At a TEFL network site a post appeared which said, “they had recently read another article about teaching English in Mexico that indicated that the wages are very low and so if you are planning to go there to learn Spanish, and supplement your expenses through teaching English, that is one thing, but actually going to Mexico expecting a job teaching English that can sustain you on a long term period, is probably not realistic” and added that the person would be interested in anyone with experience trying to do this in Costa Rica.

Non-Professional EFL Teachers

You constantly hear that wages are “low” and that you can’t make a decent living teaching English as a foreign language abroad. With all due respect, most of these comments come from non-professional EFL teachers who have little or no experience living and teaching abroad and no self-marketing skills to speak of. What they usually don’t mention is that although wages are “low” - this is in comparison to a salary in US dollars and the American or British economies - costs of living are also much lower in comparison too. That simply means you’ll get far more “bang for you buck” in local currency.

Shortage of Skilled EFL Teachers Worldwide

For well-prepared, experienced, skilled EFL teachers worldwide, salaries are most often very high in comparison to what others earn in that country. Decent-paying jobs are also plentiful. This means that with your “low” salary, you’ll have a car, a house or lovely apartment, a maid and several weeks of paid vacation each year in addition to the numerous paid holidays often celebrated in many countries. Far from being near the bottom of the wage-earner scale, you’ll be in the upper percentiles even when compared to other teaching professionals in the same country. The ex-pats who know this and are doing quite well often don’t bother responding to such dismal misinformation.

So, choose a country you feel you’d really enjoy for its food, its life-style, its desirability, its climate, its language even its low cost-of-living and minuscule tax rates. Then go for it with all you’ve got. Meld yourself into the new language, food and culture while kissing your money problems “adios”. Make new friends, live like a local and you’ll experience a new lifestyle like you can’t imagine. Forget the non-realistic “naysayers” and do what you love.

If You Want to Teach English Abroad …

Say, a million-plus ex-pats each year can’t be wrong. If you REALLY want the scoop on how to make it as an English language teaching professional abroad, contact me. Skip the malcontents, get the facts from someone who’s “walking the walk” for the past 15 years and not just “talking the talk” then decide for yourself. After all, it’s YOUR life we’re talking about here.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, prolific writer, expert author and public speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 120 countries. Get your FREE 110-plus page E-book, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know”, English language teaching and learning information at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/ - Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Contact the author at the above blog address for more information.

Try to book your flight about one to three months in advance in order to ensure getting the best deal possible. Check with a few since prices can vary, also check to see whether or not taxes are included and what their refund policy is. Remember price isn’t the only thing that’s important, check layover times and the number of flights that you will have to take. Sometimes it’s worth paying 100USD more if it means less waiting time and fewer flights. In addition, if you fly during the off-season, April/May and September/October, you can get incredible discounts, sometimes paying about half of what a ticket would cost during peak travel times. For example, American Airlines had round trip flights from NY to Lima for 500 USD.

Where to Look

New airlines are popping up all over the place. Spirit Air is one of those. They do have stricter luggage restrictions than most, so be sure to check exactly how many bags and what size they can be before booking your flight. For airlines that specialise in flights to Latin America, try LAN or Avianca.

Websites that List Flights from Multiple Carriers

Besides going to a specific airline’s website, try going to websites that search many air carrier’s prices in order to get you the best price possible. This allows you to compare different airlines side by side.
Air Treks, Air Deals, Side Step, Get One Trip, Just the Flight, Opodo, Airbrokers , BT Store or
Discount Flights.

Latin American Specialists

You can also try an agency that specialises in Latin American flights. Try booking a ticket with one of the following. Intra Tours, Exito Travel, Fly Latin America, Delgado Travel USA, Trafico Peru
Peru Explorer, or Kayak.

Don’t Forget the Minor Details

Once you book your flight, be sure to check to see if you have all the vaccinations and visas necessary. Also make sure your passport is up to date. The last thing you want is to arrive at the airport and be refused entry to the plane because you your passport is expired or you don’t have a visa. As soon as you get on the plane, relax, sit back and enjoy the flight.

The LA Job List http://www.thelajoblist.blogspot.com Find a job teaching English in the Caribbean, Central or South America. Over 700 schools in 19 countries.

The Ultimate Peru List http://www.theultimateperulist.blogspot.com everything you need to know about Peru from work, immigration, getting ready, settling down, free time, legal matters, tourism and more.

The first step in finding a destination is to take a good look at yourself. Why do you want to teach English in a foreign country? Is it for the adventure? Is it for the income? Are you running away from something? Do you want to help students in other countries? You need to take out a piece of paper and write down your reason. It doesn’t really matter the reason, that’s your personal choice. You just need to stay focused on that reason.

Once you’ve identified why you want to find a TEFL job, you should research destinations. The local public library has a lot of travel books. Pick up a Lonely Planet Travel Guidebook for the countries or regions that interest you and read them. Having trouble finding a country or region? Open an atlas and randomly choose a few countries. In your research, you want see if it is a place you might want to teach and live in. Don’t make the mistake of focusing on just one country, keep an open mind and in the end try to have a list of five to ten countries that you might want to teach in.

The last step is to see how well your goals mesh with your preferred destinations. I suggest visiting sites like Dave’s ESL Cafe or the TEFLWatch Forum and make pointed posts asking the user base if they can give insight as to how well your goals mesh with each of your preferred destinations. An example might the following posting:

“Hi I’d like to teach English in Indonesia. My goal is have an adventure and write a book about it. Is it possible?”

You may get conflicting answers, but even those conflicting answers can be helpful. It’s providing you more information from diverse experiences. You may discover it’s just not doable in some or all of the destinations you chose, but remember, you can always go back and find alternative destinations. On the other hand, you may find that several destinations mesh with your goals. Remember to always stay focused on your written reason for TEFL.

After settling on a destination, you can start to research what type of qualifications you need and what preparations you should make in order to work in country of choice. Never fear, you will be in a better position than other potential teachers because you will know why you are going abroad to teach and your primary destination.

Now that you’re here, it’s time to start interviewing. Wear professional clothes (no shorts, jeans, tank tops, or sandals) and go to the schools you contacted with your CV in hand. After interviewing you may have to do a short demo lesson, but don’t worry, relax and smile.

Entering the Country

Each country has different visa rules for different nationalities. While some countries give tourist visas upon arrival, others may require you to get on beforehand. In addition, some countries require round-trip tickets or proof-of-funds before they let you on the plane or into the country. Check with the Embassy beforehand. You don’t want to arrive only to have Immigrations refuse you entry.

Length of Stay

Again, it depends. Some countries allow only 180 days out of the year. Others give you 90 days, and then let you renew your visa for up to three months, and then have you leave the country. Others make you pay a fine if you overstay your visa.

Working on a Tourist Visa

It’s not uncommon for people to work on tourist visas. Just don’t tell the authorities that you are. If you are working on a tourist visa, you may have to border-hop every once in a while. You simply leave the country, stay in another one for a couple of days, and then re-enter and are given a new tourist visa that’s good for X amount of days.

Or, if the country you are in fines people who overstay, you could just overstay your visa and pay the fine as you leave. It might be cheaper than border-hopping.

Getting a Work Visa

Primary and Secondary Schools are more likely to get you a work visa than other places, although universities will do so as well. Check with your employer about what you need to bring. Often you will need to get your original university degree Apostillised in your home country before.

Signing a Contract

After you’ve passed your interview and demo lesson, you will probably be asked to sign a contract. Make sure you read everything, including the fine print. Some places have “no compete” policies. This varies from school to school and can mean anything from not being able to teach at another school while you work for them, not being able to teach privates, or even not being able to teach in the same city for X months after you finish their contract. So make sure you ask questions about anything you don’t understand.

Latin American Addresses

Alt. Altura: Near

Atrás Atrás: Behind

Av. Avenida: Avenue

C Calle: Street

CC Comercial Central: Shopping Centre

Cdra. Cuadra: Block

Cl Calle: Street

Cls Calles: Streets

Cnl Colonel: Colonel

Edf. Edificio: Building

En frente En frente: In front of

Entre Entre: Between

Esq Esquina: Corner

Este Este: East

Fco. Francisco: Francisco

La espalda La espalda: Behind

N Numero: Number

Nº Numero: Number

Norte Norte: North

Of Oficina: Office

Ofc Oficina: Office

Oeste Oeste: West

P Piso: Floor

Plza Plaza: Square

Pto Puerta: Door

R Rua: Street (Portuguese)

Sur Sur: South

Urb Urbanizacion: District

Torre Torre: Tower

Sharon de Hinojosa (naturegirl321) has lived and worked (mainly teaching English) in the US, Scotland, Spain, the Czech Republic, China, Korea, and Peru. And taught short-term in Venezuela and Taiwan. Her work has been featured in Transitions Abroad, Viva Travel Guides, TEFL News, and ELT World.

She has created The LA Job List (http://www.thelajoblist.blogspot.com) which lists schools, institutes and universities in 19 Latin American countries which offer English teaching positions.

Since living in Peru since August 2006, she wrote The Ultimate Peru List (http://www.theultimateperulist.blogspot.com) With 50 pages and updated monthly it’s a comprehensive guide for those living in or moving to Peru.

Tip #1 is to check the grammar content of the course. Many of us didn’t study a lot of grammar back in high school or college. While we may be able to know the rights and wrongs concerning grammar rules, we don’t quite remember the rules or even the effect of the rules. English as a Foreign Language students need to learn these rules and you as a teacher need to know the rules well enough to teach them. A good course will have a grammar module and should provide you with specific methods for teaching grammar concepts.

One of the big reasons a lot of new teachers take a Teaching English as a Foreign Language course is to prepare themselves for teaching their first English classes.

Tip #2 is check how much observed teaching practice a course provides. A good course will have observed teaching practice. This is a chance for you to teach a class and be evaluated by your trainer. You receive constructive criticism, ideas for improvement, and confidence to teach classes solo. You get the practice you need to confidently conduct classes.

There is no international TEFL accreditation agency.

Tip #3 is to check out the recognition of a course. You need to see how long the provider has been in business, what qualifications the trainer has completed, and how many students have completed the course. It’s a good idea to ask for contact information of former students if in any doubt and see how well their course has been accepted in different teaching situations.

Paying a high training fee to get started in a generally low paying field of work never makes sense.

Tip #4 is know the real total cost of the TEFL Course When pricing a course, you need to keep several factors in mind. Of course you want to know the course pricing, but remember a typical course will require your full time attention for 4 weeks. During this time, you won’t be able to work elsewhere. If you take the course locally, you may not have to increase your living expenses, but if you have to take the course elsewhere, you need to add in the additional cost of living to the total price of the course, not to mention transportation costs (air, train or bus tickets) to the course center itself.

With just a few caveats, internet feedback is a great indicator of TEFL course quality.

Tip #5 is to get internet feedback about the courses you are interested in. You can get this feedback by simply Googling the school’s name or visiting internet teaching forums. Generally, if the feedback on internet teaching forums are positive about a course, then probably the course is a quality course and vice versa if the feedback is negative. One thing to keep in mind when getting information about a teaching course on the internet is to pay attention to who is paying for the advertising on the forum. Another thing to keep in mind is that some course providers are accused of posting incognito on internet expat teaching forums giving either positive feedback about their course or negative feedback about competitor courses.

If you follow these five steps, you’ll have a better chance at having a great TEFL course experience and you’ll be on your way to an adventurous career in teaching English as a foreign language.

The majority of places will require you to be a native speaker and have at least a BA. Other places will require teaching experience. A TEFL Certificate is useful, but a BA is preferred. International schools require QTS (Qualified Teaching Status) in your home country and usually two years teaching experience in a primary or secondary school.

TEFL Training Programmes

You can either study online or on-site. Remember that TEFL programmes should include at least 100 hours with 6 hours of teaching students. If you do a distance programme, make sure that a practical teaching element is included.

Free online courses

The Peace Corps has come up with a Guide to teaching English. You could also try TEFL Boot Camp.

The following courses require a fee in order to participate

English International

TEFL training

INTESOL International

TESOL Direct

The International TEFL Corporation

I-to-I

ACTDEC

On-Site Programmes

There are quite a few TEFL Training Programmes in Latin America. Try searching at TEFL Certification Abroad to find one that suites you.

Salaries

Some schools may offer you room, board, and a small stipend in exchange for teaching. Others pay you a salary, usually between$ 500 and 1000 USD a month. Although this may seem like a low salary, costs of living are much lower than in the those in English speaking countries, so you can easily survive on a teacher’s salary.

Number of Hours

Many institutes and universities will have you work split shifts meaning that you’ll get a break in the middle of the day to eat lunch and relax for a few hours. Sometimes classes finish at 9pm, or even as late as 10pm. Although at first it seems difficult, you will get used to it and can use the time in the afternoon to take a nap or run errands. Remember that you will usually only be teaching 20-30 hours a week, and then the rest of the time is prep time. If you manage your time well, you will have plenty of time to teach private lessons.

Private Lessons

There are plenty of opportunities to pick up private students. Try advertising at schools, universities, or try putting an advert in the local paper. Teachers usually charge between $5 and 20 USD an hour. You can also teach online, see Tips of the Trade for more info.

What to Wear

Smart casual is usually the rule here. Some places require you to wear a uniform, other say that men have to wear ties and women must wear appropriate clothing. Men should wear dress pants and a dress shirt. Some places require you to wear a tie as well. Women should wear nice pants or a skirt with a blouse. Jeans are usually not accepted and piercings and tattoos should be hidden. Depending on where you are, you may be allowed to wear sandals. The best thing to do is ask about the dress code.

Start-up Costs

As usual, when moving to a new place, you should bring money to tide you over before you get paid. 1000- 2000 USD should be more than enough.

Making Contact

Although many places want to meet you before having you sign a contract, it is possible to set up jobs before you arrive. The best thing to do is start contacting schools and let them know you are interested in working for them. Tell them when you will arrive and try to set up an interview.

CV Tips

In Latin America there is a lot of importance put on getting to know a person. For that reason, you should always include a recent photo on your CV.

Include:

Photo

Your name

Date of birth

Sex, nationality (ex. Female American Citizen or Female, American, Native Speaker)

Phone number

Email

Work / Teaching Experience

Education

Conferences / Workshops given

Conferences / Workshops attended

Professional Affiliations

Other Skills (languages / computer)

Hobbies (optional)

There’s no reason to include scanned copies of documents such as a passport, degree or reference letters unless asked to do so.

Useful CV Websites

CV Tips

Teaching CVs

Purdue Guide

Free Resume Tips

Shortly Before Arriving

A few weeks before you plan on coming, re-email schools in order to touch base and confirm your interview.

Sharon de Hinojosa (naturegirl321) has lived and worked (mainly teaching English) in the US, Scotland, Spain, the Czech Republic, China, Korea, and Peru. And taught short-term in Venezuela and Taiwan. Her work has been featured in Transitions Abroad, Viva Travel Guides, TEFL News, and ELT World.

She has created The LA Job List (http://www.thelajoblist.blogspot.com) which lists schools, institutes and universities in 19 Latin American countries which offer English teaching positions.

Since living in Peru since August 2006, she wrote The Ultimate Peru List (http://www.theultimateperulist.blogspot.com) With 50 pages and updated monthly it’s a comprehensive guide for those living in or moving to Peru.

Good luck!