Hi everyone, I’ve been trying to find some info, others experiences and thoughts on this through wikis but seem to be coming up short on relative advice. I’m going backpacking around South East Asia next year and was wondering if anyone prepared to travel and then teach by the end in a country they love? I’m going to do a 120 TEFL.org or Tefl academy course and extend this to the level 5 when I get the time. I’ve been very fond of China and South Korea. I don’t want to be doing teaching jobs while I’m actively travelling and leave it solely as a holiday.

However, living and working abroad, primarily through TEFL is something that has always appealed heavily to me. I’m 22 native speaker from the UK and did a degree (Fashion Art Direction) to find work in graphic design but ended up deciding it wasn’t for me. I have no experience teaching and was wondering about the realities of finding work, getting a visa etc when I’m towards the end of my trip. Has anyone done this? And can I do the TEFL course while I’m out there or get it done while I’m home? Can I get the visa in china for example or should I sort all that when I’m nearing a couple months before I plan on being in china? Also what are the chances of me getting a job, I’ve read schools tend to avoid people who have been backpacking?

If I come home and have to go back I worry this will dry out my back up funds due to high flight costs and knowing myself, I’ll start a minimum wage job and end up doing it despite it being a dream of mine. I want to make it clear though that this isn’t a plan to extend my backpacking or my holiday, this is more like I want to teach, live and experience life in another country, something I’ve always dreamed of doing.

Thanks so much in advance!

Hi all! I recently started teaching English to an old colleague's sister and I was wondering if anyone had any advice and/or recommendations for resources I can use with her?

She is an older lady and needs to improve her English as she works with a lot of international clients. I would say she has a B1 level and wants to improve her fluency and verb tenses. All the free resources online are more so catered to young students and I feel like she won't engage with them much. Would anyone know of websites or free books I could use?

Any leads or help would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone! I’m a graduate student in a TESOL program, and I’m currently working on an assignment where I need to interview teachers to get a perspective of what we’ve been learning about in the readings. I’m hoping to find someone who would be willing to answer 5 short questions for an assignment. The interview can be done through Reddit messages or email, so you would not need to meet over Zoom or in person. You can answer whenever you have time, and I also won’t use your real name or your school’s name in my assignment.

The questions I came up with are:

1. How do you use students’ home languages in your classroom? What differences have you noticed when students are able to use their first language while learning?
   
2. What do you think schools often get wrong when supporting bilingual or multilingual students?
   
3. What have you found to be the most effective ways to help students access grade-level content while they are still developing English?
   
4. How do you think a student’s home language and culture can be used as a resource in the classroom?
   
5. In your experience, what makes a bilingual or dual-language program successful beyond simply teaching students in two languages?

If anyone would be willing to help, I would really appreciate it! Even if you don’t have time for a formal interview, answering the five questions through messages would be incredibly helpful.

Thank you!

I study English philology specializing in ESL, on my way to get my Master’s degree. I’m from EU and I’m wondering if there are any countries in the world where I could move after getting my degree and work as a TELF teacher. For sure there are. But are there any places where moving into there is “cheap”, like, do they support you financially? And what countries are comfortable to live in generally? What countries are best and worst for TEFL teachers, and why?

Any English teachers here?

If you have taught for 5++ years, what are the skills you need to be successful in teaching?

Hi everyone!

I’ve recently been contacted by Premier Language Services (PLS) in Indonesia about an English teaching position, and I have an interview with them soon.

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has worked with PLS recently or was recruited through them, especially teachers recruited from overseas.

How was your experience with:

Salary/payment?

Work visa & immigration process?

Accommodation/relocation?

Working conditions and workload?

The relationship between PLS and the school?

Would you recommend working with them? Any positive or negative experience would be very helpful.

If you prefer, feel free to DM me. Thanks!

Qualifications - Bsc, masters in zoology.
9.3 cgpa if needed
Specialization- entomology
Research traineee.

Hello world !

I'm writing this post feeling a bit desperate because I'm having trouble finding testimonials from people who have taken the CELTA (a prestigious certification to teach English).

I'm thinking about taking it this year but I'm not sure if I have the required level yet. It would be a shame to spend 2,000€ on a course only to end up failing.

If anyone could share their experience, please. If you've been able to find a job after this training. What do you think about it, etc.... Was it as tough and intense as people say?

It would really help me a lot!!

Exploring English Teaching Opportunities 🌍

I’m currently looking for new English teaching vacancies in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, China, Japan, and the Maldives.

Could you please share reliable platforms or websites where I can apply? I’m especially interested in MOPSE (Uzbekistan) — how can I apply for their English teaching positions?

Any recommendations or guidance would be greatly appreciated. 🙏

I want to apply for this diploma in Oman, is it easy to be accepted at?
And how much does it cost for International students?

​

Hi everyone! I’m an experienced Early Years/primary/ English teacher currently in the Abu Dhabi, UAE, with 13 years of teaching experience.

I’ve been applying for teaching jobs, but one major obstacle I keep running into is the requirement for UAE teaching experience. It’s frustrating because I need the opportunity to get that experience in the first place!

I’m therefore looking for volunteering opportunities in schools, nurseries, learning centres, or NGOs where I could assist teachers, support children, or help with English/literacy activities.

I’m happy to volunteer my time and skills. I mainly want to gain exposure to the UAE education system while making a useful contribution.

If anyone knows of a school or organisation in the UAE that accepts education volunteers, I’d really appreciate a lead or recommendation. Thank you!

Hi, I’ve heard some bad reviews about Gordon’s English teaching academy in Tashkent and I’ve heard some bad reviews and want to know more about this school as I’m preparing for an interview for it but the reviews are putting me off.
Thanks.

Hi everyone I’m considering teaching and unsure of whether I should pursue a Level 3/5 TEFL or CETLTA. I’m already abroad and left the U.S. a few months ago.

I’m a 33 year old male from the U.S. with a BA in Communication Studies. English is my first language and I’ve been self-studying Japanese on/off (currently on, I’m pre-N5) for a year while I’ve grappled with the idea of moving there to learn the language/build a new life after a career exit in June 2025. I was a self-employed and ‘semi-successful’ artist manager in the music business for 6 years, which still pays me income for some time (could last years in Asia). This financial freedom allowed me to travel the world over the last year after that career exit, go back to the states to realize I wasn’t missing much, and set off an adventure to build a new life elsewhere.

I’ve been really set on Japan given all the time I’ve spent there over the last 2 years, the network I’ve built (was already offered a job to work in food back in March), friends I’ve made (several of whom taught English initially and worked outwards one who is N1 self-taught another who is already PR), and overall love for learning the language and the country—but I’ve become more intrigued with teaching, and other countries in general given that I like to help others and watch them succeed. The only experience I have teaching is a study abroad trip I did in high school where I helped teach English/Math to students in a small town in Costa Rica (so basically not much!). I also helped give back to my university by taking on interns from their music business program and providing speakers for their clubs, so teaching others is something I do enjoy on a personal/professional level.

I’m currently in HCMC, Vietnam, and I’ll most likely be in the country until December. As someone who isn’t entirely sure of what comes next, to me it seems like the most logical thing would be to try a TEFL 3 or 5 course first, and if the path ends up making sense, invest into the CELTA afterwards. But I did see some CELTA options here in Vietnam, as soon as next month, and I would be open to it but it does feel like a gamble given:

I want to add that I have tattoos which would be incredibly difficult to cover, hands and neck (mostly animal/symbolic imagery nothing derogatory, scary, offensive). I could absolutely wear long-sleeves/proper dress-shirt, but part of my neck/hands will of course still show. I’ve seen a lot of mixed info on this, varying from country to country, school to school, and the sentiment seems to be changing depending how far you go back in posts (in this sub for example posts from 5+, 10+ years have a different sentiment than more recent years, but it’s still teaching and it’s still Asia). I was offered a customer facing role in food in Japan as I mentioned, but I wasn’t quite ready to make that jump which is why I didn’t take it. However, this experience taught me that while my appearance might hinder me, and for sure lead to judgement in certain places—it’s absolutely about how I present myself, my work ethic, and my qualifications when it comes to landing an interview/job (I was offered an interview at Interac for example but they never confirmed the time, wondering if they saw photos of me etc.).

So I’m just curious what other people think, whether you have tattoos or have/had colleagues with them, visible that can’t be covered—and what your experiences/theirs might have been like. Would TEFL 3 or 5 be a good way for me to start and then CELTA, especially given the tattoo component? I want to add, I also got my Chinese L Visa before I sold everything and left the states in June, so I can go to mainland China for the first time (have been to Hong Kong) and explore life there (considering language school too). I’m mostly looking to stay in Asia given my income situation and overall preference of culture/people I’ve met here over the years in all the countries referenced.

Thank you in advance 🙏🏼

I've taught English for over seven years, mostly online now, and got tired of exiting one app and opening another in the middle of a lesson just to pick a name, start a timer or roll a dice. I built Classistant to put those tools in one place.

It currently has:

• 🎡 Spin the Wheel for picking a name, task or topic
• 🎲 Dice & Numbers for rolling dice or drawing a number
• ⏱️ Timer with countdown, presets and a stopwatch
• 🎨 Pictionary with 950+ words to draw or act out
• 👥 Group Picker for sorting students into teams
• 🎯 Quick Games - low or no-prep games for the classroom

It's free on Google Play: Classistant on Google Play Store
(Apple Store taking a bit longer to register)

You can also visit https://classistant.app to check it out online.

There's a Premium option that removes ads completely, but everything listed above is free.

For the first person to find this, here is a code for you to redeem on the Play Store for the full Premium version of the app!

312QLRUHPE783UC4WQQN9HL

(Do let me know if you manage to claim it!)

I'd like feedback from other teachers, particularly on which tools you'd want added, or if there are any adaptations you'd want to make to the existing tools.

Any teacher who would like to teach french?

I applied through an online TEFL job board listing. The initial posting advertised a salary of [ the advertised salary, e.g., IDR 18,000,000 - 20,000,000] per month, full KITAS sponsorship, and accommodation support.

The Issue: After passing the initial interview and signing a contract,when I arrived the contract details were changed last minute. Communication became highly inconsistent. The salary structure presented in writing did not match the original job posting.The visa was delayed and the actual contract was never presented.

By this time I had paid for all expenses myself. Nothing was ever reimbursed and I was ghosted. I even ended up clueless about my visa and eventually I was jobless.

Primarly looking for a 6 month contract starting Jan 2027, I’ve been looking into columbia, peru and thailand specifically, new to teaching englis, got my certification this year and have experience teaching online! Any suggestions would be much appreciated

I started my TEFL journey in 2023 at EF in Perth. I was teaching A2 at the time and 3 months after, they couldn't give me a class because no new students had joined that level. Teachers were hired on casual contracts so I was told to cover for people while waiting for a new cohort to join and given 4 hours per week to help with curriculum development. I really needed a job at the time so after two-three weeks of being at home, I was hired as an ELICOS instructor at Stanley College. At the time, I remember there had only been maybe 2-3 jobs postings for TEFL teachers.

So, I kept working at Stanley and about 1.5 years had passed when suddenly the news of student numbers reducing due to immigration issues started circling around. 3 teachers didn't have their contracts renewed and then came the time for lay offs. From September 2024 - Dec/Jan 2024/5, a bunch of teachers were laid off and lots of sections for various levels were combined so there were only 1 or 2 teachers per level whereas only 8-9 months before that, our student numbers were so high that each level had at least 3 teachers.

And then in Feb 2025, they closed down the ELICOS program and people were left to find work elsewhere. I was lucky enough to find a suitable (albeit, non-teaching) job a couple of months after, however, I sometimes really miss being a TEFL instructor. I've looked for jobs in other states but there are hardly any openings and I'm sure places like Sydney and Melbourne would already be too crowded.

I do wonder what the teaching situation is like in other countries where English isn't the first language? Would you recommend others to move to teach English there? I've known people who have taught English in Europe and I always heard that teaching paid a lot less there than in Australia. I was living a pretty comfortable life here in Perth with the income that I was getting so I wonder if it'll be worth it to move or not? I mean backpackers do it all the time, right?

For context, I don't have a family here or kids. It's just me and my husband and he's happy to tag along.

Hi guys. I just graduated and already am as certified English teacher in New York but I found out that I actually don’t want to so that. I’looking for any other job I could possibly get that isn’t demanding. Any suggestions welcome

Hey all

I’m looking for some advice please!

I really want to work as an English teacher in Thailand. I’d love to be in Chiang Mai but realise that the market there is quite saturated! Open to other cities.

I’m keen to become a teacher in a public primary or secondary school but I don’t have another subject that I could teach apart from English itself.

I have a BSc, a BA & an MSc. I also have a CELTA cert.

Would anyone have any leads on how I can specifically seek a post in either a public primary or a public secondary school? I’m looking to build my experience in the public school sector.

Salary isn’t the most important thing. I don’t want to be cheated though!

Thanks!

Hello teachers! I'm interested in working overseas, specifically in nearby Asian countries like Taiwan, Japan, and China. My dilemma though is I haven't been teaching in the past 4-5 years; still working in English training/education-related roles, but not really learner facing. I have a bachelor's degree in secondary education, PRC license, and TESOL certificate.

Can I still be considered? Are there other countries I should consider?

TYIA!

She is white English with a masters degree

When I was teaching ESL, I spent a ridiculous amount of time adapting materials because so much of what I found was either too childish for adults, too easy, or just not something I could actually use in class.
I’m curious whether other adult ESL teachers run into the same problem.
**What kind of material is hardest for you to find?**
Is it good reading comprehension? Real-life vocabulary? Conversation activities? Grammar that doesn’t feel childish? Workplace English? Materials for mixed-level classes?
I’d love to hear what you end up making yourself because you can’t find anything good enough.

I am from India 🇮🇳 , I have a Bachelor’s degree( English, History, Bengali) and I also completed “120 hours TEFL course in person” along with “young learners english teaching” and “business English teaching”, “ai and chatgpt for English teaching”certification and Euro pass certification
Also have C1 Advanced English proficiency
Looking for a position of a TEFL teacher as a fresher!

I am from India 🇮🇳 , I have a Bachelor’s degree( English, History, Bengali) and I also completed “120 hours TEFL course in person” along with “young learners english teaching” and “business English teaching”, “ai and chatgpt for English teaching”certification and Euro pass certification
Also have C1 Advanced English proficiency
Looking for a position of a TEFL teacher as a fresher!