Teaching abroad can be a very rewarding experience. You’re placed outside of your comfort zone — and often times, teaching in a foreign country where students speak a different language. You’ll learn things about yourself and grow as an educator, too. Countless teachers have told us that they are able to take what they’ve learned as educators abroad back to their home country. (Read more about this on our blog post about Angela and how teaching in Kazakhstan helped her succeed in the American classroom.) On top of that, you’ll find that you’ll have some amazing opportunities to travel as well.
Teaching abroad sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? “How do I find a teaching job abroad?” you may ask.
Here are the key steps that you should take to find a teaching job abroad:
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Understand what teaching jobs you qualify for, based on your qualifications.
You will need a Bachelor’s Degree at the minimum to teach. If you have a Bachelor’s Degree along with a valid teaching license issued by your regional teacher licensing authority, you will have a lot more options and can teach in certain regions including the Middle East. If you don’t have a teaching license, you can still teach! Be sure to check the requirements of each job posting, as an ESL certificate, such as a TEFL certificate, may be required. Chances are, you’ll be well-positioned to teach in Asian countries such as China, South Korea, and Thailand, after you have obtained your TEFL certification. Some positions may also need post-qualification teaching experience as well, but any teaching-related experience is a plus.
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Research countries that interest you and make a list of top 5 countries.
Now that you have a general sense of where you can go based on your educational background, do a little bit of research to find where specifically you’d like to go to teach abroad. Perhaps you have always wanted to travel to a specific country or you have visited a country in the past and loved it. There can be many reasons for why you want to teach in a particular country. Visit our “destinations” map to learn a bit more about the different countries and their culture and notable geographical information.
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Prepare your resume or CV and gather your certifications.
If you haven’t already, make sure your resume is up to date and highlights all your relevant experience and education. Check out this webinar recording on how to complete your teacher resume.
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Register for a Teach Away account.
If you haven’t already, applying for teaching positions through Teach Away is more reliable than flying out to a foreign country and applying for jobs when you’re there.This way, you’re able to apply from the comfort of your home — definitely less stressful than moving yourself and your whole family to a foreign country and trying to find a job! Register for a Teach Away account here and make sure you upload your resume you prepared in step 3 and carefully fill out all your information. You’ll want to take at least 30 minutes to ensure you have added everything.
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Search for teaching positions in your desired country and click “apply” on the jobs that interest you and that you qualify for.
Use our job board and the filter functions to find the right jobs for you. Make sure you read the job posting to see if you qualify for the position before clicking “apply”.
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Get ready for your interviews.
If you’re a candidate of interest, one of our placement coordinators will be in touch with you for a pre-screen interview conducted over phone or video call. Like any job interview, be sure to prepare so you can convey your answers confidently. If things go smoothly, you’ll advance to a second round of interviews, either virtually again, or in-person. Make sure you prepare for this interview too.
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Get that job offer!
At this point, you may be offered that teaching job overseas! Your Teach Away placement coordinator will liaise with you to prepare you before your big move.