For thousands of years, teachers have been dealt the task of educating and developing the human mind and spirit. As an unknown author once said, “A teacher takes a Hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart.” If you decided to take another path in life—that has nothing to do with teaching—but have always had a desire to make a difference in someone’s life, you still have the opportunity to do so. By teaching English abroad, you can satisfy that aspiration and get to see the world. If you think that this is out of the question because you do not have an English degree, don’t be discouraged! There are plenty of chances out there for you, however, they are a bit harder to find.
- Teaching English AbroadWorld Bank Photo Collection / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Here, I’ll explain what you can expect from teaching abroad without an English degree.
Salary
I think we can all agree that teachers—from all over the world—are underpaid and overworked. Unfortunately for non-English majors, underpaid may be an understatement; generally making less money than those certified to teach English as a second language. It’s difficult to estimate what your salary would look like because it varies so greatly from country to country.
According to an article on Ehow money, teaching in Asia can yield anywhere from $650-$1,450 per month. This amount of money may not seem like much, but in certain smaller cities and towns the cost of living is pretty low, allowing you to live relatively comfortable. The author suggests that if someone is searching for a more lucrative region, Spain is the place to look. He says English teachers there can make as much as €2,200, roughly $3,200. Keep in mind that these salaries can greatly depend on what skills and/or degrees you possess.
Job Opportunities
As I mentioned before, there are many opportunities to teach English abroad. However, the amount of opportunities is surpassed by the amount of interested applicants. The type of education you have will absolutely determine where on the list you will be placed. The aspiring teacher with no English degree may not even be considered for a higher paying/more desirable job. This could mean you will have to sacrifice a little more (location, salary, benefits, etc.), but it is not a lost cause. There are ways of going around the long list of applicants, and landing a higher paying job in a desirable location.
If you are a current college student, or a college graduate, it may be even easier. Chances are that your university has a sister school in another country. This means that there is a strong relationship between two or more schools around the world that provide their students with opportunities like study abroad in one of their sister schools. In terms of teaching abroad, a student can be place in the sister school itself or a in a local grammar, junior, or high school. Another thing to consider is that if you speak the native language of the country you are considering, more opportunities may become available to you.
Although it may seem like teaching abroad without and English degree may be an unattainable, there are plenty of outlets for you to achieve your dreams of traveling and making a difference in a child’s or adult’s life.
Christina Chandler is an enthusiastic poet and writer with a degree in English Education. She has spent a year in India and two years in Japan teaching English as a second language. She now continues towards her postgraduate degree in Higher Education.
