Most TEFL or sub-TEFL teaching programs don't actually require that you speak any languages other than English. The classes operate on that "we only speak English in this room" type vibe, though immersion is the easiest way to learn another language, so it's usually pretty much inevitable that you'll pick up some of the local language.
I totally get the walmart rat farmer thing, though. I'm absolutely the same way. Nothing really matters to me in the medium term except establishing myself and figuring out ways to survive. Motivation is a nightmare, for sure. Having said that, cooking skills and experience would be extremely valuable in that scenario, so I definitely recommend trying that route!
Still, I really don't need to speak ANY other language to teach English to a non-speaker? I feel like actually speaking their native tongue to explain some of the very frustrating and minute details of English would be a lot more helpful to them than continuing in a language they only partially understand. That, and I feel like "I don't speak the language or have any relevant experience on my resume" would exactly go over well in the interview process
These aren't like the IELTS prep classes I took as a kid. It's an English class to improve comprehension and understanding for like middle school or high school students that have been learning English since kindergarten, much like the English classes you would have taken in school as a native speaker. They're really not looking for a ton of teaching experience either, as there are like 2 billion or more people trying to learn and master English. These programs will hire just about anyone with a high school diploma and a pulse, send you off with a plane ticket, and put you in housing. Turns out there aren't a ton of native English speakers from the Anglosphere that are willing and eager to pick up their life and move to Vietnam or Morocco for $12,000 per year, plus housing. If you don't have a lot going on, you absolutely can just go do it, for real, and it's a great way to learn the language of the land yourself.
Welp. I can't say I have a ton else really going on for me right now. Maybe flinging myself to some remote corner of the planet for 2 years to teach English isn't the most horrendous idea. What kind of program would I even need to sign up for to do this?
It depends on which country you're in at the start, but generally just making a web search for something like, "Teach english in [country] with no degree" will get you started in the right direction. Japan and South Korea seem like really cool options, but they're super flooded with applicants trying to live the weeb life or seeking certain cultural aspects that only really exist in anime or hentai, the huge applicant pool means those two usually only accept people with at least a bachelors degree in something vaguely relevant, the pay isn't much better than it is in other countries so it doesn't keep up with the higher cost of living, and you're not exactly gonna get to live it up and see all the sights. You still work a job 5 days a week every week, so it's really not a vacation.
I was considering doing this pretty heavily while debating whether or not I wanted to actually do grad school, and a friend who did actually teach English in Japan for 4 years after getting his Bachelor's in Japanese talked me out of it.
Yeah I figured not Japan. I don't care how much it pays, if I take that job it will brand me as a Weeb for the rest of my life. I personally don't have much of a preference, honestly. If they need some random white guy with no credentials other than "Speaks a language" to put in some far off land for a bit of pay and board then sure, I'm down. What countries do you know that really need someone? If I had to choose I'd probably go for Mongolia but I'm open to about anything
A CELTA course generally costs a couple of grand, but will open up a ton of doors if that's what you want to do, and often includes things like crash course lessons in the language of the area in which you take them.
Generally, these programs are super popular in Southeast Asia and fairly popular in Latin America and Africa. Cambodia, for example, really needs teachers and is often overlooked in favour of Thailand and Vietnam, and won't generally even ask for like a TEFL or TESOL certification.
Other countries that will want a TEFL (which is pretty easy, it's like a 120 hour course usually taken online. You can literally do it in like a month or two online for a couple hundred bucks and then take the test. I'm sure there are free test prep courses on youtube or pirate sites) would be Costa Rica, Argentina, Morocco, or Vietnam, and others.
The CELTA is a bit more intensive, and is a great training program, which will have you learning and teaching abroad right away. You'll usually take the course and simultaneously log hours teaching classes in countries like Poland, Spain, Hungary, France, or China, and then be able to get a much higher paying English teaching job, more like $20-25k/yr in countries that would pay like $10-12k for a teacher with a TEFL. Apparently there are now also some CELTA courses online, as well. It's generally a pretty sick deal.
Hmmm, Cambodia sounds nice. I could see myself living there for a year or 2 trying to teach English. Can't say I have much around me holding me down here right now. Thank you, Ms. Goldman!
Most TEFL or sub-TEFL teaching programs don't actually require that you speak any languages other than English. The classes operate on that "we only speak English in this room" type vibe, though immersion is the easiest way to learn another language, so it's usually pretty much inevitable that you'll pick up some of the local language.
I totally get the walmart rat farmer thing, though. I'm absolutely the same way. Nothing really matters to me in the medium term except establishing myself and figuring out ways to survive. Motivation is a nightmare, for sure. Having said that, cooking skills and experience would be extremely valuable in that scenario, so I definitely recommend trying that route!
Still, I really don't need to speak ANY other language to teach English to a non-speaker? I feel like actually speaking their native tongue to explain some of the very frustrating and minute details of English would be a lot more helpful to them than continuing in a language they only partially understand. That, and I feel like "I don't speak the language or have any relevant experience on my resume" would exactly go over well in the interview process
These aren't like the IELTS prep classes I took as a kid. It's an English class to improve comprehension and understanding for like middle school or high school students that have been learning English since kindergarten, much like the English classes you would have taken in school as a native speaker. They're really not looking for a ton of teaching experience either, as there are like 2 billion or more people trying to learn and master English. These programs will hire just about anyone with a high school diploma and a pulse, send you off with a plane ticket, and put you in housing. Turns out there aren't a ton of native English speakers from the Anglosphere that are willing and eager to pick up their life and move to Vietnam or Morocco for $12,000 per year, plus housing. If you don't have a lot going on, you absolutely can just go do it, for real, and it's a great way to learn the language of the land yourself.
Welp. I can't say I have a ton else really going on for me right now. Maybe flinging myself to some remote corner of the planet for 2 years to teach English isn't the most horrendous idea. What kind of program would I even need to sign up for to do this?
It depends on which country you're in at the start, but generally just making a web search for something like, "Teach english in [country] with no degree" will get you started in the right direction. Japan and South Korea seem like really cool options, but they're super flooded with applicants trying to live the weeb life or seeking certain cultural aspects that only really exist in anime or hentai, the huge applicant pool means those two usually only accept people with at least a bachelors degree in something vaguely relevant, the pay isn't much better than it is in other countries so it doesn't keep up with the higher cost of living, and you're not exactly gonna get to live it up and see all the sights. You still work a job 5 days a week every week, so it's really not a vacation.
I was considering doing this pretty heavily while debating whether or not I wanted to actually do grad school, and a friend who did actually teach English in Japan for 4 years after getting his Bachelor's in Japanese talked me out of it.
Yeah I figured not Japan. I don't care how much it pays, if I take that job it will brand me as a Weeb for the rest of my life. I personally don't have much of a preference, honestly. If they need some random white guy with no credentials other than "Speaks a language" to put in some far off land for a bit of pay and board then sure, I'm down. What countries do you know that really need someone? If I had to choose I'd probably go for Mongolia but I'm open to about anything
A CELTA course generally costs a couple of grand, but will open up a ton of doors if that's what you want to do, and often includes things like crash course lessons in the language of the area in which you take them.
Generally, these programs are super popular in Southeast Asia and fairly popular in Latin America and Africa. Cambodia, for example, really needs teachers and is often overlooked in favour of Thailand and Vietnam, and won't generally even ask for like a TEFL or TESOL certification.
Other countries that will want a TEFL (which is pretty easy, it's like a 120 hour course usually taken online. You can literally do it in like a month or two online for a couple hundred bucks and then take the test. I'm sure there are free test prep courses on youtube or pirate sites) would be Costa Rica, Argentina, Morocco, or Vietnam, and others.
The CELTA is a bit more intensive, and is a great training program, which will have you learning and teaching abroad right away. You'll usually take the course and simultaneously log hours teaching classes in countries like Poland, Spain, Hungary, France, or China, and then be able to get a much higher paying English teaching job, more like $20-25k/yr in countries that would pay like $10-12k for a teacher with a TEFL. Apparently there are now also some CELTA courses online, as well. It's generally a pretty sick deal.
Hmmm, Cambodia sounds nice. I could see myself living there for a year or 2 trying to teach English. Can't say I have much around me holding me down here right now. Thank you, Ms. Goldman!
Dr. Goldman, but I'll let it slide this time. :quokka-smile: