What you need to know before Teaching Abroad (and traveling).
“Teaching is the profession that teaches all of the other professions.” It’s an honor, no matter where you teach in the world.
By Darrion M. Willis
I want to teach but how do I do it? Travelling the world sounds great, but I don’t have any money. How can I teach in a place where I don’t know the language? How is it living in another country? Is it difficult?
These are some of many questions I receive about my experience teaching here in Vietnam. My name is Darrion M. Willis and I’m a fitness enthusiast, world traveler and teacher from Washington, D.C. USA. Let’s start with how I ended up in Southeast Asia.
I found my way to Asia because of one person; Matthew Wilkerson. In 2013, Matthew and I worked at a bar in Arlington, Virginia. We had frequent conversations about succeeding as Black men in America. We had a conversation in McDonald’s one afternoon, and I told him about pursuing a career in education and not working here in DC. He asked if I considered looking outside the U.S…I replied, “not really.”
“Dude if your dream is outside of America get the fuck outta here man. Get on that phone and Google it. My girl is calling me but when I’m done, I wanna know what you’ve found”
And that’s exactly what I did. I googled “Travel and Education”, “Education outside the USA.” And what Google gave me was my dream; teaching abroad. At first I was like “How am I gonna be a teacher?” “I don’t have a license.” The Overseas Education Group (OEG) allows prospective applicants to apply to teach in Thailand as long as you have a college degree.
Really? Yup.
So just like that I applied and got accepted into the program a couple weeks later. In the process I got fired from the restaurant job (because clearly I checked out already knowing I’m going to THAILAND!). Two days later, I was hired to work for Muriel Bower (former Ward 4 Council member) on her successful mayoral campaign run. I saved all of the money from campaigning to get my passport, visa, and a one way ticket to freedom.
My arrival to Vietnam wasn’t by way of a teach abroad program like Thailand. Long story short, my friend Zola encouraged me to apply to teaching positions in Vietnam directly. That way you don’t have to pay an expensive program fee (although it has its advantages). She and I were in the same teach abroad program in Thailand. And I’ve been teaching in Vietnam since the fall of 2015.
Now, enough about me. Let’s get you prepared to teach abroad.
First, I will explain the necessary documents required to work here in Asia. Don’t like Asia? I will refer you to specific country requirements to teach where you want to be. Next, I will give you key advice I believe you should know before taking the plunge to travel and work abroad.
Requirements
In order to teach here in Asia, you must have and submit the following documents:
- College/University Degree (Bachelor’s)
- TEFL Certificate (Teach English as a Foreign Language)
- Criminal background check (from your home country)
- Passport (Some countries require teachers to hail from Native English Speaking countries; USA, Canada, England, etc…)
- Visa from country you’re teaching in
These are the basic set of documents you need for most entry level teaching positions. Take your time collecting these documents. Don’t stress out if you don’t have a Bachelor’s Degree. There are many people here teaching without it. If you have an Associate’s degree, I would still apply to a position to see what happens. You never know what employers may decide.
Click here to see how you can teach without a college degree. Here’s another way to teach without a college degree. Click here.
Once you have all the necessary documents, scan and email them to your Apple iCloud, Google Drive or equivalent. You don’t not want to lose any of these documents, especially your passport. It’s a hassle trying to find them and a waste of money replacing them. Also, you need to decide if applying to a teach abroad program or directly to schools is best for you. Either option is fine, but if this is your first time leaving your home country, I recommend going with the former.
Remember, I started with the support of the Overseas Education Group (remember: there is a program fee). It was great because you were guaranteed to have a job after completing the program. You also were able to receive solid teacher training prior to teaching. And on top of that, you make tons of new friends who are taking their first stab at teaching abroad. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
Here are a list of teach abroad programs I’m familiar with and have known from friends of mine.
-Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE)
These are programs that are 100% legit and have used myself. So apply to either of them (or all haha) and start the process today.
If you prefer to apply directly to schools, the following websites are filled with ESL teaching positions.
There are also Facebook Groups you can join to search for teaching positions.
Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City (ESL) Teaching Jobs, Hanoi English Teaching Jobs, Hanoi Massive Jobs.
Thailand: Teachers for Thailand, Teaching Jobs in Thailand (Page 1 with over 35k members) Teaching Jobs in Thailand for Filipinos (Page 2 with over 2.7k members).
Worldwide: ESL/EFL/TEFL Jobs Worldwide, ESL Jobs Lounge
Are you still unsure if you want to leave home? No worries! You can teach online. Teaching online requires similar documents, a computer and a strong internet connection. Below are reputable online teaching companies.
For a more extensive list of online teaching companies, click the link below.
Good Air Language list (https://goo.gl/GwvmSZ)
Teach Online Anywhere list (https://goo.gl/1ox54E )
Start with the above information provided. There is more than enough information to help you get started. You can teach abroad or remain home and teach online (part time or full time). I have many friends who are stay-at-home parents and find teaching beneficial to adding income to their family household.
Now that you know what to do, you need to be mentally prepared to battle all elements of teaching and living abroad. I have comprised a list of key tips to know before leaving home. Let’s begin.
- Don’t bring a lot of bags!
You will not have time to wear everything you bring with you. Stick to the basics; work attire, gym clothes (if you workout), clothes to lounge in when your not working, bathing suit and a few outfits for dinner. You can buy your party outfits when you arrive. It’s extremely affordable. Plus you will save a ton on baggage fees at the airport.
2. Come with an open mind & Travel Alone.
Please understand that you are a guest here. There are laws to be followed and societal norms that are different than yours. Accept it and enjoy your time here. I’ve learn a lot from people who live differently than me. Yeah, some ways of life may seem weird but it’s the world we live in. Do not press your political, cultural, or religious views on anyone. In some countries, it’s forbidden and you may end up being fined, imprisoned or both. So please be careful. You are here in another country to be of service and to learn about the way in which people live. It’s fulling to take in all the moments here and it most certainly will shape your views on the world and eliminate your misconceptions. No matter how much you research about the country you’re traveling to, you never can be 100% prepared. Expect the unexpected. It’s okay to travel with a group sometimes but you always have to compromise your ideas for someone’s else’s.
I would suggest to travel to 2–3 places with a group from half of the day, eat, take a nap, and get lost in the city. My best moments came from ditching my friends and map to discover a city that sparked my curiosity. I still remember seeing a group a Vietnamese children playing street football in a park (barefooted). When the saw me smiles gleamed on their faces as they urged me to play with them. I must say, that was the most fun, intense, and barefooted game of football I’ve ever had with 8 year olds. And moments like this you can’t do in groups.
3. Don’t leave your street smarts at home.
Traveling the world is a wonderful adventure. But every country has its share of problems. When going out, don’t bring a lot of money on you. Walking in busy crowds almost guarantee a lost wallet or a lurking pickpocket professional somewhere. Don’t talk to random people you don’t know. Most likely they will swindle you out of money. There’s a difference between making friends and people trying to make money off of you. If you’re going out at night, go places where there are a lot of people and light. You’re in another country so be aware of random people. Overall, don’t do anything that you wouldn’t do at home.
4. Avoid all confrontations with people (especially the locals).
This is a lose-lose situation. I’ll be honest with you. If you get into a fight with people here, you will be jailed and deported. If you fight will the locals, you’ll be lucky to make it out alive before the police come. I’m not kidding. There are too many YouTube videos of people fighting abroad and being seriously injured or died. Whether it’s your fault or not, the locals will defend their own and beat your ass maliciously. Don’t start no mess and it won’t be any.
5. You will lose friends.
You will discover who you are as you work and travel abroad. You won’t believe the most inspiring stories I’ve heard. It shaped who I am and the people I want to be around. Your five friends are a reflection of you and what you allow in your life. Stay away from people who don’t have your best interest. It’s painful to let friends go but they are the ones who may be standing in your way. People come into your life either to teach you a lesson, reveal something about your character or support you for a lifetime.
6. Save your damn money!
Gucci in America is the same Gucci store if you where to travel anywhere in the world.
People waste a lot of money on two things: coffee and materialistic items. Do you really need that Rolex? Are you really going to buy that shirt (you have the same one at home)? Establish an emergency fund so you can get home immediately if something happens. Save money for your one way ticket home as if you were departing the same day. Also throw in $500 to save to expect the unexpected going home. Don’t depend on your country’s embassy for nothing. Pretend that nobody can help you and you have to do this all on your own. Once your emergency fund has been established, create another savings so you won’t have to wait for your next paycheck to spend money.
Now that you’ve stepped your mental game up, what can you expect when teaching in Vietnam (or other places)? I can only speak on my experiences from Thailand and Vietnam, but I’m sure teachers in other countries can relate.
- You are here to be of service.
There are many ideas I have in order to have my students succeed in the classroom. I’d walk into meetings only for my suggestions to be heard and not implemented. Schools here have their own ideas about what’s best for their students. Your ideas may be great, but just stick to teaching. The language barrier between you and the school makes it hard for them to fully understand. Follow the curriculum, give amazing energy throughout your classes and you’ll do well here.
2. Working with management is tough.
Class schedules change weekly (if not daily). You will not have the same students all year. A few reasons may be because of school assemblies, performances, sporting events and examinations. I know you made that amazing lesson plan that you thought was gonna kick ass on Monday; but you class was cancelled. I know, we’ve all been there. And it will happen often.
3. Hiring practices here are bias.
Don’t let that deter you from applying. There are lots of reputable companies who are inclusive and provided excellent service to students here. Stay away from small companies with sketchy contractual details.
4. The students will treat you like a rockstar.
I’m always entering class fired up because it’s the same energy my students give me everyday. They level of respect they have for teachers is unreal here. Of course you have a few bad apples but overall they appreciate, love and respect you. It’s the King/President, Monk, then teacher (jokingly speaking).
5. Class sizes are big
But all that means is more time for games. I must say teaching large classes is difficult, but if you put your students into groups it will be effective. With large classes, students aren’t able to stay quite for so long while you’re teaching, so your classes must be activities-based. Speak to your students to give instruction and let them do the rest. You shall guide and support them along the way.
6. Tons of ESL resources online
Not sure what activities you can you in the classroom? Below are a list of websites that offer a ton of information to help make lesson planning stress-free and will make your classes come alive immediately.
ISL Collective (Great for pre-made worksheets and power point lessons)
Top 50 ESL Resources (Click Here)
Lastly, I created an e-book that helps you transition smoothly here once you arrive. It also covers teaching tips for you to survive your first month.
Teaching and living abroad is extremely fun. However, like any country there are problems and differences. Teaching abroad is one of many ways to see the world. Honestly, you don’t need a lot of money to do this. Have the time of your life when you’re out here, blog about your experiences and pass on the wisdom to the next person who wants to be in your shoes.
Don’t lose yourself in everything you encounter here. With stress and pain, you only become stronger. It will introduce you to the new and real you. You won’t know who you are unless you travel your home country and/or the world.
So take the plunge and start a new chapter today.
For more information please contact me on the following social media sites:
Facebook (Click Here)
Twitter (Click Here)
Instagram (Click Here)
For online English lessons with me, click here.
Thank you,
-Teacher Dee
