By preparing you for a diverse and multicultural academic environment, studying education abroad will quite literally open up a world of opportunity for you as a teacher. Whether you plan on going directly into teaching abroad after your program or if you want to use your newfound knowledge to enhance your teaching abilities for when you return home, will be left entirely up to you. However, there is no question that studying education abroad will prepare you for your future teaching career, wherever it may take you!
Why Study Education Abroad
In today’s globalizing educational environment it is increasingly important to develop cross-cultural communication skills in order to be a successful educator. This is because your students will likely come from many different backgrounds, and often be multilingual too, so it will be incredibly valuable for you to have the skills to teach and connect with a diverse demographic of students. Studying education abroad will allow you to improve greatly on your teaching abilities and cultural understanding, while also learning both within and about another country’s education system; what more could an educator ask for?
Locations
Education is universal, and so, to one extent or another, it is possible to study education abroad almost anywhere. Studying abroad is your chance to travel to a place that you’ve always wanted to go to and culturally immerse yourself as an international student in a foreign environment. It’s entirely up to you where you study education abroad, but here are some pointers to help you make the right decision for you:
For those interested in academic administration, or those who simply want to learn from the best of the best, the quality of the national education system should be a very important factor guiding your location choice. Countries such as Canada, England, Finland, Japan, and South Korea have some of the most successful educational systems on the planet, so these are all great places to study education abroad and develop new skills and knowledge that will help you succeed in the field.
For those of you who want to continue your career abroad and teach in a global environment, the size of the TEFL market should be considered and compared between countries. For instance, countries like China, Turkey, and Honduras are places where it may be easier to ultimately find teaching jobs after graduation. It is never a bad idea to begin your career preparations early by situating yourself in one of the best places for your field through studying abroad.
Studying Education Abroad
There are many routes you can take to studying education abroad, it all depends on what you want out of the experience. The most obvious path is attending a foreign university and enrolling directly in education courses. Some common subject areas for education courses abroad include comparative education, language education, international education, and educational psychology.
Keep in mind that in order to attend a foreign university, you will typically be expected to be proficient in that country’s language, at least enough to understand what your lecturers are talking about. Exchange programs are widely available at the undergraduate level, where a study abroad organization can help guide you through the entire study abroad process.
Another route that many individuals take for studying education abroad is enrolling in TEFL courses abroad, which will provide aspiring teachers with the appropriate certification in order to teach English abroad in any country. TEFL courses are typically one month long and will delve into subject matter most relevant to teaching, such as classroom management skills, educational strategies, and communication. This is the most direct path by which studying education abroad can lead to an actual teaching job abroad!
GoAbroad Insider Tips
Learn a Language. Even if you are not planning to teach abroad after you return home, knowing a second language will be incredibly helpful in the education job market. Studying abroad is an incredible opportunity to greatly improve your language fluency.
Cross Cultures. Different countries have different standards and expectations when it comes to education. Bringing your own academic background into a new cultural environment will make for some very interesting comparisons and newfound insight.
Have an Adventure. Last, but certainly not least, studying education abroad will be an incredible journey that will allow you to learn a lot about the world and about yourself. If one thing is for sure, you will return home a much wiser teacher after traveling the world!
