The rise of English teachers abroad
If one were to visit most destinations around the globe, it would quickly become apparent that there are lot of people living there and just teaching English. Are these expat teachers, you might ask? On the whole, no – there is a new breed when it comes to teaching English abroad, and this article will get to the bottom of why so many people are opting for this route.
It’s very easy to train for the job
Once upon a time, people would have been left to scratch their head when it came to the thought of teaching English in another country. After all, you would have to know the language of the destination country as well, wouldn’t you? In truth, this was just one question – and the whole area was a bit of a minefield.
However, now it has become something which is very much understood. The education route is simple, almost too simple, with online TESOL Masters programs available which means that you don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home. Furthermore, in the majority of cases, you won’t need to know another language. These TESOL programs will emphasize how to teach children how to read, write and listen in English – and they don’t have to take an age to complete.
photo/ Alexandra / München
The elusive travel-factor
Next on the list is travel. Let’s be honest, this is one of the main reasons why people opt for the TESOL qualification; they want to see the world. Not only that, but they want to do it for a prolonged period of time, and by turning to English teaching while they are there they are able to fund their trip indefinitely. The salaries vary considerably by location but suffice to say, you’ll at least have enough to live on and for those travel enthusiasts out there, this is all that they want.
Embedding yourself into foreign culture
This ties into the previous point we touched upon, but very few people in the world get to truly sample foreign cultures. Sure, you might head off the beaten track as a tourist and find a few local gems, but in terms of everyday life this is something that’s just impossible to experience.
This is where English teaching comes into the picture again. You have the familiarity of teaching your mother language, but at the same time you can live life fully embedded to the culture that you are residing in. It’s a best of both worlds’ situation, if there ever was a thing.
The networking opportunity
For a lot of people teaching English abroad, this isn’t a long-term plan. It’s something to do for a short period of time, to see the world.
However, they don’t just get to explore during this period of their life. As well as this, they will start to build a network. This can be from both a friendship and business point of view and in relation to the latter, it might just open a few other doors in their career later on.
Author: John Liverstone
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