Do you know someone who has taught English abroad and returned (or maybe didn’t return at all)? Probably a cultured, fun-loving, and hardworking person? Teaching English abroad is a life-changing experience that will either spark or stoke a love of travel or make you appreciate where you consider home all the more—either is fine, by the way!
Here is how speaking fluent English can help you travel the world.
There are work opportunities out there for you
There are agencies and schools all over the world who want your skills, knowledge, and positive attitude right now. Those same agencies and schools can also provide the necessary training in order to make you a stellar teacher of English with a lust for a new culture to your own, and that will make anything feel possible. You might be asking why, and here’s one reason: English is becoming mandated as a corporate language for multinational companies.
With the work, comes time to travel
Almost every position abroad you will find as a teacher of English will include school holidays, a part-time work schedule, time off included, or maybe even a combination of all three! Depending on your benefits and the country’s public holiday calendar, there will be time to explore. You will just have to decide whether to stick to the country you’re already in or venture out.
Converting local salaries: it’s more than you think
With taking a training and job placement program abroad comes the necessary task of converting local currency. For example, teaching English in Thailand or elsewhere in Asia will feel like you’re earning more because the cost of living is lower than what you’re used to. It’s always worth looking into this ahead of time, but start with where you’ve always wanted to travel and go from there.
Speaking fluent English makes you marketable
Let’s say you take a job abroad in order to teach English, and you love it! You are now hooked, as they say. Well once you’ve taught once and can add that to your resume, getting a second job (perhaps on the opposite side of the world or a neighboring country to the one you taught in) is easier. You can make a real career out of teaching English abroad, earning the skills to back you up! And you know what that means? More places to scratch off your bucket list.
Traveling on the cheap
It’s true that traveling on a teacher salary causes many to scratch their heads. They might think, how is there any money leftover? And that’s fair. But, when you consider what we said about converting salaries to your native currency, as well as how cheap it may be to travel within the country of your choice, you’re going to find that there’s a lot more wiggle room than previously expected. There are also so many travel hacks out there nowadays to help you save money—all you have to do is find them! Try reading blog posts about this subject to get an idea how people are saving money with transportation costs, living arrangements and/or stay accommodations, and where to get the cheapest (and best!) meal.
Stay abroad once you’ve taught English
Moving to another job teaching English after you’ve already completed one is something we’ve already discussed in terms of marketability, but there are also other ways to stay abroad. Formerly known as second and third jobs, side hustles are all too common now, especially when it comes to teaching English! Finding teaching opportunities online or by way of private tutoring is about managing your schedule and making connections. You might find that getting a job private tutoring is easier once you’ve met an expat community in the country of your choosing. Landing jobs online teaching English is also an easy way to supplement your current teaching schedule in order to save for those months without a job, or just to keep hacking away at debts or storing savings for the future.
Bonus: if you’ve got a job online that means you can work from anywhere, so get to planning out your travel schedule! In 2017, the New York Times reported that 43% out of 15,000 adults said they work remotely at least some of the time. It’s the present and the future!
In this article, I have highlighted the ways in which speaking fluent English can help you travel the world. Always research agencies about teaching English abroad in full before applying and accepting positions. Ask a ton of questions! The bridge to get you abroad and traveling is just waiting to be crossed.
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Jessica Hill is the founder of globalU, an agency that makes it simple for you to make a difference in your own life and in your global community via teaching English abroad. Images from Unsplash.
