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Teaching English abroad has always been on my bucket list. What better way to explore more of the world (the best way possible: living there), and make money while doing it? And of course, hang out with the kiddies, broaden your mind and gain an all-around amazing experience. I have researched many organizations and recruiting agencies and different countries to teach in. What my research has shown me is this:

There are many programs that advertise “teaching children in Africa” or “building schools in Zimbabwe” and the like, while also promoting their super sweet “Adventure Packages”. Programs such as International Student Volunteers or STA Volunteer. While I’m sure these programs are awesome, they also cost an insane amount when your main goal is tovolunteer. No, I’m not just in it for the money, and I would even be okay with not getting paid – but unfortunately my funds do not allow me to volunteer and do hard labour whilst paying thousands of dollars and obviously not having any source of income. Anyway – these are NOT the programs to find the best teach abroad jobs.
So my next step – get a first hand opinion from somebody who has taught abroad. My friend taught English in Spain and LOVED it. This is one of the legitimate programs that are out there – Auxiliares de Conversacion.
- Pros: no application fee, great locations (around Europe).
- Cons: the application is in Espanol (luckily my boyfriend is fluent), the pay ISN’T great. Other people I’ve talked to said that they had to get side jobs (serving jobs and what not) becausea) the pay is low & b) they only worked 10-15 or so hours a week. Of course, this may not be the case with everyone and there are many more programs.
Most legitimate teach abroad programs require you to have your Bachelor’s degree +. This made me happy, knowing my degree is giving me some advantages 😉
Teaching in South America doesn’t provide extraordinary benefits – are any, in some cases. Warning: the research in this area consisted solely of a google search and skimming through multiple google results – which was enough to show me that the pay is low and not many programs will refund flights, pay for accommodation etc.
Best way to go: Teaching English in Asia! Countries in Asia are constantly looking for teachers, pay well and often pay for flights/accommodation. An agency that I am currently looking into is Footprints Recruiting. They have dozens of different opportunities and even have listings for jobs in Europe, Middle East and South America. Again, I came across similar problems with teaching in South America as I saw in other programs. I honestly am not interested in staying in the Middle East for a year and they haven’t really established themselves in Europe as much as they have in Asia.

So as I read about the different teaching opportunities in Asia, the one that has most interested me thus far is South Korea. The interest is in result to the fact that they pay for your airfare, accommodation and health care and you also don’t need a Bachelor’s in Education/English like many of the other job listings in some of the countries. A lot of the countries, like South Korea, you don’t need a TEFL/TESL (Teaching English as a Foreign/Second Language) Certification or a specific degree.

Obviously, I will need to do more research and learn more about the program. I have read mixed reviews about Footprints as a recruiting agency but I suppose that people will always have different experiences, especially when working with a foreign company and having to deal with the hassle of sending paperwork back and forth and filling out applications and what not.

Good starting point if at all interested in Teaching Abroad:
Top 10 Places for Teaching Abroad