Have You Ever Thought About Teaching Abroad?

Though teachers are in great demand in the Unitedexposing them to American language and culture. Pay
States, these teaching jobs often leave something tofor these jobs varies greatly depending on the country.
be desired. Though many great opportunities do existFor example, one can expect a much higher salary
in the U.S., many others are plagued by low salaries,teaching in Japan and Saudi Arabia than in Mexico and
crowded classrooms, political correctness, inability toChina. Some countries require prior teaching
discipline children, etc. Often, the teaching experience inexperience and advanced education while others
the U.S. is just not what teachers envisioned whenaccept teachers straight out of college. Just like in the
they started their careers.U.S., teachers with more credentials and experience
For teachers with a bit of an adventurous streak,will be able to demand higher salaries.
many opportunities exist abroad for qualified applicants.Private schools throughout the world hire American
Opportunities exist at all levels and in a variety ofteachers. These jobs offer some of the highest
settings. Teachers can choose to teach in the hostsalaries available to primary and secondary teachers.
nations national school system, for American schoolsOften these schools have campuses in several
located abroad or for numerous private institutionscountries and offer teachers the opportunity to move
looking to hire Americans.to a new country every few years. Many of these
The Department of Defense and State Departmentoffer free housing and other services as part of the
school systems are a large employer of teachershiring packages. Keep in mind that competition for
abroad. In this role teachers instruct students who arethese schools is very fierce and they can generally be
dependents of Service men and women andmore selective as far as experience and qualifications.
diplomats and support personnel stationed overseas.Skills such as speaking the local language, previous
Because these schools are officially part of the U.S.experience teaching abroad, etc. can greatly increase
school system, many of the same regulations are inone's chances of landing one of these posts.
place as in mainland U.S. schools. However, theseTeaching abroad can be a very rewarding experience
schools are not plagued by state interference andto do something different and experience new
generally enjoy a larger budget than other U.S. schools.cultures. One should keep in mind that some overseas
Teachers are paid well for their willingness to teachjobs do not include a retirement plan and should
abroad for the U.S. government and salaries areconsider that when determining their career path. Many
among the highest for U.S. public school teachers.of these, whether private or government run do offer
Possible locations include Germany, Japan, Korea andretirement and many other benefits. So if you've got
many others.your teaching degree and are trying to decide how to
Many nations actively look for American teachers forput it into use, why not use it to fund some international
their public school systems. American teachers bringtravel and living?
diversity and help give students a head start by