I’ve spent years talking with thousands of people all over the world. From these conversations, I’ve discovered fears that keep people from taking a year to teach English abroad.
Here are 5 of the most common myths that shouldn’t stop you from teaching English abroad.
Myth 1: I need to have a background in education or teaching for anyone to hire me
The Truth: You don’t need a teaching degree. You don’t need much of anything, really. I’ve met people from all walks of life who teach overseas. Guys and girls. Old and young. MBA grads to art majors to an 18 year old kid with NO experience straight out of high school. 50 year old middle managers in corporate America. Drama teachers. Actual teachers.
Many people get teaching jobs with NO prior experience teaching. All you need is a four year degree, a heartbeat, and English as your native language.
To make yourself feel comfortable, you can also get a “Teaching English in a Foreign Language” (TEFL) degree online. This is essentially a certificate program that teaches you to teach. It only takes about 40 hours over a weekend and you can do it online for cheap.
Myth 2: I don’t have the adventurous spirit, courage, or adaptability to make this happen
The Truth: You don’t need one. The schools help you with nearly everything. They will help you find a place to live, get a bank account setup and a visa. Also, the other teachers usually help you navigate the local culture, bringing you to local events to meet other people and make new friends.
Of course there will be a few road bumps or confusions along the way but that’s what also makes this process so fun and rewarding. Many of my best stories happen when I deviate from my set ‘plan.’
Myth 3: I don’t have the money right now to afford the cost of moving overseas
The Truth: The fact is, there are only three major expenses moving overseas: a plane ticket, living expenses to get started, and a visa.
Depending on the country, often you can get round trip airfare from your home country paid for by the school. And you can also usually get an advance on your first month’s salary. That way you can cover the expenses of getting a place to live without worrying about how to pay for it.
And sometimes schools even help with the cost of a Visa. (They’re only about $100.) In reality, there aren’t a lot of associated costs to move abroad that you can’t get covered by the school when you decide to teach overseas.
Myth 4: I don’t speak a foreign language so I can’t live in another country
The Truth: You don’t need to. I didn’t. Nor did my friends. Nor do most people teaching abroad. In most countries, you’ll find people speak a basic level of English where you can get the basics down. Many countries have signs in both the local language and English, especially if you’re going to a city with a lot of tourists. Speaking a second language is always a bonus….but it isn’t a requirement to teach abroad.
Myth 5: I don’t know where to even begin
The Truth: This is the place to start. Seriously. You can spend hours and hours researching online, but I’ve yet to find a place that covers EVERYTHING from A to Z about teaching English overseas. I created this TEFL website so people don’t have to feel the struggle of being overwhelmed by lack of direction of where to begin. If you’re feeling lost, this is the place to be for the best, most accurate, up-to-date information about landing your first job teaching overseas.