Long-term Travel: Teaching English Abroad

Want to keep on traveling and even make a few bucks on the road?  Teaching English as a foreign language abroad can be a great way to get your travel fix while not completely going through your savings.

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Before you can start making money, you need to get a few things in order.  Generally speaking, the basic requirements for anyone wanting to teach English abroad includes the ability to speak fluent English, a TEFL certificate and often a university degree. You can, however, still teach English in some countries or schools without the TEFL certificate and/or degree, but your options (and probably pay) are greatly limited.

When deciding on a TEFL course, figure out where you most likely want to live and teach then look for courses offered in that area.  Even if the course doesn’t help with job placement, you’ll still benefit from already being in the area, understanding the culture and making connections.  Some popular destinations for teaching English are Cambodia, Spain and Colombia, among others.

Cambodia

While still very much a developing country, Cambodia is focusing more and more on providing strong English education to its students.  Like with any country, teaching jobs in Cambodia vary greatly from non profits and volunteer work, to government, private and language schools.

Many people interested in teaching in Cambodia are initially drawn to the cities of Siem Reap (where Angkor Wat is located) and Phnom Penh (the capitol).  While the pay not be as high as what you would be making back at home, living expenses are also much lower and foreign teachers can often live quite comfortably.

Spain

Who wouldn’t want to live in Spain and eat tapas every night?  English teachers are normally enlisted in January, September and October, and this might be the right time for you to schedule your visit to Spain. The contracts normally end in June, and you may opt to teach English during summer in the Summer English language camps.

Colombia

Colombia is an incredible tourist destination that also offers substantial amounts of TEFL jobs to foreign English teachers. Some popular cities including Santa Marta Barranquilla and Santiago de Cali Bucaramanga.  A TEFL or TESOL certificate usually cover the basic requirements. This English essay writing service combines teachers and students, while assisting last in academic writing.