In the 20th century, the English language has become the most spoken of them all. We are not just talking about the natives, we are talking about billions of people out there who know it perfectly. The reason is that it became some sort of tool for communication between people who come from different parts of the world, both for business and personal communication.
So, we can see that the need for those who are fluent in this language has skyrocketed in the 21st century. According to a statistic recently done by the British council, we can see that roughly 2 billion people are either using English or learning it in 2021. When you know this fact, you will not be surprised with knowing that many countries, especially those in Asia, require teachers who will help their population to learn it as best as it is possible.
That means that millions of people with this knowledge can find a job in those countries. Still, that doesn’t mean that this road is not rocky. There are some standards you will need to meet before you are competent enough to share your knowledge with others.
Also, you need to understand the market you are interested in. If you want to take a look at one of these, be sure to check out teast.co. Now, we would like to talk about how you can become a teacher in a foreign country. Without further ado, let’s take a look at what we’ve gathered on this topic.
Conduct a Thorough Research
It doesn’t matter if you are a person who is interested in this sort of job for a long time, or this is just an idea you just got, you will need to conduct thorough research. It means that you will need to take a look at all markets you are interested in and see what your options are. That way, you will know what you can expect from the market and how you can meet all these standards most efficiently.
You will see that some schools you take a look at will provide you with some sort of guide, where you will see what they require from their teachers. After that, you should take a look at what are the requirements for you to enter the country. We are talking about things like visas, potential salary, and other hiring requirements. Knowing all of these will make it easier for you.
Is a Degree Required?
The most frequently asked question is whether a college degree is required to teach English in a foreign country. Well, this question has a couple of answers. It depends on the country you are interested in going to. Still, sometimes this is declared quite transparent, while some other times this will not be named as a requirement, but you will be asked about it at some moment.
At the same time, this can become even more complicated. For instance, some schools will not require it, but some others will, even though they are in the same country. Therefore, we think that having a degree is one of the most important factors you will be judged upon. With that in mind, we wouldn’t require you to try to apply for a job position if you don’t have it. Your chances will be rather slim.
Do You Need Experience?
When we’re discussing experience, you will see that standards are dependent on the part of the world you are interested in. For instance, in South America, schools will don’t mind if you are a native as long as you speak good English. On the other side, we have Asian and Gulf countries where you can work as a teacher only if you are a native. There is no other way around it.
In some cases, you will need to have citizenship where this language is native to. When we are talking about Europe, the situation is somewhat different. Still, you will have a more chance of succeeding in your goal when you have a passport of a country that’s a member of the European Union. But that doesn’t mean that if you come from some other regions you will not get a chance to do so.
Do You Need Work Experience?
We can all agree on the fact that knowing the language is one thing, and teaching other people are completely two different things. That’s why working experience is something that will be required in a vast majority of the markets. At the same time, we can see that a lot of people tend to create a false portfolio and to submit it. Many are surprised to see these people succeed in the end.
Still, we can see that this percentage of people is rather small. So, we wouldn’t recommend you to try it out. You should be honest about your capabilities. But for you to be honest and successful, you will certainly need to have some work experience. Before you start looking for a job abroad, start working at some local language school and we have no doubt this sort of experience will be crucial for your future.
Start Looking for a Job
If you met all of these requirements, then this is the perfect moment for you to start looking for a job. You can be sure that this journey will not be easy since the competition is too steep at the moment. Still, if you are properly educated and you have a lot of experience, we don’t believe you will spend a lot of time sending applications and not receiving any response. Your chances will become even higher if you have some additional courses that can confirm your level of knowledge.
Summary
We’ve said that the competition is too high in this line of work. That’s why we would urge you to meet all the standards before you apply for a job. Here, you can take a look at the most sought-after standards for this job position. We are sure you will find each of these equally useful.
