If you are like so many other teachers after completing their TEFL/TESOL or CELTA, you’re probably asking yourself, where should I go to begin my English teaching career? Or you may be a veteran teacher looking to immerse yourself in a new culture or environment. Well, there are a few resources that you can find to make the best possible choice.
The first is the Hofstede Insights National Culture Models. This is useful if you dont know much about the culture where you are planning to go. They also have a test that you can take that determines the country best suited to you. There, you can compare and contrast almost any nationality in the world with your own. Overall, they measure 6 different areas of culture: power distance (the attitude in society towards power inequality, e.g. teacher to student), individualism (the degree of interdependence in society), masculinity (how competitive the society is and how valued success is), uncertainty avoidance (the way in which the society deals with the fact that the future can never be known), long term orientation (how society relates to its past and looks to the future), and indulgence (the extent to which the society deals with their desires and emotions).
I’ve chosen to analyse three countries as an example - my home (USA), where I’m currently living and working (Ukraine), and a popular destination for new EFL and ESOL teachers from America (China).
Source: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/models/national-culture/
Another extremely useful resource is the cost of living comparison. Probably the biggest hurdle (especially for new EFL teachers) can be managing your money in a new country. With this resource, you can understand things like how much an average loaf of bread costs or how much a taxi is to hire so you can budget your money smartly. This is also useful because it can prevent you from getting ripped off in the first few days after arriving in your new country, so you'll be able to get off on the right foot instead of the wrong one.
The next one isn’t so much of a tool for determining where to go, but what to highlight in your lessons when you start teaching in that country, and that is Michael Swan’s book Learner English. This book provides lots of insights into the culture where that language is spoken and even explains a multitude of problem areas you can start focussing on in your classroom from day one which can make it seem as if you’ve been in that country for years already and not that you’ve just arrived yesterday.
If you are interested in adding a few cities and countries to your list of places to consider moving to, the Vagabrothers did a great video with some good commentary and descriptions about where to go.
If you happen to be lucky enough to find a school that provides housing to its teachers, then you probably won’t need this next resource. However, for the majority of us who don’t have this chance, you can register online at Booking. and if you reserve a week or two in an apartment, you can use this time to find an apartment for renting long term. You might even be able to negotiate something with the owner of the apartment where you are staying.
This website has really helped me save on hotel expenses, and has provided a safer alternative to hostels as well. No more need to stay in a hostel with 5 other people; one of whom is always asking you for money.
Fortunately, in all the time that I’ve been travel-teaching, I’ve never stayed in a hostel, but have heard plenty of horror stories about scams by other guests in them. However, I do know that some of hostels can give you a special rate if you plan to stay long term so if that's your thing, that's something else to consider. You’ll just need to ask. You’d be surprised how helpful the local population can be sometimes in this.
When I was moving house in Ukraine, I had a student who was an estate agent and proved to be very helpful by putting me in contact with some great colleagues of hers in order to assist in my search. If you get on with your students, you’d be surprised how helpful they can be; just be careful not to constantly take. You can always offer some free English lessons on the side in exchange for their help.
Well, I hope this will help you in making the best in your search about where to teach English. Of course, if you have any specific questions, feel free to write me a direct message or you can make a comment below and good luck on your future career endeavors!
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