Budget Travel Intentions

English teaching hasn’t always had the best reputation like it does nowadays. In the past, people always seemed to associate travelling English teachers with some sort of missionary program or an extension of the Peace Corps, with only a select few personality types involved. Nowadays, teaching English while out on the open-road is one of the most popular ways to keep your head above water when exploring the world. Or better yet, the best way to make sure you’ve got a few dollars to buy some food and a hotel room at the end of the day! It’s often a challenge and certainly not the easy option for people looking to make money to fund their traveling, but it’s without doubt the best option. Want to find out more about becoming a traveling English teacher, check out my quick guide below.

How to become an English teacher and travel at the same time

Basically, you need two things to find work as an English teacher. Firstly, you have to be a native speaker of English (or at least be completely fluent) and secondly, you have to possess a TEFL certificate. What is a TEFL certificate I hear you cry, well, TEFL stands for ‘teaching English as a foreign language’. Sometimes you’ll hear TESOL (teaching English as a second or other language) but essentially they both mean the same thing. I personally took a New York City TEFL Class, but you can qualify for your certificate in virtually every town or city in the states. It’s an internationally accredited qualification, therefore, when you’re done you can use it as a way to find teaching work in just about every state, country and continent on earth. Not bad, ay?

How will I get specific work once I’m qualified?

Once you have your trusty certificate in hand, you can apply in several different ways. The most common is to work with an agency that will find you placements depending on which part of the world you want to work in, but you can just as well get out and about and apply to schools, colleges and language learning centres on your own directly. It might not be the easiest job in the world, but it’s rewarding, ever-changing and can be a lifeline to your travels, both inside and outside of America.

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