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EASY AS PI! Openings are everywhere to teach from Kindergarten up to University and private to professionals.

English is THE global language and does not belong to England anymore. Everyone needs it and everywhere wants it.

ENTRY LEVEL

If you have no degree or teaching certificates go to the country of your choice as a backpacker on a tourist visa and network until you find something. Volunteer, do a language swap or teach privately in exchange for a meal. Have fun, enjoy the country and learn the ropes.

If you have a degree, that is all you need in most of Asia to get started. You will get your visa, maybe a free flight and accommodation and be up and running in a couple of months start to finish. It will likely be the fast food version of education, no frills, bums on seats but a great way to start and lots of fun.

If you have CELTA or equivalent that should get you started in Europe even at the British Council and International House depending on your passport. The Council is the best deal out there but you may choose to get a couple of years experience behind you first before hitting the gourmet end of education.

If you have both a degree and CELTA you can go anywhere in the world and be more picky. Sometimes it is better to organize it at home and then transfer when you are out there or do a year cutting your teeth and tee up a better gig for your second year.

If you have postgraduate qualifications especially in teaching or a diploma in ESL again the higher the level you can go in at. Teaching in business or university it all depends on what you want. By now, you are not a glorified backpacker anymore, you are a professional teacher and know exactly what you want.

BE PREPARED

The Cub Scout motto is the right one, so have money to fall back on and be open-minded. Your host country is unlikely to have the same values as yours. Their idea of sticking to the contract may be different and they may try to take advantage of naive westerners.

Dave's ESL Cafe is the best site on the web for English teachers, go to your local careers service and use your library. It is like writing a helium.com article; you must do ALL the research and then some more!

Always smile. Personality goes a long way and courtesy costs nothing. You will then find you pick up all the skills required for teaching such as communication, confidence, classroom management and this expertise will be valuable in every area of your life.

Learn some of their language but do not use it at work. They want English and they pay for it. If you write out twenty or thirty key phrases 25 times each, it will make a big difference outside work. You will remember these words and pick up new ones.

Unless war breaks out in the country you choose, you will have an absolute ball. The expatriate community is a microcosm of society that looks after itself and enjoying its benefits is well worth the experience.

GET STUCK IN AND SINK OR SWIM!

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