Seoul, South Korea. Photo by Trey Ratcliff, licensed by Creative Commons.
So you’ve made the decision to Teach English Abroad. Welcome! The following 10 places are among the best in the world for finding work, making a living, and having a great time doing it!
10. Brazil
Brazil’s effort to internationalize yields many opportunities to teach English, in both business and traditional school settings. However, you must have a lot of patience to legally obtain a work visa. CEL LEP and Alumni School are good places to start looking.
9. Saudi Arabia
The Middle East is where you will find some of the highest paying jobs offered for native English speaking teachers. This is not for the faint of heart; you must be interested in life in the Middle East and well versed in cultural differences to appreciate the experience. Bayt Recruiting is a good job reference.
8. Italy
Cheap travel and fantastically inexpensive gourmet food are just some of the benefits of living in Italy. There is, however, an annoying amount of red tape. It is recommended to go through a TESOL online certification program in which the school you are paying guarantees you job placement.
For a list of recommended programs, visit Transitions Abroad .
7. Thailand
Thailand is as close as you get to paradise. The American University Alumni (AUA) Language Center, the oldest and largest language school in Thailand with almost 400,000 graduates, is a nonprofit school with an excellent reputation in the country. The AUA is always looking for TESOL teachers.
6. Japan
Asian nations are practically begging for English teachers and you can find work via the Internet quickly. Most recruit year round, and provide successful applicants with visa sponsorship, apartment, partially-paid national insurance, etc.
The largest schools in Japan are with AEON. You can also find work with JET or The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program.
5. Russia
Old stereotypes of an economic system fueled by vodka and general lawlessness have made native English teachers scarce in Russia. The demand for teachers far exceeds the supply, making it easy to gain employment with the benefits of visa support, accommodations and often airfare reimbursement.
The largest schools in the area are BKC International and English First are by far the best places to find employment.
4. China
With great compensation packages including salary, apartment, visa sponsorship and sometimes airfare, China is becoming a popular choice for English teachers. Journey East offers links to internships, paid positions and other information.
3. Mexico
If you’re looking for sun and comfort, Mexico is the place to be. In general, the minimum academic requirement for English teaching positions in Mexico is a university degree and a TESOL certificate.
Jobs are difficult to find pre-entry, but are plentiful upon arrival. One option is to look for work in a University. If you have any teaching experience, this is the way to go. Visit ESL Employment for more details.
2. South Korea
Offering many perks such as airfare, housing, insurance benefits, decent salaries and a low cost of living, South Korea offers the ability to travel and make good money. A good place to start is the job board at Dave’s ESL Cafe. Contracts are usually for 1 year and a bachelor’s degree is required.
1. Czech Republic
Chosen for its idyllic location, amazing scenery, high demand and relative ease of entry, the Czech Republic—specifically Prague—is the traveler’s dream come true. The Prague Post, a weekly English language newspaper, is the best place to look for possibilities from home.
One final note: if you don’t get the salary, housing options and benefits that you are seeking, politely negotiate, or decline.
Editor’s Note: Since the original publication of this post (9 Jan 2008) we’ve created a new blog Matador Study, dedicated to study and teaching abroad programs and opportunities. Please check it out for more in-depth profiles and resources.
Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.
20 Comments... join the discussion!
-
-
If you are a native English speaker looking to teach in some of the countries above it may be worth your while checking out our website at http://www.linguaphonegroup.com/ as we have licensed partners in over 20 countries in the world who are always looking for eager new teachers! Good luck!
↵ -
Great article. Very informative!
↵ -
Solid! I can personally recommend JET - a really high-class program run by the Japanese government.
↵ -
Great post! Would love to see this expanded even more too.
↵ -
Taiwan is ahead of Korea, China, and Japan. Few places (no place?) can match Taiwan’s cost of living vs. pay ratio. You should check this out.
↵ -
I’ve spent the last five years travelling and teaching in NZ and Europe. I have to say it’s much more fun finding a company that’ll send you places than signing those terrible 6+ month contracts!
↵ -
what companies send you places to teach? i would like more info on them if you have it.
↵ -
great list. and they pay very good in japan as far as i know
↵ -
I totally agree with the Taiwan comment. Too bad people don’t know enough about hidden parts of the world to include them on a list.
↵ -
Please don’t say more about Taiwan. We don’t want loads of foreigners making a bum rush over here.
↵ -
If you are looking for an opportunity abroad teaching English. Have a look at TeslJobs.com.
It’s free!
You never need to register and has hundreds of postings monthly.↵ -
Your next post should be about teaching italian abroad, because I’m not that good at english…
What’s the red tape you talk about when writing of Italy?
↵ -
This is mt dream, what are the best programs to go through? Does anyone know?
↵ -
Those who are interested in teaching abroad should check Dave’s ESL Cafe out. There are lots of useful stuff and experienced people.
↵ -
In Korea, the GEPIK program is a good way to get started. It’s in the province that surrounds Seoul (Gyeonggi), so usually you’re only a subway ride from the city, and since it’s run by the government, they honor the contract. Hagwons (private language academies) are hit or miss. Some are great, some fire you without paying. Be sure and find a reputable recruiter if you go the language academy route.
Busan is a city not on most people’s radar, since most end up in Seoul. But having visited there a few times, I like it more than Seoul, and could definitely see myself teaching there. Besides, it’s only a 2 hour train ride to the capital if you need a bigger city on the weekends…although Busan is plenty big!
↵ -
I was just looking for some information about this! Great post!
↵ -
I strongly disagree with the inclusion of Saudi - unless you are after money exclusively and are experienced and informed. For the past two years I have enjoyed life in Bahrain and currently in Dubai, but Saudi is a whole different situation. I DO NOT recommend ESL teaching there unless you are already accustomed to life in the middle east, the local “ways” including what it means to be under strict Sharia law.
(This is not a condemnation of the Saudi people - those that I have had the pleasure of meeting are kind and generous, my intention is simply to inform westerners to do *in depth* research before signing a contract in Saudi.)
↵ -
Thanks for this post — I’m looking to teach English abroad after I graduate (seeing as I probably can’t find a writing job that pays haha).
↵
