We’ve said it before and we will say it again – TEFL (Teaching English as a foreign language) simply is THE best way to travel.
Just in case you need convincing, here are our top reasons why a TEFL course is your passport to trips of a lifetime!
You live in another country
Teaching English abroad means living and working in another country. Not just visiting, not just travelling. Living. Which means you get to know the country in a completely different way from a passing tourist.
Whether you’re in Thailand, Vietnam, China or anywhere else in the world, TEFL teachers are invited into colleagues’ homes. You eat in places where only locals go. You stay long enough to understand what really drives the culture. You get time to visit those hidden spots.
Even the best few days at a homestay can’t compete with that.
You fund your travel
It’s quite simple. Travel = spending money. Work = earning money.
But TEFL is the exception that proves the rule. TEFL = earning money while you are travelling. Sounds perfect doesn’t it?
And it’s not simply that you stay longer in the country where you are teaching. Most TEFL teachers get paid more than the local cost of living. That means money to save. Let’s put that another way. TEFL means money for even more brilliant travel experiences.
You are paid to be on holiday
Teachers get holidays. Quite a lot of holidays, to be honest. And if you are a TEFL teacher you usually get paid while you are on holiday as well as when you work.
Yes, you are paid to have a holiday in a country that you always wanted to visit. Do we need to go on?!
The whole world is your workplace
Imagine this as a job appraisal.
Are you enjoying your job? Have you made loads of new friends? Do you want to stay longer? Great, you can extend your TEFL contract and continue your fantastic travel experience right where you are.
You feel ready for the next chapter? No problem either. Apply for another TEFL job and you can be in a whole new continent before the month’s out.
Not bad, eh?
You learn a new language
Ok, so we know you are there to teach English. But chances are you will pick up a bit of the local dialect without even really trying. And if you want to learn more, language classes are easy to find.
After all, who knows when you might want to say “Thanks” in Russian, Mandarin or Xhosa? Even if it’s only to get those bonus points in the pub quiz.
You meet fun, like-minded people
If you are teaching English abroad, you will bump into other TEFL teachers.
And TEFL teachers are, pretty much by definition, open-minded, fun-loving adventurers. Sound like your type of friend?
You do something worthwhile
In this age of global communications, English is the international language. In fact, in some parts of the world, speaking English can be the line between having a good job or living in poverty.
As a TEFL teacher you are passing on a skill that literally can transform your students’ lives. Now if that doesn’t add something to your travel experience we don’t know what will.
You acquire useful skills
Whisper it quietly, but at some point you probably will come home.
TEFL means you will arrive back with a suitcase full of experience and skills. Presentation skills. Interpersonal skills. Management skills. Language skills. Far more impressive when you are applying for a job than that suntan (although we admit that can look pretty good too). We don’t want to blow our own trumpet, but we are the only TEFL provider of our kind to run English government-regulated courses, meaning your CV will sparkle in job interviews… not that you’ll ever want to come home!
