For many people, teaching English in a foreign country is a popular and realistic way of travelling the world. You can sample cultures and meet people that you may only have read or watched vlogs about. For many of us it has also represented a way out of our countries, allowing us to live abroad perhaps in places where we can live a life that we want to. But below the dream lurks risks and dangers which might be hard to spot or easy to overlook.
In this article, I will share some of my experience to help you get the best experience as you look to move to another country.
If you want to learn about the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) or TESOL (Teaching English as a second or other language) industry a bit more there are dozens, if not hundreds, or websites where you can do that. I recommend the British Council’s Teaching English site (https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/) as a good place to learn about the job in general.
What I want to go into in a bit more detail is to look at four ‘do’s’ for trans folk if you are considering work in this field.
Do move intentionally and keep an open mind
One of the first things you might notice is there is an overwhelming number of locations you can choose from. There is work available in every continent, barring Antarctica – penguins make poor customers and don’t seem especially interested in learning English.
So first of all, think about what kind of place would you most like to live. Try to avoid thinking about where you like going on holiday as those countries aren’t necessarily the best places to live full-time. Sri Lanka, for instance, is an almost perfect holiday destination (despite the fact we’re illegal there), but living there was a nightmare of high electricity prices, very poor public transport, constant harassment on the streets, few shopping options, and high corruption. That last issue meant I overstayed my visa and ended up paying hundreds of dollars when I left.
South Korea on the other hand, is almost the opposite (although I wouldn’t bank on on the legal status of trans people there).
Try to also look past your own preconceptions. Thailand might seem like a good destination, but don’t let the prevalence of kathoey people trick you into thinking it’s a dream location, as they often talk about the prejudices they face in their daily lives.
You need to look at your personal priorities and think carefully about where the best places might be. You might find that through your homework some countries you had never considered turn out to be better than others.
Institutional intentionality
Another element of this intentionality is to look into the types of institutions and schools offering work in those locations. I would strongly advise looking at international or larger organisations. These are much more likely to have policies on equality diversity and inclusion and potentially LGBTQ+ representation. I mentioned the British Council earlier – they would be an excellent choice. Look also at International House, Wall Street Institute, and universities (although they are harder to get work in).
For my money, as a transgender person, most of western Europe would be a good bet (especially Portugal and Spain). However I also know of a trans woman teaching in Vietnam.
Do back yourself to succeed
You might find that this all seems impossible and overwhelming and there’s no way you will ever achieve this. You might tell yourself all manner of ‘logical’ reasons why you are doomed to fail:
“I’ve never taught, how can I ever succeed with this?”
“I can’t learn a new skill, I’m too [XYZ]”
“Teaching is for people with [personality / skill X]; that’s not me!”
“I don’t know anything about that country…”
“I don’t know anyone there…”
“What if the students hate me?”
“What if I run into issues with the school?”
Well I’ve worked with people of all ages and backgrounds. I’ve actually trained a 62 year old who’d only started teaching university students a couple of years previously to teach preschool kids. He was great!
While you may face some issues with students or parents, this is why finding a good school is key. Not only will they be more willing to back you, they will also probably have a good training programme, and possibly some scheme to help integrate you into the country.
But even with the most supportive of employer, you still need to tell yourself ‘I can do this…’. Believe me; I have seen people from all walks of life succeed and thrive.
Do remain professional
OK, so story time: in my first TEFL job in South Korea I was terrible. I’d go out drinking every night. I’d come into work 30 minutes before class stinking of soju. My classes were poorly-planned, lacked structure and discipline. My students were bored and frustrated in my lessons. In other words, I was the worst.
But I wanted to stay. I realised – perhaps too late – that I really enjoyed the job and was hoping they would renew my contract. I asked the director if that was a possibility,
Friend; they did not renew my contract. On the last day of my contract, I got my severance pay and, because of the visa regulations, had 24 hours to leave the country. Luckily I had the privilege of being able to go back to the UK, take a qualification, and try again.
If you are looking at teaching as a means to get to a safer and better country, you do not want to be in a position where you need to scramble to get another job and go through an application process according to someone else’s timeline.
Don’t give the management the option of letting you go or dismissing you. Plan your lessons, go to the meetings, take the courses and get the qualifications, submit your paperwork on time. Yes, this does mean staying in the office a bit longer and doing the ‘boring’ stuff. But it will be noticed if you don’t. And it is appreciated when you do! It might also mean having to invest some time and money into getting a teaching qualification, but it will pay off in the long-run.
You can still enjoy the nightlife and the culture – but make sure you keep that to your own time!
Do gain local friends
Oh boy! Now don’t get me wrong; I love living abroad. I enjoy meeting all the variety of people who decided to move, and learn what has brought our paths to the same point. I have met some genuinely fascinating people. Some have lived with yak herders in Outer Mongolia. Some have been enforcers for local mobs. Some are absolute bullshit artists, but are so entertaining you have to forgive them for it.
But goodness gracious, so many of them love a moan about their host country!
I do often wonder why some people stick around certain countries for so long if they apparently hate everything about it, but be careful about getting drawn into their criticisms. While sometimes they do raise valid points, there’s often little that can be done about bureaucracy or cultural differences. I won’t say why I think they are complaining so long and loud about the place they chose to come to. I will say that it can often result in a myopic and superficial way of looking at the place.
So with this in mind, I would strongly recommend finding local friends or contacts as they will be much more useful in helping you to navigate things like healthcare provision, contract or governmental issues. They can also introduce you to other, wider social networks. I have found LGBTQ organisations and groups, sports teams, and other resources by looking locally rather than counting on the help of other “expats”.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t count on non-local people sometimes, it’s just you’re more likely to find what you need by digging a little deeper. This may mean working a bit harder – go onto Facebook or local sub Reddit groups, be a bit more ‘assertive’ in social settings, and – yes, elephant in the room – there will be language barriers. But that’s also where local friends can help.
Only four do’s?
I wrote this knowing this could only give a certain amount of information – I could easily write a book about this. I also recognise that this is rather general. It’s hard for me to go into specifics without knowing more about your personal circumstances. I hope that this has given you a few useful things to consider. I have found living abroad to be very rewarding and if you are considering it, I would recommend it – if you can do it right.
If you would find it useful, I am happy to answer questions. Feel free to reach out to me at andy@transrescue.org, and I’ll answer when I can.
About the author:
Andy (she/her) is an educator, parent, yoga enthusiast, traveller, cook, and transgender woman. She has a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Education, plus TEFL-specific qualifications CELTA and DELTA. She has been working in TEFL for 20 years, living and working in South Korea, Poland, the UK, Sri Lanka, and Kuwait. You can find her living in Warsaw, Poland with her girlfriend. But they would love to move to Madrid as soon as possible!