Benefits of Being an English Teacher Abroad
Jumping sporadically into a teaching job abroad can be a challenging endeavor, especially if you’re already working a regular day job. Should you just pack everything up and leave, uprooting your normal day-to-day life? With so many traditional and online colleges, such as National University, offering extensive language courses, more and more people are opting for a career abroad. Truth be told, teaching English abroad can be a big undertaking, but not one that leaves you empty-handed. In fact, your resume may actually benefit tremendously from such an endeavor. A teaching job (abroad or not) is a fantastic way to experience new cultures and values, as well as build character.
When the teaching job is finished and you come home to work an alternative job, you will have gained a number of positive traits that employers love seeing. These traits include:
Ability to Speak or At Least Understand a Foreign Language
It goes without saying that if you want to learn a new language, then immersion is one of the most optimal methods of going about it. Engaging in a teaching job abroad will likely land you in a country where English-speaking people are scarce. This will not only assist you in learning the local language, but force you to do so as well. Even if you had trouble with a foreign language class in school, cultural immersion has proven to be highly effective. Because most employers will often seek out a bilingual candidate before hiring someone else, your resume will instantly be move to the top of the stack.
Optimal Communication Skills
Check out any job board these days and I’m sure you will not find a single job description that doesn’t list “communication” as one of the desired skills. After teaching English abroad, you have demonstrated perfectly that your communication skills are beyond the average person’s threshold. For the most part, you will have spent the majority of your time standing in front of a class brimming with individuals who, at first, didn’t understand a bit of English. The fact that you were able to establish a beginning point and teach people to speak a completely different language shows you are well-versed, not only at talking, but also at listening too.
Adaptable to Most Situations
Considering that your resume is probably filled with a series of 9-to-5 day jobs in your hometown, the fact that you were able to drop everything and pursue a teaching job in a completely different country shows you are highly adaptable; not to mention that it adds a flare of diversity to your resume, which always looks good to employers. Oftentimes, teaching abroad comes with its fair share of problems, which you will have to solve using your own merit. Any employer is going to choose a candidate with superior problem-solving skills since problems can arise on a daily basis in the business world.
Natural Leadership
Okay, so I saved the best for last since most employers are always seeking out natural leaders who can become vital assets to the business. In general, being a teacher already demands leadership, whether working abroad or not. Being in charge of 20-30 students is certainly not the easiest of tasks to undertake. However, throughout the trials and tribulations of teaching abroad, you have learned precisely how to lead and motivate your students to success. For the employer, this skill translates seamlessly into the business world, making you the ideal candidate for a management role within the company.