Teaching English Overseas: What it's Like to Teach English in Foreign Countries
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Remote Jobs > Working Overseas > Teaching English Overseas: What it's Like to Teach English
Then perhaps you can move to Japan! Teaching English abroad does not require a degree in Education. Usually it requires a Bachelor’s Degree of any type, but there are many places where this is not even required. What is required is simply being a Native speaker of English. So, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, can I - a person born in the USA and who speaks English as my native language - be an English Teacher in Japan? YES! But wait, don’t I need to also speak Japanese?!? NO! In fact, they prefer it if you don’t speak any Japanese!
Actually, teaching English abroad is one of the very best ways to travel and really take a deep dive into the life of a nomad or an expat - and it allows you to get an in-depth understanding of the country unlike a simple vacation. You’ll really learn about the culture and the people, and have tons of time to explore the country (as well as surrounding countries) as well.
Here’s why it’s an amazing opportunity:
You get to fully immerse yourself in a different culture
Usually a very high demand in countries around the world
Open to all ages - from your 20s into your 70s
Much cheaper cost of living
Easily travel to the surrounding countries that you’d otherwise never see
12-month contracts allow you to switch countries and teach English all around the world!
It’s also an open door to attain other careers in that country
Build excellent job skills like how to prepare and deliver lessons/PowerPoint decks, and manage students.
Learn their language to open work opportunities to you in your professional field!
Teaching English Abroad is a door wide open - and potentially the easiest way to move to countries like Japan. In fact, many other countries in Asia and Latin America offer a similar situation.
In this article, we interview an American who has taught English in Japan for over 6 years, Jenny from Eat Wander Explore! Near the end, we provide additional information for you on how you can get started as well - and what other countries are hoping that you apply right now. We hope you take this exciting opportunity to travel the world! Enjoy.
Interview with Jenny: Taught English in Japan for 6+ Years
Jenny taught English in Japan for six and a half years. When she was hired, her primary language was English and she had a bachelors degree in business administration. She did not have any experience as a teacher and did not have an education degree. Here is our interview with Jenny:
If somebody wanted to start out as an English teacher in Japan, what would you want to tell them?
Well, it's hard to say because things have changed with Covid right now, but in the past, I would have told them to research what type of school they would like to teach at, whether that's public schools, like elementary, middle or high school, or an English conversation school like Aeon or ECC.
Why? Is there a difference between them?
Well, in the public schools you'd be working Monday to Friday from around 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The classes usually had around close to 30 kids per class, and I only saw the same class twice a month. I was at 3 schools in one contract, so I’d be at one school for 5 days, then the second school for 3 days, and the last school for 2 days. Then back to the first school. I’m not exactly sure what the situation was for middle or high school ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers), but I think they might have only been at one or two schools.
At the English conversation schools, the work day started in the afternoon and finished around 9 or 10 PM. On Saturdays you might get an earlier schedule and work somewhere around 10AM to 4PM. At AEON, I had Sunday/Monday off, and at ECC I had Sunday and I could request which weekday I preferred to have off for the year. I usually chose Wednesday or Thursday to split up my week. I taught all ages, from 1.5 years old to 75+ years old. The kids classes were much smaller in size – usually around 6-8 kids per class – and I’d see the same students weekly. Aeon and ECC have different types of adult classes that they offer, but I’d usually see the same adult students every week too.
As far as lesson planning goes, at the elementary schools I was given a target sentence structure for the week, but had to come up with a lesson plan on my own. Sometimes they had flash cards available to use, but most of the time I had to make all of the materials needed for the lesson. I also ended up purchasing my own props and game materials to use in class to make the lessons better. So there's a lot more lesson planning and prep time needed. I only did the elementary school teaching for one contract though. I've heard that once you get past the year, you can just recycle your lesson plans so lesson planning won’t take up as much time the second year onwards.
Commuting to public schools took longer. I would often have to take a train, transfer to a bus, and then walk 10-20 minutes in order to get to the school. I could have moved closer to the schools, but they still would have likely required a bus ride and the 10-20 minute walk.
The English conversation schools are usually at a train station or just outside of the station. So commuting to work was easier and less time consuming.
To teach English in Japan, what qualifications do you need?
To get a visa to teach English in Japan, you’ll need to have a Bachelor’s degree. It doesn’t matter what your major was, but you do need to have a Bachelor’s degree and send a copy of your diploma when you apply for the visa. TEFL or TOEFL certificates are not required, I didn’t get one before going to teach, but if I were to do it again, I would look at getting a certificate with a program that taught lesson planning and required some hands-on practice.
I noticed in my own lessons that after the first year of teaching my lessons got better. So while I did my best, I think having the training that a certificate puts you through would definitely help a lot.
The English conversation schools do train you. If I remember correctly, AEON had one week of how to teach the adult lessons and then a couple of days training for kids lessons. ECC had a full week of training for adults and a full week for kids lessons.
The company I was with as an ALT gave me one day of training. I think it was actually only about 4 hours. So as far as training goes, I would say ECC was the best. They were more comprehensive. They also provided additional mentorship where you could observe a more seasoned teacher and get their advice. Both AEON and ECC would also have additional training workshops throughout the year. So teaching English without a TEFL certificate is doable, but I think you’ll be happy if you get a TEFL certificate to be better prepared. Especially if you’ll have to make lesson plans as an ALT!
What’s the pay and cost of living like?
Travel costs related to commuting were all reimbursed every month by the companies that I worked for. So whether it was through the private companies or the public schools, the cost for the train or bus was reimbursed.
AEON makes the process of moving to Japan very easy. They assign you to a school and provide housing accommodations nearby. They do take out rent directly from your paycheck – approximately $525 per month. You can also have them withhold money each month for taxes like in the US if you’re not good at budgeting and saving some money aside to pay your taxes each year.
I don’t remember the exact pay, but I think it was the equivalent to about $28,000 to $30,000 per year, And then if you complete your year, they give you a bonus at the end, which was about $700-$800. I remember thinking it was close to the cost of a one-way plane ticket back home.
As an ALT, I think the pay was about the same as AEON. I got public holidays off and didn’t have to work in the evenings, which is good for exploring and experiencing the country, but it also isn’t as friendly on the wallet.
When my contract ended with AEON, I also had to find my own place to live. I had made some friends that had a room available. So I moved into their spare room and became their third roommate. We lived outside of the city a bit, and since we split the rent 3 ways it was only about $350/month including utilities. It was far from the elementary schools, but again, transportation to and from work was reimbursed at the end of each month.
ECC paid the least – I think starting out it was around $24,000/year – but the working hours were also less, only 6 hours a day. Part way through my first year of teaching with ECC, one of my roommates got married and moved out. The apartment lease was connected to her work though, so my other roommate and I found a different place. That was the first place I lived that wasn’t tied to anyone’s place of employment. It was around $650/month but it was brand new, in the city, and near a train and subway station. It was also a 3 bedroom place so we were able to host friends and family quite a few times when they came to visit.
Did you need to learn Japanese before going to Japan?
No, in fact it’s discouraged by the English conversation schools because they want an English immersive environment. If you do learn any or know any Japanese, you'll have to pretend like you don't know anything while teaching.
But if you're going to teach at the elementary schools, you probably want to learn a little bit of Japanese like greetings, and basic phrases to converse with the other teachers. You'll likely be the only English speaker at the schools, even though you're teaching English with an elementary school teacher there.
Additionally, if you're planning to look for other types of work in Japan, you will need to know Japanese as one of the requirements. Many people begin by teaching English, but then learn Japanese and switch careers.
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What were the students and classes like? Could you choose the age group you wanted to teach?
I taught all ages at AEON and ECC, from 1.5 years old and up. The babies and toddlers have parents in the class too, and you are kind of teaching the parents how to use the materials they receive to play games and sing songs with their child in English.
Adult students usually are paying quite a bit to be there so they are very motivated and eager to learn. Sometimes they are sent by their company to learn English. If they were being sent overseas soon, they were usually very motivated. But if it was just a requirement to take English classes on a slight chance they might be sent abroad, they weren’t always eager to be in class.
If you only want to teach adults, AEON has a few schools that don’t have kids classes but because there aren’t as many it could take longer to get hired and placed if you request that. AEON also has a sister company, Amity, that has only kids classes so you could also go that route.
After your first year of teaching, if you decide to stay in Japan longer, you may find more opportunities available to you through the companies. There are English intensive courses, airline English courses, private lessons, etc. but they are usually assigned to more seasoned teachers.
After my contract teaching at the elementary schools, the company I was with lost their contract with the Board of Education in that district. They offered me a position at a junior high school instead, but I wanted to stay where I was living and the commute would have been too far.
Just a heads-up, AEON also has some sales expectations for teachers. At ECC all sales-type conversations are done by the Japanese staff at the school. At AEON, the teachers are the ones asking students to re-sign contracts each year, and make upsells. You don’t make any commissions, but there can be a lot of pressure placed on you to make the monthly sales target.
At ECC, at least in the Chubu (Nagoya) district, teachers are recognized each year for top re-sign rates. There’s no pressure of “selling” your classes, but when you do well and teach great classes, students tend to want to sign up the next year too. So I personally appreciated the atmosphere at ECC better.
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How did you apply to teach English in Japan?
I first applied to the JET programme, but I didn’t get accepted. I think I just did an online search for, “teaching English in Japan” and did some research on a few of the companies listed like AEON, ECC, Berlitz, etc.
ECC was only doing interviews in Toronto which was very far from me at the time, and they didn’t provide housing. Moving abroad for the first time and having to find my own housing seemed very daunting.
AEON was holding interviews in Los Angeles. I applied online and was offered an interview, so I flew out there a few weeks later to attend the group interview. AEON kind of holds your hand through the whole process once you’re hired. They have housing for you, they pick you up from the airport, and they take you to the bank to set up your account. It made moving abroad for the first time fairly easy.
For the ALT elementary school position, I think I found them on Dave's ESL café. You do have to be a bit more selective because not all places are reputable. I was approached by some companies who said that they had work for me in another city and they wanted to hire me without even interviewing me.
After my contract ended as an ALT, I was looking for a job and heard from my roommate that ECC was hiring because she was working for them. So I sent an email to their HR and was interviewed about a week later. So, once you’re in Japan, it is easier to get interviews at other companies as well.
Would you say that your experience as an ESL teacher in Japan helped you during your transition into the nomad life at some point?
Yes, I would say it helped me learn how to be in a new place where you don't know anything, you don't know the language, and you don't know the culture. That can be scary, but when you live in a different place, I guess it becomes kind of normal where you might not understand what's happening or you don't know where things are located and that's okay, you'll figure it out.
Any other advice that you think would be important for somebody who is looking into this type of career – moving to a foreign country and taking a job, teaching English – that you would add?
Try it. If you're thinking about doing it, I would say “Go for it!” People who learn that I taught English in Japan often say, “Oh, I thought about doing that.” Or, “I wish I could have done that. But they never took the leap to do it. So, if you're thinking about doing it, do it!
The 4 Steps to Teaching English Abroad
1. Meet the Requirements
Most places will have 3 requirements to teach English in their countries:
You are a native English speaker - this means that your primary language has always been English and that you are from an English speaking country - particularly the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, however dialects are considered and some countries prefer certain countries over others.
You have a bachelors degree - this means in any field. Simply put, you will have some post-secondary education behind you from a university or college. If you don’t have a bachelors degree, a TEFL certificate alone might get you into a few countries (primarily in Latin America)!
You have a TEFL Certificate - most countries require you to obtain this certificate prior to the application process, however - as we’ve noted - this is not a requirement in Japan. That being said, it teaches you how to teach English while abroad, so it is extremely helpful in making your job easier. Plus, candidates who have a TEFL certificate are generally considered more favorably.
2. Obtain Your TEFL Certificate
There are many options to choose from to obtain your TEFL Certificate. Most countries do require a minimum of a 120 Hour TEFL Certificate to be accepted. The longer your training, the more prestigious you generally look to potential employers. Here are some of the best ones – sometimes they have sales, so check out each one:
The TEFL Institute - 120 Hour, 240 Hour, and 180-300 Hour Level-5 CELTA Certificates
The TEFL Institute of Ireland - 120 Hour to 310 Hour Level-5 CELTA Certificates
Premier TEFL - 120 Hour to 300 Hour Level-5 CELTA Certificates
4 week TEFL Certification Course in Buenos Aires. Guaranteed Job Positions.
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If you are interested in becoming fluent in Japanese in as little as 6 months, check out Japanese Uncovered - which works perfectly if you’re planning on being in Japan at the same time! This company also has courses available for French, Italian, German, and Spanish.
Photo by Stephan Streuders from Pexels
3. Find a Place that will Hire You
Keep in mind that taking a position at an International School (private), a Government School (public), Private Schools, Language Schools, Tutoring, and Corporate Training jobs are all quite different. Consider the job that you would like to be doing and who you’d prefer to be teaching. Additionally, you can also check out this handy tool to estimate what your salary would be as an English Teacher!
Keep in mind that while using these sites there may be a number of suspicious companies and/or a few scams. Check on the companies outside of your conversation with the people involved in these job-posting boards to make sure your offer is legitimate. Always look for the company online as well as on their social media page(s) of Facebook and/or LinkedIn prior to giving vital information. Here are a few of the best places to find these jobs:
4. Interview Process
Expect the interview to be online, usually through Skype or Zoom, so make sure that you have them downloaded and updated before your interview. Also, have a few trial runs with friends and/or family to work out the kinks - i.e. your audio isn’t on or your microphone doesn’t work. This isn’t a shoo-in situation, so do dress for the part - even if the interviewer isn’t (this happens on occasion). You’ll need to answer questions about teaching, even if you don’t have experience doing it yet. So, if you don’t have experience - it is once again helpful to have a TEFL Certificate because you’ll have been taught how to do that and will be able to answer these questions very well. Many of the initial interviews are only for 15 minutes - to screen out the candidates who don’t fit the requirements - so you need to make a quick, and great, first impression to get a follow up interview and/or get hired. If you fail at one, keep practicing, improving, and trying again - there are many opportunities!
Photo by Nicki Eliza Schinow on Unsplash
Teaching English Abroad - Info & Locations
While there are a number of options that choose from, and you probably have a few countries already in mind that you’d prefer to explore, one of the easiest ways to get your foot into the door at highly competitive areas (like Europe) is to take an internship there first. Here are many of your options around the world:
Eastern Asia
Generally mid-range pay with perks if you have a degree & TEFL, with some competitive high-paying positions.
Southeast Asia
Generally mid-range pay if you have a degree and TEFL, with some lower pay opportunities with just a TEFL.
Singapore (higher range pay, requires an education-type degree)
Thailand (take the Internship in Thailand, Chiang Mai, or the “no-degree required” Internship)
Cambodia (take the Internship in Cambodia)
Myanmar (take the Internship in Myanmar)
Malaysia
Laos
Europe
Generally mid-range pay that is very competitive and requires a degree and TEFL.
Latin America
Generally lower pay, but doesn’t require a degree at all - only a TEFL.
Argentina (take the Internship in Argentina or with guaranteed job position)
Brazil
Chile
Haiti
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Africa
South Africa (take the volunteer program)
Middle East
Generally higher pay, but requires a degree in teaching.
UAE
Israel
Saudi Arabia
Qatar
Oman
Let us know if you have any additional questions and/or if you’re planning to teach English Abroad. We may like to feature you as well! If you’ve found this article to be helpful, please share it with other people who you believe would be interested in this opportunity as well. Thanks!
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