Congratulations! You’ve decided to teach English as a foreign language! Now, what? How do you narrow down which companies to apply for?
There are so many companies out there that this can seem overwhelming! Something that I found useful for myself was making a list of things that were important to me. Below is this list in further detail of what I consider my three major categories for selecting a company!
- Public School vs. Language School vs. Private Lessons: There are positives to each of these options, but I needed to decide what would be best for me.
- Public Schools: In this setting, I would most likely be looking at a set, Monday – Friday schedule, with the hours being something like 8 am – 4 pm. However, there is a strong chance that I could be the only English teacher at school. Would this make it difficult to make friends? Maybe. From everything I’ve read, if you are working in a public school and in a metropolitan city, you should not have a problem meeting other expats like yourself. However, depending on what school you are working at, it may be hard to connect with your fellow teachers during the work day. Your vacation time usually matches student vacation time, although this is not always the case. Most likely you will be teaching children.
- Language Schools: In this setting, I would likely be looking at an afternoon/evening work schedule. This is because students would be coming to the language school after their normal school day is over. For adult students, they would be attending after their work day is over. Work hours typically tend to be something like 3 pm – 9 pm. You will still work five days a week, however, you cannot expect to have weekends free as Saturday and Sunday can be primetime business for language schools. When researching different language schools, I found that vacation time can range anywhere from 2 weeks off to 7 weeks off! It just depends on the company you choose. You could be teaching children or adults or both.
- Private Lessons: This is a great option for someone who would like to make their own schedule and have flexibility. You can charge what you want, take vacation when you want, and take on as many students as you want. Ideally, I think this is perfect for someone with English teaching experience already under his/her belt. For me, someone who has not previously taught, the thought of tutoring my own students and creating lesson plans completely from scratch is a bit intimidating! This is definitely an option that I would consider down the road, though, especially if I decide to teach in Europe in the future. (Private lessons are huge there).
- Culture: It’s important to understand what the values are of each company you are considering. You may not think this is a big deal, but think about it. You are going to be representing this company, devoting several hours of your life there nearly every day! In order to be happy, it’s important to make sure your beliefs and values match those of your future employer.
- Company Goals: What is their goal? While some public and language schools are very focused on truly teaching English to their students, others could care less or are just concerned with making a “sale.” Language schools run off of commission, so many of them are so focused on having their teachers get new students to sign up (and make money) that they lose sight of what is important, or what should be important.
- Reviews: Looking up reviews online can be very informational when deciding what company to apply for. Glassdoor.com, Eslcafe.com, and Reddit.com are a few sites I used to gather information. A simple search of the company name can lead you to tons of feedback to hopefully help make your decision easier.
- Lesson Plans: Some companies expect you to create your own lesson plans from scratch, while others provide teachers with tools that they expect you to utilize. I feel like there are pros and cons to each of these methods. On one hand, creating your own lesson plans allows a teacher to go outside of the box and have complete control over their classroom. However, a new teacher like me may find it stressful to make my own lesson plans each day! On the other hand, having your company provide you with premade tools will be easier on the teacher, yet it will be a less creative approach. What if the premade lesson plans are dull and boring? Unfortunately, I will not be allowed to change them.
- Dress Code: Most companies, at least in Asia, require a strict business dress code. As a woman, that means either slacks or knee length skirts on the bottom and blouses and jackets on the top. On days that I am teaching young children, I am allowed to forgo the jacket, but that is really the only exception. If you dislike dressing up in business attire, I definitely suggest going the private lesson route or looking into teaching somewhere in Europe, Central America, or South America. Honestly, I have not looked at dress code in detail in those places, so they may be more lax in this regard.
- Salary: I would love to say that this was not an important factor for me, but as someone with student loan debt, I knew I would need to be able to make enough money to live abroad and save! Jotting down a list of all your future expenses is helpful when approximating what you might be able to save each month.
- Rent: Will your employer cover this cost or will you be responsible? In my case, my employer will not pay for rent. Also, when moving in, many housing companies require you to pay a deposit, and/or one full month’s rent, and then the prorated rent for the current month. For instance, I will be required to pay a deposit equal to one month’s rent AND THEN will still have to pay the prorated amount for the current month. Upon move-out, I will be eligible to get up to 80% of my deposit back.
- Utilities: The usual suspects – electric, water, internet. The good part here, at least in Japan, is that because your apartment will likely be much smaller than what you are accustomed to currently, the bills will be very low! For example, my employer said to budget 8,000 Yen total per month. That’s only $68 per month for all three! Pretty great, right? In the U.S., my internet bill alone is more than that.
- Transportation: Again, will your employer cover your commuting costs to/from work? In my case, my employer will pay for this! J However, I should budget a separate amount for transportation anywhere that is not work related (shopping, sightseeing, going out with friends, etc.).
- Food: Find out the cost of your favorite foods in the country that you are moving to. Are they more/less expensive that what you are used to paying? For example, in Japan, fruit and cheese are very expensive. A single apple can cost $5. It will be difficult to be exact, but try your best to give your best guess.
- Mobile Phone: We all have them. Find out what the average cost is for the plan that best fits your needs. Will you need to buy a new phone or can you use the one you have now?
- Insurance and Benefits: Most employers seem to pay for these and a percentage comes out of your paycheck. Depending on what country you work in, taxes could be low or high. In Japan, my taxes will be very low! My first year teaching, I will only have 4% come out of my paycheck for health benefits and insurance.
- Attractions and Activities: Are you a social butterfly? Will you be exploring whenever you have a day off work? I know I will be. Therefore, I need to budget a money allowance for this category. I know that I would be unhappy working somewhere where I did not make enough to go exploring, eat out, and grab a drink every so often.
- Bills from Back Home: This can vary for everyone. Some people may not have any bills while others may have things such as student loans, car payments, etc. Remember to add these things up and account for them in your monthly budget.
Once you know the total of all of your expenses, you can subtract from your salary to get an idea of exactly how much money you would be saving if working for that particular company. In my case, I wanted to be able to save at least $500/month so that I can travel extensively during my vacation time and after my contract ends.
Once you have decided the teaching type you’d like to pursue, researched the company culture, and reviewed the advertised salary, I think it’s safe to say apply away!! Now, to just get through the interview process… 🙂
When You Wander 