Are you a travel freak? Do you dream of calm waves brushing your toes or the mysterious mountain breeze whispering something eerie in your ears? Have you often imagined moving to another country and living life by adopting the new culture?
Well, what if I tell you that the genie is here to fulfill your wishes?
Sounds thrilling yet bewildering, isn’t it?
But the thing is that if you know, how to rub the lamp properly, the genie will be yours to fulfill your dream! If you really want to explore the world and the sublime beauty of its every corner, you definitely need money.
So, the question is that where will the money from? Just like I said that if you know how to deal with the magical lamp, your every wish will come true. A TEFL course online is a certification course that is mainly pursued by aspirants and professional teachers who want to become English teachers in the future, and the best part is that opportunities in teaching abroad are in abundance.
If you get an opportunity to teach English abroad, don’t you think that you’ll get an ample amount of chances to explore new countries? Therefore, these TEFL/TESOL courses are the lamps that you must handle with proper care so that your dream of traveling abroad gets fulfilled.
TEFL courses are available in Online, Live-online, and In-class modes. The online courses have a 120-hour international TEFL course, an International TEFL Diploma, an International Advanced Diploma in TEFL, and an International PG Diploma in TEFL. The 120 hours course will provide you with a globally recognized certificate where terms like ONLINE or DISTANCE won’t be mentioned.
The other levels of TEFL will also provide you with the same after you successfully complete the certification courses. Needless to say, an Advanced or PG Diploma in TEFL will hold more gravity than that of a 120-hours certification but the latter is efficient enough to fetch some classy English teaching jobs abroad. Speakers of other languages recruit TEFL certified teachers to teach their students who are non-English speakers.
There are multiple private schools, public schools, and language institutions that hire TEFL teachers. Students range from young learners, adult learners, school children, and also business professionals. To be more precise, Business professionals and Young learners are niche markets and having a TEFL certification in Young Learner and Business professionals will help you to get a batch of those particular pupils.
Now the cost of teaching English abroad depends a lot upon the country you’re traveling to, your qualifications, and your level of prior teaching experience if any. Before you land in a particular country there lies an expenditure in the documentation of your certificates, application of VISA (if not sponsored by the employers), and background check.
You have to legalize your TEFL certification because a soft copy will not be accepted. Besides, a legal criminal background check is a mandatory factor to get your visa approved.
A criminal background check can be requested from your government and it costs £23 in the United Kingdom. While in the US it is around $10-$20. Visa fees can range from around £20 to £150 ($25 – $200) and you must be aware of the correct one for working abroad.
Having said so, the cost of living is different in different countries. If you’re planning for the Middle East, the place is literally posh and full of high-maintenance culture. You can smell exotic affluence in the air of the Middle Eastern countries and the costs to move are pretty high. The competition of the TEFL market is actually high over there due to the low population, and the schools recruit TEFL teachers mostly who are having prior teaching experience.
In the case of the Middle East, employers will provide you accommodation, flight fare, and sometimes medical expenses as well. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman will provide these perks. Asian countries like China, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Malaysia have the same ambiance and you can also enjoy such exquisite benefits over here.
In Europe and Latin America, it is very rare to come across employers who will bear the accommodation and flight fare expense. Summer camps in Europe, however, will almost always include accommodation, and volunteering roles may also include room and board. Russia, Poland in Europe, and some schools in Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil may offer stipends for housing and traveling.
A general question that often leads to a brainstorming situation is when an English teacher thinks, “How much money do I need to move abroad?”
So, basically, if you’re not being provided with these perks your start-up cost will vary based on the living cost of the city and your salary. It is always advised to carry extra cash when you’re traveling to a foreign country. Make sure if you’re planning for digital transactions, that facility is quite convenient in the country you’ll be residing for a while.
For the first month, before you receive a paycheque, you should be considering the following facts excluding accommodation and travel expenses. You have to pay from your fund for:
- Housing expenses
- Electricity
- Food and groceries
- Travel
- Medical expenses
- Cell phone
- Sight-seeing
- Miscellaneous
In some countries, the start-up cost is as low as $500 USD whereas in others it is as high as $1500 USD. Thus depending upon the country, its culture, economical status, the lifestyle of people, etc., the cost of living is determined.
So, I hope now you’re pretty sorted what steps you must remember before flying and you can definitely go for a 120 hour international TEFL course to crack an English teaching job abroad. The course will not only teach you about how to teach English to non-English speakers but also will enlighten you with amazing classroom management techniques. So fear not, gear up, and fly high!