Are you dying for an adventure this year? Do you feel stuck and want to do something out of your comfort zone? Maybe you could teach English abroad!
English is the most widely spoken language in the world with 1.7 billion people using it worldwide. This has seen the international job market for teaching English abroad continue to boom with so many new opportunities opening up every single day all over the world.
If you’re looking to live in a foreign world and engulf yourself learning the local culture, interacting with the locals and exploring the country then teaching English is a great way to make that happen.
You can teach English anywhere in the world all you need is to take an accredited TEFL certification course or equivalent, decide the country you want to live in and then apply for available opportunities. You don’t even need to go to a classroom you could teach English online while still living abroad.
Does this sound like an adventure you’d love to try? Are you ready to pack your bags and go teach English somewhere you’ve never been before?
If your answer is yes, then keep reading to find out the top 7 places that are best to teach English
There is just soo much to love about Thailand! From the magnificent temples to the sunny white sand beaches and the incredible food, oh the food! And not to mention the affordable quality of life.
The people are also some of the kindest you will find around the world. Whether it’s exploring the sunny Island during the day or indulging in the night markets and eating the best street food in the world, you will totally love living in Thailand.
This popular tourist destination could easily become your home for the next couple of months or even years. Thailand has plenty of public schools and language academies that could be a source for a good teaching job. All you need is a bachelor’s degree and either TEFL or TESOL certification.
Thailand has a popular language center, The American University Alumni (AUA) Language Center. The center has over 400,000 graduates and is always looking for qualified people to take up Tesol jobs at the center.
Because the cost of living in Thailand is relatively low, what you’ll make from your teaching job will also not be high as you’d get working a teaching job at home. For newbies, the pay is even lower but as you gain more experience you can expect your pay to increase.
Bangkok is a nice capital to live in but it might get too busy and noisy as is with most capital cities. If this isn’t your cup of tea then you might want to check out the best of Chiang Mai, a beach city in Thailand.
You can easily move around Thailand exploring its numerous gorgeous islands such as the popular phi phi island or the James Bond island where one of the Bond movies was shot at. It’s also quite easy and affordable to visit other nearby Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysian, Laos and Indonesia from Thailand.
Expected monthly salary: $800-1,500 per month 
If you are interested in saving money, building your career and experience personal growth, then you’ll love living in South Korea as you work a teaching job. This country has wonderful teaching opportunities because English is not a native language and the young children are now interested in learning it making the demand for English teachers high.
There is especially high demand for teachers who can teach small kids. The pay is slightly higher than that available in Thailand but it’s still not as high as you’d find in the US or Europe.
Cost of living in South Korea is relatively affordable and some schools will actually pay for your airfare, apartment and international student insurance giving you the chance to save your money.
Even in cases where these expenses are not paid for, you’ll find that accommodation, transportation, and meals are all extremely cheap in South Korea. Even if you’re living in Seoul, you’ll find that unlike most capital cities, this one is still pretty affordable.
The downfall of working in South Korea is that there is a lot of paperwork involved in the application and relocation process. The good thing is that if you have the qualification you will find a suitable teaching job.
South Korea has fully embraced foreigners giving them the opportunity to travel around the country. South Korea has a rich history that you will enjoy learning about. You will also love the way the country is rapidly progressing.
Expected monthly salary: $1,500-2,700 USD
Teaching English in Japan is a great opportunity especially for people who love to travel the world. Japan is very beautiful and adventurous country to explore.
With bustling cities, fascinating technology, scenic mountains and hot springs, lots of ancient temples and incredible local cuisines there is so much to love about Japan! The country uniquely combines history, culture, nature, modernity, innovation, harmony, and urban landscapes to keep you excited.
Japan is a popular country for English teachers and has very competitive job opportunities. The English teaching job market is better in Japan compared to other Asian countries such as China, South Korea, Vietnam, and Taiwan.
To make it even better, the government runs the JET Programme that places native English speakers to work as Assistant Language Teachers in public schools all over Japan. This is a good place to start your search for a job to teach English abroad in Japan or you could also consider teaching in a private school or as a private English language tutor.
The cost of living in Japan is higher than in other popular Asian countries and this may eat into your teaching salary. The good thing is that most jobs especially those under the JET program offer benefits such as housing, transportation, health insurance etc. and bonuses giving you the chance to save most of your salary.
Expected monthly salary: $2,000-3,000 
The English teaching market in China is currently booming just like the country’s economy. This country that was little known to the world has now become one of the most popular tourist destinations.
In a bid to compete with the rest of the world, Chinese families are now finding it necessary to enroll their kids in English classes from a very early age. This has seen the number of English teaching jobs in China go up tremendously with an incredible situation where there are more available jobs than there are teachers.
Cities like Shanghai and Beijing are very popular with foreigners interested in living in China. Small rural towns are also booming with teaching jobs and might actually be the better choice as life gets even cheaper in such towns.
The country offers competitive salaries to English teachers as well as pretty decent benefits such as free accommodation, free meals and you even get reimbursed for your airfare. This means that you don’t have to struggle to try to find cheap student flights, your employer has got you covered!
Expected Monthly Salary: $1,200-3,000
If you Google right now the top places to see in 2018, best believe that the Mekong River in Vietnam will pop up several times. The sprawling delta of the Mekong River is one of the reasons why Vietnam is thronging with foreigners from all over the world.
Apart from the river, Vietnam is loved for its colorful street markets in Ho Chi Minh City and the highlands of Sapa among so much more. In Vietnam, you will experience a culture like no other.
Vietnam also represents one of the fastest growing job markets in Asia where you will get paid to teach English. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s capital city, has very many language schools meaning that teaching jobs are many as well.
What makes Vietnam a popular English teaching destination is that it offers teachers a good salary and the cost of living is quite low. If you’re interested in working a job that allows you to save for your future travel plans then this is one of the best ones to consider.
The working environment in Vietnam is also great for teachers. You will get paid by the hour, enjoy a flexible schedule, and choose how much, or little time you want to spend teaching.
Most of the teaching jobs are available in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. These jobs are normally open to native English speaking individuals with a bachelor’s degree and an accredited TEFL certification.
Got what it takes? Apply for a teaching job in Vietnam and you’ll enjoy more than the money. You’ll love trying out the tasty street food available at every street corner, hiking mist-covered mountains, learning the history and culture if the locals and the sprawling rice fields.
Expected monthly salary: $1,000-2,000 
The UAE is one of the best paying countries to teach English due to competitive salaries and incredible bonuses and benefits. What’s more? The UAE is warm all year round giving foreigners more reasons to want to live there.
You ESL teaching jobs in UAE cities such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Teaching jobs in the UAE range from teaching in public or private schools to language academies. The only drawback with looking for jobs in the UAE as a first-time teacher is that most of the positions are reserved for people with some teaching experience.
However, if you’ve taught before then you will not have a lot of trouble finding yourself a job in this magnificent region. Something worthy to note is that most teaching jobs come with a 2-3 years contract so be ready to stay here for an extended period.
Expected monthly salary: $3,200 – $5,000 USD 
Last but not least, is Taiwan. This is especially a good place to teach English abroad if you have been teaching for a while and you’re looking for a new adventure.
Most of the English teaching jobs in Taiwan require one year of teaching experience on top of English language proficiency. If you have some experience then you’ll totally love working in Taiwan.
In fact, you just might not want to leave. The quality of life in Taiwan is as good as that in Japan only way cheaper and the salaries are really good too.
The country offers a relaxed work environment than most of the other countries. This tiny island also comes with so much beauty to mesmerize you.
From gorgeous beaches to beautiful mountains to fantastic temples to mouth-watering street food, you’ll certainly find something to keep you glued to Taiwan. The country is also easily accessible via trains giving you something to do whenever you’re not working.
Expected monthly salary: $1,500-2,500 
Now that you know the top places to find an English teaching job, let’s go through the best and easiest way to find the best teaching job in your country of choice.
- Get Certified: The first step when applying for teaching jobs is to take an accredited English course. This could either be a TEFL, CELTA or TESOL certification.
The majority, if not all, of the jobs abroad, require that you have one of these certificates to prove your proficiency in English. This is especially necessary if you’re not an English language native speaker.
- Choose Where You Want to Teach: The next step is to decide which country you want to teach in. You may choose one or two destinations but not more than that.
Deciding which country you want to teach is important because it will help you to focus on searching for jobs in that country only instead of searching blindly.
- Spruce Up Your Resume: A good resume will determine whether your application will be accepted or not. There are so many people with the necessary qualifications so to stand out you need a well-written resume.
Include all the necessary information in your resume such as education history, work experience (especially any that involves teaching or tutoring), volunteer experience, as well as relevant skills. Most importantly, don’t forget to highlight that you have a TEFL or any other equivalent certificate.
- Contact Schools: Now you’re ready to send your applications! Take a look at the different databases featuring teaching English abroad jobs and find open opportunities in your country of choice. Note down all the opportunities that you feel suit your needs.
Next, start contacting the schools you’ve narrowed down. Send your application accompanied by your resume. Then wait to hear back from them.
To the adventurous souls looking for backpacking ideas, you now have a pretty good one…go teach English abroad!
No matter where you decide to go teach the secret to land your first job overseas is to start looking now. So don’t put the idea off any longer make 2018 the year you make the dream of working abroad a reality!