The Top Reasons Why You Should Teach English Abroad
The Top 5 Anyway
Have you ever dreamed of travelling to far off places and undertaking exciting adventures? Literally, as I sit in my room staring out into the bleak winter in the midst of our second lockdown, all I can think about is travel. There are so many places I would love to go, but I must say, I feel pretty lucky to have undertaken a lot of travel over the past several years. One of the ways that I was able to achieve this, as a young person, was to teach English abroad. These are the reasons why I think it is so great.
1. You get to experience a new culture
I thought I was very accepting of other cultures, and while I probably was, I had no idea how much different it would actually be to live in a place where the primary language was not English. There were opportunities to visit museums, temples, festivals, and landmarks; there were celebrations of holidays that I had never heard of and exposure to a variety of foods that I never originally thought were edible. I got to try new things that took me out of my comfort zone, and while that can sound a bit scary, once I got the hang of the fact that it was okay if I messed up once in a while, I was able to truly embrace cultures that were not my own.
2. The students are (generally) great
I taught a wide range of children and adults during my time abroad. In all cases, I can honestly say that I enjoyed working with others to develop their English skills. I didn’t really have any teaching experience before I left on my first experience abroad and I did not know what to expect. I generally feel like everyone has a preference, so if you hate little kids, picking up a preschool job is not ideal. My first job was in an elementary school, which meant that I got to work with different classes each week. The kids were about 12 years old and I always had the support of the elementary school teacher during my instruction periods. I then moved on to teach preschool, which I loved. I got to play games all day long and the children were so loving and playful. My job didn’t require a lot of preparation time, and I could just show up and teach.
3. You meet a lot of new people, who you might never have been friends with otherwise
The group of people that choose to teach English abroad are a diverse bunch with significantly different background interests. While some people try to escape from their surroundings, others are looking for an adventure. As a result of teaching English abroad, I now have a diverse friend group from all over the world. Some have continued to teach English in various locations, others have moved back home, but they most certainly are all over the world, which means when I want to travel in the future, I often have a guide that can help me navigate that new part of the world.
4. You can make decent money
Not all contracts are the same, but in all of the contracts I chose I was able to save a lot of money. In my contracts, the housing and utilities was covered by the company I worked for (and in one instance they covered all my lunches as well). Food was generally fairly inexpensive, as were my daily costs, so most of my paycheck went into my pocket. I did spend a good amount of my spare time travelling, but I stayed in hostels, meaning that I could see exotic parts of the world for reasonable prices. As a result of my teaching job, I was able to pay off a considerable chunk of my student loans, which made a really positive difference later in my life. Not all contracts are the same, so it’s important to check out what the conversion rate is so you can gain an approximation of how much you will make each month, but overall, there are some pretty lucrative contracts out there.
5. The skills that you learn are transferable to jobs at home when you return
A lot of tutoring jobs require experience, but it can often be difficult to get experience in the first place. Because English teaching jobs abroad require very little (if any) experience, you can hone your teaching skills, practicing what works and what doesn’t. Then, when your contract is up, if you choose to come back to your home country, you can use that experience when you apply for a tutoring job. While that tutoring gig might not be your first choice for a profession, it can act as a useful supplement to your income on the side.
When I finished my undergraduate degree, I was pretty uncertain about what I wanted to do next. I felt like I had this degree, but wasn’t sure what my path would be from that point. When I was looking for fun things to do after graduation, I came across the opportunity to work abroad. While I am not a particularly outgoing person, I knew that I liked travel and different foods, so I signed up to go. It ended up being a really rewarding experience, and while it wasn’t all easy and straightforward, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is unsure what to do after their undergraduate degree.
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