Teaching Jobs Overseas For Americans

Teaching jobs overseas for Americans might be the perfect job for you if you really like to teach and have an interest or curiosity about foreign cultures. Your successful job search is not based on cheap places to go on vacation but location is a major concern most likely and should be one of your major concerns. Because there are so many different types of teaching jobs all over the world, surely you can find one that will mesh with your desires and passions. Most teaching jobs are for people that speak English and would find it attractive to teach to students as a second language.

There are a wide variety of qualifications depending on where you might teach and who the employer is. Sometimes a bachelor’s of Education degree is required and other times it is not necessary that your degree be in education at all. Sometimes it is not even necessary that you have a University degree as long as you speak English as your native language. Extensive experience is not necessary in many cases either but can be helpful to secure an attractive job. If your degree has a concentration on instructing English as a second language, your chances are increased exponentially. The pay you can command can also be greatly increased when your degree fits that job.

Martial status or life partner issues sometimes will play a roll in determining the eligibility of a person. In some cases the school will look at a couple as a more stable situation and prefer that, while others will look for primarily single teachers. If both partners are teachers this can be an advantage for the school system as the housing requirements will be less for a couple and in essence they only have to provide one residence for two teachers. Not surprisingly, most school systems no not tolerate dating of the student population and a stable relationship may be looked on as a help in this regard.

Being able to speak the local language is not usually required and it is sometimes preferred that you do not. When my friend was living in Belize as an American it forced her to learn the local language faster since many only spoke Spanish. Likewise, I am sure it will force your students to acclimate to English faster if you don’t speak the local language for them to fall back on. It is looked upon as an advantage that you do not rely on the local language and your students do not usually expect it either. Sometimes you will find there are programs provided by the school to help the teachers in their own interaction but as far as the classes are concerned the local language is usually not required.

A year teaching is the standard assignment for teaching in most foreign schools but there are exceptions to that especially when it is a volunteer job. The volunteer jobs are far more flexible with commitments than are those that are paid.

As with any job the pay depends on several factors and when you ask the question ‘what city should I live in to teach’, pay will be different. The job / contract length, what is required of you in terms of qualifications and where the job is located all make a difference in pay. The latter is primarily due to the cost of living. It would behove you to do some serious research about the cost of living before you accept any teaching job so you have a good idea what you are getting yourself into.

Something that you may be surprised to find out is that certain locations prefer certain English accents. It is generally whatever has become acceptable in the school location. In turn, that is what they want from the teachers that they hire. For instance in Mexico they want American accents but in Europe they mostly want the British accent. It really makes sense as it is what the locals are more accustomed to hearing.

One primary concern that people have about teaching abroad is around getting set up in the new location and the cheapest places where they can stay. It is often the case where the school will either provide the teacher with housing or if not, at least provide them with help in securing the cheapest place to live. Just be very careful that there is a clear understanding (in writing) about what sort of arrangement there is and who is to provide what. There is nothing that can ruin your experience faster than uncomfortable or unsuitable accommodations.

Another thing to be clear about before you make any real commitment is to figure out who (what group) you will be teaching. It could be professionals; it could be housewives, children or other age groups. Each of these groups will take a different focus and skill set so you will want to know what you are getting into.

Because you will be signing a contract in order to get these jobs you will want to be sure and research every aspect of the position and that you understand exactly what you are getting yourself into. Spend an appropriate amount of time researching every aspect of the arrangement and know exactly what it means for you to find international jobs for US citizens and then you will be able to help others along the path to finding teaching jobs overseas for Americans if you want to.