Whether you’re facing a mid-life crisis or the increasingly popular quarter-life crisis, you’re not alone. The job market is becoming more and more competitive and people are living and working longer. There comes a moment in almost every adult’s life when change is needed. And more often than not, this change is a career change. If you’re in a rut or simply starting to consider alternative career paths, teaching English abroad may be your solution.
It’s possible that you never actually decided what you wanted to do with your life. College happened, work happened, kids happened, and you’re left wondering where the time went. Or maybe you had a very fulfilling first career, but your interests have shifted. Humans are dynamic; our priorities evolve over the course of a lifetime. So, if you feel like your current occupation is no longer serving you, it’s time to seek change. To find something that ignites your creativity and brings you a sense of deeper meaning.
Consider why you’re looking for something new. How could a different job change your day-to-day life? Don’t jump from one dead-end workplace to the next. It’s important to take your individual needs into account when switching focus. So, let’s look at why teaching abroad is the answer for many people who want to get more out of their day jobs.
Find and Follow Your Calling
Life is a whirlwind of decisions and you wouldn’t be the first person to admit that you don’t know exactly how you got where you are. People often have to sacrifice their aspirations to pay off student loans or support a growing family. In today’s competitive work climate, it is common for people to prioritize what’s socially acceptable over what’s personally desirable.
And if you’re investigating other options, you probably already know that your job and personality don’t quite fit. Or maybe, the paycheck and location are right but you’re no longer feeling satisfied with the impact you’re making. We’re taught to chase financial security, but you also have every right to enjoy your everyday life. With more life experience than when you became a part of the working world, you are more prepared now to make a thoughtful decision about your future career path.
Branching out into a new professional field can feel daunting or risky. It takes courage to leave behind a stable office job even if it was sucking you dry. But you shouldn’t feel like you’ve missed your opportunity: it’s never too late for a career change. And teaching English abroad is an ideal opportunity to explore your developing interests and the world around you at the same time. Teaching may turn out to be the true calling you’ve never quite found before. For some, living abroad is a six-month retreat. For others, it turns into an extended sabbatical or a lifelong career.
Challenge Yourself
This isn’t to say that your current job was never right for you. When you first started, you may have thrived in marketing or accounting. But at some point, you might have started to feel stagnant. Spreadsheets and social media campaigns have nothing more to give you and that’s okay. Know when the job is telling you to move on. If every day has spiraled into the meaningless and mundane, look for your next challenge. Everyone needs to personally and professionally mature as they age.
So, if your 9 to 5 has started to taste like a box of stale Saltines, it’s time for change. Alter your environment and tap into new skills. Teaching abroad could be the challenge you’re craving. Whether you head to Guatemala, Costa Rica or Peru, exposure to the unknown will snap you out of cruise control. You will be consciously reinventing the person you want to be at work and at home. Not just surviving but thriving in an entirely new environment can show you so much of what you’re capable of.
And all the while you’ll be teaching others. Learning is an exchange and you’ll be growing alongside your students. From cultural sensitivity and open-mindedness to improved communication and leadership skills, you will receive a complete personal and professional makeover. Not to mention the countless choices for teaching locations. With a little research and planning, you could redirect the course of your career to create meaningful change.
Jump off that Hamster Wheel
The world is hectic, and our lives are busy. Between trying to please bosses, co-workers, family members and friends, it’s far too easy to lose your sense of self. The combination of high expectations, stressful work conditions and a lack of gratification common in the workplace causes many people to burn out long before they can legitimately retire. If you’re tired or running and feeling like you’re gaining no ground, teaching abroad could break this exhausting cycle.
Dropping everything and moving across the world might seem insane but only until you realize how many opportunities it could bring you. Changing the place you live immediately reorients your perspective and can have a therapeutic effect. In a fresh environment, you have the freedom to focus on personal development. Life shouldn’t be a competition. Starting over allows you to do what you want without fear of judgment. And while you’re gone, you may learn to be content with a simpler lifestyle. Living in Mexico or Vietnam could teach you a lot about showing more gratitude for less material goods. While teaching abroad, you can truly broaden your own perspective and enrich your value system.
Make a Difference in Your Community
Many people transition to teaching English abroad because their current jobs are missing meaning. This urge often comes from the realization that we spend most of our lives at work. So, selecting a career that directly benefits society can give you a sense of purpose and help your surrounding community at the same time. Combining the necessity to make a living with a desire to affect people’s lives for the better is what many caring people seek in their career paths. If you share this desire to make a positive impact on our world, teaching in a developing country can be a very fulfilling career choice.
Your teaching could radically change the futures of children in these communities. Learning English can contribute to upward social mobility. English is the language of many work and travel opportunities. And you can also influence your students interpersonally, encouraging them to apply for professional or educational programs and socially preparing them for a more global lifestyle. In jobs like teaching English abroad, pay is no longer your sole motivation; it’s only what makes your international life feasible.
So what’s next? You decide!
Your desire for a professional facelift could be stemming from a number of different dissatisfactions both big and small. But what’s important is finding a lasting solution. Whether you take a six-month trip to reset or sell your home and never look back, teaching English abroad could be an accessible and fulfilling change of pace. You deserve to feel better about your job, your social impact and ultimately yourself. So start researching Máximo’s Latin American locations and see which program is calling you!