The things I mention on this post are the things I noticed I consistently need when starting a teaching job abroad. I started in my journey in the Czech Republic, then went to Vietnam, afterwards Taiwan, then Mexico. I ended up coming back to Taiwan.

What did I need before starting?

Degree

I started out by getting my degree in Anthropology (weird choice, I know) because all schools require a degree. There are some schools in Vietnam that didn’t require it but have since started cracking down.

CELTA certificate

There are many ways of getting a CELTA certificate and from different providers. This was invaluable to me as it taught me many of the things I needed to know about teaching. I was still a useless teacher when I started out but at least I had some basics.

For more ambitious people, these companies also provide teaching young learners certificates and DELTA which is described as a sort of master’s in ESL. All these take between two weeks and a month.
I did mine in the Czech Republic at Akcent International House Prague. and it was a wonderful experience. A lot of work, fun, drinking, studying, meeting people. It was an exciting time. You can fail, though, so watch out!

A place to go

So, you’ve got your degree and you’ve got your certificate. What now? The world’s your oyster. You can start out by looking up ESL jobs and applying right away. Some schools require experience, but they don’t really, so apply to wherever you like and dress to impress on your video call meeting.

Many people’s first job is in Korea, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, honestly the possibilities are endless. It depends more on you and what kind of place you want to go. I was wanting some adventure, out of the way location and Vietnam was that and so much more. A lot of people will want other things so just apply to the ones you find interesting, and you will land wherever you decide to go.

If you don’t want to go through the interview process, just book a ticket and show up. Look for a job when you get there, and you will be ok. I will say that, if you go through the interviews, you might be more in control of where you work.

Money

Travelling is not cheap. The flights are expensive. There are many costs you must take into consideration when taking the leap and moving to a new country. The ones I would take most seriously are:

1. The plane tickets: Depending on where you are going and how soon you want to go, they can get quite expensive. If you book them ahead of time and leave on a low season month, you’ll get a considerable discount.
2. The hotel: When you arrive, you need a place to stay. You might want to explore the city you are in, but you will need a place to rest your head. On average I would say that booking a hotel for one week in good enough and extend it to another week if you need to.
3. The rent: So, you’ve walked around town, called a few places, and found a place you like. Perfect! Well, until you see the cost of the rent. Usually, rent in very affordable in these countries but there are some requirements. A deposit (could be one- or two-month’s rent). That’s pricey. You get it back when you leave but it’s a big upfront cost.
4. The food: In my experience, when I first arrive in a country, I spend a lot of money on food. This is because I don’t know the local spots. I haven’t figured out what’s a fair priced and what’s an overpriced meal. I will also be dying to try new things and they add up. Remember to keep this in mind because you don’t want to burn out right after arriving somewhere because you haven’t been eating right.
5. The first month: It might knock you out. Because you only get a paycheck at the end of the month. You need to buy everything mentioned above out of pocket. That’s a big hit on the savings. Take that into consideration.

A VISA

This depends on where you are going. China, for example is an extremely attractive location but you must have a working VISA before arriving. It is an annoying VISA to get, and I investigated it thoroughly before deciding it wasn’t worth it for me.

1. You need to first get hired by a school in China. There are many and they advertise online. The salary is enticing, just remember to look at how many working hours you will be doing.
2. The school will ask you to get your documents in order. What this means is that you will need to get your diploma authenticated by the Chinese embassy. This is to prove that your diploma is legitimate. This is a hassle I would try an agent. Agents take your documents to the embassy themselves. You pay them pe document needed but you don’t need to do anything yourself.
3. Once you’ve got all your documents ready, you just send them to your school, and they will send your work VISA. Remember to pick a good school with honest reviews from employees so that you don’t end up working in a place you don’t like. Foreign teachers are in high demand so you can afford to be picky.

For other countries, the process varies but it tends to be much easier. China is extremely strict with foreign workers and so it is important to comply. Countries with more lenient requirements might just ask you to show your documents and their process will be quicker. For some countries teachers’ skip all of this and just show up on a tourist VISA and the school that hires them transfers it to a working VISA.

I showed up in Vietnam with a tourist VISA and to Taiwan I followed their VISA requirements which were easy and straightforward. In Mexico I initially worked on a tourist VISA and eventually got a work visa when I got a new job.

Those are all the things you will need to start teaching abroad. If you tick all the boxes you will have no trouble finding a job you like!

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