Overseas Medical Insurance for Canadian ExPats Teaching Abroad
provided by the Expatriate Health Insurance Policy

When preparing for time abroad, there are many issues for both you and your family to consider. Deciding on health insurance is just one of them. Viator gives you the confidence that comes from knowing you made the right choice.

Footprints Recruiting sponsors an overseas medical insurance plan through Norfolk Mobility Benefits Inc. Please review the information specific to the coverage to ensure it is the right plan for you.

These are before and after school programs teaching English, and are the most common teaching opportunities worldwide.

Private language schools often open their doors around 2pm and run until about 8 or 9pm. In some cases, these ESL schools will open for classes very early in the morning to cater to business clients or high school students who have loaded schedules. Kindergartens and pre-schools can often be included when speaking about these private language schools because they also include English instruction for the wee ones.

In Korea, they are called Hogwans or Hakwons. In Taiwan, they are called Bushibans or Buxibans. They are like Sylvan Learning Centres, Kaplan or Berlitz. Students range in age from pre-school to adults and schools vary in terms of size, organization and professionalism. These are the most common type of teaching jobs overseas and often require no previous experience. If you're looking to get your feet wet, private language schools are often where you will need to start.

Footprints Travel Department

Getting your plane ticket to teach overseas is a time sensitive process.  You need to book in advance but you can't confirm the booking until you have your visa officially stamped in your passport and often this can lead to last minute confirmations and bookings.

Getting your visa to teach in Chile can be a difficult process that may involve actually interviewing with the Chilean Consulate or Honorary Consul nearest to you. Please check our Chile Information section to learn more about getting your visa to teach in Chile. Follow this link to go directly to the information on getting your teaching visa for Chile.

On Feb 24, 2008 a terrible thing happened to an English teacher in South Korea.  Bill Kapoun woke up to a fire in his apartment and he suffered burns to over 70% of his body.  Bill passed on March 9th, 2008.  As I write this, I am emotional for the loss of this young man but I also think that there are lessons in this that we must learn and I am hoping that through our website we can provide teachers with valuable information to protect themselves.

When considering teaching English abroad, there are some things you should consider straight away:

1. You should never have to pay for a job, whether to a school or to a recruiter.
2. Do your homework – check references for the school and the recruiter.
3. Does your recruiter or school have the proper licenses?
4. Is the salary much lower or higher than the industry standard?  Both are warning signs.
5. The school or recruiter should be willing to put you in touch with teachers that are currently working there or have worked there in the past.
6. Be fleixble.  Things will not work out exactly as planned – guaranteed.  We can often tell how much someone will enjoy their year abroad before they even go just based on the type of questions they ask during the application process.
7. Bring a small culturally senstive gift for your school director/host family.
8. Dress professionally, get a nice haircut, shave, and hide tattoos and piercings.
9. Most schools have their own materials, but bring a few items from home - pictures, maps, bus schedules, restaurant menus, tourist information.
10. Be aware of the laws in foreign countries:
    1. Drugs: DON'T DO THEM – random hair follical tests are not uncommon in Korea.
    2. Adultery is a CRIMINAL offense in South Korea.
    3. Sorcery is a CRIMINAL offense in Saudi Arabia.
    4. Vick's Nasal Inhalers are ILLEGAL in Japan.
11. Learn to say "Hello", "Thank-you", and "Good-bye" in that country's language.
12. Set up a language exchange when you arrive.
13. Travel and explore in the country where you are located.
14. Note that reverse culture shock is often worse than initial culture shock – this is what happens when you come home.
15. Use Skype or some form of IM (Yahoo, Aim, MSN, etc.) to keep in touch with family and friends at home.
16. Don't pack too much – there will be shops there.
17. Get outside your comfort zone – try local foods, customs and holidays
18. You will have "I hate (fill in the blank) days."  That's okay – watch a movie, eat junk food, do whatever you need to do and don't feel guilty about it, but get over it. You are in a foreign country where things are different.  Get over it.  Accept it. There are many things you can't change but dwelling on it is only going to make things worse.
19. Be prepared to come home:
    1. Save money if possible.
    2. Stay in touch with professional/academic contacts (LinkedIN).
    3. Use your free time to take on-line courses/certifications, apply for jobs and grad school in advance.
    4. Keep bank accounts, driver's licenses, etc. current.
    5. Pay taxes.
20. Do it for yourself, not for others.  Be prepared that other people may not understand your motivations for going overseas. Do it for yoursef.  It is an amazing growth experience for you – one you will never forget.

How to Apply for a British Passport

British adults living in United Kingdom

Go to www.direct.gov.uk complete the online form and print it or obtain a paper copy in person at any interview office, Regional Passport Office or text PASSPORT to 83377

To complete the form you will need to provide the following:

1.    personal information (full name and place of birth).

2.    proof of citizenship (British citizen, British overseas territories citizen, British subject, British national (overseas), British protected person.)

3.    proof of identity (Provincial driver’s license, Provincial health care card, other provincial identification card, other federal identification card, Certificate of Indian Status, Old Age Security card, federal, provincial or municipal employee identification card, or a previous Canadian passport).

4.    a fee (It costs £77.50 for a standard 32-page ten-year adult passport. If you were born on or before 2 September 1929, your passport is free of charge, payable by credit card, debit card, postal order, cheque(if by post), cash(if in person at a Post Office or at a Regional Passport Office)

5.    passport photos (identical photos meeting specific requirements listed on the Passport British website, must be taken and signed by a commercial photographer).

6.    guarantor (You need to sign the form yourself and should also get it countersigned at section 10. The person you ask to countersign should be a person you have known for at least two years. They must also:

• be over 18
• hold a current British or Irish passport
• be willing to write their passport number on the form

They should work in a recognised profession or otherwise have good standing in the community. For a list of suitable professions, see 'Who can countersign your application?' You should ask the same person to certify one of your photographs. They do this by writing on the back. They must then sign and date the statement.).


Submit  The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) needs to see original documents that prove you are British. IPS does not accept photocopies of documents. IPS normally only accepts laminated documents for change of name purposes. However, documents that are laminated for Braille labelling are acceptable for all types of application. A birth certificate is not considered absolute proof of identity. Even if you were born in the UK, IPS may ask to see further documents.

Processing times for passport applications can take up to six weeks for a first adult passport. If you need your passport within two weeks, this counts as an urgent application and you will need to visit a Regional Passport Office. You must always make an appointment. Find out which service best meets your needs and what to do if you can't get to an office.

Dilivery of your passport Your new passport will be delivered by Secure Delivery. In certain postcode areas you’ll need to sign for your passport. The delivery company will leave a calling card if you’re not home.

If you have ANY QUESTIONS and you are a Footprints Teacher moving forward with a placement with Footprints please do not hesitate to contact your Placement Coordinator for more information on the process and to get proof of employment or flight information to facilitate an expedited passport application.

How to Apply for a New Zealander Passport

Go to Passports.govt.nz and complete the online form and print it or obtain a paper copy in person at any Passport New Zealand office, or phoning them on 0800 225 050, or emailing them at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
To complete the form you will need to provide the following:

1.    personal information (full name and place of birth).

2.    proof of citizenship, identity You can do this by providing your (current or expired) New Zealand passport, or, if you don’t have a NZ passport, by providing your original birth certificate, if you were born in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau, or your original Citizenship Certificate or other proof of your citizenship, if you were born outside New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau. (If you need to get proof of your citizenship, contact the Determinations and Authentications Unit of the Citizenship Office on 0800 225 151.)

3.    a fee (To check for the latest fees, visit the website at here ).

4.    passport photos (two identical photos meeting specific requirements listed on the Passport New Zealand website and your photos must not be more than 6 months old. it must be taken and signed by a commercial photographer).

Processing Standard passport applications can take up to 10 working days, not including delivery time. If you choose to submit an urgent application and pay an additional fee, your new passport will usually be issued within 3 working days.

For New Zealanders living in abroad, passport application fees and processing times will vary, please see the Passport New Zealand website for more details.

If you have ANY QUESTIONS and you are a Footprints Teacher moving forward with a placement with Footprints please do not hesitate to contact your Placement Coordinator for more information on the process and to get proof of employment or flight information to facilitate an expedited passport application.

Recognized Teaching Experience For Teachers.

Public school teaching experience overseas is an amazing opportunity to add international experience to your teaching portfolio and to gain invaluable experience and lessons that will enrich your life and subsequently your classroom.

The growth of the LED (limited English development) population in classrooms worldwide has been exponential in the last decade. Whether you teach in Canada, the US, Australia or the UK, a great many public schools have dramatically increased their international student population.

Misconceptions

• You need certification
• You need experience
• You have to be an English or Education major
• You need to pay to take part
• You have to speak the local language
• You have to find your own housing

A teaching visa in China is called a Z-Visa and you get "Foreign Expert Status". For most of us, this will be the first time we will have expert classification for anything other than perhaps trouble and that label will likely have been bestowed by our parents :). Embrace the title and the opportunity. The China Information section includes all the specific information regarding getting your visa in China. Please follow this link to learn more about getting your teaching visa in China.

First, it should be noted that Footprints is NOT an insurance provider.  The reason we bring insurance to your attention is because with literally thousands of teachers abroad at any one time, stuff happens.  We hear horror stories and we want to provide our teachers with the most information, the best opportunity and simply, we want to make sure you are going to be OK.  Insurance can be confusing.  Do I need it?  How long should I get it?  Why should I get it? 

I recently asked Carey Alden, one of the expat medical insurance experts, why teachers need to sign up for minimum durations and what the policies cover.  Here are his answers AND, he provided the top 5 Benefits of getting expat medical insurance:

1. Focus on relevant information starting with the objective at the top of your resume. dont' be fooled into thinking that generalizing your resume nad describing everything you've ever done is a way to impress potential employers. It's not. If you're applying to teach but you're never done so formally. don't discount that summer you spent as a nanny and instead include numerous cashier jobs. Your resume is a reflection of why you think you'd be the best person for the job so make it relevent not lengthy.
2. Don't be lazy! In order to make employers take notice you MUST tailor your resume to the position you are applying for. Sending out one general resume to numerous employers shows that you don't care about the opportunity and that you take shortcuts, and don't think employers won't know otherwise, trust us thet will! In their eyes and ours, someone who won't take the time to do a proper resume is not the type of employee that great organizations want to hire. This doesn't mean you have to spend endless hours on a resume every time  you apply for a different job, it simply means that you can have one standard resume that you use as a template and just cut and paste the most relevant information for different jobs so it shows that you put some thought into it.
3. stay organized with your resume so that employers don't have to take out a magnify glass to find what they are looking for. A commonly used layout that we suggest would be to organize your resume in the following order (ideally one page long but definitely no more than two).
   • Name and details
   • Objective (make this job specific)
   • Education (be sure to include the years attended)
   • Work Experience (be sure to list both the month and year start and end date)
   • Other Skills (make this relevant to the job)
4. Edit, edit, edit. Make spell check your new best friend. There is nothing that potential employers hate more than to see a resume riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. Additionally, as a rule of thumb pick one tense and stick with it when writing about your job duties.

How to Apply for a South African Passport

South Africans adults living in South Africa

Visitor's passports are issued to South African citizens over the age of 16. To apply, you need to complete form BI-73 and submit it at a Home Affairs domestic office or, if you are overseas, at a South African embassy or mission.

You must also:

• Have proof of your identity.
• Supply two passport photographs.
• Have your fingerprints taken.
• Pay the fee of R400.

To complete the form you will need to provide the following:

1.    personal information (full name and place of birth).

2.    a fee ($ 53.00 adults)

Submit the passport application plus the applicable documentation via mail, courier or in person at a Passport Canada office, Canada Post outlet (an additional fee of $20 for each application will be charged) or Service Canada Centre.

Processing Applications take six(6) months or more to be finalized.

This passport is valid for ten years.

If you have ANY QUESTIONS and you are a Footprints Teacher moving forward with a placement with Footprints please do not hesitate to contact your Placement Coordinator for more information on the process and to get proof of employment or flight information to facilitate an expedited passport application.

Private Schools are schools where the students go to school during regular school times but where the parents have to pay extra for their children to attend. In some cases there are a couple tiers to the private school leveling system where the government may half subsidize tuition or where they will provide some sort of funding for a student and there are other private schools where unless you have a scholarship or rich parents the doors are shut.

Footprints Recruiting works with a couple different private schools around the world. These are not to be mistaken with private language schools where students study before and/or after school. Private schools are often where the elite of society send their kids and as a result, private schools generally hire experienced and qualified staff for their programs.

What Does an ESL Recruiter Do?

Yes, you can get a teaching job on your own, but why would you?  We charge you nothing.  That's right.  Our services are completely free for you.  We charge a fee to the school for introducing you to them. 

Travel health insurance, is designed to financially protect you if you have experienced an unexpected sickness or injury. If you have become injured or if you feel unhealthy in some way, seeking medical consultation and/or treatment, should be covered expenses under any travel health insurance policy.

Teachers are currently not required to get specific teaching visas for Georgia.  Entrance and duration of stay in Georgia on a tourist visa is conditional on nationality.  Follow this link to learn more about getting a visa to teach in Georgia.

When you're writing a resume to teach abroad you need to consider your audience.  In many cases the people making the decision are not native English speakers.  You need to make sure that the information you are presenting is concise - wordiness is not an advantage nor is having a resume that is several pages long.  A resume to teach abroad should be no longer than 2 pages. 

Here are some common mistakes we see in ESL Teacher Resumes:

1. Spelling mistakes - unforgiveable - you are applying to be an Engilsh teacher.  SPELL CHECK IT.  Make sure there are no grammer errors, errors with abbreviations,commas, etc.
2. Make it simple - some teachers spend days agonizing over fonts, spaciing etc - don't worry about this.  We see hundreds of resumes every week.  We want to see the information we are looking for QUICKLY.  Use a clear font that is easy to read
3. Put your post-secondary first.  We really don't care where you went to high school.  Omit your highschool completely unless you are applying to teach AT THAT High School or unless you are applying for a job where a degree is not a requirement (IE: Georgia)
4. Mission Statement - a huge number of the resumes we see have the EXACT SAME mission statement: "Creative, Self-Motivated Team Player" --- really, thanks for that... how about something a bit more relevant to why you want to teach or how your experience or interest will make you a great teacher.
5. Skills - we assume you know how to use Internet Explorer, Excel, Word and Outlook - not necessary to list these.
6. Short and concise - we need to know if you are fit for the teaching job, we don't need your life history.  If you send a 5 page resume you are lucky if we get to page 2.
7. Gaps/Timeline - when we scan a resume we are immediately looking for time gaps.  If you leave big gaps with no explanation we will assume the worst.  If you've been searching for work for the past 6 months, let us know.  If you took off 3 years to start a heavy metal band, make a note of it.
8. Professional Email - hardcoredrinker@hotmail is NOT a good email for your teaching application/resume - we search every email to see what comes up.
9. Be Prepared - know what is required and start that process to get the documents/information that is going to be needed for your teaching job.  Present that information early to show you are on the ball.
10. Provide contact information for your references right off the bat.  References supplied on request wastes time.

How to Apply for a Irish Passport

Irish adults living in Ireland

It is not possible to apply for an Irish passport online. It is also not currently possible to download the application forms you need to complete. Passport application forms are available from all Garda stations, Post Offices which provide the Passport Express service, many Libraries and Citizens Advice Centres and also from the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork.

To complete the form you will need to provide the following:

1.    personal information (full name and place of birth).

2.    proof of citizenship, identity the citizenship certificate issued by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and your long form birth certificate.

3.    a fee  €80: Standard Passport for a person aged 18 years or over submitted through Passport Express service (available at Post Offices), Fees paid in Euros must be paid by cheque drawn on an Irish bank. Cheques, postal orders and bank drafts enclosed with ordinary postal applications should be made payable to the Passport Office.  If applying by ordinary post you may also pay by Laser, Visa, Amex or Mastercard. Cash should not be included with a postal application. Payment may be made by cash, cheque, postal order, bank draft or debit/credit card when applying in person at the Passport Office in Dublin or Cork.

4.    passport photos Four identical photographs of the passport holder must be supplied with each application. Two of these photographs should be signed on the back by the person who witnesses the application. This person should also enter the Form Number (which appears under the signature of witness strip) on the back of both photographs.

Submit You should submit your application through your local Post Office to the Passport Office in Dublin or Cork [if you live in Munster]. If you live abroad send your application to your nearest Diplomatic and Consular Missions.

Processing The guaranteed turnaround time for passport applications submitted through the Passport Express service available through local Post Offices is 10 working days.

If you have ANY QUESTIONS and you are a Footprints Teacher moving forward with a placement with Footprints please do not hesitate to contact your Placement Coordinator for more information on the process and to get proof of employment or flight information to facilitate an expedited passport application.s

Got your teaching license? Do you have any teaching experience? If you do, you can get a great teaching job in an international school overseas! Footprints offers placements to certified teachers in great international schools around the world including in Asia - primarily China, Taiwan, Korea and Hong Kong.

International schools are generally schools that provide an English-medium education for children ages 3-18 in countries where English is not the native language. These schools were traditionally populated by children of diplomats or those parents who were working with major multi-national companies.

If your contract already includes medical insurance, that coverage often does not start until you register and get your "residency" status in the country you are teaching. In most countries this takes 1-2 months after you arrive.

It is important to have some sort of medical coverage or travel insurance while your residency is being processed.

Strict structure is the best way to define most of the systems in Japan. Getting your visa to teach is no different. To learn this process please go to our Japan Information section or follow this direct link to learn more about getting your visa to teach in Japan.

How to Apply for an Australian Passport

The process to become a Footprints teacher and to get a great job teaching overseas with us is really quite simple.

First, decide that we are the company with whom you want to teach overseas.

• Consider that we are the largest private teacher placement agency in the world.

1. Jobs you’ve had.
2. Schools you’ve gone to.
3. Areas you’ve majored in.
4. Special courses you’ve taken.
5. Extra-curricular activities you’ve joined
6. Memberships you’ve held (or hold).
7. Awards or honors you’ve received.
8. Athletics you enjoy.
9. Languages you speak.
10. Special interests you have.
11. Special skills you have.

Whether your aim is to become a teacher or if your goal is to simply be able to do the best job possible with no dreams or aspirations of a career as a teacher, getting teacher certification is a great move for a number of reasons.

Getting your teaching visa for South Korea depends on the type of teaching opportunity you are being hired for, your nationality and even your ethnicity. Follow this link to learn more about getting a visa to teach in South Korea.

How to Apply for a Canadian Passport

Teachers often ask how they can prepare for their interview with us, which we think is great!  Seriously – it is great.  It shows that you are taking this seriously, as you should.  This is no joke.  This is not something flippant.  We want to represent teachers who care, who are sincere about teaching, and who are genuinely enthusiastic about this opportunity.  By virtue of the fact that you are reading this, you are on the right track. 

Ok - we know what you’re thinking – why in the world do you need my picture? Aren’t there laws against this? Isn’t this discriminatory? and you’re right…if we were talking about North American or Australian or New Zealand or British or Irish or even South African employers – but we’re not!

In the Asian countries that we work with all teacher applicants have to submit a picture with their resume – no ifs, ands or buts! Since you are applying to teach in Asia, the same applies to you. To help you out with this we have created some “don’ts & do’s” (yes, we know it’s usually written the other way around) to give you a clear idea of the best type of photo to submit.

Getting your teaching visa for Taiwan is most often done IN Taiwan. This is not always that case but is most often the norm. For those teachers who are heading over to Taiwan to teach with the Ministry of Education, you will most like get your visa prior to your department but for those heading to teach in bushibans (buxibans) or private schools or even international schools or universities, the process usually follows that you head over to Taiwan on a 60 day visa and you apply for your work permits and such once you are in the country. To find out more about the process to get your teaching visa in Taiwan please check out the Taiwan Information section of our website. Follow this link to the information on getting your visa to teach in Taiwan.

These are the minimum requirements to teach in each country where we represent teaching opportunities.  Within each country, there are jobs that may require higher qualifications.

How To Apply For An American Passport

Each year Footprints works with a couple different schools in a handful of countries to offer short term placements in winter camps. Often these are intensive English programs that combine classes with activities but each winter camp is different.

If you're looking for a winter job abroad sign up for the Footprints newsletter or check out our jobboard to see what's available. Please note that sometimes these winter teaching jobs are offered to Footprints alumni first and if they take all the positions well... sorry. They are first in line for everything we've got.

If you sign up for the newsletter you will receive monthly information about our job opportunities and when/if a winter English camp teaching job comes available, we'll annouce it in the newsletter and then post it to the website. Please note that these positions fill VERY quickly so if you're interested be sure to respond immediately to the newsletter when you receive notification that the winter camps are open.

Writing about yourself and bragging about your best assets isn't always the easiest thing in the world to do, but in this case it is critical that you write well and that you express yourself in a professional way.

Creating a Cover Letter

Desired outcome: to get an ESL teaching position abroad.

Your cover letter is important because it gives the company you are seeking employment with a snapshot of who you are, and what you have to offer. It not only summarizes your accomplishments, but it also reflects your personality through the words and experiences you choose to share in it.

Not everyone is fit to be a teacher. Not everyone should be given the responsibility of leading a class. Too many people decide they want to teach English abroad only because they want a plane ticket somewhere for a year to play and have fun. Teaching doesn't even register with them as the primary responsibility.

Footprints receives between 50 to 200 applications per day. 

Getting your teaching visa for Thailand is a fairly simple, but bureaucratic process. Our section on Thailand Information provides more information about how to get your visa to teach in Thailand. Please follow this link to learn more about the process to get your teaching visa for Thailand.

Footprints has established a partnership with Medisys to offer Canadian teachers a discount on their travel health consultation.

Writing a good resume is not rocket science.  In fact, many of the rocket scientists that apply are rejected based on their poorly written resumes.

In order to write a good resume the first thing you have to consider is your audience. Who will read your resume? What are they looking for?

Imagine yourself as the hiring manager or the school owner. What would you be looking for in a teacher if you were the one hiring?

When you're teaching overseas, this will be one of the few times that you will want your home currency to hit the dumps in terms of currency value.  The less your home country currency is worth, the more of it you get with your teaching salary.  Make sense? 

Exchange rates fluctuate daily and can be a source of incredible frustration for a teacher living and working overseas.  When should you send money home?  How can you play the exchange rates to make money on your money?  How can you send money home?  What if you have to send money home?  Good questions.

Footprints needs certified teachers everywhere, for every school, in every job.  In many overseas language schools or public schools, English is being taught by inexperienced native English speakers who really don't know what they are doing.  Many are not certified to teach, many had never thought about teaching until they found out they could get a free plane ticket and make good money.

As a certified teacher, we are very interested in your application.  Your job will be about teaching your students, but also teaching and supporting other teachers, with and without experience, to make sure the students are getting the most out of their teacher.

Vietnam is an amazing country to live and teach in. Getting your visa to teach in this dramatic country is relatively straight forward. Please check out of Vietnam Information section or follow this link to go directly to the section on getting your visa to teach in Vietnam.

The requirements to teach abroad vary from country to country but for the most part, most countries are moving toward requiring all people to have a university degree in any discipline.

First, let's be completely clear here.  In order to be an English teacher, you have to be able to speak English without mucking up your articles or plurality.  You need to be able to understand and communicate idiomatic expression, you need to know how to respond to double negatives naturally and you need to be able to do this without thinking about it.  Is English natural for you?

If so, carry on reading.

Footprints Recruiting exclusively places native English speaking teachers who are nationals ( this means that you must have a passport ) from one of the countries listed below.  We do occasionally work with candidates from other countries, please contact us to inquire.

That being said, this article discusses opportunities for non-native English speaking teachers to get teaching jobs in the United States.

Being organized with your documents and paperwork can mean the difference between getting a job this month or having to wait til next month or even the month after to get started.  

Here is a paperwork/document checklist if you're considering teaching overseas:

The process to apply to be a Footprints Teacher is very simple and can take less than 24 hours from application to acceptance.  How's that sound?  Apply today, get a job tomorrow?  In today's job market that's pretty impressive.

Choosing the country in which you want to teach can be a really difficult decision.  There are ESL teaching jobs in Canada, the USA, Chile, the UK, South Korea, Japan, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, France, Georgia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, and so on. You quite literally have the world to choose from. 

At Footprints, we have selected a handful of the best jobs in the best countries in which to place our teachers.

Have a look at these countries and let us know where you want to go.  As a Footprints alumnus you have many more options to consider. If you are in fact a Footprints Alumnus and you are interested in teaching in a non-core market, please contact our Alumni Relations coordinator listed in your newsletter or contact your initial Placement Coordinator and they will steer you in the right direction.

A teacher is a friend, confidant, motivator, coach, actor and leader; but most of all, a teacher is an individual who sparks intellect and encourages students to pursue knowledge on their own.

Teaching abroad gives you opportunities for adventure as well as the chance to escape from the humdrum of an entry-level office job, while developing your innate capacity to learn and teach.

Here is a list of the most common acronyms in the ESL (English as a Second Language), EFL (English as a Foreign Language) industry: 

For teaching jobs overseas, any degree is acceptable. So you've got your degree, you're a native English speaker with a passport in hand and you want to check out your options.

You have great teaching options!

New Teachers: Pay Attention

Okay, you've started off right.  You are at least looking for information on how to start your illustrious career as a teacher.  Was it fear that brought you here or professional interest?  Whatever the case, whatever the cause, we are glad you're here.

Whether you're a trained teacher or a newbie fresh from college with a geology degree and no idea what lesson planning means, stepping into your classroom on that first day is daunting.

In order to teach English in a foreign country you are not required to speak the local language of that country.  This may seem hard to believe, but consider the benefit for a second: the only way a student can communicate with you is through English.  The students consult their dictionaries to ask you questions, and they eagerly consult one another to try to form the right words.  It's magic.