It’s often said that finding a job teaching English abroad is easy; it’s finding a good teaching job that can be challenging. So how do you choose a job teaching English abroad? Ask these key questions before accepting a position with any school, anywhere:

Will I have a co-teacher?

Imagine a group of about 15 students who are just beginning to learn the basics of English, staring up at you while you try to explain something as simple as the verb “to go”. How would you present this verb so that you could be certain that the students understand what it means? You might try showing a picture of a person “going” somewhere; but then how do the students know if you’re teaching them the word for “person”, “go”, “walk”, or many other possibilities? Now imagine trying to teach this same verb with the help of a co-teacher who speaks the students’ language. The co-teacher can give a direct translation of “to go”, and you can continue with the lesson, feeling confident that the students understand the meaning of the word you’ve introduced. Of course, many people work in schools without co-teachers, and it’s certainly possible to teach effectively without one. However, from my experience, having a co-teacher makes teaching much easier and it’s a definite plus if your potential school tells you that you will be working with one.

Is the teaching curriculum standardized?

Along with having a co-teacher, a pre-planned curriculum is the other advantage of the company we’re working for in Thailand. It’s basically a kind of agency that schools contract out to provide their required English curriculum. As with any chain of language schools, the curriculum is relatively standardized. We have a lesson plan book where every lesson is already planned out for us, including recommendations on how to present the topic and activity suggestions. I’ve heard stories of teachers arriving to begin work at a school, and basically being tossed into a classroom unprepared with the instructions “teach them English”. If the curriculum isn’t outlined for you in some way, you’re going to have come up with your own lesson ideas every day. Whether this is a pro or con for you depends on how confident you feel about creating lessons independently, and how much time you’re willing to devote to lesson planning each week.





Is there a probation period?

If you’re considering a year-long contract, some schools will hire you on a probationary basis for month or two first. You need to pass probation before you’ll be able to sign on for the full 2 terms. This can be considered a positive thing because while the school evaluates you over this probation period, you can also decide if you like the school. It gives you the opportunity to gracefully move on if you don’t like the set-up, rather than the alternative of potentially committing to and then bailing on a one-year contract if you’re not enjoying it. On the other hand, you may not like the idea of leaving home, flying to a foreign country, and then finding out eight weeks later that the school doesn’t feel like you’re quite working out for them. Obviously, even if you choose a contract without a probation period, you can always be let go if you’re doing a terrible job; but the probation period makes it easy for the school to try you out for a bit, and then drop you for any reason.





How many other western teachers will I be working with?

I can’t overemphasize how the presence of other English-speakers has an enormous impact on your teaching abroad experience, and therefore should be a key consideration when you choose a job teaching English abroad. You’ll be away from home, and your co-workers will be the most readily available social-support network.There’s a big difference in the kind of support you get if you’re the only western teacher at the school, or 1 of only 2 or 3, versus if you’re working with a group of 10 or 20 other western teachers. Also, consider the number of western teachers in the context of the city you would be living in. Working with 1 or 2 western teachers in a city like Seoul or Bangkok isn’t so isolating because there are plenty of other places to meet English-speakers; while working with 1 or 2 western teachers in a town where virtually no one else speaks English (the lifestyle that we’re currently rocking)? Well…I can’t say that I would really recommend it.

Can I contact someone currently teaching at the school?

You might think that getting in touch with a current western teacher at the school isn’t worth your time because it’s the equivalent of a resume reference: Presumably they’re going to have you speak with someone who has positive things to say, rather than with one of their more disgruntled employees. However, if the school is willing to let you contact a current employee, it means that there is at least one person who enjoys their job, and you can feel assured that working there won’t be an absolute nightmare. Secondly, when Brent and I were interviewing for jobs, I talked to western employees at a few schools in South Korea, and I found they were actually quite honest with me. One guy told me he had just started working at the school 2 days ago, and he was confused about why they had asked him to talk to me. Another guy admitted that the working hours at the school were quite long, and he felt like he didn’t have a lot of free time. So talk to a current teacher – it can be surprisingly informative.

Part II can be found here.

I want to hear about some of your experiences teaching English. What are the positive aspects of where you chose to teach? Or what do you wish you had done differently?