Planning to move and work overseas?
Planning to move and work overseas?
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’e not going to stay where you are.” – J. P Morgan
TEACHME TEFL
Living, travelling and working, for many of us, this is the dream. As an online English teacher, this can easily become your reality.
However there are a few things that you will need to consider as you embark on your next adventure.
Tourist visa VS Work visa
You may be interested in teaching English face to face and travelling on the side, if this is the case then you will need to look into a work visa to be able to legally stay and work in this country.
If you have acquired a teaching position before leaving your home country, the company may be able to arrange this visa for you.
Alternatively, you may be planning to enter the country first, explore for while and then start to look for work. If this is your scenario, then it may be possible to enter on a tourist visa.
For passports from most native English speaking countries, you will be able to enter on a 30-90 day tourist visa. After the visa expiry, some countries will require you to leave the country and then reenter to apply for another visa. There are some countries that will allow you to simply apply for the new visa.
Be sure to be well aware of the visa requirements for the country you are visiting. There are often expat Facebook groups or online groups that can help to provide you with up to date information for your country of choice.
If you are planning on working online then you will need to check the visa requirements of the country you are in.
It may be possible to be earning a foreign income and residing as a tourist or on a non-working visa. If this is the case then you will be able to continue to live and tech online as you renew your travel visa.
Online VS Face to Face
As the world continues to face this pandemic situation, face to face teaching is not possible in many countries. It has been incredible to see the face to face teaching world move on online education.
While there will always be a need for face to face teachers, online teaching is becoming increasingly popular.
When the pandemic situation improves, face to face teaching opportunities abroad will no doubt be in high demand.
As a face to face teacher, employed by an educational institute you will generally be given the lesson material for each of your classes.
You will also be able to use the resources available at the institute or there may be provisions to purchase the required teaching equipment.
This is great as it means you will not need to bring props, books or any other resources from your home country.
When teaching online there is one very important factor – the internet. Some countries simply do not have the speeds that some online countries require.
There are companies that require a 10MPS upload and download speed, some that require a hardwired connection and others that require up to 20MBS upload speed.
You will need to do your research, find out from other teachers or even students in the country to see how fast the internet is, what provider gives the best consistent internet and what they have found is best.
One great point with online teaching is the flexibility to travel.
As long as you have your device and a good internet connection you may be able to teach in whatever town or city you are visiting.
Just make sure that you have confirmed the requirements with you employer, some require a network test sent 1 week prior to lessons held in a new location. Others simply require a network test to be sent before the lesson begins.
Also when teaching online, don’t forget that you will need to provide a background and props.
There are many applications you can use such as MamyCam to use a virtual background, this may be a good option for those traveling while teaching.
Whether you are teaching online or face to face, there will be one requirement you will need to meet, all English teachers are required to have a 120hr TEFL certificate.