Is Teaching English Overseas Appropriate for Me?
Will I be happy and successful working abroad?
This is one question that only you can answer, but I will provide some guidelines and questions here that will help you take a solid look at yourself and come to a good answer.
Life overseas is not for everyone. It is a life full of wonder and new experiences, but along with all that also come some new challenges and difficulties. Sometimes even simple problems easily solved “back home” can br quite difficult to sort out abroad. Just getting a driver’s license in some countries is probably equal to getting a bachelor’s degree.
What are the things to consider?
Do you have a family that you are responsible for? How would they feel about moving overseas and living in a foreign land? Things often don’t work well unless everyone is on the same team.
Do you have a spouse or partner? How would s/he feel about giving up their job? Will she be able to find work overseas? Is she interested in teaching English also?
Do you have children? How will you educate them while overseas? How might they feel about giving up their friends? Educating children while abroad can be a very expensive proposition. International schools charge huge fees for their (usually) corporate-sponsored families. School fees can easily exceed what the ordinary English teacher earns each month.
Do you have debts that must be paid while you are overseas? If so, choose your country carefully. In some counties it is easy to save US$1000 a month, in others you can live well on the local economy, but it will be difficult to save more than for a ticket “home” once a year.
Are there special medical issues for you or your family that must be considered? This is sometimes an easier issue to deal with abroad. Medicines and medical care in some countries can easily be only ten percent of what you might pay in a Western country. But, some countries won’t have the latest in cutting edge medical care and drugs. If you have chronic or complex medical issues, check with your physician first and double check what is available where you intend to go.
Do you have the financial reserves to return to your home country and re-establish yourself if things don’t work out? It is good to have a little emergency cushion, just in case.
Have you ever taught before – do you have any reason to believe that you might enjoy teaching English? Teaching is a “helping” profession, do you enjoy working with people?
Have you ever traveled or lived overseas before? Did you enjoy it? This isn’t a “have to” but it does help you know. I went to Africa at age 37 only having been across the border to Mexico for a few days. Wow! What a transition. But it worked out okay – for me. It might not for everyone.
Would you find the daily problems of living and working overseas frustrating – or a refreshing challenge? Life’s daily frustrations don’t go away just because you are living in another country.
This list is only a beginning – as individual as each person is – so are the questions that need to be answered in making this decision.
What qualities are needed to succeed?
My observation has been that people who succeed in TEFL overseas have the following characteristics and knowledge:
They have reasonable expectations about their new occupation and what it can and cannot provide for them.
They understand that their new country is not like their home country. Solutions to problems that work at home often don’t work overseas.
They realize that problems they had at home will probably also exist overseas.
They know they will have good days and bad days, just like back home.
They know they may experience good bosses, bad bosses, good jobs and bad jobs, just like back home.
They are flexible people who can roll with surprises and “punches” and can bounce back from a bad situation.
They are willing to work under different cultural expectations, willing to follow different cultural work rules.
They are not generally moody or depressed people.
They view their success as a personal challenge.
They spent a considerable amount of time researching their move, before they moved.
TED’s Tips™ #1: While it is useful to seek other’s opinions on these issues, listen to your heart. Is this something you really want to do? I had dreamed of living abroad for years and years before I finally made the move. It was in my heart to do it. If it had not been, I would not have survived those two years in Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
TED’s Tips™ #2: This doesn’t have to be a decision forever. If you find you hate it, you are still free to return home. Few things in life are totally irreversible.
Tags: teach English abroad, teach English overseas, Work Abroad, Work Overseas, working abroad, working overseas
Uncategorized | Ted | 
August 21, 2009 8:11 AM
RSS Subscribe
