Creative minds strive to escape the daily grind. We want to learn about new things and new places. And whether we realize it or not, we want to learn in new places. A new environment is stimulating. It snaps us out of our routines, which makes us process life more actively. If you would like to escape the passive oblivion of bills and errands and a 9-to-5 office job, teaching English abroad is a rewarding way to switch gears.
Teaching Is as Rewarding as Jobs Get
Why just tolerate day-to-day life when you could love it? Teaching really doesn’t get enough credit as a career choice. It may not get you a Jag but it’s genuinely gratifying, steady work. People will always need to learn something. And the fruits of your labor are evident in the classroom every day. A successful work day is no longer balancing books or brewing coffee; it’s learning alongside your students.
If your first day of teaching is yet to come, it’s something to look forward to. You may be nervous, and you’ll definitely become better at improvising with time. But the feeling of working with people instead of products is authentically fulfilling. Teaching abroad is not only an opportunity for you. The knowledge you share with your students creates greater opportunities for them too.
A teacher is always gaining and giving knowledge. Learning is a discourse, and every student brings different insights into the classroom. But when you’re teaching abroad, this exchange is elevated. You can have a positive impact on your community while immersing yourself in the culture of a different country. Teaching and learning is a collaborative process.
For many travelers, having a meaningful impact is an important part of the package. And teaching abroad is an ideal strategy for seeing a lot of the world in a sustainable way. You will often work with students from different generations. You get to learn from their experiences and see them grow both academically and as people. Cross-cultural exchange will only make the world a better place.
Teaching people that come from a completely different background is an adventure that will satisfy anybody’s hunger for change. You will not only become a grammar guru but be challenged by new perspectives and personalities. And designing engaging, informative lessons leaves a lot of room for creativity!
Limitless Locations to Choose From
It’s like the game MASH. You’ve picked a profession and now you get to pick a location. Traveling and cultural immersion are an excellent incentive for teaching abroad. Teaching is a particularly immersive experience because you spend so much time with local students. You are in constant contact with voices from the community. And with a teaching job to cover your travel expenses, you can relax a bit and take time to absorb your surroundings.
You could experience the motorbike mayhem of Vietnam, the Crayola box colors of Guatemala or the austere European spirit of Hungary firsthand. If you’re looking to someday return to your home country, several months in another place could recharge your batteries and even help put things in perspective. If you’d rather roam long-term, teaching English allows you to live like a nomad while still having a reliable line of work in each new place.
This type of travel also allows you to experience places that tourists usually don’t get to see. Your time frame is less limited and you have a classroom of local contacts. Imagine a multi-day trek through the lush rainforest of Brazil, long walks along Costa Rica’s endless beaches and wandering through Tokyo’s busy streets without the pressure of a round-trip ticket home. Time and flexibility are on your side when you utilize long-term teaching opportunities to fund your travels.
But the obvious travel advantages are not the only reason to start teaching abroad. It’s a beautiful way to build life-long friendships all over the world. And if traveling and teaching is only your temporary state of affairs, working abroad strengthens and diversifies any resume. Cross-cultural skills and an ability to adapt are becoming more and more important in an increasingly global society and economy.
Even the positions themselves for teachers abroad are far from homogenous. There’s a fit for everyone from Pre-K classrooms to volunteer conversation classes to part-time university positions. Oftentimes, breaking into the field is attainable without concern for age or past experience. Teaching abroad is a diverse walk of life suitable to anyone who is open to change and willing to put in the work.
If you’re looking to launch your career abroad, a TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) certificate is a shrewd first step. Máximo Nivel offers comprehensive certification programs in three stunning Latin American countries: Guatemala, Costa Rica and Peru. The certification course will give you the grammar, teaching tips and resources you need to build a life working abroad. Once you have a qualification, the rest is up to you!