Finding an ESL Job: 10 Steps to Teaching English Abroad

Do you want to teach English abroad? Here are 10 steps many ESL teachers take when preparing to teach English overseas.

Step 1. Complete a Self Inventory
Step 2. Research, Research, Research
Step 3. Get Qualified to Teach Abroad
Step 4. Representing Yourself
Step 5. Prepare for the Interview Process
Step 6. Negotiate and Sign a Contract
Step 7. Prepare to Teach and Travel Abroad
Step 8. Dealing with Culture Shock
Step 9. Starting Your Time Abroad
Step 10: Teaching Your First Day of Class

Step 1. Complete a Self Inventory

Teaching English abroad is a great way to experience a new culture while gaining a new unique perspective on life. Reasons for teaching English overseas vary depending on the person. Completing a self inventory and determining the reasons behind your decision to teach abroad will help with determining your ideal ESL job. This process may also identify potential obstacles to overcome. Begin the process of teaching English abroad by identifying your strengths and weaknesses.

• Do you enjoy teaching?
• Are you eager to learn and experience new cultures?
• Do you wish to learn a new language?
• Do you want to share the culture and language of your native country with others?
• Do you want to expand and enhance your current teaching resume?
• Are you excited by the notion of meeting new people?
• Do you want to travel and explore?
• Are you open to embracing new perspectives and cultures?
• Do you wish to save money and pay student debts?

Determining your individual competencies and goals with an honest self inventory will allow you to discover an ESL job that fits.

TOP

Step 2. Research, Research, Research

Oxford Seminars graduates teach English around the world; so, you must decide where in the world you want to teach. You should do some research to narrow down your choices to a few select countries. Teachers who are open-minded tend to have more options to choose from.

Why Research?
Researching will allow you to develop a good understanding of potential ESL markets around the world and the skills, experience, and education needed to find teaching jobs in these choice regions. Each country has its own minimum requirements, demands, and other considerations. Investing the time early in the process will allow you to gain a better understanding of how to present yourself to prospective employers.

Questions to Ask During Your Research

• Do I meet the minimum requirements to teach in this country?
• Does this country require a visa and if so, how difficult is it to get one?
• Do I meet the inoculation and health requirements of this country?
• Does this country have a strong ESL market?
• Does the average teaching salary of this country work with my lifestyle?
• What is social, political, and economic picture of this country, and how will this affect me?
• Does this country interest me; can I envision myself living there for an extended period of time?

Time spent looking for the relevant information will help you gain valuable perspective on your upcoming ESL job search. You will have goals rooted with realistic expectations.

Use the Internet
The Internet will offer a good understanding of a desired country and its ESL market. Communicate with ESL teachers already working overseas via blogs, forums, Facebook, and other online social media tools. Speak with a knowledgeable Oxford Seminars Course Advisor or attend an upcoming free information session.

Recommended Online Resources

Oxford Seminars’ Country Information
Oxford Seminars' Country Information offers an overview of countries around the world. The information covers areas of interest such as typical contract lengths, peak hiring seasons, additional benefits included in teaching contracts, and other information relevant to a specific region. The Country Information also includes comprehensive essays discussing what it is like to live in a specific country. The reports offer valuable information such as the typical ESL teaching salary, tips on finding a job, information on how to travel in the country, tips on obtaining a visa, and other practical information.

Dave’s ESL Café
Dave’s ESL Café is one of the Internet’s more well-known resources for those interested in teaching English abroad. The site features lessons, forums, ESL job boards, and plenty of other resources.

Lonely Planet
The Lonely Planet website provides information about living in countries around the world. The content provided by Lonely Planet mostly focuses on the living conditions within a specific country.

TOP

Step 3. Get Qualified to Teach Abroad

It is common to find that most schools require their ESL teachers to have some form of certification. You need to find a course that offers a certification which is known to English language schools around the world and will equip you with the skills you need to teach English overseas.

Picking the Right Certification Course
Not all TESOL/TESL/TEFL courses advertised are of the same quality. For example, online and correspondence courses that do not include a teaching practicum will not properly prepare you for teaching abroad. Moreover, many courses don’t meet the standards or the required in-class hours for international recognition.

In-Class Exposure
TESOL/TESL/TEFL certification courses vary in content and time spent in the classroom, with some (mostly online courses) having no “in-class” exposure. Oxford Seminars' 60-hour course covers the components that legitimate ESL schools require such as second language acquisition, lesson planning, teaching English grammar, vocabulary techniques, Multiple Intelligence Theory, testing and evaluating, and other elements which will make you an effective ESL teacher.

Oxford Seminars' 60-hour Teacher Training Certification Course includes:

• Convenience The course is held on weekends, and is offered on college campuses in over 130 locations throughout the US and Canada.View upcoming Locations & Dates
• Instructors Course Instructors are dynamic, experienced, and bring a wide range of international teaching experience to the classroom.
• AffordableThe course is priced competitively at $1095 and includes all course materials, ESL Teaching Resources, full access to the English Language Schools Directory, and six months of free Teacher Placement Service.  Various discounts are available, including $100 off if you enroll and pay in full 28 days prior to the start of a course, $50 off if you enroll with a friend, and $50 off if you enroll and pay in full at a free information session.
• Interactive Teaching Practicum Students are responsible for designing and presenting an interactive ESL teaching practicum. This practicum provides students with the ideal opportunity to practice many of their newly acquired ESL teaching skills.

Learn more about how Oxford Seminars provides graduates with internationally recognized TESOL/TESL/TEFL certification by attending a Free Information Sessions, or by contacting a knowledgeable Course Advisor at 1-800-779-1779.

TOP

Step 4. Representing Yourself

You have now finished your certification course, and are ready to begin your ESL job search by developing an ESL-centered resume and cover letter. These documents offer a crucial first impression of you to prospective employers.

Sell Yourself
It is important to write a resume that sells you to employers. Keep your documents simple, and highlight your education and certifications. Do not overload your resume with irrelevant information; only include information relevant to the position. Oxford Seminars' course reviews strategies for creating effective resumes tailored to ESL teaching positions, and tips for presenting yourself well in interviews for ESL positions.

Components of an ESL-Centered Resume

• Elements Related to Teaching ESL
  ESL teachers need to provide information about their country/year of birth, citizenship, and first language. ESL-specific resumes typically include a headshot.
• Education
  All resumes should include a breakdown of your education.
• Certification
  Your TESOL/TESL/TEFL certification will be an important element of your resume. Oxford Seminars graduates have found success by highlighting the important elements of their certification course
• Work Experience
  Outline your previous work experience, and place a priority on jobs related to ESL and leadership.

Upon completion of the Oxford Seminars TESOL/TESL/TEFL Certification Course, the Teacher Placement Service will review your resume and cover letter, and make any necessary suggestions. Once your final draft is completed, your Course Advisor will send your resume and cover letter to the contacts they have in your countries of choice.

TOP

Step 5. Prepare for the Interview Process

Your resume/cover letter have been sent to schools and recruiters, and you are beginning to hear back from them. The school’s director will now ask you for a telephone interview. The phone interview is where you have the opportunity to prove that you are a native English speaker or possess the skills of a native English speaker.

Interview Tips

• Speak clearly and avoid pausing.
• Answer questions within a few sentences without overloading the response with unnecessary details.
• Be grammatically correct with your answers.
• Keep a positive tone of voice throughout the interview.
• When discussing previous experiences and/or education, use real-life examples.
• Make it clear through the interview that you are excited about the prospect of teaching English abroad.
• Be aware that you may be speaking with an ESL speaker and as such, choose simple, clear vocabulary.

Your Job Search Advisor would be happy to give you additional interview tips and answer any questions you may have about the process.

TOP

Step 6. Negotiate and Sign a Contract

Once resumes have been sent and interviews have been conducted, ESL teachers will begin to receive employment offers along with proposed contracts. As exciting as it is to receive a job offer, it is still important to take time to investigate the offer.

Invest the Time
Proper time and effort must be spent reviewing a contract before it’s signed. If you have prior teaching experience or are an accredited teacher, don’t be afraid to negotiate your salary and hours - you deserve to be compensated for your credentials. If this is your first teaching experience, make sure you know what the standard of pay is for that particular country and that your contract adheres to it.

Ask Questions
Read over your contract thoroughly. Ask questions to ensure that you are clear on every aspect of the contract. Get a second opinion. Ask to speak to current teachers at the school and get their opinion before signing.

Be Realistic
It is important to keep in mind that you should only negotiate those things on which you are not willing to compromise. Should you appear to be demanding, your application could be set aside in favor of another candidate.

Things to Watch For

• Split shifts
• Unpaid holidays
• Sick days
• Reimbursement for airfare
• Overtime
• Accommodations
• Key money (mainly in Japan)
• Transportation
• Preparation Time
• Extracurricular activities
• Healthcare
• Holidays
• Transportation from airport

Contract negotiations can be tricky, and now is the time to begin your six months of free Teacher Placement Service. Send your full name, exactly as it appears on your certificate, where and when you completed the certification course, and your top three countries of choice to initiate@oxfordseminars.com.

TOP

Step 7. Prepare to Teach and Travel Abroad

You have now been offered a teaching position overseas and have signed your contract. This is usually a very busy and exciting time for ESL teachers. Many find that spending time doing research about the country gives some insight on how to prepare and can alleviate future stresses such as culture shock.

Visit Oxford Seminars' Country Information for detailed reports on your future teaching destination.

A Few Things to Consider:

• If needed, shop around and purchase an airplane ticket.
• Visit a local health clinic and have the appropriate vaccinations done.
• You will be required to file taxes when you return home. It is important to contact the IRS before leaving. ESL teachers are often required to pay taxes in both countries. You have several tax options that should be explored before you leave. Find someone you trust to help manage your finances.
• Learn common phrases in your new country’s native language.
• Study the transit system of the area you are moving.
• Decide what to pack and pack light.

For a complete list of things to do before travelling abroad, see the Preparing to Go Checklist.

TOP

Step 8. Dealing with Culture Shock

Many ESL teachers go through some degree of culture shock upon arriving in another country. Culture shock is a natural and temporary feeling. This can create a sense of nervousness and general uneasiness for someone arriving in an unfamiliar environment. Learning and understanding a country’s culture and etiquettes in advance can help prepare you and alleviate some of these stresses.  Visit Country Information to learn more about a specific country.

Spending time researching your country of interest is an excellent way to lessen the effect of culture shock. Many ESL teachers find that it is part of the experience of teaching English abroad. Culture Shock and how to deal with it are discussed during the Oxford Seminars TESO/TESL/TEFL Certification Course.

 

TOP

Step 9. Starting Your Time Abroad

Finally, you have arrived overseas to begin teaching. This is both an exciting and overwhelming time for many.

First Day Overseas

• Familiarize yourself with the local transit and/or apply for a local driving license. You may also want to consider getting an international driver’s license before leaving your home country.
• Learn the area and locate hospitals, markets, and/or grocery stores.
• Ensure that you have access to banking services.
• Set up telephone and/or Internet service; this will allow for communication to loved ones back home.
• Inform friends and family of your new mailing address.
• Relax and enjoy yourself!

Oxford Seminars Job Search Advisors have assisted in placing thousands of graduates in ESL jobs around the world and have background knowledge of what you can expect upon arriving overseas.

TOP

Step 10: Teaching Your First Day of Class

This is the moment you have worked so hard for; your first day teaching in an ESL classroom. A teacher’s first day in the classroom can be both an exciting and nerve-wracking experience. Many ESL teachers find that they learn a lot by simply observing how students and teachers interact with one another. It is best to spend some time learning about the school’s procedures and begin to understand your responsibilities. Be sure to spend the time needed to properly prepare for upcoming lessons and ensure your lesson plans fit the needs of your students. 

The Oxford Seminars TESOL/TESL/TEFL Certification Course provides students with a realistic picture of what to expect during their first week in an ESL classroom and how to make the first week overseas a less stressful experience.

Have fun!

 TOP