an opportunity. It’s more of an exercise to prepare yourself for the little challenges that tend to sneak up on you, and be aware of your own emotional triggers. These triggers tend to be “the last straw” when culture shock starts to set in.
In my third year, I literally quit one country “because of poor water pressure” (In reality there were a mounting list of “real” concerns about my lifestyle that had been mounting up, but at the time, the water pressure was all that I could think of.)
Financial Needs
For many new teachers, or those just getting into the industry, this is the biggest determining factor in choosing the best location to look for work. This is a little more complicated than “how much money do I need to make?” You should consider…
1. Startup Cost (airfare, living costs until first paycheck, visa costs, etc.)
2. How much you need to bring in to pay any financial obligations.
3. Your desired rate of monthly savings.
4. The cost of living in a given location.
5. The relative strength of the local currency.
Again, there is no job that will satisfy all of your wants and needs, but identifying your own situation is a good start. If you are always strapped for cash and unable to pay your bills, then you are not going to be happy, and probably not meet your contract’s expectation or goals. Be as realistic as possible, and look at your checkbook or balance sheet if you have one (if you don’t this it’s a good time to start!)
In terms of initial startup costs, some can be quite demanding, while others less so. Some countries (notably South Korea, Japan, and some locations in The Middle East), will pay for costs such as airfare and furniture stipends up front. Countries with standard arrangements such as these are usually the most convenient for the cash strapped beginning teacher.
The second thing to deeply consider is the balance between your desired rate of savings, the relative cost of living, your salary, and the historical strength of the currency. It’s rare for a country to be positive in all of these factors. Usually, if a country has all of these it quickly experiences a “bubble” of English teachers. It works like this- Native speaking teachers suddenly become cheap to hire because of a positive exchange rate for that countries’ currency. Having been a commodity previously, they quickly come into fashion as demand for training increases. Soon everyone in the industry is moving, or at least talking about the new location. It can be tempting to jump countries in a heartbeat. Be aware though, just like in the economy, bubbles tend to “pop” which can significantly change your job prospects and your balance sheet overnight.
Bubbles are also one reason to always be aware of the big picture and hedge your bets. Never keep too much of any one type of currency.
Sidebar: On Bubbles and Economics- Japan, Korea, and Dubai
The three biggest “bubbles” in the ESL industry in the past twenty years have been Japan, Korea, and Dubai (in that order.) These roughly correspond to economic conditions in the world abroad. For Japan, interest in English was at an all-time high in the 80’s and 90’s; schools where opening up on every block and many large corporations teaching English to students, and professionals were making millions; then came the Asian Financial Crisis. Quickly, consumer demand pulled back and teachers were suddenly let go. The most notable of these was NOVA; who cut several hundreds if not thousands of teachers off and never paid them for their last two months of work due to bankruptcy. Today, it is much more difficult (though still comparatively easy compared to other areas of the world) to find work in English Teaching in Japan. During the “boom” pretty much any native speaker could get a job.
Korea was a similar story. It weathered the Asian Financial crisis slightly better than Japan. Its “boom” began in 1998 and continued well into 2007. Today, South Korea still has a vibrant teaching industry, however it’s “bust” came in 2007. Nearly overnight, South Korea’s currency (the “won”- pronounced ‘wahn’) lost close to 30% of its value within a week. I was caught in this crisis and felt the pain of my 40,000 dollars in rainy day savings quickly becoming much, much less.
In 2010, Dubai experienced a similar phenomenon which extended to many industries (Dubai’s population is composed of between 80-90% foreigners.) The sky-rocketing cost of living and declining currency value sent many expatriates fleeing for the exits; literally. The government spent weeks cleaning up leased luxury cars that we just “abandoned” at the airport.
The moral of the story- Bubbles are good, while they last, but never turn your back on a good thing!
For the budget savvy novice, Asia is probably your best bet if you are strapped for cash. It is really hard to beat a South Korean contract for the first go around teaching abroad. The currency is still moderately valued; the cost of living is low. Employers typically provide airfare, and a furnished apartment. Medical care is readily available and cheap, and in many cases provided by your employers. South Korea has a good standard of living, and a vibrant community of foreigners to “show you the ropes”. Most other contracts available to beginners even hold a candle to these benefits.
The next best bet economically is probably Taiwan. It has a similar foreigner culture compared with Korea, is moderately warmer, and still cheap. The standard of living here is a bit lower than South Korea, and you can expect to pay airfare and accommodations for most contracts. The plus side? Taiwan is semi-tropical, with lots of nice beaches!
Japan comes in a distant third financially. Don’t be persuaded by potentially high yen exchange rates. If you are going alone, remember that costs are astronomically high in Japan! This applies to food, electricity, transportation, you name it! To illustrate this point 50,000 dollars a year is considered “minimum wage” in Japan. There are ways to save for sure, but Japan is better left to working couples, or being put off until you can get a contract that pays enough to offset the high cost of living. Japan also has a bit more of an isolated foreigner community and is a poor starting choice from a social perspective.
Of course, finances are only one part of the overall picture, but they are important to consider when you are just starting out!
Professional Goals
The next question you should consider seriously is “Why do I want to teach English?” Equally important are the questions “What do I expect to get out of my experience?” and “Where do I want my career to take me?”
If you are just starting out, any experience may well fit the bill. However, if you have your sights set on becoming a University Professor, or a business trainer, you should try to accumulate experience that will lead you to that goal now. Almost all experience in ESL is learned on the job; much of it by serendipity or accident at the beginning. There are entry level positions in each sector (General, EAP, and ESP), so taking a less than desirable job that gets you closer to your key goal or demographic may be worth considering. It may even be worth considering taking a less than desirable location or salary to get the experience you want more quickly.
If you are thinking of ESL as a career for more than 2 years, then you should approach it from the perspective of “the long con” (no you don’t need to actually ‘con’ people!) You should however, approach every job in terms of the experience it has to add to your resume. If you want to teach in Universities, then there is no point in starting in a school that only has General English classes, unless this is your only option. You want an opportunity to develop key skills, for the future. Think about these things as
