Teaching Jobs Overseas
What You Need to Know!!

Why not consider teaching jobs overseas?

You've gone through 5 or more years, getting your university undergraduate degree and your teacher's college certificate and now you're ready and excited to start your career in this great profession.

One problem! There's lots of competition out there and too few teaching jobs. What now? Don't be discouraged. It may take a while but there are some exciting possibilities in teaching overseas.

Or perhaps, with one or two years of teaching experience under your belt, you're looking for some new and exciting teaching experiences.

If you have had some teaching experience teaching overseas and would like to share it, your teaching colleagues would be most appreciative. Just click here to tell your story

Peter Cory, who has spent many years teaching in South Korea, explains why teaching English abroad is a priceless experience. Click here as Peter gives some valuable insight into "one of the greatest opportunities available to new teachers".

Carly offers some invaluable insights based on her year of

teaching in South Korea . This page is a MUST read.

Be sure to read about Joyce's experience teaching English in Hong Kong

and get some very valuable tips on teaching English in Russia from Martin.

Teaching Jobs Overseas - What Are Some Benefits?

1. Traveling around the world, taking a year (more or less), and living in some distant country, that you always wanted to visit, be it in Europe, Asia, Australia, Central or South America.

2. Learning the language, culture and customs of people from another country and culture.

3. Making new friends in the local country as well as from other countries around the world, who like yourself have come to take overseas teaching jobs.

4. Picking up valuable teaching experience which will look great on your resume.

5. Working with underprivileged young children in a developing country.

Finding The Right Type of School

There are several different types of schools (each with positives and negatives to consider):

* International schools organized by government or private corporations to serve citizens of their own countries. For example, The U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. State Department operate many schools in many countries for the benefit of American citizens and military personnel working in foreign countries.

* Public schools where you teach local children usually in conjunction with a local teacher. The growing demand for teaching English as a second language (ESL) in many foreign countries, has created a large demand for teachers from English speaking countries. Class sizes may range up to 50 students per class, many more than at a private or international school.

* Private schools are where the wealthier parents send their children to school. They are similar to public schools, but since parents pay more for their child's education, classes are smaller, more teaching resources are available, expectations are higher and foreign teachers must meet higher requirements to land a job here.

Teaching Jobs Overseas - How Do You Find Out About Them?

There are several ways to find out about the different opportunities and locations for teaching jobs overseas.

* Word of mouth and then applying directly to the school.

* Recruiting fairs.

* Recruiting agencies.

* Websites helping teachers looking for overseas teaching positions.

Teaching Jobs Overseas - Other Considerations

Whatever your personal reasons and goals are for considering teaching jobs overseas, there are many things you will need to investigate before making the right decision.

The requirements you need to be able to teach in different countries or even from school to school within the same country can vary substantially. For example getting teaching jobs overseas in Asia will be much easier than in western Europe, where you are required to be a EU citizen.

Here's a list of items you'll need to check out:

1. Teacher Qualifications - International schools have higher qualification requirements that either public or private schools. English fluency, a Bachelor's degree and teaching certificate from an accredited university, and a minimum of two years experience are usually required.

Other nice-to-haves include some knowledge in the local language and some overseas teaching experience.

Teacher requirements for public schools are much less stringent, teaching experience is not required and in some cases even a teaching certificate is not required. But be careful about accepting a teaching position where your salary is barely above your cost of living and working conditions are difficult.

2. Location - When deciding on a country you might like to teach in be sure to consider the following:

* Outside Interests and Activities - Teach in a country that is suited to the activities you enjoy doing, for example, snow skiing in Western European countries in the Alps or scuba diving in Thailand, Burma and Indonesia ( I hear its the best).

* Cultural Interests - If your interests lie in learning about and living among people of a different culture. China, (in my opinion) would be a very interesting country to experience. Be aware of any cultural differences; for example, the treatment of women in many Asian and Middle east countries is certainly different than in most North American and European countries. In any case be sure to select a country whose customs and culture suit your comfort level.

3. Contract Commitment - Different schools require commitments for different lengths of time, anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. You may be on the hook to reimburse the school for their expenses if you decide not to meet the commitment. So decide on the time you wish to be away or select a school where a commitment is not required.

4. Income - Money should not be your main reason for teaching overseas. You won't get rich. But, when considering the salary that you will be paid, remember that your residual income after you deduct living expenses (housing and food) and taxes (Tax rates differ among countries)is what really counts.

Be sure to find out about the rules within your own country for paying taxes on income earned outside the country.

Don't forget to factor in any bonus pay you may receive at the completion of your contract, included airfare, medical insurance and other perks that your employer may provide.

5. Working Conditions/Environment - This would include:

* Hours per day and per week that you will be asked to teach. Normally you get your weekends off.

* Class size - Public school classes may have up to 50 students, while private and international classes are much smaller.

* Vacation time - International schools may offer more frequent and long breaks, ideal for touring the country.

* Social Activities - How many other teachers from your country and foreign teachers typically work at the school? What clubs, associations, activities are in the vicinity to help you develop friendships?

6. Language - Become more fluent in the language of the country you're going to.

Teaching jobs overseas can be very rewarding and exciting experiences, but as you can see there are many things to consider before deciding on the job to take. They key is proper preparation and listening to the experiences of others. .

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