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The Best ESL Teaching Jobs

February 24th, 2009

I’ve always wanted to travel the world and visit exotic places, but since I’m just a couple years out of college, I really don’t have the funds to do so right now. I’m still paying off student loans and trying to save a little money for a rainy day, but it’s tough to do with the entry-level salary that I’m currently on. So when a friend of mine announced that he was going to move to China to teach English for a year, I asked him a bunch of questions about ESL teaching jobs and decided I needed to have a similar adventure.

I did some more research online about ESL teaching jobs around the world, just to make sure this was something I could get into. I was encouraged to learn that no special certification or training is necessary to teach English as a Second Language; instead, most prospective employers simply require that the applicant have a Bachelor’s degree (any major is ok), a valid passport, and is a native English speaker. Since I qualify on all those points, I began looking through listings of ESL teaching jobs in earnest.

Asian countries seem to have the most ESL teaching jobs available, with China, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand leading the way. But the demand for English teachers is also picking up in places like Spain, the Czech Republic, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and all throughout South America. It would be amazing to spend a year or more in any of those exotic destinations — all while getting paid good money to teach English for an average of 30 hours a week. Plus, I’d be able to use my weekends and other free time to explore these fabulous countries… Are ESL teaching jobs the best-kept secret out there, or what!

Of course, the prospect of packing up my whole life and moving halfway across the world is a bit scary, but my research into ESL teaching jobs showed me that most employers go out of their way to make the transition as easy as possible. For example, most positions come with a subsidized housing provision so I don’t have to worry about looking for a place to stay. In addition, the employer helps with things like setting up the Internet in my apartment, opening a local bank account, and filing the right visa paperwork for employment eligibility. And there will always be other Americans, Canadians, Aussies, and Brits to hobnob with, so I shouldn’t get too homesick!

I’ve already submitted my resume to a couple of schools offering ESL teaching jobs in China and Japan, as well as one in Peru and one in Spain and one in the UAE. I’m confident that I’ll be hired by at least one of these institutions, and will be on my way to an exciting overseas adventure very soon. I better start packing now!

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