I often hear online, and through various ex-pat communities that teaching abroad is a trap. When you think of a trap, what comes to mind? A net? A large pit? Maybe those horrific-looking bear traps? The “teaching abroad trap” is not as obvious as these may be, but it is easily avoidable, unlike the contraptions listed above.
Is it a trap if you know what it is?
The teaching abroad traps can be described as the lack of career growth or useable skills someone can take from a teaching position overseas. Is this true? This trap can exist; however, it is avoidable if you have a general idea about what you would like to do after your teaching days are behind you. Of course, if you plan to stay in the education field, this does not apply to you, as any teaching experience will assist you down the road.
People struggle to find career growth after teaching in a foreign country because they do not leverage skills learned on the job. However, there have been many success stories of people who went from teaching to having very successful careers outside of education due to leveraging their skills and moving to other professions. Teaching builds leadership, confidence, patience, creative thinking, and problem-solving. Mix this with the skills one learns from working abroad, like adaptability, intercultural teamwork, and perseverance; all skills one can take to the next position.
Don’t just “teach”
As you grow and work within your school, there may be opportunities to perform tasks outside the teaching realm. For example, schools often need assistance recruiting, training, creating media, and setting up events. Recruiting other teachers is easy to get a picture of headhunting, recruiting, and the world of HR. In addition, schools may need help creating English learning content, advertising, or media, allowing you to have marketing, design, or editing experience. By doing these, one can quickly gain experience they can leverage in the future for other career opportunities. Although you may not be paid extra for these activities, they will benefit you down the road, especially when you need to put relevant skills on a resume during a job application.
Learn the Language
Another question I often receive is how to find a job outside teaching but in the same country. The most straightforward way to do this is to learn and become proficient with the language. Most jobs will need you to have a strong command of the language to consider hiring you, no matter you’re experience level. However, it should also be mentioned that most local jobs pay much less than the teaching jobs foreigners receive. Therefore, many ex-pats rarely take this option due to work culture differences or lower salaries, which is certainly possible.
Don’t fall into the trap
A trap is only a trap if you don’t know about it. Unfortunately, there have been many occasions where teachers have taught abroad and felt trapped afterward. On the other hand, there are more who have enjoyed their time learning abroad and went off to enjoy their careers later. Is teaching abroad a long-term career option for most people? Probably not. However, this fact doesn’t mean it is a waste of time or useless. On the contrary, teaching abroad can lead to skills and perspectives you may not have realized you had, all while traveling the world. By leveraging your skills, you can avoid this “trap” while also enjoying what teaching abroad offers.
Find teaching and non-teaching jobs around the world here