10 reasons to teach abroad
Teaching abroad will let you experience local culture and traditions in a way that no tourist can. It is a leap to take, no doubt, but it will help you grow into an independent, well-traveled individual. Here are a few reason to teach abroad.
The salary
Let’s start off with the number one reason most of us have considered teaching abroad, the salaries! Foreign English teaching countries have a much lower living cost than North America and Europe for example. In the Middle East most salaries are even tax-free! So it depends on the school and country, but it usually includes benefits like paid flights, housing and medical coverage, not to mention yearly bonuses! Benefits like these along with living in a low living cost country make it possible to save and create a better lifestyle for yourself.
2. Foreign Cuisine
If you love trying new foodstuff, then you’ll love teaching abroad! Whether it’s local delicacies you’d like to try or just something familiar, these cities have it all! Teaching abroad will give you the perfect opportunity to explore unique cuisine every weekend.
3. Career growth
You’ll gain great experience while teaching at international schools, plus some of the schools provide excellent professional development for your career growth. Teaching abroad will also strengthen your CV, as it showcases that you are a go-getter, can adapt to change and can get along with different cultures and people.
4. Explore
Teaching abroad gives you a lot of opportunities to explore famous scenery destinations close to you. Just hop on the train, ferry or plane and go where you want while earning money to be there. You can use weekends, public holidays or longer-term holidays to explore the country or neighboring countries. This will help you to skip the rush of traveling as a tourist and you can spend adequate time at each destination.
5. Learn new languages
Learning a new language is on many people’s bucket list and teaching abroad makes it so much more possible to do so. The best way to learn a new language is to be around people who speak it everyday and to practice it regularly. In no time you will be fluent in a new language!
6. Free time
Once you pack your things to teach abroad, you won’t really have any other responsibilities except for work. You won’t have a car to clean or events from neighbors to attend to, which is why you should choose your location carefully. Make sure you choose a location where you can do what you like, if it’s reading a book, hiking or painting the town red.
7. Expand your circle of friends
Get ready to make lifelong friendships and meet people from all over the world! When teaching abroad, you are very likely to meet other international as well as local teachers. Usually bonds built in a foreign country with friend are unbreakable and you’ll definitely meet interesting, exciting people.
8. Make a positive impact
You can take the chance to help the local community, animals and environment. Working as a teacher overseas will place you in a position to make a difference in the lives of others.
9. High demand
English teachers are in high demand in countries such as Japan, the UAE, China, Thailand and Spain. A number of positions also tend to become vacant annually, as English teachers travel and return to their home countries.
10. You need a change in weather
People from the UK, Canada and the northern United States will understand. If you’re fed up with ice cold weather and you need a bit of sunshine and longer summers, teaching abroad may be the perfect step to take. A number of areas where English teachers are high in demand are on the warmer side, for example in Southeast Asia and Central America.
Teaching abroad is an extraordinary experience and it will help to self-reflect and self-improve. Whether your goal is social, professional or financial, there is a fitting reason for you to take the leap and teach abroad.