Learn some tips and tools of the trade about teaching English in order to extend your trip abroad.
FrugalMonkey is dedicated to showing you how to travel cheaply, take advantage or find cheap travel deals as well as learn how you can extend your stay by working abroad.
Our advice is basically derived from the desire to tell you how you can travel as much as possible while spending as little as possible along the way. That way trips last longer and experiences are that much better. Thousands of expatriates (or those living in a foreign country – most commonly used to denote English speakers living abroad) turn to teaching English abroad in order to extend their stay and make money. While teaching English isn’t as easy as 1,2,3, we’ll give you the A,B,C’s about the main differences in teaching English while living in South America or Asia.
Expatriates commonly teach English as a second language. Or as its referred to in the industry, TESL. This type of English teaching commonly takes place in either Asia or South America where it is becoming more and more prevalent that businessmen and children have a command of the English language. As such, for young English-speaking adults, teaching English as a second language in South America or Asia is an excellent way to make money while also traveling and seeing the world.
Teaching English in Asia tends to be more lucrative than teaching in South America. With the large abundance of travelers in South America (because of its affordability) and the low rate of pay due to currencies in South America, teachers rarely make more than enough to pay rent and handle living expenses. Although, if you’re interested in hiking through Patagonia or learning Spanish while you teach others English, you won’t need much more than this modest salary. There are pay offs to living abroad other than making money after all. Luckily with the cost of living being so affordable, expatriates teaching English find that the salaries are usually enough to keep them afloat.
Asia however, boasts the ability to make thousands while teaching English. The tough part about this job is that it can be harder to procure than an English job in South America. Mainly because when the pay is higher, the qualifications a teacher must meet go up as well. If though, you are an education major, have any formal training in grammar or have experience teaching, you are among the lucky few who will have an easier time finding an English-teaching job in Asia.
The pay here will be higher and many teachers find that after a few months of teaching their bank accounts are doing better than they previously thought possible.
Teaching jobs in Asia can be more demanding as well, and there is typically less time to dedicate to travel than for teachers in South America who work closer to 20 hour work weeks. Another big difference in teaching English between the two locations are qualifications. Teaching certificates and training are often considered more important in Asia teaching than in South America. If you have a masters degree and previous experience you have your pick of nearly any teaching job, however if you know little about teaching or have no experience, your best bet if you want the higher paying jobs in Asia is to procure a teaching certificate or undergo some training while you are there.
Teaching English can be a great way to meet people, see the world, make friends in a new city and segue into other working or teaching jobs. It also is an excellent and popular way to sustain living expenses during your time abroad and is an experience you will surely remember for a lifetime. Check out FrugalMonkey for more information on living abroad and teaching English as well as related sites such as JobMonkey, where employers post for English teaching jobs regularly!
