Do I need to speak the language?

No. It is not necessary to speak the language of the country you are going to...but try to learn! If you will be teaching in a major metropolis, you can get by fine with just English. If you will be teaching in a rural area, learning the language will be more important.

Is safety a concern?

If you are teaching in a popular teaching destination, chances are you will be in an environment that is relatively friendly to foreigners. Nonetheless, be a smart traveler. Read these Travel Safety Tips: Advice, Programs, Embassies, Insurance, etc.

What will I teach? If I am certified to teach a subject, can I teach my subject?

If you are wanting to teach English abroad (ESL / TEFL / TESOL / EFL / etc. - all the different acronyms often mean the same thing: teaching the English language). If you are a certified/licensed subject teacher, you will certainly be sought after to teach your subject and, if you have at least 2 years experience, you are eligible to teach at private or international schools.

Is experience required to teach abroad? Will I get training?

For English language teachers: Most countries do not require any experience for teaching English abroad. Your school will expect you to complete some sort of training before arriving, at least an online TEFL certification (easy to get - see more about TEFL certification next). Most academies will train you for a short time when you arrive, though often this is just a few days of training and a week of auditing another teacher's classes).

For certified subject teachers: 2 years is the general requirement for getting a visa to teach at private/international schools (which are the types of schools you will be looking at for teaching your specific subject). HOWEVER, if you are a fresh graduate from education college and don't have 2 years of classroom experience, that is OK - you can count your time in school as part of this 2 year experience requirement, which is mainly just a visa stipulation.

NOTE ABOUT CHINA: China is special and deserves special attention because it is the biggest market for teachers, both English language teachers and certified subject teachers. In China's tier 1 cities (Beijing, Shanghai, etc), they have a 2 year 'experience' requirement for giving a teacher visa. They say you need 2 years of post-college 'work experience', which doesn't have to be teaching. Yes, they categorize them by tiers, but tier 2 and 3 cities are still huge cities with high living standards. In reality, and this is backed up by my recruitment experiences with Chinese ESL schools, most schools (that aren't in the heavily desired tier 1 teaching markets of Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong) can get you a visa even if you have no experience. Schools can sometimes get this waives because of their relationship with their local immigration office officials.

Do I need certification to teach abroad?

To teach the English language abroad, yes. English academies usually only give jobs to teachers who put in the effort to obtain an online TEFL certification (Teach English as a Foreign Language). A 120 hour online TEFL course certification is a standard requirement. In-person courses (like CELTA) are not required and are expensive, but they are excellent at preparing you for your future ESL classroom. Nonetheless, an online TEFL certification is sufficient. See some available TEFL course here (with discount for TAN members).

To teach your subject if you're a certified subject teacher, you'll need a teaching certification in that subject area. However, my experience in recruiting has taught me that you can have a MA/MS/PhD in that subject area to substitute for certification. Schools view content mastery as the main requirement, though you obviously have to demonstrate a great aptitude for teaching if you don't have proper teacher certification (my recommendation: create a video on your profile to accomplish this). Regardless of your certification, it would be beneficial to do at least an online TEFL course to introduce yourself to the concepts important for teaching in a classroom with students of varying English levels (or study some methodologies like the SIOP model for teaching different levels of English speakers.

How long are the contracts for teaching abroad?

For licensed subject teachers who want to work at a proper private school or international school, most contracts are 24 months.

For English language teachers, most contracts are 12 months. You can find some 3- or 6-month contracts here and there, but it is difficult to find these because most ESL academy owners don't want to go through the official immigration process of getting visas for short-term teachers (because it costs money and time). So understand the risks of taking a Summer job or other short term job when teaching English abroad (know if they are going to provide you a legal visa). See the Teaching Abroad Country Comparison chart for the lengths of contracts in various countries.

How much money can I save?

This depends on your location. Asia and the Middle East are the primary places where you will be able to earn enough to save a significant amount. See the country comparison chart for how much you can expect to save in the most popular teach abroad destinations (calculated by average teacher salary minus cost of living, including leisure spending like travel). If you are looking to save money or pay off debt, you can find teaching jobs in Asia or the Middle East for which you can save $10,000 or more (not just make, but save) annually.

How can I possibly leave my family and friends for a year?

This is a common fear people have. Do you know how quickly your year abroad will pass? Faster than you realize. When you are busy fitting in to a new culture and making new friends and teaching, a year will go by quickly, believe me. And guess what? Your family and friends will still be there when you get back, hanging on to your every story! Furthermore, modern technology like blogs, messaging apps, social media, and Skype allows you to stay in touch easily - and make your friends and family jealous of your awesome adventures!

As a member of Teach Abroad Network, you can post blogs and vlogs (video blogs) that will be of interest to not only your friends and family, but potential future employers here on the network. Personality is an important component of hiring, after all.

Is teaching abroad good for my resume?

Yes. I really enjoyed this post on Travel Pulsespeaking to a college student's concern about teaching abroad looking like a blank space on his resume: Teaching abroad will look good on your resume IF you put in the effort to get better (professional development) while abroad, keep a blog/vlog to show how you've grown as a person and professional, and describe the experience well on your resume. For example, I now have the confidence to stand in front of people twice my age who have advanced degrees and lecture about business principles in other countries. That same confidence relates to all other forms of public speaking.

Can I teach abroad with friends, family, or spouse?

Yes, you can. Teaching couples and friends often ask about this possibility. Read this forum post about teaching with family, friends, or a spouse, which goes over some basics you need to understand about housing and jobs, as well as education for children, if you want to teach abroad with another person.

Are there nationality requirements?

Is a Bachelor's Degree required?

This is a question often asked by those wanting to teach English abroad and are from a native English speaking country. For a paid English language teaching job, YES you must have a Bachelor's degree or higher. For volunteer teaching programs, a degree is often not required. If you do not have a BA and want to teach, read Where can I teach abroad without a degree?

Is there a maximum age?

Yes/No. I know there are many of you 60+ retired teachers out there who would love to teach abroad! The governments of the popular teach abroad destination countries around the world don't all have strict rules in place, and even when they do, the province-level governments of the schools that are requesting visas for teachers might be more lenient in granting visas to older-than-allowed teachers if they recognize that it's difficult to attract teachers.

There are conflicting reports from all over (especially from China) about the age requirements to teach abroad: The maximum is 55, no wait it's 65, no wait it's any age as long as the school can convince the immigration officials on your behalf... To be honest, these reports are all correct. My advice for candidates older than 55:

1. Ask schools if your age will be an issue when you apply

2. Add a video to your profile (read more about this later in the book), which makes you more than just another applicant. Show them that you are a vibrant, professional teacher that can add great value to their school community.

For more information, check out this article: I'm 55, 60, 65+...can I teach abroad?

Do I need a Criminal Background Check (CBC)?

When applying to teach around the world, almost every government will require a CBC from a state-level police department (i.e. California State Police). This is easy to obtain; just call your state- or province-level police department and ask how to get a background check from them. You can often just request it online.

However, some countries like South Korea and increasingly China, require a clean NATIONAL-level criminal background check. This requires getting a fingerprint card done and sending it to your country's national-level police department (i.e. the FBI in America, Scotland Yard in the UK, RCMP in Canada, etc.) with a completed application form and small fee. Ordering a national-level check can take anywhere from 4-12 weeks, so get started right away. Waiting will adversely affect your ability to get hired, as employers look for candidates with 'documents in hand'. Your background check cannot be older than 6 months at the time of your Visa application.

See instructions for how to get a national-level criminal background check (FBI, Scotland Yard, RCMP, etc).
See instructions for how to get a state-level criminal background check.

Other 'soft requirements' that schools prefer:

The requirements to teach abroad can be flexible, as you read above. Here are some other things that schools look for in candidates:

1. Candidates who show a passion for education. Many are intimidated by teaching if they are inexperienced, but it is extremely rewarding and can be a lot of fun. Discuss your philosophies on education with an introduction video on your Teach Abroad Network profile.

2. Specific for high school and college prep academies: graduates of good universities (top universities like Oxford and Yale, but also places like NYU and Pomona). Brand names of good schools are significant factors in hiring at places that market themselves to parents who hope to one day send their kids to a top school in America, the UK, etc.

3. A bright personality! Honestly, this is really the biggest thing that schools are looking for. The certifications and experience are nice, but, bottom line, they want people with great personalities. Spending the 20 minutes to create an excellent profile introduction video will go a long way toward getting hired by a school that wants to find teachers with great personalities! (By the way, ALL schools want that).

Want more information? Know the 4 types of schools abroad.