When I finished College I just wanted to take a break, travel and get a new perspective on things. I had racked up quite a bit of debt while studying and when I checked out the job market for my chosen career there was not a lot of work in my area.
I thought that I might try something new, save some money and then evaluate my options after a year or two of working and travelling. One of my friends had told me about teaching English in a foreign country and said that there were plenty of jobs in China, the Middle East and Southern Asia. He put me in touch with TEFL recruiters.
There were options to work 18 hour weeks, 25 hour weeks or 35 hour weeks and depending on how much money you wanted to earn you could choose the type of teaching job that suited you best. I could also choose from many different locations around the world and I would be greeted at the airport once I arrived.
I was able to earn $3000 per month when I started teaching and once I did my 120 hour TEFL certificate course my salary went up significantly. I never thought that I could save so much money while at the same time travelling and seeing new countries.
Everyone was very friendly at the school that I choose and there were other inexperienced teachers there also. Everybody helped each other out and within a couple of weeks I was teaching my own small classes and having a great time.
If anyone is looking to travel, experience new cultures, see the world and earn a great living at the same time I would so recommend teaching English as a foreign language. This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life and I will never forget it.
Hi David, I really liked your story, looks like you were in Dubai. I really enjoyed Saudi Arabia when I was teaching there, such a lovely climate!
The salaries are great in Dubai but I also found that I was able to save a lot of money while teaching in China, great offers these days in Beijing and Shanghai.
I was able to save enough money to pay all of college debt while working in China, people are very friendly and so much to do there..