2. Are you mentally prepared to teach English overseas?
You may not be ready for what you find in another country in terms of culture and lifestyle and become disillusioned. Your employer bears some of the responsibility for preparing you to teach English overseas but you still need to prepare yourself for what to expect. If you have a clear professional aim in mind you will be able to go the extra mile in adapting to life in a foreign country.
You need to be prepared to expect the unexpected and be prepared for resistance to for example, changing established teaching methods.
Prospective teachers should make efforts to learn about cultural anomalies and in so doing aid their own transition into a foreign environment, for example learning the local language and keeping up-to-date with the current events in a country.
3. How can I better prepare myself to teach English overseas?
Plan for your teaching future during the first year of your program by:
• Researching the profession - Get an idea of the opportunities that are available and know what qualifications are required for specific jobs.
If you want to teach English overseas, get involved by volunteering or attending conferences. Becoming known in important circles is helpful, so become involved in a local TESOL society or organization. You may consider giving a presentation on a skills area. This will help others to see your skills and abilities and you can add the presentation to your resume later.
• Find out what jobs are available where you want to go.
Qualifications
To teach English overseas you are required to do the Teach English as a Foreign Language course commonly known as the TFL exam. Before enrolling consult the EFLWeb's article entitle: ‘What to expect from a TFL course? The site will also provide information on which course to take.
Jobs are available in several overseas countries including:
* South Korea
* Taiwan
* Thailand
* Japan
* Poland
