How To Flee America

In the fallout from a certain election, I received a number of messages from my American friends. The questions they had varied. “How are you, Steven?” “So what exactly is it that you do now?” Most commonly: “How did you get out of America?” Almost all of the people who asked this question were women or members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Odd. I wonder what could possibly be happening in the United States to prompt such a potential exodus. Well, my esteemed colleagues, I’m always one to be as helpful as I can be, so let me share with you my cheat code for getting out of the United States.

Teach English. Okay, article over.

Wait, no, I have a word count quota. Okay. Let me break this down.

As English is the most-spoken second language in the world, the demand for native-speaking teachers is high. This is perhaps less true in the European Union, where there is easy geographical access to the UK and Ireland, but in places like South America, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, there are schools that are willing to pay top-dollar (for their country) to recruit energetic English Second Language (ESL) teachers. Even in Europe, there’s still a demand for American ESL teachers specifically because the schools value exposure to American dialects—though helping my students unlearn the travesty which is British English has been one of the greatest challenges of my so-far two-and-a-half months here.

“But Steven,” you may say, “I’m not a teacher. I didn’t study for this. I’m not qualified one bit.” Well, that’s where you may be wrong, bucko. While it’s true that for many better-paying jobs in the ESL sector you may need a Master’s degree in teaching English as a second language, the most valuable qualification you could have is a Bachelor’s degree from an English-speaking college or university, no matter what the subject may be. Companies are looking for native speakers, and a Bachelor’s degree is the best proof that you speak your native language proficiently enough to survive in an educational setting.

You may also be somewhat nervous about not speaking the language of a country where you may be teaching. I assure you, that is not a problem. While you may pick up some foreign vocabulary while working in this field, you are often not required to know the local language for a job. It’s the privilege of speaking English natively. No matter where you go, someone is bound to speak your language. A deep scar of colonialism, to be sure, but it benefits you in this particular situation, so I’m willing to yadda-yadda past it.

However, most ESL jobs will look for a candidate with a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification. The bare minimum for this is typically a 120-hour certification. It’s not particularly difficult, and you can do it online, usually for an investment of $200-$300. For a lot of you, that might be a little steep, but my philosophy is, once you have the certification, you will always have it. It’s always worth the investment, and only takes maybe a month of serious effort to attain. I got mine in November of 2020, and I had my first ESL gig summer of 2021. It works, guys! These certification courses also provide a crash course in the specifics of English grammar, so you won’t be reviewing that by yourself in the months leading up to a move abroad.

Of course, then you have to go about looking for a job. Certain jobs will have certain requirements. Jobs in Europe will typically require residency in Europe already, with few exceptions. If I may be candid, you may not find a job in Europe right away, especially one which offers exceptional Visa support. These jobs are often super competitive, and may not pay as well as jobs for EU residents. I seriously lucked out with this job in the Czech Republic, I cannot stress that enough. However, jobs in Asia, Africa, and South America pay exceptionally well for their region, and will often pay out well above the median salary in their country so as to retain native English-speaking professionals. It doesn’t quite feel equitable; I, personally, get paid almost three times as much per lesson as a local teacher, and I have my own problems with that. However, that’s just a moral quandary that you need to either accept or refuse to participate in. I will link a helpful job board at the end of the article, but there are many others for seasoned job-seekers.

Finally, there’s the emotional factor to consider. This shit is lonely, guys, and your happiness depends largely on your own ability to put yourself out there, but also on luck. This is not my first ESL gig in Europe; in Fall 2021, I was an ESL teacher in Slovakia at a similarly-sized school and I was miserable. I felt isolated, had absolutely no system of support, and left that job due to Covid two months in. Now that I’m coming up to the third “monthiversary” of my move to the Czech Republic, I can’t help but marvel at how much happier I am here. My boss and my co-teacher are both immensely supportive. My students like me much more. I have a social life outside of the classes I teach; I do improv on the weekends in Prague. There have been hurdles to clear, to be sure. It took some serious effort to find an English-speaking community I like and get along with, but it’s possible.

Anyway, as you consider a self-imposed political exile, for whatever reasons you may have, I urge you to look into the cultural and political climates of any country you may want to leave for. I’m sorry I don’t have that information at the ready. For example, though, if reproductive rights are of particular concern to you, I may suggest avoiding Poland. I try to be as helpful as I can, so if you have any questions, you can contact me on my Instagram, linked below.

I also have an affiliate link with International TEFL and TESOL Training, the company that I got certified through. I can offer you a 25% discount through my link, which goes a long way. However, you can definitely find free TEFL certification courses with a little bit of Googling.

Finally, here’s a helpful job board. Happy hunting!