Teaching English abroad is one of the best ways to travel. Not only do you get to see the world and become part of a foreign community, you also get to educate people and give them the chance to travel, too.
To teach English abroad you need a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) qualification. Once you have your qualification, you’ll have to start thinking about where in the world you want to put it into practice.
Four Places to Teach English:
South Korea
Delicious food, beautiful temples, luxury items, and a rich culture have made South Korea a traveller’s favourite. The booming economy and passion for education also make South Korea one of the most lucrative places to teach English abroad.
Housing is provided for teachers, your flight out will be reimbursed, and often you will be given an extra month’s salary once your contract is over. You can use this to fly home or to spend on exploring the rest of Asia. As South Korea is one of the most expensive Asian countries, you’ll certainly benefit from your generous teacher’s salary.
Rio de Janeiro
Run through the nuances of English pronunciation by day, and party until your feet hurt by night. Rio de Janeiro is an international hub for language teaching, so you’re bound to meet other English teachers to spend your weekends and evenings with.
Get active and try your hand at paragliding off Sugarloaf Mountain, or just spend a few lazy hours on the picture postcard beaches. With the 2014 World Cup coming up next year, and the Olympics in 2016, Rio is about to get a lot more exciting.
Oman
The Gulf Arab states are another great place to teach English, and one of the most exciting is Oman. Oman is a country brimming with interesting culture and history, and there’s no better way to discover it than by living and working with locals. At the weekend you can do a good spot of travelling. Look into hotels in Muscat and spend some time discovering the grandiose architecture of the capital city. You can find hotel deals online to make your money go further, although the booming economy of the Gulf means that you’ll probably be earning a very good salary.
Andalucia
Andalucia is arguably one of the most vibrant areas of Spain. Located in the south, the summer temperatures can often soar above forty degrees Celsius: making it the land of siestas.
Granada is one of the last places where you can still get free tapas in the bars, while Seville has been the subject of literature and plays for generations. Perhaps the most exciting part of working in Andalucia for a language teacher is cutting through the thick accent. Faster and more exaggerated than regular Spanish, any linguist will enjoy getting to know the nuances and of course as a member state of the European Union Spain affords EU citizens the right to work in the country with ease.