Top 10 Things to Motivate You to Teach English Abroad

Teaching English abroad is an adventure that over 200,000 English speaking people go on every year, to various parts of the world where people want to speak English. It is estimated that up to 500 million people are currently trying to learn English, and you can be part of this booming economy. If you’ve ever considered teaching English overseas jobs but aren’t completely sure what the benefits would be, allow us to convince you! 1. You can immerse yourself in new cultures. Going to work and live in a completely new part of the world will open you up to a whole host of new experience, enjoying things like new food and drink, arts, music and histories. 2. You can meet new types of people. When working abroad you will meet some of the most interesting and exciting people of your life from all different places, cultures and backgrounds. 3. You can make new friends. Some of the strongest friendships come about when travelling, working or living abroad, since you are all sharing new, exciting experiences together. 4. You can get work experience. Working abroad looks great to future employers, since it shows initiative, courage and the ability to overcome tough challenges on your own. 5. You can develop new skills for the future. Not just work experience, but you can also develop important skills quickly when teaching English overseas. Independence, problem solving skills and perseverance are all greatly enhanced by working abroad. 6. You can find a new confidence. Living in another country is difficult enough, but teaching English abroad is something which will develop your confidence hugely. Overcoming problems like finding somewhere to live in a strange environment, organising work placements and even just day to day living overseas will all leave you a much stronger, more confident character. Even just getting qualified at a Tefl Academy with your TEFL qualification will be a huge boost. 7. You can earn money. With most TEFL teaching contracts only requiring 20-25 hours per week but still providing a very competitive salary, you can earn (and even save) money in a job teaching English overseas. If you choose somewhere with a fairly low cost of living, as many TEFL teachers do, you will be in a very good position by the end of your contract! 8. You can have more flexibility than regular jobs. TEFL contracts are fairly flexible in that the hours are low and the contracts are usually short term up to a year. This means you don’t experience that regular feeling of being tied to an office desk! 9. You can travel at same time. If you are more interested in travelling than working, you can teach in towns and cities as and when you arrive. But even if you find a permanent contract in one location, the low amount of hours means you can still travel. 10. You can make a difference to students. Probably the most important point here is the fact that you can make a difference in the lives of your students, teaching them English and valuable skills at the same time.