• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
FREE REPORT
BEST PLACES TO RETIRE
*No spam: We will NEVER give your email address to anyone else.
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
No Result
View All Result
Home Retirement/Living

TEFL, TESOL, AND CELTA: What You Need To Know About…

Live And Invest Overseas by Live And Invest Overseas
Aug 13, 2014
in Retirement/Living
0
teaching english overseas comes with some due work...or not.
209
SHARES
3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Teaching Opportunities In Southeast Asia

People who want to live abroad but lack the funds to support themselves have a wide variety of choice in Southeast Asia. The growth of the middle class, the progressive development of virtually every ASEAN member country, and a region-wide push for English fluency make Southeast Asia a destination ripe with opportunity.

Teaching English is probably the most common way for an expat to earn a living wage throughout this region, and there is a high demand for English teachers. The requirements vary from one country to another, but most people can qualify for a reasonably high-paying job with a little preparation.

Officially, a bachelor’s degree or higher is required for teaching anywhere in Southeast Asia. Unofficially, the requirement may be waived by schools in rural areas where demand is high and teacher recruitment is difficult. Teaching in a remote village can be extremely rewarding but will probably not pay well—many places will offer a room or house, utilities, and food, but they can’t afford to pay a salary.

Teaching in the cities is different. The most important consideration is the type of degree or certification you have under your belt.

Most English teachers have a TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certification in addition to a college degree. The TEFL certification is the easiest and least expensive to obtain. Courses ranging from 40 to 120 hours are offered online and may or may not require actual student interaction before graduation.

Teachers with a TEFL certification can find work, but the pay offered and employment opportunities will be less than for those who have earned a more prestigious certification.

A TESOL certification requires 120 hours of training and in-class teaching is part of the curriculum. A CELTA degree requires a similar amount of training, but the coursework is more intensive and the cost of the course is higher.

Classes in TEFL, TESOL, and CELTA are offered in major cities in the United States and abroad. Schools offer courses that range in price, from practically free up to around US$2,800, depending on the number of hours and intensity of the program. Dave’s ESL Café is a good resource for learning about the certification process and the experience of teaching English abroad.

In Hanoi, teachers with a college degree and a TEFL or TESOL certification can expect to make between US$17 to US$25 per hour of classroom instruction. CELTA instructors will be able to earn US$30 or more per hour working at consulates, international schools, and embassies. Some employers will hire teachers who lack top credentials, but the pay and benefits may not be as attractive. In a city where an individual can live very comfortably for less than US$1,000 per month, this translates into a very good wage that will more than cover living expenses.

In addition to an hourly wage, many reputable schools in Vietnam offer benefits. We spoke at length with our American friend David P. about his teaching experiences in Vietnam and Thailand. He told us that his Vietnamese employer pays for an excellent health insurance plan, provides his work permit, has helped him set up a direct deposit bank account, and provides 16 paid vacation days and 19 paid holiday days per year.

David earns US$24 per hour as a TESOL-certified instructor. His employer guarantees him a minimum of 70 hours per month and has also guaranteed that his hours will never exceed 100 hours per month. David is paid only for his actual teaching hours and says that he spends an average of four extra hours per week reviewing lesson plans and other related activities for which he does not receive compensation. On the upside, he will receive a US$500 bonus at the end of his teaching contract.

Exercising due diligence is important when looking for a good job in Vietnam. Some employers, for example, will fine employees who show up late for work, leave the air conditioner on after class, or forget to turn off the lights. It’s also fairly common for a school to withhold a portion of the salary until the teacher completes the agreed-upon contract, at which point the remainder of salary is paid in a lump sum. If the contract is not completed, then the employee loses out on that portion of their salary.

David suggests that unless you have already secured a job with a well-regarded employer, it’s best to come to your chosen country and start your job hunt. This allows you to interview prospective employers and get a sense of whether you’d find the work enjoyable. Some schools will say that salaries are paid on the first of the month. Others may be less clear, saying they’ll pay during the first week of the month or, worse yet, when they’ve received payment from their students.

Schools in Vietnam rarely object to their instructors working as private tutors during their off-hours. This is an excellent way to supplement your teaching income. However, some schools prohibit private tutoring, so you may want to clarify this before accepting a position.

The New Hanoian has an entire section of its website devoted to teaching jobs. The site is also a good resource for learning if people have had any experiences—good or bad—with a particular employer. You’ll find job listings throughout the country, with employers recruiting for Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Halong Bay, and other prime locations. Many employers will request that applicants have a passport from a particular country—usually the United States, Canada, the UK, or Australia—as they want to teach a specific dialect. Native English speakers from other countries may have a more difficult time getting a job.

Although the requirements are similar in Thailand, the benefits tend to be fewer than in Vietnam, and the pay is generally lower. Most TESOL-certified teachers in Bangkok, for example, will earn around US$1,300 to US$1,500 per month, which provides a living wage, but you won’t have much left come the end of the month. CELTA teachers may earn up to around US$2,000 per month in Bangkok. Wages are a bit higher in Chiang Mai, and the cost of living is less than in Bangkok, but competition makes it harder to get a job there. The go-to website for finding a teaching job in Thailand is Ajarn.

Many employers give hiring preference to those who have two or more years of teaching experience. All applicants will need to provide a background check from the police local to where they have lived for the past six months. This, as well as your university degree and teaching certification, will need to be notarized at your embassy prior to obtaining employment. For Americans, notarization costs about US$50 per document.

If you lack a college degree or don’t have the certifications or experience to get a good teaching job elsewhere in Southeast Asia, David suggests taking a look at Cambodia, where it’s relatively easy to find work and requirements tend to be lax. The pay isn’t great, but it’s a way to get a one-year visa and start building your resume.

Wendy Justice

Continue reading: Top Retirement Options In Spain And Italy

Tags: 'Work Overseas'AsiaCELTAEmploymentFund Retirement OverseasTeach English OverseasTEFLTESOLWork In Southeast Asia
Share84Tweet52
Previous Post

Mailbag: Top Retirement Options In Spain And Italy

Next Post

Top Retirement Options In Spain And Italy

Live And Invest Overseas

Live And Invest Overseas

Live and Invest Overseas is the world's savviest source for top opportunities to live better, retire in style, invest for profit, do business, and own real estate overseas. Established in 2008, the Live and Invest Overseas' editors and correspondents have more experience researching and reporting on top opportunities for living well, investing for profit, doing business, and owning real estate around the world than anyone else you'll find.

Related Posts

Guanajuato, scenic city lookout near Pipila
Retirement/Living

How To Love Your Life Abroad After The Honeymoon Period Is Over

by Louisa Rogers
June 24, 2022
0

After living abroad part-time in Guanajuato, Mexico, for 15 years, I've noticed that, for many expats, the relationship of living...

Read more
Taipei's City Skyline at sunset with the famous Taipei 101

The Top Affordable Places To Retire In Asia And Live Well

June 19, 2022
A grid with several Latin American countries

Finding The Best Places To Live In Latin America

June 9, 2022
Palms and beach at Caye Caulker island, Belize

Choose The Lifestyle You Want In Belize

June 6, 2022
People enjoying a tropical Caribbean beach with white sands and clear waters

Move To Latin America And Retire In Style Without Compromise

May 25, 2022
Exotic wooden huts on the water, Maldives

How To Move Overseas Despite A Pandemic

May 24, 2022
Rocks in the water next to the sandy beach in Ecuador

The Best Places To Retire In Latin America

May 23, 2022
Next Post
property in spain

Top Retirement Options In Spain And Italy

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we’ll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today.







LIOS Resources


  • New To LIOS
  • Ask An Expert
  • Media Center
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs

Quick Links


  • Best Places To Live
  • Best Places To Retire
  • Finding A Job Overseas
  • Real Estate

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE report: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2022

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Countries
  • Budgets
  • Archives
  • News
  • Events
  • Bookstore
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Members Area
  • Contact Us

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

Sign up for FREE and learn how to live the good life on a modest budget, find bargain property, and more. Plus, check out our free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE.

RETIRE OVERSEAS AND LIVE LIKE ROYALTY

The World’s Best Places To Be In 2022?

Discover Them Here…