Teaching ESL: Enjoy the Trip of a Lifetime, While You Can
One day when you look back on your life, you want to have as few major regrets as possible. You’ll look back and think of all the wonderful things you did concerning your family and career, but travel experiences rank right up there in terms of unforgettable, formative life experiences.
If you manage to really drop everything and move abroad to a radically different culture for an extended period of time, you’re sure to have an impossibly rewarding experience that changes the rest of your life.
Read on to see how teaching English as a Second Language in a foreign country can be a game-changer, and why it’s essential to do it while you can.
Steeping in a Foreign World
There are many old and rich cultures that people from North America will find exotic enough to be mesmerizing yet stable and safe enough to be comfortable, and living here opposed to travelling lets you really soak it all in. For example, if you get a job teaching English in Korea in cities like Seoul, Inchan, Daegu, Songdo, Geoje Island or Ilsan, you’ll love how built up the travel infrastructure is, but you’ll also be bowled over by the exciting local customs and food options.
If you travel to a country like South Korea for a week or two, you’ll still have a thrilling time, but you won’t get long enough to really absorb everything you’re seeing, eating, and learning.
Choose the Right Qualification Provider
Not all TEFL qualifications are created equally. That is why it is essential that you conduct your research beforehand and decide which TEFL qualification is right for you and best suits your needs as an aspiring English language teacher. Recruitment companies and international schools often require a level 5 TEFL qualification before even considering your application whereas having the highest level TEFL will also ensure any visa process will go a lot smoother.
Luckily for you we have completed this due diligence on a number of providers and discovered that The TEFL Academy (TTA) offers one of the most comprehensive qualifications on the market. TTA’s level 5 TEFL qualification will equip you with all the skills and knowledge necessary to become a successful ESL tutor and ensure you have the best chance of landing that dream opportunity abroad. The course is internationally recognised and the only TEFL course sanctioned by both the UK and USA governing bodies. The 168 hour course can be completed online from the comfort of your own home.
Pick the Right Recruitment Company
Deciding to have such a foundational travel experience is the first step, and the second is picking the right travel recruitment company. You’ll want to dive right in to the new world in which you find yourself, but that’s hard to do without help.
The right recruitment company has the resources and experience to help you purchase your flight tickets, rent you suitable living accommodations in a safe and convenient location, handle all your visa paperwork, help you assimilate in your new country, and provide you with instruction and support in your work as an ESL teacher.
Time is of the Essence
For many people, the best opportunity for extended travel abroad occurs in the window between being in your early-20s to mid-30s. You may decide to go when you’re older, too! But as people age, they are more likely to begin to have families of their own and take on greater responsibilities that make travel difficult to impossible.
Moving across the world for an extended period of time is always a bold move, and there will always be strong pull-factors to stay home. It’s important to take the plunge, and get the foundational travel experience you need before the opportunity disappears.
The world is a big place, and seeing new parts of it will make you grow in a way that nothing else really can. Teaching ESL abroad will make you a better person in ways that are hard to anticipate, just get the right travel recruiting company and go while you can!
