Teaching English Abroad: What You Might Expect

One of the best ways to work in another country without having to be specially skilled or fluent in the host country's language is teaching English abroad .

With the mass globalization of the world, the demand to learn English is higher than ever. Often, the only requirement of schools is that you are a native speaker.However, there are some training courses that you can take before you go. I took a course given by the TESOL program. Both adults and children are coming to schools in droves. I have one thing to say: If you are entertaining the idea, even a little, JUST DO IT! You will be glad you did and in the event you are not, YOU CAN JUST COME HOME!! This can be one of the most amazing experiences of your life, so just go!

I wanted to share my experience as an English teacher abroad. It was a decision I made out of the blue one day when I came across a website about living abroad and I found an article on teaching English. I literally was like...Hmm, I am going to do that. Started saving money, studied some Japanese, and applied for a job. I was very lucky. I was called on the first application I sent out and I did a phone interview. I very much follow my intuition and I accepted. Your search may or may not take longer. Three weeks later, I was heading out of Newark for a 14 hour flight to Japan. When I was searching I loved finding information like I am providing now that did not give canned tips but actually discussed someone's personal experience and the thoughts and emotions that were involved. It is a good way to get an idea of what this venture really is about and I hope that I can give you another piece of quality information on what you might encounter.

Living and working abroad is rewarding and rich with experience

One of the best things about a job like this is the good feeling you get when you see people learn. And then you think, "Hey, I am the one who taught them that, cool." I worked with students of all ages and to see them advance was rewarding. You are providing a useful service to them and it makes you feel good to be doing something constructive.

In my opinion, the best thing about this experience is the opportunity to really learn about another culture. I do not just mean seeing the sites and living everyday life there. Of course, that will teach you a lot but I am referring more to working with your students specifically. Being around them everyday, you really get a feel for how that particular culture processes the world around them, what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviors,etc... Their "rules of engagement" if you will. I found this especially true with my adult students. In my school, most of those lessons centered heavily on conversation and I had quite a few older students whose English was quite good and I can recall many great conversations. Living and working in another culture broadens your experiences and the more experiences you have, the more you will grow in a positive direction.

Another cool thing about teaching abroad is that so many people are so interested to hear your story and want to know about you. Japanese people seem to really like American culture and they loved to hear what it is really like here. By nature, they are very modest and many of my students were especially interested in why I chose Japan. When I spoke highly of the country, I could see it made them feel good. You are different and unique and let's all admit it, it is nice to be the center of attention sometimes :)

Remember, This is Not an Extended Vacation

In my opinion, teaching is not an easy job and I give credit to people that do it all day, day after day. It can be draining at times. I am more on the introverted side for sure, so a lot of things about the job did not gel with my personality. Having to routinely interact with people all day, leading lessons, constantly talking,etc...really got to me sometimes. There were times where my energy would be low and the last thing I felt like doing was talking but for the next five hours, all I would be doing is talking...a lot. I enjoyed my experience but overall, I know that teaching is not for me. So, that is one thing I took back with me. I could cross a possible career choice off the list.

Be prepared for your lessons. It will make things go much more smoothly. I am not big on planning so I often just had a general outline. Sometimes this worked and sometimes this did not and that can just add stress. Your school will have resources and there are tons of great sites where you can get lesson plans, flash cards,etc... Larger chain schools might have a more rigid set curriculum so you might not have to plan as much. I worked at a small privately owned conversation school that was run by two very sweet but disorganized people. They were pretty hands off and we had free reign to plan our lessons. Most classes will at least have a textbook so you have a jumping off point.