Working in education and teaching abroad: what is it, why would you do it and where is the best place to go?

What is teaching abroad?

• If you are going to teach abroad, this can range from a paid job as an English teacher at a local school in Asia to volunteering at a nursery school somewhere in Africa.
• Vacancies might be listed as: Teacher, Educator, Sport instructor, Coach, Tutor, Teaching Assistant, Lecturer or Pedagogue
• Teaching abroad can be done for a short period of time, for example as a volunteer or at a summer school, for an entire school year or even indefinitely if you want to settle abroad

Where and what can you teach abroad?

• Where you can work as a teacher depends largely on your knowledge of the local language, having relevant work experience and your willingness to settle somewhere for an extended period of time
• As a non native English speaker abroad, you have the best chance of a job as an English teacher at a school or as a private teacher.
• For all other subjects, from music to mathematics, the possibilities are more limited when you don't speak the local language at a high level.
• If a teacher is in high demand for a particular subject, the degree of language proficiency will become less important. Also, if you are going to work as a volunteer teacher or tutor, full command of the local language is often not a requirement
• In addition to teaching English, there are also many Dutch people who work as a Dutch teacher or German people who work as a German teacher or French people who work as a French teacher. Not only at Dutch, German or French schools but also at foreign educational institutions where the language is offered as a study or subject.
• With the appropriate qualifications, you can also go to work abroad as a diving instructor, surf instructor, ski instructor

Why would you teach or help at a school abroad?

• Helpfulness: for rewarding work you often get as much, or more, back than you put in.
• Involvement: it strengthens your sense of involvement with a group of children or adults who want to develop or need help.
• Experience: you are pulled out of your comfort zone and experience all kinds of things every day.
• Creativity: you can use your creativity well when creating or using teaching materials or lesson content.
• Empathy: you train yourself to immerse yourself not only in another culture but also in the thought processes of your students.
• Flexibility: you strengthen your ability to flexibly search for solutions for situations that suddenly arise.
• Self-insight: there is no better mirror for your own development than a classroom full of children or involved students.

What do you need or can you learn if you teach or work in education abroad?

• Being aware of your surroundings: wherever you teach, you will always have to take your surroundings into account. Every country has its own rules and customs that you will have to adhere to to a certain extent.
• Being aware of the organization: every school or educational institution also has its own way of looking at education or teaching. Be aware of the limitations/challenges that some schools have due to a lack of money or facilities.
• Communication skills: knowledge of the local language is not a must but is a great advantage.
• Being able to be convincing
• Being able to shape planning
• Being able to radiate self-confidence

What is the best place to go if you want to teach abroad a volunteer or intern?

• Argentina: for example teaching street children in Buenos Aires
• Bolivia: from teaching English to helping at a local village school
• Cambodia: from teaching monks to helping in special education for blind or disabled children
• Ghana: for example teaching English or mathematics in the countryside of Ghana.
• Guatemala: helping with teaching around Antigua
• India: for example teach children from slums or women and offer them more future prospects in this way.
• Kenya
• Nepal: including opportunities for internships and research internships in the field of teaching.
• Thailand: at NGO's and social projects you can help teaching English, computer skills, sports or mathematics
• South Africa: for example teaching sports in the townships

What is the best place to go if you want to teach abroad a paid employee?

• Caribbean islands: working in lower vocational education, secondary education or secondary special education. Jobs available mostly for native speakers, which differs per island from English (e.g. Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis), Spanish (e.g. Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico) and French (e.g. Haiti, Guadeloupe, Martinique) to Dutch (e.g. Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao).
• China: At the moment, more than 300 million Chinese are learning English. No wonder that most (well-paid) jobs in education can be found in China.
• Thailand: Friendly people, friendly climate, relatively high demand even for non-native speakers
• Brazil: Many opportunities to teach within large companies and the thousands of language schools spread across the country; from small villages to the big cities.
• Chile: often has a relatively higher demand for English teachers.
• Suriname: for example as a teacher in the interior of Suriname.
• Middle East: in many countries in the Middle East there are opportunities to teach English, paid or unpaid
• Italy: there has been a high demand for English teachers in Italy for a long time, for example in Rome.
• Spain: working as an English teacher teaching Spaniards who want to improve their chances on the job market.
• South Korea: for the more experienced teacher.

Are you properly insured if you are going to teach abroad?

• There may be several reasons why you need separate insurance for paid or unpaid work abroad, or at least check your insured situation carefully.
• Local organisations generally offer no, or very limited, insurance.
• There is a chance of accidents because, for example, you are doing work with which you have little experience.
• During your work abroad, the coverage of your local health insurance normally expires. You then need special insurance to remain insured against illness and accidents.
• Read more: Travel insurances and insurances for long term abroad - Theme
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