I’m planning on teaching ESL abroad, and haven’t taken any steps forward yet. I’m currently a month away from getting a bachelors and have no idea on what to do after. I’m stuck between differing opinions on whether a TEFL certification is worth it compared to the lottery that JET is. I want to teach English overseas, preferably Japan which is JETs speciality but with only a thousand people a year getting selected it’s a job lottery.

Do I have better chances just getting a certification and going through TEFLs job placement program or should I take the crap shot and apply for JET? I really like the program TEFL has after you complete the cert, they help you get a visa and find work/interviews prior to moving out to Japan but JET from what I can tell is an all inclusive system for ALT placement in a school.

Please help lmao, I’m extremely stressed hearing so many opposing opinions and it’s partly my fault for not having a concrete plan after graduation.

So, I'm a first-timer with no teaching experience. I've got a degree, I'm from the UK and completed a TEFL course (120 hours). I should also mention that I'm black.

So I applied for a job in China and the recruiter got back to me telling me their "best options" are in Taiwan. The salary for that is "starting pay up to NT $650 - $700/hour".

Another job I applied for in Hangzhou, China offered me a salary of 10,000-16,000 RMB before tax with 2500 housing allowance or free accommodation.

Is saving up even possible if I were to accept any of these offers?

Hello everyone!

I (26f) have been thinking about teaching abroad for a few years now. I mainly thought of it because I've worked in a school in some capacity since 2019. I went back and finished my Bachelors degree and TEFL certification last year.

I have an interview today and I'm so nervous about it because while I do want to do something like this, I'm still contemplating if this is for me or not. I keep asking myself if I actually want to move abroad or if I want to just travel more.

I'm not too worried if I don't find something because I have my current job that I can just stay at (its a state job as well so that's nice). I'm also a bit of a homebody so moving so far from my family makes me pretty nervous. I'm currently battling between thoughts of "It's okay to be comfortable where I am" and "I don't want to hold myself back."

So I guess I just want to know, if you were really anxious about moving/teaching abroad and still did it, how did it turn out for you? Would I be better off teaching English online on the side and just using that to travel more?

Which country would I most likely get hired to teach English in Europe? I am American, 42 years old and non-EU citizen so from what I've read, it may be limited to non-EU or Eastern Europe countries. Any ideas on which countries have the highest demand for English teachers? I have a TEFL cert and two years of teaching, but that's from 10 years ago. I would do a CELTA and at least a few months to a year of volunteer teaching classes to immigrants here before I go anywhere.

Hello!

I’m about to graduate from my Master’s program and plan to do my CELTA starting on June 17th.

Will I still be able to find a job once I finish in early July?

I’m pretty open to wherever, so the location itself I’m not too worried about. I’m in this so I can have the opportunity to teach and learn new skills.

Though if I had any preference, I speak some Spanish so maybe a country that speaks Spanish.

Any suggestions?

Hey, I am moving forward with the process for the Odyssey program, Id love to hear about peoples experiences and how they arranged their living situation too, thanks!

Been teaching in Korea for 4 years now and I want to get more long term financial stability. I'm thinking of an international school or university job eventually.

My considerations for a choice of masters are its cost, time frame, content and whether it is recognised by the education community.

Hi all, generally speaking, when is the last month that I need to secure a new job for next September in China? Is July too late already?

I want to keep taking my time as long as possible and not sign on a lower offer now.

Can I back out of the first job at this point despite signing the offer letter if I still want to work in China? And sign the 2nd job offer letter instead? The Z visa process for the first job has not started yet.

I have a new GE student who is up to work in a nail salon, and I'd like to teach her some useful professional vocabulary and collocations in addition to our regular course. Any YouTube channels or TV series focusing on the industry would be helpful as well, thanks in advance!

Have been considering TEFL for a long time, but unsure what route you take.

I am planning on staying home in the UK for the summer, and working online alongside in-person teaching if I can find any (I live in the countryside). This winter I'd like to move to France or Italy, or somewhere to travel, so probably still working remotely.

I am interested in teaching in-person full time, but unsure if I'd like to do it right away as I want to explore - although I could always take holidays.

I have been considering taking the CELTA for a few months now as I've heard that it is the most recognised qualification, especially for teaching in Europe. Also, I have 0 teaching experience, and English grammar learning as a native speaker, so I need the in-person interaction.

However, maybe it would be a waste to use the CELTA to teach online, even though I would like to start teaching in-person as well. I am also unsure where to do it: in the UK to be in a familiar place and concentrate on work, or in another country to make connections.

Any advice would be great! X

Hello! Newbie here! I've had my TEFL certificate for a while, but I was thinking of doing TEFL as I think it's a superb way to travel and make a living- now that I'm back home with my parents, it's the perfect time to consider the future. Truth be told, I feel lost. What was your experience like as a first time TEFL teacher? Was there anything you wish you knew going in? How do you know if it's right for you (I've only taught a summer term and I thought it was a good experience!)? Any stories and experiences are welcome! You're the greatest! Thanks in advance!

I think I’d prefer a university teaching schedule if possible to K-12, but would be open to the right situation. It would be tough to leave NYC teacher pay, but hoping to leave the empire before it fully collapses and want a nice life in an interesting place. What are my options?

Hello~ So I’m American, born and raised, however, I do have dual citizenship because of my ancestry with an English-Speaking Caribbean country as well. I’m thinking of moving to the islands, but I also still want to have the option to teach English abroad with my Caribbean nationality too, as I don’t see myself continuing to live in the US long-term after I graduate. I see requirements such as having to be from one of these 7 Native English speaking countries: US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa for many programs. As we all know, there’s plenty more English speaking countries than just these 7. So, has anyone else had experiences of teaching English abroad from an English-speaking and is not from those 7 countries? If so, where do/did you teach? Is there a reason why some programs are more picky or specific in terms of deciding which countries they’ll allow teachers to come from?

Thank you! Any and all suggestions and responses are appreciated :)

Hi! I am planning to apply for my first TEFL position in Spain for the 2025/2026 school year. I am really looking forward to beginning this journey, but I know that I want to explore teaching in other countries after spending 2-3 years in Spain and I’m wondering if it is possible/reasonable to apply for programs in places like Japan/Korea/China while I’m already abroad in Spain? Or would I need to return to my home country (US) before applying anywhere else? Do any of you have experience bouncing between different countries uninterrupted? If so what was your experience/would you recommend it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training has issued new rules for outsiders seeking ESL jobs Foreigners / Expats.

They are calling it COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING COURSE excluding TEFL / TESOL / CELTA.

What is your take on this?

120 Hours of Learning modules / Cultural immersion.

I’ve read here that having a Bachelor’s degree is really important to get a TEFL job abroad, so I think I have a problem. I’m studying to be an English Teacher is secondary schools in my country (a 4-year long career), but it’s not recognised as a university degree but as a tertiary degree.

Will this cause me any problems when looking for jobs abroad? Even if I am a qualified teacher in my country?

Hey everyone, I'm currently taking my TEFL certification through international TEFL academy and the course is going well. I am looking to teach english in Taiwan, so early on in my search I watched some youtube vids about people's experiences

One of these people had a relatively low sub count, so i figured I'd dm her on ig for more information. I wasn't planning on finding this agency through her at all, and she never alluded to it in her videos. She also moved back to the US and lives in my home state so I figured it was a great opportunity to ask some questions.

Anyways, she gets back to me at some point and is relatively nice, and she said that she recommends working at a cram school. I agree that I think that it would be a good idea, and then she says that she can put me in touch with an agency. Great! Right? Uhhh wrong. I think?

First red flag was that she said this was "an" agency, not one that she actually used, so I thought that was a little weird. Why not put me in contact with the agency you used? My gears started turning, and I thought that there could be a monetary incentive behind this. Whatever, I proceeded anyway.

Second red flag - the website. What a dump. I have some experience applying for jobs in the US, and it looked exactly like one of those staffing agency scams. No clients listed, no actual human faces, and it wasn't even entirely related to finding english teachers. Again, weird.

Whatever, I figured I have nothing to lose and decided to email them and set up a call. I get on a call with the "ceo" of the company and it all goes pretty well. However, I've been recruited by an mlm before and know the signs. He was basically selling me a dream. He said that he has workers out there who will watch out for me, secure housing, visa, flights, scooter rental, etc. for a flat rate of $50...

$50???? For all that? I genuinely was shocked and literally asked him how his company makes money, and he told me that after 6 months of me working at a school, the principal of the school sends him some money for my "placement". Idk, still seems kind of sus, but whatever I still have nothing to lose so I kept proceeding.

We send emails back and forth, he asks me for a resume, and then tells me he's sending it to schools and whatnot. Cool! Except this man is making 3rd grade level typos in his emails, and he doesn't have an email signature or profile picture. I got curious just now and checked his LinkedIn, so he is definitely a real person with a college degree but it seems as though he's working for a different staffing agency entirely, but also founded this company... Idk

I read around and did some research and learned that these contracts with staffing agencies are complete doohickey and that they take a lot of your monthly salary, whilst simultaneously ignoring and ghosting you once you're in the country. That sounds horrible and I do not want to ever experience that.

So my question is - did I get duped? This must be BS right? and - how am I supposed to find a job without an agency? What are some good places to look?

Thanks yall

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Is this a possibility for US citizens or is it still basically inaccessible just like the EU? Primarily interested in the balkans and georgia.

Hello,

I'm 62, with a BEd, TESOL, lots of experience. Looking at Thailand, Vietnam, ...? I guess almost anywhere in Asia. I've been in Latin America, but the opportunities aren't that great, and turns out I really don't like the food... Also, people not that motivated towards learning as they are e.g. in Taiwan. Confucian vs Catholic cultures you might say.

I speak some Mandarin, lived in Taiwan back in the day. It's still an option I guess. As is China. But their system is so competitive, lots of burn-out apparently...

I know my age is factor, I'm getting filtered out of a lot of job searches, ok, fair enough I guess.

I'm thinking just to go there and applying locally and take my chances.

Is anyone up on the regulations and so on for visas in my situation? E.g. I believe there is a residency path in Thailand if you do three years with a work permit...

Thanks for useful info and informed perspectives

I've taught ESL for 9 years and have a tefl BUT I don't have a lot of money. Still, It's substantially more money than I had when I was teaching yet not enough to rent in the UK. I just want to live and work. I had an idea of going to Mexico.

I work for VUS and it seems like ever since Tet, classes (and pay, since pay is dependent on classes) have been drastically decreasing. A couple coworkers who have been here for years say they've never had so few classes. One relatively newer guy won't even be able to cover his living expenses with his class load so low. These aren't bad teachers either - multiple teachers at multiple branches have reported the exact same phenomenon going on. I can also say my own once good paycheck had also drastically gone down due to the offloading of classes.

Has anyone else in Vietnam noticed this at other companies or branches?

Bachelor in Business, U.S. citizen(white and female if that matters?), standard 120 hour TEFL, and no teaching experience. I am wanting to get a general idea of what a fair salary offer would be in Shanghai. I'm looking for something with the standard 8-9 hour shift, not a Uni gig with minimal hours. Thank you!

As stated in title: I teach an online 1-hour M-F class to a Korean first-year middle school student who is currently at the post-B1 level, I think he could handle B2 or C1 class content. Looking for a textbook recommendation with a focus on conversational skills.

I have been teaching him for four months and making daily lessons based on current topics in the news but would like to switch to a textbook.

Looking for something appropriate to his age (12) as most texts I've reviewed to date are focused on university students. Any recommendations welcome, thanks in advance. (crossposted to r/online_tefl)

I’ve read really mixed reviews on both, that CELTA is more standardized but also focuses more on adult learning and less on lesson planning. Which certification is more useful for Taiwan? I’m not sure if I prefer teaching children or adults. I’d rather choose the course that prepares me better, but it seems each course fits with different purposes.

A bit about me: • 26M from USA

• fluent in Spanish and Portuguese; I have tutored Spanish for 8 years a few hours a week, but this is just helping kids with homework, not with lesson planning

• I’m willing to travel to get a cheaper CELTA; for instance, Egypt’s is 40% of the American price

• I do love teaching and I want to do a good job, not just do whatever gets me certified

• I’m not bothered that CELTA gives you constructive criticism and I would hope that any instructor would tell me when I’m doing something wrong or could improve

Hey guys. 29y M from South Africa. I taught English and ICT in Cambodia for a year and have 12 months kindergarten experience in my home country.

I am looking for opportunities or websites that I can find jobs to teach in the Middle East without a degree. My qualifications are:

• TEFL 180Hr
• Paralegal Higher Cerificate graduate
• I.T and Systems level 2 completed
• currently a 3rd year LLB law degree student

Any help with be greatly appreciated!🫶

I'm interested in hearing from people who teach English without it being their native language. How did you go about it? Did you have any self-doubts?

My level of English is quite high; if I reviewed the important grammar points for a few weeks then I'm confident I'd get a C2 certification. I understand the slang and it's very rare that I have to look up a word. Nowdays, I use English much more than my own native language. That being said, I still feel like I'm at a disadvantage compared to native speakers as my pronounciation, even though it's pretty good, isn't perfect. I'm also afraid of messing up some prepositions once in a while, even if I get them right 98% of time.

PS - You might ask why don't I just teach my own native language; sadly we only have around one million speakers and a tiny country so there really isn't any great market for it.

New teacher here, I just got hired and will start next month. I talked to my sup about the expectation and they also told me that I need to find my own resource like students book, workbook, teacher's guide, etc. I was shocked that they don't have these resources but I can't quit rn since I don't have any options yet. Do you know anyone who has these kinds of resources? I'll be handling primary 1,2, and 3.

Hello all, I am a 28yr old, native English speaker with a degree and CELTA who has been teaching for 4 years. Does anyone know where to find information on or the names of any international schools or bilingual schools which allow teachers without a PGCE or masters.

Any help will be much appreciated and i will try to repay your kindness with a food or shop recommendation in saigon. Regards