How Can Teaching English Help You Travel Internationally?

Teaching English

Have you been wanting to get out of your current town and try something new? 

Perhaps you’ve been feeling the need to spread your wings for longer than just a few days or weeks holiday and see other places on our beautiful planet lately, but you feel unsure. The question of money might be holding you back from your dreams of traveling. 

But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be that way! You can secure a teaching job with good pay with a TEFL certificate, unlocking the door to exciting experiences. Let’s see how teaching can help you travel internationally.

Schools are everywhere, and they need YOU!

Imagine, if you can, a town without a school. Can you think of one? Not that easy is it! There are towns with less than 100, or less than 50 residents that still have a school, which tells you everything you need to know: where there’s a school there’s a possibility for you to teach!

From Japan to America, in France, Brazil and New Zealand, there are literally thousands of exciting options just waiting to be discovered. What does this mean? It means that there are thousands of locations for you to work, live, play and explore, all accessible with just one TEFL certificate! The world really is your oyster!

Teaching is a great way to experience a place’s culture

Whether teaching in-person or online, there’s nothing quite like teaching to help you understand the way a place works. You’ll get a whistlestop tour of the culture whether through an adult’s or a child’s eyes, and both are equally fascinating! 

Teaching online gives you the freedom to choose where you live, whether for a couple of weeks or a month, and means you could be learning what a French person’s life is like one lesson, before getting to grips with Chinese life in the next! 

In-person teaching means you’ll have to spend longer in one place, and this is an amazing way to actively integrate into the local community. Plus, there are excellent communities around teaching, and some schools actively seek to retain their staff by providing excellent training programs and perks.

English is in demand

No matter where you are in the world, even in English-speaking countries, there will be people wanting to learn English. Think of people coming to study in America, Canada or the UK from other countries. People whose first language is not English need support with all kinds of things, from phonics for beginners, to learning idioms for casual conversation, all the way up to academic tone for their university assignments. 

In countries where the first language is not English, you’ll find a range from children in pre-school learning the English alphabet for the first time to adults working in hospitality in towns with plenty of tourism. The possibilities are truly limitless!

Wages cover all kinds of budgetary needs.

There is truly a teaching job to cover every need out there, but it may be worth comparing the countries you’re interested in and all the various requirements they have. You can find some jobs which require a TEFL certificate but no experience and no degree which often pay that little bit less, while others ask you to have a little classroom experience before you arrive and pay that little bit extra. 

For some of those top earners, you may well need a degree of some kind alongside your TEFL course, but do your research and look hard enough, and you can still find some excellent opportunities that won’t require one at all. 

Get help with tricky travel paperwork

Does the idea of applying for travel and work visas fill you with dread? You’re not alone in that! 

The great news is that when you apply for teaching jobs in different countries, a lot of schools will help you, though you may have to get your own tourist visa first to get you started. The best way to get familiar with this is to check the government website to make sure you get the most up-to-date information. 

Some countries have a free tourist visa which you automatically receive on entry, some a month in duration, others longer. You can even use this method to get inspiration for your destination countries! Make a list of all your top choices and sit down with a cup of tea (or something stronger if you wish!) to investigate all the exciting options at your fingertips. 

One tip: be sure to make sure you’re looking for the visa options that apply to the passport you currently hold!