So, how did I even get into the TEFL field in the first place? It's something I have thought about since my junior year of college. I'll start with the typical cliche that I've always wanted to travel the world, but needed the funds to do it. I went to college for something that wasn't entirely useful unless you did a shit ton of internships or knew the right people. The day I graduated, I felt so lost about my next move, and life was getting real for me very fast. I knew I didn't want a soul sucking desk job in Washington, D.C. So, I opted to go work for a cruise line which later on would be a blessing.
Before I had left for the cruise line, I had this grand plan of staying for a couple of years for the resume booster. But, I ended up resigning and came back home to couch surf. Trying to get creative and figure out ways to make money remotely. I knew I wanted to dive into the TEFL field, I just had no clue of where to start. I searched all over the internet for affordable, online or onsite classes. Onsite classes are very condensed, fast-paced lasting 6 weeks or less. Whereas most online classes are slower and run for about 11 weeks. What I was mostly concerned about in my search was finding a reputable school where my certification would be recognized worldwide. Because in very rare cases, schools in Asia wont recognize a certificate from just any school. Many TEFL schools online are so misleading and people will end up wasting hundreds or thousands of dollars on them. For me, the best piece of advice I can give you is looking for a school that provides assistance with job placement, a minimum of 120 credit hours which is actually the international requirement, and practicum hours. After days of searching, I made my decision and chose the International TEFL Academy https://www.internationalteflacademy.com/ . What's great about this school is that they offer flexibility with your time and budget. You can take a class in person, where they offer many locations in the United States and abroad. For example, I know people who did their course in places like Mexico and Thailand, then landed a job after earning their certification in that country. For me, I chose to do the online course which gave me the flexibility of working while earning my certification.
About three weeks into the course, I started my job search because I gave myself a deadline to be out of the United States. There are two ways you can go about finding a teaching position abroad. Many countries offer programs that you can apply for to work in a public school. The most popular ones in are JET (Japan), EPIK (Korea), Conversa (Spain), and much more. These programs have multiple interviews, followed by job placement, then job orientation. At first I did have interest in doing these programs because it seemed the most convenient option. However, there are specific hiring seasons in Europe (August-October) and Asia (January-May). And that doesn't even account for the fact that applications have to be filled 6 months in advance. Following the 3-5 month waiting period to see if you even got the job. Clearly with my timeline this was a no go for me. After using the job search guide that the International TEFL Academy conveniently provides. I ended up using sites like https://www.teachaway.com/ and https://www.eslcafe.com/ . Initially, I didn't have much luck applying on my own. Luckily, I found a page on Dave's ESL Cafe where I could post my resume and allow schools to find me. The next morning I woke up with about 15 emails from Taiwan and China, but one recruiting company in South Korea called Planet People caught my eye. I was very skeptical about it, because I could barely find any information on this place. Although, after speaking with the recruiters I gave in to the possibility of moving my life across the world to Pyeongtaek City, South Korea. The process felt like an eternity, but the convenience of having a recruiter, I cannot recommend it enough! My agency was very good for the most part. We had a Skype call to discuss my experience, where I saw myself living, what my expectations were of the school I'd be placed at, what benefits the school offered. The recruiters applied to the schools on my behalf and got me the interviews, I chose to work in South Korea out of all the places I had been offered a job. Working in Asia offers you paid housing, or a housing allowance, paid airfare, insurance, a higher salary than most countries, and allows you to save money or pay off debts (credit card, student loans). For me, those benefits definitely played a huge factor in my decision.
I never realized how annoying it would be to get my visa. Never ending paperwork, a million passport photos, finger printing, FBI background check, notarized documents, The list goes on http://www.eslinsider.com/blog/requirements-to-teach-english-in-asia . In order to teach in Korea, you will need an E2 teaching valid for 1 year. The paperwork takes about 3 weeks to get processed, then once you're approved it'll take another 2-3 weeks to get the actual visa. In which case you have to send your physical passport to the U.S. consulate nearest you. Also, as a side note, I am strictly talking about the visa process for Americans. I don't know much about the process for UK, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada. Once I got my visa put in my passport, I sold my things, packed up my life into two giant suitcases, and it was go time.
Please feel free to leave a comment below or contact me directly for any questions about starting this confusing, but amazing journey. Because once you're on your way to explore the world, you will not regret it. Stay tuned for more posts as I document my life living abroad. :)
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