When narrowing down the list of potential countries that you may want to teach in, it is a good idea to ask yourself a few questions.
Is there a region or culture that I have a particular interest in?
When choosing where to teach overseas, it can seem overwhelming at first when your choices consist of so many different regions and countries. If you are unsure of where you’d like to teach, I’d recommend completing a bit of research on different areas of the world.
This can help you to narrow down your choices. I’d recommend narrowing down your choices to three or four different countries or areas.
What hobbies or activities, if any, would I like to be able to continue abroad?
Think about what activities would be available in certain countries, like scuba diving, skiing, biking, etc. This could help you to narrow down your search. Especially since you will not know many people, continuing in your hobbies can be a great way to meet people and get comfortable in your new surroundings.
Am I prepared to budget for a totally different living experience?
Find out how far your dollars will go in your new country to really figure out your salary. Does the school cover your living expenses? Does it provide accommodations or transportation costs? These are all important factors determining how much money you will be making and how much money you will have for living expenses.
Am I open to living with someone else?
Often in contracts where accommodation is provided, single teachers are expected to share an apartment with another teacher. Always find this out before signing your contract, and find out, if possible, who you will be sharing with.
These questions will help you narrow your search to a few specific regions where you would like to work. Coming up with the answers may require you to do some research into different countries and regions. This will help you make a more informed decision.
Treat this job search like you would a job search in your home country. There are many questions to ask yourself when determining the perfect career opportunity.
When searching for jobs at home, the available pool is probably quite small because that is all that is available in your specialty. If you choose to limit your search to a specific city, then your prospects drop even more. International job searches work much the same way.
Be careful when narrowing your job search because you don’t want to go overboard. Overly narrowing down your search can end up hurting you by leaving only a small number of remaining opportunities.
You wouldn’t want to miss out on a fabulous teaching job because you had eliminated that area. Keep this in mind when looking for international teaching jobs.
