Survival Tips For Those Who Want To Teach English Abroad
Teaching English as a second language in foreign countries like South Korea
, China and Georgia has more than its fair share of perks and privileges. Aside from the good pay, benefits and bonuses, EFL teachers also have plenty of opportunities to travel, to meet new people and to enjoy new experiences in a foreign land. Other teaching jobs do not come close.
However, being a foreigner in a country has its downsides, too. Many EFL teachers will find it difficult to adjust to the new culture, the new landscape and the new environment in which they find themselves in. Many will come home, thus, potentially wasting their opportunity of a lifetime.
Well, why waste your one shot at the above mentioned perks and privileges? You can keep in mind the following survival tips before, during and after your stint as an EFL teacher abroad.
Research About the Land and Its People:
Before making your first step into the foreign country of assignment, you should take the time to read about the land and its people including its culture. Online sites as well as books, newspapers and magazines are rich sources of information about the history, society and culture of a certain people, say, the Chinese. At the very least, you have a basic idea of the dos and do-nots about social manners when inside the classroom and school.
Get a Mentor:
Most English language schools abroad are supportive of new teachers. You can almost immediately find a colleague or a supervisor who will take you under his/her wing, so to speak. You now have an informal mentor who can show you around the campus, introduce you to other teachers and students, and generally be your guide in navigating your new environment.
Learn to Make Friends:
Your best weapon, in a manner of speaking, to survive in a foreign land is to make new friends. Your new set of friends can then be your solid support system while you are in the country and to whom you can run to for a helping hand. It does help to have personal friends while you develop a career to teach English abroad.
Cultivate the Ability to Laugh At Yourself:
Like any other human being, you will make mistakes and make a fool of yourself in front of others. Well, why take these small missteps too seriously when you can use it to break the ice? Laugh at your expense, you will be surprised at how laughter can break the tension between cultures.
Act Like the Locals:
The adage about acting like a Roman when you are in Rome still applies, whether you want to teach English abroad or travel the world. Your skin colour may be different but when you eat, act and think like the locals do, you will make fast friends. In so doing, you will be accepted into the fold and thrive - not just survive but thrive in your adopted home.
Stay Positive:
You will encounter your fair share of negative experiences while in a foreign land. (who doesn't?) Then again, you can choose to learn from these negative experiences instead of letting them get you down. Happiness, they say and we agree wholeheartedly, is a choice and it is a choice you can make, too.
The right attitude is very important when you want to succeed anywhere on the planet. This is all too true for those who want to teach English abroad and do so with flying colors.
by: Lawrence White
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