Can’t quite get the idea of finding teaching English as a second language jobs abroad? We can’t blame you. Your feed is constantly filled with gorgeous moments from TEFLers currently abroad… and do you want to know a little secret?
Their lives beyond their Instagram posts are just as beautiful, fun, meaningful, and adventurous as the snaps you get to see.
Stop double-tapping the life you wish to live and start living it yourself. Here are five fabulous reasons why you want to teach English as a second language abroad.
5 reasons why teaching English as a second language abroad rocks
Why teach English as a second language abroad?
1. It’s an adventure
As you look around your life—your community, your friends, the people you pass on the street—you might see a lot of… monotony.
There is a time in life for surviving the typical 9-5 grind or putting your nose down to fast track your career.
There is also a time in life when you should throw caution to the wind, experience life in a foreign country, make friends from all around the world, make a difference in real people’s lives, and have a blast. Becoming an English as a second language teacher will gift you an extraordinary life.
2. You’ll be sharing an important skill
Out of the world’s approximately 7.5 billion inhabitants, 1.5 billion speak English — that’s 20% of the Earth’s population.
Further, HBR puts it best: “Like it or not, English is the global language of business.”
Students of all ages and capabilities can drastically improve their future prospects if they’re able to improve their English language skills. When you’re teaching English as a second language abroad, you’re giving them unparalleled access to not only your accent, cadence, and tone of voice, but also the opportunity to speak and hear more “natural” sounding English than any VHS tape can replicate.
Do your part for the world. Help eager students level up their English skills and look to their future with more hope and positivity.
3. The salary ain’t bad
Correction: won’t be bad (good job, teach!).
Your teaching English as a second language salary can not only earn you the big bucks, it can help you pay off debt (*shakes fist at student loans*) or even get a headstart on your future mortgage deposit.
If you’re smart and strategic in your job selection, you could be calling a destination with a low cost of living “home” while making a pretty penny. Even in “break-even” destinations (like Latin America or Africa), you’ll still be able to make financially-sound decisions within your teaching English as a second language salary.
4. The skills are transferable
People who snag teaching English as a second language jobs abroad have their work cut out for them when it comes to career and competitive skill-building. Just think of all the ways that teachers must show up for their students.
You’ll have excellent planning skills, not to mention emotional sensitivity towards others. You’ll excel at evaluating decisions on the fly and working well within a standardized criteria. Facilitating participation is in the bag, and your flexibility and collaborative nature will set you up for success, no matter what your future role. And we haven’t even started to scratch the surface of your communication skills, ability to present to audiences, and comfort working independently. 
5. Getting certified is affordable and easy
In order to find the most secure, legit jobs abroad and to do your best in your new role, we recommend that all future English as a second language teachers abroad do themselves (and their students) a favor by getting TEFL certified.
Lucky for you, TEFL courses are fairly easy to come by. Unfortunately, quality varies significantly between organizations, which is why we’ve written this awesome guide on differentiating between O-K and GREAT TEFL providers.
If you’re not keen on doing an in-person course or moving abroad quite yet, we highly recommend that you refine your search to only include virtual course options. That’s right, there are even ways that you can earn your teaching English as a second language certification online. Incredible!
The low barrier to entry and the benefits certification yields to future English as a second language teachers makes us want to shout about these opportunities from the rooftops even more loudly!
Why teach English as a second language? Why NOT??
We’re just scratching the surface—there are probably hundreds of more reasons to teach English as a second language abroad. Grow your career and have rich life experiences (without going broke) as an English as a second language teacher abroad. We’ll see you there!
Get Your Teaching English as a Second Language Certification Online
The post Why Teach English as a Second Language Abroad? appeared first on Premier TEFL.
