair for example. You can learn Spanish, which is very useful in America, and explore a vibrant exciting culture, but it is a bit more dangerous than Korea or Japan, and the pay is bound to be less. If you are super ballsy, the Middle East pays up to 80,000 USD a year, but you might get blown up, so there's that.
All in all, every country has its pros and cons, so pick one that really interests you and jump right in! I would avoid going just for the money, and actually go to learn about and enjoy a new culture.
Step 3: Learn about the language and culture of your goal country. (Day 14 - Ongoing)
This is probably the most important step so I recommend getting it in there as early as possible. The more you can learn about how the country and culture functions on a daily basis, the less you will be affected by culture shock upon arrival. There are videos online for learning about little things in Japanese culture, so do your research. Japan functions nearly the same as America, but it's the little things that are different. Everybody works 9 to 5, eats 3 meals a day, and hangs out with their friends on the weekends. People go to the movies, have BBQs, get drunk, and shoot fireworks behind convenience stores. That's all the same. Little things like eating while walking are frowned upon, talking on the phone on trains, etc. Here is a link if you want to learn more.
The culture is not so hard to learn about, and you could really go in blind and be OK. Everyone thinks you are a dumb foreigner anyway, so you get the benefit of the doubt for the first few months and it gives you a chance to get settled. The language is the big thing. I am going to make a post about learning Japanese later, but for now just now that it is important! I started about 6 months before I came, and when I got here I still could not communicate pretty much at all. I knew Hiragana and Katakana, but barely any kanji, so I couldn't read anything. I had very little listening practice when it came to native speakers, so I couldn't understand anyone. It was VERY stressful at first, being in a place where I could not communicate normally. Eventually, I picked up enough to get by, but it took a good 5 months after I arrived. The earlier you start, the better, and I cannot imagine coming without any foundational knowledge at all. The amount I learned before I came was not enough to be fluent by any means upon arrival, but it gave me the skills I needed to pick up the language fairly quickly. Now it has been almost 7 months, and I can easily communicate with everyone about most anything I need. Having a Japanese girlfriend certainly sped up the process, but the early studying was critical. I feel much more independent and day to day life is no problem now. I cannot stress this enough. Learn the language, and start now!
Step 4 - Become certified to teach English as a Foreign Language. (Month 1 - Month 3)
To be honest, this can be done at the same time as the last two steps. There is an application process and everything that can be slow, so you might as well start it early. This step has many options, dependent on what you decided your goals were in step one.
If you have some disposable income, want the best education you can get in this field, and can see yourself doing this for more than a year or two, the CELTA is your best bet. This is the industry standard, and many higher paying jobs require this certificate. You will get real teaching experience to adults in this program, as well as tons of great networking opportunities and job placement assistance. It is really a great way to go, but it is by far the most expensive. I did my CELTA in New York City at one of the many Teaching House locations that offer the program. The program itself was around $3000, and lasted a month, however, my total expenditures living in NYC for that month including the program costs was around $5000, so it was quite an investment. I can't say if it was worth it yet honestly, because I am still not sure if I will continue teaching next year or after. By the end of my time here, I will have about broken even with my expenses in education costs and travel costs getting here, so at the very least it was worth it for a free year in Japan, but I might have gotten a bigger return on my financial investment by some other means. That isn't really the point though, is it?
That being said, if you definitely only want the experience of traveling abroad for a year or two, you can get by with a cheaper certification. Many universities offer TEFL certification courses so you can actually do it while still in college! There are even online certs ranging from $500 to $1500 dollars, so you can easily find an affordable path. Be careful, because there are scams out there, so again, do your research! I personally recommend checking out reddit.com/r/TEFL for a boatload of advice, tips, and everything you need to know to get started on the journey.
Step 5 - Start the Job Hunt (Month 3 - Month 5)
Ah, the good ol' job hunt. This is my least favorite step, and the one that caused me the most stress. Although jobs are plentiful, you will end up getting the same crap that drew you to this life in the first place. Entry level, experience required, must already live in Japan, etc. will be peppered all over job postings online. It is your job to mold your past experiences to suit an English teacher's resume. In my case, I had worked at summer camps with kids, taught adults during my CELTA program, and taught all ages of people yoga in my former job as a yoga teacher. Technically I had no real classroom experience, but this was enough to convince future employers that I could handle it. I found my job on gaijinpot.com, and for Japan, this is a great resource. It is the only online job website I have ever signed up for where employers actually actively seeked me out to recruit me. For other countries, DavesEslCafe.com is a good resource. Again, check out reddit.com/r/TEFL for more resources and postings. It is a great community, and I strongly recommend you join up!
Beyond online job sites, networking is a great option. When I was in the Teaching House school in NYC, I was offered a bunch of jobs in South America, from Columbia to Mexico to Peru, but I had my heart set on Japan so I turned them all down. After I told them I wanted to go to Japan, they hooked me up with a few people who had completed the program in the past that worked in Japan currently and they gave me a personal recommendation to their companies. These didn't end up working out, but I had many more choices and opportunities because I met people in the field in person, and people are always willing to help out another person with a passion.
During the job search, be selective! Although you are just starting out, you are actually a prized commodity in this field. You don't have to submit to the lowest offer you can find, you get to pick the ones that suit you. I have a friend who was worried about finding a job and jumped on the first offer she got. The work was hellish, in an area she hated, and she ended up leaving early after 3 months and swearing off teaching English for good. This was a huge waste of money and time, all caused by her impatience with finding work. Another friend went to the same country, but took an extra two months looking for the perfect job. He lives in a fancy apartment complex with a pool, right on a famous beach, and teaches small private lessons to wealthy family's kids. He is living a dream life, and it incredibly happy.
The former was actually more qualified than the latter, but patience and a refusal to compromise his dreams was the deciding factor of who got the better job. Don't want to work with kids? Be patient and hold out for a job with adults! Want to work in the public schools? Find a job with the Board of Education or a private ALT company. Again, do your research! There are reviews of all these businesses online at glassdoor.com, or various blogs. If you can't find anything, don't sign up with the company! People have gotten screwed in the past, spending all this money on training and a plane ticket, and they get to Japan, and the company decides to fire them before their first paycheck.
During this step it is important to reflect on your goals from step 1. In Japan, there are two basic job options: ALT and Eikaiwa. The ALT is an assistant that works with a Japanese teacher at the public schools. You get to see the daily life of Japanese students, and hang out with their clubs after school, but the work can get incredibly boring. I sometimes have only one or two lessons a week at my Junior High School! In fact, most of these blog posts get done while waiting for classes to end. It is a part of my job to talk to the students in English in between classes, so there is that at least. The ALT job is definitely less work than an Eikaiwa, but it can be boring.
The Eikaiwa is a private English conversation school, focusing on training the skills that the public school systems are lacking in. The Japanese public school systems are notorious for teaching mainly grammar and writing skills, so most Japanese people have trouble with speaking and listening. The eikaiwa teacher works with all four skills equally, and tries to fill in the gaps, to kids and adults. This job, I hear, is MUCH more difficult than an ALT position. Where I have 2-15 lessons a week, they have at minimum 30. Not only that, but these must all be planned and organized alone. I have preplanned lessons most of the time, or just pop in for pronunciation help here and there, so my work is nearly nonexistant. The Eikaiwa teacher will spend around 30 hours a week in contact teaching time, but then maybe spend another 15-30 hours outside of work planning lessons. For some people, this is preferable, and I have been thinking about switching myself lately, so you will have to make this decision during the job hunt.
Step 6 - Make preparations to move to a new country (Month 5 - Month 8)
This step can take as long as you need it to. The friend I mentioned in the last step took about 3 months before he finally made the move. I took less than one. In my case, I got my job offer, and they wanted me in Japan within 3 weeks after accepting, so I had no choice. This was crazy, but it ended up being a good thing. I was so busy getting ready to leave, I didn't really have a chance to get anxious about it.
There are many things you will need to take care of in this step. Notify your banks and credit cards you are going overseas, or they will put a hold on your accounts when you try and use the foreign ATMs.
Sell your car, cancel or put a hold on your insurance if you can.
Cancel your phone plan, put a hold on payments, or upgrade to an international plan. I personally cancelled my phone plan, and got a cheap flip phone once I got to Japan. It only costs $10 a month, and I got to keep my smartphone so I can use all the apps and functions when I have WiFi. This allows me to make international calls with LINE and keep in touch with family members back home for barely any money!
Pack. If you can, keep your luggage light. You will most likely need to get on some trains or something to get to your new home, so you won't want to be lugging around a bunch of suitcases all over Japan. My friend brought his PS3 and his entire wardrobe, and by the time he reached his new apartment, was cursing himself left and right. You can always buy new clothes and things once you get here. There are recycle shops (thrift stores essentially) where you can get a whole new wardrobe for under $100.
Bring some family photos and maybe one or two sentimental items to help you through the first month of culture shock, and maybe a week of clothes and a suit for job stuff and you should be fine.
See your friends. This is hugely important, and you will regret it if you forget it. You will not see your friends again for at least a year. By the time you return, people will have changed, moved on. This is the last chance you are going to get to see your family and friends as you know them. When you are home, you all change and grow together, so it seems normal, but overseas, life goes on without you. People move, habits change, and life will never be the same again. See everyone you love, visit Grandma, and tell everyone how much they mean to you. Making regular phone calls with a 13 hour time difference and a full time job is nearly impossible, so get the love out of the way early!
Get some money! Go to your local AAA office and convert about $500 USD to the currency of your new country. You will need a bit to get fed and such before your first paycheck. In Japan they have ATMs that accept foreign cards, but the fees can be upwards of $20 per transaction! It is best to have a good amount of money ahead of time to save if you can.
Clean and pack up your room, and get your family or friends to look after, or possibly sell, your stuff. Guess what? You have a lot of stuff, and you don't need 99% of it. Going abroad is a great excuse to downsize, and most people have at least one friend or family member they can trust to sell it. Give them a percentage of what it is worth and you can get a nice chunk of traveling money, and clean up the clutter. Whatever you do, don't just up and leave your room in a mess for other people to clean up after. Worst case scenario, when you come home, someone will have thrown it out, so you might as well pack it up for storage at the very least before you leave. It is just common courtesy.
Buy a plane ticket! Last but not least, get your ticket! I like using Kayak to search for the lowest prices, but if you have time constraints due to work, get the best you can. Tickets to Asia are expensive! Plan to have at least $1000 or so to cover your airfare. Korea is nice because they will cover your airfare, but Japan does not.
Well I have probably forgotten something, so feel free to add more tips or ask questions in the comments below!
This is most definitely my longest post yet, but I am happy to finally get the information out there for people to see. I am so grateful I have been able to have this experience, so I want others to be able to enjoy the adventure of international travel as well! It is not very hard, and you just have to have the courage to make the jump! Good luck and have fun!
Step 1: Decide what you want to do. (Day 1 - Day 7)
Are you happier working with children or adults? Do you want to teach in the public sector or work for a private company? Are you more comfortable with big classes, small classes, or face to face with one person? How long do you plan on teaching? Is this a career path, or just a way to travel the world and save a little money at the same time?
All of these questions are important to think about before you start on this path, and will affect what sorts of certifications you should get, and where to apply for work. Think about your goals, write them down, and stick to them.
Step 2: Pick a country and get excited about it! (Day 7 - Day 14)
I have always had a passion for Japanese culture, and I learned some of the basics of the language in college so it made sense for me to go there. I have friends who I did my training with that went all over the world, however. Korea has the highest pay of the Asian countries so that drew many folks. Thailand has beautiful beaches and you can get some swanky accommodations in the major cities, although the pay is not as high. Japan has all the draw of the video game, anime, geek culture, with a nice mid-range pay scale, but you will be surrounded by nerds (this might very well appeal to you) and workaholics. South America is beautiful and I hear the pay in Chile is fair for example. You can learn Spanish, which is very useful in America, and explore a vibrant exciting culture, but it is a bit more dangerous than Korea or Japan, and the pay is bound to be less. If you are super ballsy, the Middle East pays up to 80,000 USD a year, but you might get blown up, so there's that.
All in all, every country has its pros and cons, so pick one that really interests you and jump right in! I would avoid going just for the money, and actually go to learn about and enjoy a new culture.
Step 3: Learn about the language and culture of your goal country. (Day 14 - Ongoing)
This is probably the most important step so I recommend getting it in there as early as possible. The more you can learn about how the country and culture functions on a daily basis, the less you will be affected by culture shock upon arrival. There are videos online for learning about little things in Japanese culture, so do your research. Japan functions nearly the same as America, but it's the little things that are different. Everybody works 9 to 5, eats 3 meals a day, and hangs out with their friends on the weekends. People go to the movies, have BBQs, get drunk, and shoot fireworks behind convenience stores. That's all the same. Little things like eating while walking are frowned upon, talking on the phone on trains, etc. Here is a link if you want to learn more.
The culture is not so hard to learn about, and you could really go in blind and be OK. Everyone thinks you are a dumb foreigner anyway, so you get the benefit of the doubt for the first few months and it gives you a chance to get settled. The language is the big thing. I am going to make a post about learning Japanese later, but for now just now that it is important! I started about 6 months before I came, and when I got here I still could not communicate pretty much at all. I knew Hiragana and Katakana, but barely any kanji, so I couldn't read anything. I had very little listening practice when it came to native speakers, so I couldn't understand anyone. It was VERY stressful at first, being in a place where I could not communicate normally. Eventually, I picked up enough to get by, but it took a good 5 months after I arrived. The earlier you start, the better, and I cannot imagine coming without any foundational knowledge at all. The amount I learned before I came was not enough to be fluent by any means upon arrival, but it gave me the skills I needed to pick up the language fairly quickly. Now it has been almost 7 months, and I can easily communicate with everyone about most anything I need. Having a Japanese girlfriend certainly sped up the process, but the early studying was critical. I feel much more independent and day to day life is no problem now. I cannot stress this enough. Learn the language, and start now!
Step 4 - Become certified to teach English as a Foreign Language. (Month 1 - Month 3)
To be honest, this can be done at the same time as the last two steps. There is an application process and everything that can be slow, so you might as well start it early. This step has many options, dependent on what you decided your goals were in step one.
If you have some disposable income, want the best education you can get in this field, and can see yourself doing this for more than a year or two, the CELTA is your best bet. This is the industry standard, and many higher paying jobs require this certificate. You will get real teaching experience to adults in this program, as well as tons of great networking opportunities and job placement assistance. It is really a great way to go, but it is by far the most expensive. I did my CELTA in New York City at one of the many Teaching House locations that offer the program. The program itself was around $3000, and lasted a month, however, my total expenditures living in NYC for that month including the program costs was around $5000, so it was quite an investment. I can't say if it was worth it yet honestly, because I am still not sure if I will continue teaching next year or after. By the end of my time here, I will have about broken even with my expenses in education costs and travel costs getting here, so at the very least it was worth it for a free year in Japan, but I might have gotten a bigger return on my financial investment by some other means. That isn't really the point though, is it?
That being said, if you definitely only want the experience of traveling abroad for a year or two, you can get by with a cheaper certification. Many universities offer TEFL certification courses so you can actually do it while still in college! There are even online certs ranging from $500 to $1500 dollars, so you can easily find an affordable path. Be careful, because there are scams out there, so again, do your research! I personally recommend checking out reddit.com/r/TEFL for a boatload of advice, tips, and everything you need to know to get started on the journey.
Step 5 - Start the Job Hunt (Month 3 - Month 5)
Ah, the good ol' job hunt. This is my least favorite step, and the one that caused me the most stress. Although jobs are plentiful, you will end up getting the same crap that drew you to this life in the first place. Entry level, experience required, must already live in Japan, etc. will be peppered all over job postings online. It is your job to mold your past experiences to suit an English teacher's resume. In my case, I had worked at summer camps with kids, taught adults during my CELTA program, and taught all ages of people yoga in my former job as a yoga teacher. Technically I had no real classroom experience, but this was enough to convince future employers that I could handle it. I found my job on gaijinpot.com, and for Japan, this is a great resource. It is the only online job website I have ever signed up for where employers actually actively seeked me out to recruit me. For other countries, DavesEslCafe.com is a good resource. Again, check out reddit.com/r/TEFL for more resources and postings. It is a great community, and I strongly recommend you join up!
Beyond online job sites, networking is a great option. When I was in the Teaching House school in NYC, I was offered a bunch of jobs in South America, from Columbia to Mexico to Peru, but I had my heart set on Japan so I turned them all down. After I told them I wanted to go to Japan, they hooked me up with a few people who had completed the program in the past that worked in Japan currently and they gave me a personal recommendation to their companies. These didn't end up working out, but I had many more choices and opportunities because I met people in the field in person, and people are always willing to help out another person with a passion.
During the job search, be selective! Although you are just starting out, you are actually a prized commodity in this field. You don't have to submit to the lowest offer you can find, you get to pick the ones that suit you. I have a friend who was worried about finding a job and jumped on the first offer she got. The work was hellish, in an area she hated, and she ended up leaving early after 3 months and swearing off teaching English for good. This was a huge waste of money and time, all caused by her impatience with finding work. Another friend went to the same country, but took an extra two months looking for the perfect job. He lives in a fancy apartment complex with a pool, right on a famous beach, and teaches small private lessons to wealthy family's kids. He is living a dream life, and it incredibly happy.
The former was actually more qualified than the latter, but patience and a refusal to compromise his dreams was the deciding factor of who got the better job. Don't want to work with kids? Be patient and hold out for a job with adults! Want to work in the public schools? Find a job with the Board of Education or a private ALT company. Again, do your research! There are reviews of all these businesses online at glassdoor.com, or various blogs. If you can't find anything, don't sign up with the company! People have gotten screwed in the past, spending all this money on training and a plane ticket, and they get to Japan, and the company decides to fire them before their first paycheck.
During this step it is important to reflect on your goals from step 1. In Japan, there are two basic job options: ALT and Eikaiwa. The ALT is an assistant that works with a Japanese teacher at the public schools. You get to see the daily life of Japanese students, and hang out with their clubs after school, but the work can get incredibly boring. I sometimes have only one or two lessons a week at my Junior High School! In fact, most of these blog posts get done while waiting for classes to end. It is a part of my job to talk to the students in English in between classes, so there is that at least. The ALT job is definitely less work than an Eikaiwa, but it can be boring.
The Eikaiwa is a private English conversation school, focusing on training the skills that the public school systems are lacking in. The Japanese public school systems are notorious for teaching mainly grammar and writing skills, so most Japanese people have trouble with speaking and listening. The eikaiwa teacher works with all four skills equally, and tries to fill in the gaps, to kids and adults. This job, I hear, is MUCH more difficult than an ALT position. Where I have 2-15 lessons a week, they have at minimum 30. Not only that, but these must all be planned and organized alone. I have preplanned lessons most of the time, or just pop in for pronunciation help here and there, so my work is nearly nonexistant. The Eikaiwa teacher will spend around 30 hours a week in contact teaching time, but then maybe spend another 15-30 hours outside of work planning lessons. For some people, this is preferable, and I have been thinking about switching myself lately, so you will have to make this decision during the job hunt.
Step 6 - Make preparations to move to a new country (Month 5 - Month 8)
This step can take as long as you need it to. The friend I mentioned in the last step took about 3 months before he finally made the move. I took less than one. In my case, I got my job offer, and they wanted me in Japan within 3 weeks after accepting, so I had no choice. This was crazy, but it ended up being a good thing. I was so busy getting ready to leave, I didn't really have a chance to get anxious about it.
There are many things you will need to take care of in this step. Notify your banks and credit cards you are going overseas, or they will put a hold on your accounts when you try and use the foreign ATMs.
Sell your car, cancel or put a hold on your insurance if you can.
Cancel your phone plan, put a hold on payments, or upgrade to an international plan. I personally cancelled my phone plan, and got a cheap flip phone once I got to Japan. It only costs $10 a month, and I got to keep my smartphone so I can use all the apps and functions when I have WiFi. This allows me to make international calls with LINE and keep in touch with family members back home for barely any money!
Pack. If you can, keep your luggage light. You will most likely need to get on some trains or something to get to your new home, so you won't want to be lugging around a bunch of suitcases all over Japan. My friend brought his PS3 and his entire wardrobe, and by the time he reached his new apartment, was cursing himself left and right. You can always buy new clothes and things once you get here. There are recycle shops (thrift stores essentially) where you can get a whole new wardrobe for under $100.
Bring some family photos and maybe one or two sentimental items to help you through the first month of culture shock, and maybe a week of clothes and a suit for job stuff and you should be fine.
See your friends. This is hugely important, and you will regret it if you forget it. You will not see your friends again for at least a year. By the time you return, people will have changed, moved on. This is the last chance you are going to get to see your family and friends as you know them. When you are home, you all change and grow together, so it seems normal, but overseas, life goes on without you. People move, habits change, and life will never be the same again. See everyone you love, visit Grandma, and tell everyone how much they mean to you. Making regular phone calls with a 13 hour time difference and a full time job is nearly impossible, so get the love out of the way early!
Get some money! Go to your local AAA office and convert about $500 USD to the currency of your new country. You will need a bit to get fed and such before your first paycheck. In Japan they have ATMs that accept foreign cards, but the fees can be upwards of $20 per transaction! It is best to have a good amount of money ahead of time to save if you can.
Clean and pack up your room, and get your family or friends to look after, or possibly sell, your stuff. Guess what? You have a lot of stuff, and you don't need 99% of it. Going abroad is a great excuse to downsize, and most people have at least one friend or family member they can trust to sell it. Give them a percentage of what it is worth and you can get a nice chunk of traveling money, and clean up the clutter. Whatever you do, don't just up and leave your room in a mess for other people to clean up after. Worst case scenario, when you come home, someone will have thrown it out, so you might as well pack it up for storage at the very least before you leave. It is just common courtesy.
Buy a plane ticket! Last but not least, get your ticket! I like using Kayak to search for the lowest prices, but if you have time constraints due to work, get the best you can. Tickets to Asia are expensive! Plan to have at least $1000 or so to cover your airfare. Korea is nice because they will cover your airfare, but Japan does not.
Well I have probably forgotten something, so feel free to add more tips or ask questions in the comments below!
This is most definitely my longest post yet, but I am happy to finally get the information out there for people to see. I am so grateful I have been able to have this experience, so I want others to be able to enjoy the adventure of international travel as well! It is not very hard, and you just have to have the courage to make the jump! Good luck and have fun!