Teaching English Overseas
Posted on July 16, 2007
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Lately, I’ve had a pretty strong case of wanderlust. I want to travel. This summer, it’s just Alberta. But, I want to travel the world. I’ve been thinking, lately, about doing the whole teaching-English-in-Asia thing[1]. It might be a cool thing to do for a year or two. I wouldn’t want to go alone, though. I’d want at least one friend to go with me. That way, in case it ends up being a less than stellar experience, at least there is one familiar face to keep me sane.
I think it would be a cool way to see that part of the world. I don’t expect to really make a lot of money doing it. From what I’ve heard, you don’t really make much a profit from that job, unless you never go out and actually experience the country you’re living in. Some people think it’s a great plan to go see the world while you’re young, and save up some money to start your life when you get back to Canada. What I’ve heard from people who have done it, or who know someone who has, the former is true, but the latter isn’t. I’m okay with that, though.
But, I do think it would be a good way to experience a different culture for a year or two. It would also give me a lot more life experience to draw upon in my writing. As a writer, crazy adventures are things to reach for. The more things you experience, the more you can write about.
Right now, this whole concept is sort of a back-of-my-mind idea. I may never follow through on it. I have no idea what will happen in my life in the next few years, and I think I’d like to wait until I have a bit of money in the bank before embarking on a journey like this. As much as I like the idea of adventure, I like to have a safety net in case something goes wrong. I guess I’m a conservative adventurer, if there can be such a thing.
As far as comments for this post, I’d definitely be interested in hearing about experiences any of you may have had with teaching English in Asia. Even general stories about living in a foreign country would be great (especially if they’re stories of living in a country where you didn’t/don’t speak the language). Also, if any of you have ever considered the idea, and would be willing to be my partner in crime, should I ever embark on this adventure, feel free to say so.
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[1] Alternatively, I might go to a Latin American country. I’ve taken Spanish lessons and, as a result, would probably pick up the language fairly quickly if I was living with it on a daily basis. Having some working knowledge of the language would be an advantage that I wouldn’t have if I were to go to an Asian country.
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3 Responses to “Teaching English Overseas”
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I had a friend Pam who taught English in S. Korea for a couple of years. The first year she had everything paid for her food and rent, because she has a teaching degree she found a great agency and bargined with a private girl’s school. So she paid off her student loan in a year. The second year she banked $20,000 US Dollars and came back to Edmonton with a bank account full. She loved South Korea and travelled all over - Japan, Singapore, Cambodia etc. I would like to do that vacation but not to teach, I don’t like children enough.
Really? I’m surprised to hear that she managed to bank so much money AND travel all around Asia. That’s pretty awesome.
And, from what I understand, most places pay for your accommodations. I’m not sure if food is typically included, but I know that your apartment or house usually is.
But, having a teaching degree probably helped her get a higher salary. It’s not necessary, but I’m sure it doesn’t exactly hinder you.
Not having to pay for rent or food she could save that money for travelling for two years and at the end she used that over and above the rest of the cash she saved. She’s quite a frugal gal and stayed in cheap places with her boyfriend in Asia. It’s not that expensive to travel over there it’s the plane flight which costs the most and her school paid to have her.