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.

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

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.