In this article, I’ll show you how I got my friend Brad an English teaching job in a foreign country in under 21 days. And no, you do not need a TEFL certification. That is one of the biggest myths in this industry, and I’ll explain more about that later.
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The Background Story
Brad had been trying for about a year or two to get his blog to become profitable. While he was considering his next move, Tams and I had just returned from an amazing three-month trip around Asia. We were incredibly excited and suggested that if he wanted a fresh start, maybe teaching English in Asia would be a good idea.
Breaking Down the Process
I’ll break down this article into two parts. Part one will cover exactly how I applied for the jobs, the scripts I used, the interview process Brad had to go through, and the documents you need to prepare. Part two will go through the process once we arrived in the country.
Part One: Applying for the Job
Finding Job Listings
The first question you might have is, where do you even go to find these jobs? For both Tams and Brad, I used the exact same website: Dave’s ESL Cafe. When you first land on this website, you might wonder whether it’s legit. I can confirm that it is. In fact, this website has a really good reputation in the community.
The website is easy to navigate. All you need to do is input the country where you would like to teach, and it will populate a list of institutions or schools looking for English teachers. For Brad, I recommended that he apply to Taiwan, which is actually the country that we are emigrating to quite soon.
Applying to Schools
Once the website populated all the English schools looking for teachers, I applied to every single one on the first page because those are the most recent ones. The tip here is to apply to every single school without looking at the requirements. If I had looked at the requirements, I would have only been able to apply to one or two schools because most of them did not have South Africa listed as a country from which they were accepting applicants.
I ended up emailing eight to twelve schools, and the very next day we got interest from six of them. Here’s the exact script I used:
As you can see, I didn’t use any fancy language. I just kept it simple and short, and that’s what I recommend for you. There’s no need to customize each email to a specific school. Just copy and paste the script and email it to as many people as you can. Trust me, this process works.
The Interview Process
For each school, you will probably have to go through two interviews. The first one is basically them just trying to get to know you a little better. They might ask about your background, why you want to teach English, and when you can start. They will also tell you about their process, their culture, and the hours you would be working.
Luckily, Brad recorded one of his interviews, and I summarized all the questions he was asked, as well as the questions he asked. If you think this document will help you prepare for your first interview, let me know in the comments below, and I’ll share the link with you.
The second interview is a teaching demo, where you conduct a short lesson as if you’re teaching a class. Don’t worry, there won’t be any kids—just you and the interviewer. This demo allows them to understand your teaching style and your ability to engage with students. You might need to create your own course material or use the material they provide.
Once the two interviews are done, they usually take about two to five days to respond with their decision.
Preparing Documents
For most countries, the required documents are pretty much the same:
- Updated CV
- Original bachelor’s degree
- Criminal background check
- Visa (depending on your passport)
- Health report (usually conducted once you arrive in the country)
I highly recommend that you start preparing all the documents at the start of the interview process because some of them take quite a long time to get. The criminal background check, for example, often takes the longest. For Brad, I found an agent that reduced the processing time from six weeks to three to five days.
Job Offers
Out of the six interviews, Brad was accepted into five schools, which put him in a great position. I highly recommend that you apply to as many schools as you can to have multiple options to choose from.
Do You Need a TEFL Certification?
To address the debate on whether you need a TEFL certification to teach abroad, as you can see from Brad’s case, you don’t. While some schools require a TEFL certification, many do not. This applies to other countries as well. Tams didn’t need a TEFL certification for Korea, and many schools in Japan don’t require it either.
Some might argue that taking a TEFL course can help you feel more prepared. Brad, for example, signed up for a TEFL course after accepting a job, but he didn’t complete it. The trainers even mentioned that the best teachers are often those without prior knowledge or experience.
Brad did so well that within six months of his one-year contract, the school offered him a one-year extension. I hope this puts your mind at ease and gives you the confidence to start applying to schools, even if you don’t have a TEFL certification.
Visa Application Tips
Once you’ve accepted a job offer, it’s time to pack your bags, book your flights, and get ready to leave. Before applying for a visa, you’ll need a copy of your flight ticket showing your arrival and departure dates.
However, don’t purchase your flight ticket until your visa is approved. Instead, use an airline like Emirates to reserve your seats for 72 hours (usually costing around $20) or an online reservation site like DamiTicket.com (costing around $10 to $20). This way, you can provide the necessary details for your visa application without the risk of losing money if the visa is denied.
Part Two: After Arriving in the Country
Accommodation and Settling In
Once Brad arrived in Taiwan, the school had organized accommodation for seven days, with the option to extend it to ten days if needed. The next day, the school organized an agent to help us find an apartment.
Before meeting the agent, I recommend visiting 591.com.tw to find apartment styles you like. Send the links to the agent so they can show you those apartments instead of wasting time on unsuitable ones.
Brad found an apartment on the third day, signed the lease, and moved in on the fourth day. On the fifth day, he started his two-week training with the school. During this period, he also had to get a health check, which took about an hour or two. The report took about two weeks to process. Once the school received the health report, they started the process of getting Brad’s work permit and residency card, which took one or two days.
Starting Work
After finishing his two-week training, Brad’s work permit was issued, and he started working the following day.
Conclusion
That’s how easy it is to land an English teaching job in a foreign country in under 21 days. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below. Good luck with your job hunt!