Five Benefits of Teaching English Abroad

These days a popular way to travel and have a new life experience is to teach English abroad. Not only will the person doing this earn money, but they will be connecting themselves in a much deeper and meaningful way to the country they are teaching in. If you are considering teaching English abroad, or if you just want to revisit how this experience has made your life awesome check out this list. These are a few of the ways teaching English abroad will benefit you!

1) The training is quick and relatively painless
With 100 hours of course work you can obtain a TESL (teach English as a second language) certificate. These classes are numerous and can comport themselves to your schedule, whether you take them on the weekends or evenings. The classes start for around $500 US dollars and many schools will help you in the job hunt afterwards.

2) You are a Student in your own classroom
The truest reward of teaching English abroad is the cultural experience that you will be having each day. As you teach, you will be also learning about a foreign culture from your students. The students will be more than willing to offer tips about local places to eat, places to see, and things to try. This is how you can become truly immersed in a new culture in an authentic and exciting way.

3) Teaching English abroad is a crash course in cultural sensitivity
You will undoubtedly be thrown into a cultural situation that is so new and different that it very well might make you shake your head. However, given enough time you will come to understand the hows and whys of these cultural differences and not only come to accept and understand them, but also be able to apply the sensitivity you learned to other situations.

4) You will get an instant network of local acquaintances
Through teaching English in a country where people are interested in improving their English language skills people will want to talk to you. The fact that you will be in the same place for an extended period will undoubtedly allow you to develop a healthy network of acquaintances and friends. These locals will bring you into the culture deeper and show you local haunts and places that tourists would never see.

5) Travel is made easier with a home base
With an apartment to come back each time traveling is made that much simpler. Where ever you are in the world teaching English abroad there will be ample opportunities to take weekend trips, and longer trips during your school breaks. The county you are teaching in acts as a great launching point for nearby countries and places. You will have all the opportunity in the world to take advantage of this.