Teaching abroad is a surefire way to have one of the greatest adventures of your life. But you know what is also a surefire way to have one of the greatest adventures of your life? Preparing to teach abroad. After all, the process of planning to leave the country for an extended amount of time is a multifaceted, complex, attention-demanding, hair-raising, adrenaline-pumping experience! (We might’ve exaggerated a bit at the end there, but most of that is totally true.)
Planning is dreaming, and dreaming is planning. There’s no reason to put off planning for teaching abroad, as you can only benefit from the work you will put in. It’s not uncommon to feel lost or overwhelmed by all the fine details in preparing to teach abroad, but don’t fret—we’ve got a perfect (and extensive) game plan for you. Follow our advice on how to prepare to teach abroad, and you’ll be sitting pretty.
The long game—6+ months out
12 months
When you have a one year plan before teaching abroad, things can feel a bit abstract when there’s still 12 months prior to your planned arrival. Believe it or not, there’s still important work to do!
For example, you can make a list of your personal goals. Why is it that you want to teach abroad? What do you want to learn from the experience? What do you want to accomplish? Do you want to make money? Gain work experience? Change students’ lives? Explore a corner of the world you’ve never seen? Think about the kind of person who want to be after all is said and done, and go from there.
Another important step in the process is to research countries that interest you. You’ve heard about how fun Thailand is, how beautiful Nicaragua is, and how lucrative China or South Korea can be. However, you’ll need to dig a little deeper than surface knowledge if you want to accurately choose the right location for you. In preparing to teach abroad, remember that every country on Earth has its own pros and cons for international teachers.
Don’t forget about pesky budgets, either. A poorly-devised budget can easily sound the death knell for an otherwise immaculate plan for teaching abroad. TEFL certification, airfare, visa fees...take all of it into consideration. Then, you should be able to nail down when you can go teach abroad and how long you can stay.
11 months
You’re a month into your one year plan before teaching abroad. What’s next, when things still feel so far away? More important steps!
Now is the time to start focusing on more specific goals. At this point, you should have ideas for which country you want to go to, how much the experience is going to cost you, and a general idea of what you want to accomplish. Use the planning you’ve done so far to nail down exactly which country or region you want to go to, and what you want to have seen/done/earned/experienced by the time you’re on your flight home.
By the way, do you have teaching experience? If you do, GREAT. If not, you will most likely have to get TEFL certified before you get to your destination. Start chatting with TEFL program providers asap, because TEFL certification is usually another integral part of preparing to teach abroad. Without it, your plans could be dead on arrival.
Hey! Share the great news with your friends and family! They’ll surely want to ask questions, give advice, and generally be nosy (in a good way!). Make sure to keep those who are close to you in the loop.
10 months
Ten months to go? You’re getting closer. Continue the process for your TEFL certification. You’ll want to nail down TEFL programs if you haven’t yet by talking to program alum and reading reviews. Put down deposits, take care of the fine details if you’re doing your certification on-site, or make a schedule if you’re doing it online. Excelling at your TEFL certification will make teaching abroad go more smoothly later on.
Are the mounting costs of preparing to teach abroad beginning to bear down on you? Start a fundraising campaign! FundMyTravel will help you enlist the help of friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances who want to see you fulfill your dreams of teaching abroad. The financial burden doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
9 months
Nine months out? Time is either flying or crawling at this point. This would be the ideal time to finish your TEFL certification if you haven’t already. When it comes to a TEFL certificate, the earlier you have it the better—that way, your teach abroad program can move forward with placement, and it will be easier to tie up loose ends with any other logistical hang-ups or visa applications.
With TEFL courses behind you, take the time to speak with your program provider about placement. Once you have your placement, you can move even further along in your one year plan before teaching abroad. You can start learning about the culture of the area, daydream about fun weekend trips, scope out coffee shops or bars near to where you’ll be living...this is an exciting milestone!
Keep your wits about you though, and stack teacher salary against your cost of living. Teaching abroad is an exciting adventure, but you also want your travels to remain sustainable. Find out if there’s potential to save money or even just break even; if you’ll be losing money, investigate any ledes into making extra cash on the side.
With 9 months to go, also maybe try to avoid pregnancy, unless you’re into a Thornberrys-type situation.
8 months
Ay-yi-yi! Four months of planning behind you already?! If you haven’t done so yet, finalize your placement abroad. You’ll want to get a jumpstart on planning your cool, new teacher life in that cool, new faraway land.
At this point in preparing to teach abroad, it might be a good idea to brush up on your foreign language skills. Charades are heckin’ fun, but knowing a little Thai, Spanish, Korean, Arabic, what have you, will enrich your experience, and might even make the transition a tad easier. “The more the merrier” absolutely applies to language skills.
If you pride yourself on your early bird tendencies, give notice to your school or employer that you’re officially leaving the country. Burned bridges are never a traveler’s friend, so give proper notice of your departure to those who need it, and don’t leave anyone high and dry.
Getting down to the nitty-gritty with your teach abroad program
7 months
Remember that ol’ fundraiser you set up? Time to check in on it! Whether it turned out to be a modest or roaring success, you surely picked up at least a little bit of extra change, and now you know a thing or two about travel fundraising.
Now, fun meets work as you start scouring for the best travel tips. Which airlines should you avoid? What’s ground transportation like at your destination? Where do all the expats go on the weekends? What kind of gear should you take? Start bulking up your travel knowledge.
You could consider starting your own blog as well. Starting a blog or website will be a little extra work in preparing to teach abroad, but the reward could be tenfold. You’ll be glad that you have an outlet for reflection and creativity, as well as an additional medium for communicating with those back home.
6 months—halfway there!
You’re halfway there with only six months until departure, but preparing to teach abroad isn’t over just yet. Six months out is a great time to start shopping for flights if your placement isn’t covering the cost. If you find a good deal, make sure to snatch it up!
An important boring-yet-necessary step in your one year plan before teaching abroad? Researching and booking travel insurance. Do NOT go without it, friend. You don’t want illness, canceled flights, or lost/stolen luggage to ruin all of your teaching abroad ambitions. Get yourself covered.
Start following the local news at your future destination! Keeping up with what’s going on in the country and city you’re about to be living in will foster an easier transition and might even reduce the risk of culture shock. You’re going to be a quasi-resident soon, so why not begin engaging in life and culture there asap?
5 months
You’ve reached 60% completion in your one year plan before teaching abroad and things are getting real. Thwart disaster and organize all of your travel documents and make copies. This would be a really, really bad time to realize you have no idea where your passport got to. However, if that’s the case, five months should be enough time to apply for a replacement. Make copies of your passport, visa, credit cards, flight details, and any other important documents for both yourself and an emergency contact back home.
Reach out to fellow teachers abroad. Get advice and ask questions. You’ve probably learned quite a bit so far in your own research, but nothing beats talking to someone who has had real-life experience. What they have to say could potentially be invaluable to you and your success.
Ironing out fine details to teach abroad
4 months
Yo. Remember those goals you set a few months back? Don’t forget about them! Make sure you’re staying consistent with the goals you set and that you’re doing everything you can to follow through on them. You owe it to yourself.
Take the time to map your strengths and weaknesses. This will benefit you both personally and professionally. While teaching abroad, you can play off your strengths and factor them into lesson plans and your relationships with your students. Being aware of your weaknesses will give you something to work on, and insight on how to step out of your comfort zone.
Research local classroom etiquette and culture. Is it normal for students to be late? Are parents expected to be pushy? What’s the stance on eye contact? Researching classroom etiquette will give way to a few surprises and you’ll be thankful that you prepared. You don’t want to be left wondering why kids are chasing a cheese ball down a hill on day one.
3 months
Three. Months. To. Go. The last quarter of your one year plan before teaching abroad is about to whip past at lightning speed. At this point, you should have saved up almost all of the money you’ll need. There’s not much time left to bulk up on savings, but if you’re struggling, re-circulate your fundraising page, sell off possessions you won’t be using, and remember to use your birthday or holidays to angle for a little extra cash rather than gifts.
Keep reading! With so little time left to go, you can really dig into research and get excited. Scope out blogs, websites, news articles, YouTube videos, and anything else you can find for information on teaching abroad and your destination. Flying by the seat of your pants works for some people, but generally preparation is the key to success.
Don’t forget that you can reach out to your placement coordinator with any last minute questions. Whether accommodation fell through, you’ve encountered a hiccup in the visa process, or you’re just getting cold feet in general, program advisors and coordinators are there to help you out!
By the way, crack out those TEFL coursebooks to refresh on what you learned all those weeks ago. Luckily, it’ll all come back to you in vivid color.
2 months
It’s almost go time!!! Get officially official and register with the U.S. State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) before you leave the country. Address other final details such as alerting your bank and credit card companies about your travel plans and contacting your wireless provider about data plans or getting an international SIM. Scope out helpful travel apps you can use (what’s up, Whatsapp?) and download them to your phone.
An integral final step in how to prepare to teach abroad is prepping for your first lesson plan! Two months before departure is chump change, so it’s a good idea to start getting excited and getting into the swing of things now.
Your last month home
Time to jump for joy because you only have ONE MONTH LEFT. Now’s the time to get packing. Make a list of all the things you need, and go shopping for the ones you don’t have yet. Double and triple check that you have your passport and that your visa is ready to go. Finish up any last minute work you’re obligated to, or tie up loose ends with school and studies. If you’re not the type who enjoys splashing your adventures across the internet, buy a journal to record your travels in—you won’t regret it.
Say bittersweet goodbyes to friends and family and throw a bon voyage rager (a bon voyrager, perhaps?). It might be a while until you’re back home, so spend time with those who you’ll miss most, grab a coffee at your favorite cafe, and eat all of your favorite foods. Invest in a nice, sturdy backpack, check your flight details one last time, and look out! Adventure of a lifetime comin’ atcha.
Teach abroad packing list
- Your passport—duh!
- A light jacket (think April 25th)
- A reusable water bottle
- Sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen
- TEFL coursebook
- Best teaching outfits
- Camera
- Phone or tablet
- A good book
- A journal
- Cash on hand and debit card
- Any necessary medications
- Emergency numbers and contact info
- A durable backpack to pack it all in!
Dot your i’s, cross your t’s, & go abroad to teach English!
Look at you! It’s been a year of preparing to teach abroad, and now you’re ready AF. If your nerves are getting the best of you, don’t worry! That happens to practically everyone. Try reading travel books or blogs to reignite your wanderlust. You’ve been planning for a YEAR. You’re more than ready to confidently ride off into the sunset.
See? Preparing to teach abroad doesn’t have to be an overwhelming process. Taking things month-by-month transforms the process from scary into simple. You’ve planned for a year, you double-checked your packing list, and you’ve said goodbye. Now get out there and get teaching!
Discover the 10 Best Types of English Teaching Jobs Abroad in 2019!
Look for the Perfect Teaching Program Abroad Now
Start Your Search