I don’t need to repeat that native-English speakers have a passport to the world, and you have the opportunity to take off next month for a teaching job in China, South Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Romania, Colombia, Peru, or Mexico if you want it. But what about non-native speakers who have a strong command of English? This has always seemed unfair to me, because people who had to learn the language are often better equipped to teach it, but unfortunately the bias against them is institutionalized in many countries. South Korea and Japan, for example, require by law that foreign English teachers hold a passport from one of the seven English speaking countries (meaning that even citizens from India, Kenya, Jamaica, or Guyana are forbidden from applying). I’ve often been asked (mainly by young Europeans with fluent English) how they can get on the English-teaching train, and fortunately things are slowly changing.
I’ve seen more and more opportunities for English teachers in South East Asia (for a decent salary look at Vietnam and Indonesia, if you don’t care about that then Cambodia, Thailand, and even Laos) that don’t care where you’re from as long as you have the skills. If you’re willing to volunteer or work for subsistence wages (and to build up experience and credibility) I’ve seen opportunities in India (especially in the north to teach Tibetan Monks), Sri Lanka, Peru, Ecuador, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.
Now to the question of what you need to qualify, that will depend on the country and employer. Among the posts that are not limited to native-speakers, I see requests for “1-2 years of English teaching” “a college degree in any subject” “a college degree that was taught in English” “certified C1 English level” “a TEFL certificate,” “several years living in an English-Speaking country,” or simply “prefer experience living and working in our country.” Some do not mention any of these, some require a combination of 2-3 of them. I’m sometimes asked if going through the classic one-month TEFL course would help, and it can but it depends on the country. In general my experience is that in Asia they put more weight on certificates, so it might help, while other countries just want to speak with you and know that you’re up to the task. Back in 2003 I spend $1000 on a TEFL course in Prague, and it probably helped me get my first job but I don’t have the impression that it’s done anything for me since. If you think your English skills might be questioned then a TEFL might help give you more credibility, but in most cases I’d suggest that you start applying for a few jobs first. If you get a job, you’re in and it will be easier to get other jobs, and if you keep getting rejected ask for feedback and decide if you need to get a TEFL certificate or other certification.
This article is a good overview of opportunities, but be aware that it’s written by a company that provides TEFL courses, so you can mostly ignore their insistence that a TEFL is “absolutely essential!” The rest is good information that’s consistent with my observations of the changing field of English teaching abroad.
So jump on Dave’s ESL Cafe “International Job Board” and start exploring your possibilities!
