HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas

HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas
ATenWeekPlantoaNewLifeAbroad SecondEdition CopyrightTEFLeBooksdotcom
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Dreamsarethetouchstones ofourcharacter. HenryDavidThoreau

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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas

Contents
WeekFour Introduction
TwentyImportantQuestionstoAskYourself CharacteristicsofSuccessfulTEFLers WhatareEmployersREALLYLookingfor? ApplyforJobs HowtoContactEmployers HowTEFLInterviewsWork TheBestCountriestoStartinTEFL

WeekOne
SeeingWhatReallyisPossible Passports Degrees,Transcripts,Certificates,Documents

WeekFive
ShouldyouAcceptthatJob? DoingyourResearchbeforeyouDecide ResearchtheJob ResearchyourEmployer ResearchyourAccommodation

WeekTwo
MakingaDecisionaboutWheretoTeach Money!Money?WagesandMore MakingaDecisionaboutWhentoGo

WeekSix
StartOrganizingyourLifeforyourMoveOverseas DoyouownyourHome? HealthInsurance ResponsibilitiestoyourHomeCountry

WeekThree
OrganizeyourJobSearch AShortPersonalStory Corporate,Kids,Adults? Whattypeofjobdoyouwant? Resumes,CVs HowtobeanAttractiveCandidate

WeekSeven
StartyouVisaPaperwork Give30daysnoticeatyourjob BudgetingforyourTransition SellorStore?

HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas

Contents 2
WeekOneOverseas WeekEight
PlaneTicketsandMovingExpenses BankingandInvesting PlanningforyourFinancialSuccess ShouldyouInvestinyourhomecountryoryour newcountry? OntheJobinyourNewCountry Cankaraokegetyouaraise?Yes! CultureShock Yes=No

WeekTwoOverseas
Networking ImproveYourself HaveaGoodTime

WeekNine
PassportandVisa PlanA PlanB PlanC

AppendixA
SummaryofallChecklists

WeekTen
Whatshouldyoutakewithyou? Whatshouldyoumailtoyourself? Saygoodbyetofriendsandfamily Getonthatplane

AppendixB
TeachingMethodsandBoardwork

AppendixC
PlanningaLessonandBasicTEFLTraining

HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas

Introduction
TwentyQuestions
BEFOREWESTARTandyouheaddowntheroadtocreatinganewlifeoverseas,hereare20important questionsyoushouldaskyourselfbeforedecidingifteachingEnglishoverseasisrightforyou. Doyouhaveafamilythatyouareresponsiblefor? Howdotheyfeelaboutmovingoverseasandlivinginaforeignland? Doyouhaveaspouse/partner?Howdotheyfeelaboutgivinguptheirjobandaccompanyingyou? Willtheybeabletofindworkoverseas?AretheyinterestedinteachingEnglishalso? Doyouhavechildren?Howwillyoueducatethemwhileoverseas? Howmighttheyfeelaboutgivinguptheirfriends? Doyouhavedebtsthatmustbepaidwhileyouareoverseas?Doyouhaveadegree? Thoughadegreeisnotrequiredinmanycountries,itwillaffectyouroptionsandincome. Aretherespecialmedicalissuesforyouoryourfamilythatmustbeconsidered? Doyouhavethefinancialreservestoreturntoyourhomecountryandreestablishyourselfif thingsdon'tworkout?Areyouwillingtotoughitoutifyoudon'tlikeit? Haveyouevertaughtbefore?DoyouhaveanyreasontobelievethatyoumightenjoyteachingEnglish? Haveyouevertraveledorlivedoverseas?Didyouenjoyit? Wouldyoufindthedailyproblemsoflivingandworkingoverseasfrustratingorarefreshingchallenge? Doyougetdepressedorangryeasily? Those20questionsareonlyabeginning.Onceyoucananswerthempositivelyandbehonestwithyourself aboutthem,thenyouarereadytoproceed.

HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas

Whatpersonalqualitiesandattitudeswillhelpyousucceed?
Havereasonableexpectationsaboutyournewoccupationandwhatitcanandcannotprovideforyou. ThiseBookwillhelpyouwiththat. Understandthatyournewcountrywillnotbelikeyourhomecountry. Solutionstoproblemsthatworkathomeoftendon'tworkoverseas. Sometimesyoureallywon'tknowhowtosolveaproblem.

...languageschoolslook forteachersthatcankeep studentscomingbackto theirclassroomsagain andagain.

Knowthatmostpersonalproblemsyouhadinyourhomecountrywillprobablyalsoexistorreoccur overseas. Knowthatyouwillhavegooddaysandbaddays,justlikebackhome. Knowthatyouwillprobablyexperiencegoodbosses,badbosses,goodjobsandbadjobs. Beflexibleandlearntobouncebackfromunhappysurprisesand/orproblematicsituations. Bewillingtoworkunderdifferentculturalexpectationsaboutyourbehavior,appearanceanddress. Manageyourmoods,keepyourselfupbeatandavoiddownbeatpeople. Viewyoursuccessoverseasasapersonalchallengeandbedeterminedaboutmakingitwork.

WhatLanguageSchoolsandEmployersareREALLYLookingfor
Languageschools,probablywhereyouwillfindyourfirstjobasanEnglishinstructor,arebusinesses. Themorestudentscomingthroughthedoorandtakingclasses,thebettertheirbusinessdoes. Ifstudentstalktotheirfriendsandtheycomeandsignupforclassesatyourschool,thingsgoevenbetter. Iftheyconsistentlysignupforthenextclasswhenthecurrentoneisfinished,itisevenbetterstill. Sinceattendingalanguageschoolisanoptionandthereareoftencompetitorsjustdownthestreet, schoolsmustattendtoenrollment.Iftheydon't,theygooutofbusinessandnoone,includingyou,hasa job.Asaresultofthesedemandsonthesuccessofthebusiness,languageschoolslookforteachersthat cankeepstudentscomingbacktotheirclassroomsagainandagain.

HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas

Thinkbacktoyourfavoriteteacherswhenyouwereinschool.Whyweretheyyourfavorites?Wherethey friendly,helpful,intelligent,possiblyevencharmingintheirownway?Knowledgeableabouttheirsubject Youprobablyanswered"Yes"toallofthosecharacteristicsandthosearetheverythingsthatlanguage schoolsarelookingfor.Theywouldliketheirnextteachertobefriendly,engaging,helpful,positiveand encouraging. Whenaschoolinterviewsyou,theyarelookingforsomeonewhowillgivetheirstudentsapositiveexperi enceandtheyalsowantsomeonewhowillbepleasanttoworkwith. Ofcourse,theschoolwouldlikeyoutoknowalittlesomethingaboutEnglishbutasanativespeaker,you alreadyhaveahugebuiltinstoreofknowledgeaboutthelanguage.

...thebiggestissueisjust beingabletogetalong andbeingadecent persontobearound

Youhaveanexcellentideaaboutwhatisrightorwrongusage(thoughatfirstyoumayhavedifficulty explainingwhy).Youknowwhenpronunciationisunderstandableornotorwhenasentencemakessense ornot.Thesearethethingsnonnativespeakersregularlystrugglewithbutforyouwilllikelybenoprob lematall. Thereissomeexcellentmanagementresearchthatshowsthatabout80%ofpeoplefiredfromtheirjobs arenotfiredbecausetheylacktheskillsfortheirjob.Theyarefiredbecauseofpersonalissues,atten dance,punctuality,notfollowingthroughandmanyotherissues. Takethistoheart,thoughyoumaystillhavealottolearnaboutteachingEnglish,thebiggestissueisjust beingabletogetalongandbeingadecentpersontobearound.NonWesternculturestendtovaluethese "gettingalong"characteristicshighly. Theyarejustlookingforsomeonepleasantandpositive.Isthatyou?Ifnot,teachingEnglishabroadmay notbeyourbestcareerchoice.Itisaverypeopleorientedprofession.

ChapterOneisNext:GettingOrganizedtoHeadOverseas
WhatiscominginChapterOne?ScanningtheJobsMarketFindoutwhatispossible...PassportGet itnowifyoudon'talreadyhaveitalready.Degrees,Transcripts,CertificatesandotherDocumentsGath eringtogetherwhatyouneedforthejobsearch.

HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas

Week One
ScantheJobsMarket Thereisnoreasonwhythat nextjobcan'tbeyours. Itissimplythateasy
Beforewegettooseriousaboutthingslikepassports,resumesandotherdetailsoflife,letsgoaheadand fantasizealittlebit.ScanthisjobsfeedwithgreatjobsaroundtheworldincludingChina,Thailand,Korea andmuchmore:EFLJobsWorldwide ScanthisbigjobslistatDave'sESLCaf forallInternationalJobsexceptKoreaandChina:InternationalJobs ForKorea:ClickHere ForChina:ClickHere Realizethatthepeoplewhowillfillthosejobsarejustlikeyou.Shortlytheywillbeoverseaslivinginand exploringtheworldandothercultures,travelingandoftensavinggoodmoneyand/orpayingoffdebtsand studentloans. Thereisnoreasonwhythatnextjobcan'tbeyours.Itissimplythateasy. Nowwecangobackafewparagraphsanddrawalinethroughfantasizeandchangethattoplan. ThiseBookisyourplan. Let'sgo!

HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas

PASSPORT
Beforeyoucandomuchofanythingandbeforeyoucanexpectanyemployertotakeyouseriously,you musthaveacurrentvalidpassport. Employersarenotinterestedinyourplantogetone.Theywanttoknowthatyouhaveone.Infact,they will requireyoutohaveonetoevengettheprocessstarted. Ifyoualreadyhaveavalidpassport,youareaheadofthegameandyoucaneasilyreducethistenweek planbyafewweeks. Ifyourpassporthasexpiredorgoingtoexpireinthenextyear,getitrenewedrightnow. Ifyoudon'thaveapassport,orderitrightnowbecausenotmuchelseonthejobfrontcanhappenuntil youhaveit. Thereareplentyofotherthingsyoucandotogetready,butyoucan'treallylandajobuntilthatpassport isinyourhand. Don'twasteyourtimeapplyingforjobsorcontactingemployersuntilthatpassportisinyourhand. Employersarequitefamiliarwithdaydreamerswhocontactthemandneverfollowthrough. Theywontwanttowastetheirtime. Onewaytoknowifanapplicantisseriousisiftheyhavetheirpassportanditiscurrent. Almosteveryjobapplicationwillrequireaphotocopyorscanofyourcurrentvalidpassport.

There Don't isno waste reason your why time that next applying jobcan't forbe jobs yours. or contacting Itissimply employers thateasy until youhavea passport inyourhand.

Americans
Apassportcantakeuptofourweeksfromthedateofapplicationandyoumayneedtoobtainsupporting documentsfortheapplication.Youcanobtainanexpeditedpassportforanadditionalfeeanditcanbe issuedandinyourhandswithintwoweeks.

HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas

ForAmericans...
WheretoApplyforaPassport (someoftheselinkswilltakeyoutoourwebsite.Thatissowecankeeplinkscurrentwhentheychange.) Expeditedservice:WheretoGetapassportintwoweeksorless Clickhereforhowlongtheprocesscurrentlytakes.

Employersknowan applicantisseriousisifthey alreadyhavetheirpassport anditiscurrent.

UKCitizens:
TheHomeOffice'sIdentificationandPassportServiceishere Clickhereforstepbystepassistancethroughtheprocessforyourfirstpassport TheIPSrecommendsyouplanfortheprocesstotakeaboutsixweeks.

Australians:
Starttheprocesshere. Apriorityserviceisofferedforanextrafeetocompletetheprocessintwoworkingdays. Aninpersoninterviewisrequired.

NewZealanders:
Starthere. Theirwebsitesayspassportscanbecompletedintenworkingdaysandoffersanurgentservicethatcan completetheprocessinthreeworkingdays.

OtherCountries:Checkyourgovernmentswebsites.
Asyoucanseehere,ifyoualreadyhaveavalidpassport,youcaneasilytake24weeksoutoftheprocess. Infact,ifyoureallywant,youcanprobablybeteachingoverseasinonly45weeks.Acceleratetheprocess asyoupleaseandareable.

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DegreesandTranscripts
Findtheoriginalofyourdegreeifyouhaveone.Notallcountriesrequiredegreessoyoucanskipthisstep ifyoudon'thaveone.Generallyspeakingthough,thehighertheeducationrequirementforteachersina givencountry,thebetterthewagesonofferinthatcountry.Butthisisnotalwaystrue. Ordercurrenttranscriptsandbesuretonotopenthem.Leavetheminthesealedenvelope.Havethem readybutknowthatsomecountrieswillalsowantyoutoorderthemandhavethemsentdirectlytothe school,MinistryofLabororsomeotherverificationoffice. Differentcountrieswillhavedifferentprocessesforverifyingyourdegree/education.Somedoitinyour homecountry,othersdoitwhenyouarrivethereandstillotherswilldoboth.Whenyouapplyforyourjob andareaccepted,yourfutureemployerwilltypicallywalkyouthroughtheprocess. Youarenotusuallythefirstpersontheyhavehelpedthroughprocessandtheywillusuallybefamiliarwith currentrequirements.Therequirementschangeregularlyinsomecountriesandyourfutureemployerwill usuallybethemostuptodatecontactyoucanhave. Thedaysoffakedegreesareover.Don'teventhinkaboutitunlessyouwouldliketoexperiencetheinside ofanimmigrationprisoninaforeignland.Verificationprocessesareimprovingbytheweekinalmost everycountry. Onepieceofadvice:Orderanextra"original"degreefromyouruniversity.Universitiesarequitefamiliar withhowtodoit.Lostormisplaceddegreeshappeneveryday. Ordertranscriptsandasparedegreenow.Itcantakeonlyafewdaysorevenuptofewweeksdepending onyouruniversity.

Thedaysoffakedegrees areover.Don'teventhink aboutitunlessyouwould liketoexperiencetheinside ofanimmigrationprisonin aforeignland.

TrainingCertificates
IfyouhaveobtainedaTEFLcertificationortakenanyotherkindoftrainingrelatedtoteachingEnglish,put itinthesameplaceasyourpassport,degreeandanythingelseyoumayfindrelevant.

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OtherDocuments
Suchanvariedarrayofthingscanbeaskedofyouthatitishardtocompletelyprepareaheadoftime. YoumaybeaskedforalocalorFBItypepoliceclearanceorevenawidevarietyofmedicalclearances. Bepatient,providewhattheyaskanditwillallworkout.Youwon'tbethefirstpersontobeintimidated bythepaperworkrequired.Everybodywondersiftheycangetthroughallofitbuttheyalwaysdo.

ScanEverything Makingyourselfawareof allthepossibilitiesisan importantpartofthe decisionprocess

Prepareyourscansnowsoyoucanattachthescanstoyouremailswhenyouapplyforjobsorsendthem whenrequested.Bettertogetthemalldonenowratherthantorushastheyarerequested.

WeekOneSummary
Therearemanythingstokeepyoubusyifyouareworkingorstillinschool.Onceyouhaveyourpassport anddocumentssortedandifyoustillhaveextratime,spenditlookingforTEFLjobs,soyoucanopenyour eyestoalltheopportunitiesoutthere. Makingyourselfawareofallthepossibilitiesisanimportantpartofthedecisionprocesswewillbegin inWeekTwo.

WeekOneChecklist
Checkoutthepossibilities Passport:Order,Update,Check Degree:Original,Orderaspare Transcripts:Order OtherDocuments:TrainingCertificates Scaneverythingyouhave

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Week Two
InWeekOne,whenyouwerelookingatthejoblistings,youprobablyfoundafewjobsthatreallycaught yourinterest.Possiblyitwasthejoborthelocationthatseemedinteresting.

WheretoGo
Weneedtosolvethelocationissuefirstthoughwewillstayabitflexible.Thenumberoneissuethatwill broadenornarrowthescopeofchoicesisifyouhaveacollege/universitydegreeornot.Toalargeextent, thesubject/majorofthedegreemaynotmatterasmuchaswhetheryouhaveoneornot. Thedegreerequirementisalmostneverachoicefortheschoolasitistypicallyanimmigration,Ministryof LabororMinistryofEducationrequirement.Theschoolwillusuallyhavenochoiceintheissuesodon't wasteyourtimeortheirstryingtonegotiatetherequirementifyoudon'thaveadegree.Moveon. Generallyspeaking,muchofLatinAmerica,China,awayfromthemegacities,Indonesia,Cambodia,Laos andafewotherplaceswillofferteachingpositionstonondegreedindividuals.That'sabigpartofthe worldsodon'tbediscouragedifyoudon'thaveadegree.Ifyouhaveadegree,theworldisyouroyster. China,ThailandandKoreaareprobablythemostnewcomerfriendlyTEFLcountriesintheworldforpeople withdegrees.Ifyoudon'thaveadegree,LatinAmericaandthecountriesmentionedaboveareyourbest bets. China,ThailandandKoreaareveryacceptingof"newbie"teachersanddon'ttendtohavesuperdemand ingexpectationsofyourteachingskills.Theywillallowthemtodevelopovertime. Japanismoredemanding.FortheMiddleEastteachersneedtobeskilledandpreparedanda disciplinarian,butmuchofAsiaandLatinAmericaarequitelowkeyandwillallowyouasometimetoget yourbearingsasanEFLteacher.

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Money
Ifmoneyisanimportantfactorandyouhavedebtsorwishtosaveasmuchmoneyasyoucan,thentakea closelookatKorea,TaiwanandtheMiddleEast.Nondegreedindividualswillrarelybeabletoworkin countrieswheresignificantsavingscanbeaccrued,thoughsomesavingsarepossibleinChina. InKorea,TaiwanandJapan,US$8001000anduparequitepossibleintermsofsavings.IntheMiddleEast evenmorecanbesavedbutadvanceddegrees,yearsofprerequisiteexperienceandchallengingstudents arestandardfare.

...ifagoodnumberof peopleagreeonabitof information,thenitis probablyatleast semiaccurate.

WhentoGo
Toalargeextent,thisisuptoyou.Itisworthdoingalittleresearchaboutthecountryyouareinterested in,aseachcountrywilltendtohavetimeswhenhiringisatitspeakandtimeswhenhiringisinalull.It oftendependsontheschoolyearwhichcanvaryformcountrytocountry. TheschoolyearinKoreaandJapan,forexample,beginsinMarch.InThailanditbeginsinMay.Hiring comestoastandstillinTaiwanandChinaduringChineseNewYearbutmayhitapeaksoonafterthat. Gototheforumsat:Dave'sESLCafeForums:Clickhere.ItisthebusiestforumontheInternetforteach ers.Asyouwouldwithanyforum,beawareofhype,sourgrapesandotherissues.Generally,ifagood numberofpeopleagreeonabitofinformation,thenitisprobablyatleastsemiaccurate. Don'ttrusteverythingyouhearbutdogetasmuchinformationasyoucanfromasmanysourcesas youcan. Ontheforums,askabouttheschoolyearsoyoucanapplyatthemostadvantageoustimeandgetthebest possiblejobforyou. Allthatsaid,languageschoolstendtohireallyearlongsoanytimeyouarereadytogo,therewillbejobs readyforyou.

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 Asyouwouldwithany forum,beawareofhype, sourgrapesandother issues.

WeekTwoSummary
Cruisethewebandmakeadecisionaboutwhereyouwouldliketoteach. Decidewhenyouwouldliketostart.

WeekTwoChecklist
Decideonaspecificcountrytofocusyoursearch Includefinancialwantsandresponsibilitiesinyourdecision Decidewhentogo

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Week Three
OrganizeYourJobSearch
Thisisthefunpart.Schoolsandcompaniesoverseasactuallyneedandwantyou!Itsaniceboosttothe selfesteemandonlythefirstofmanydramaticchangesthatthislifeandlifestylewillbringtoyou.

AShortPersonalStory
MywifeandIsometimeslookateachotherandsay,"Wouldyoueverhaveimaginedbeforewemoved overseasthatwecouldhavedoneallthethingswehavedone?Thatwewouldhaveworkedandlivedinso manycountries?Thatwewouldhavebeenabletotraveltosomanydifferentcountries?Thatwecould havelearnedandexperiencedsomuch?" Ouranswerisalways,"No,couldneverhaveimaginedit!"Itstillsurprisesus! Thislifecanberealforyoutoo. TeachingEnglishoverseascanexceedyourimagination.Whenyouareonthediscussionboardsonthe Internet,lookforsomeofthelongtermandreputableposters.Askthem! Pleasenotethoughthattherearemanywhowillmasqueradeasexpertsonthediscussionboards. Bequitecarefulfromwhomyoutakeadviceandonwhatadviceyoumakeyourlifedecisions. IhaveheardsomanyridiculousclaimsaboutwagesandjobsthatImnotevensurprisedanymore.Dont fallvictimtothesestories.Thingsarentnearlyasfantasticastheysaynoraretheyasbadastheysay. Sometravelersfinditdifficulttojustsay,Yeah,ItraveledtotheFarEastandtaughtEnglishforacouple yearsanditjustwentgreat!Theyseemtoneedtoaddafewembellishmentsaboutpirates,robbersand crooksalongtheway.Itmakesforamuchmoreexcitingstory! Infact,manythousandsofustreadthispathwithveryfewproblems.Comeonboard!

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Corporate,Kids,Adults?
Dependingonyourpreviouslifeexperience,youneedtotargetthekindofjobyouwantbecausethere reallyaretoomanyoptions.Corporateclasses,kids,adultswhattypeofclasseswouldyouliketoteach? Somanyoptionsareavailabletoyouthatyoucantevenimaginethemall. Thereareawiderangeofopportunitiesfrominternationalhospitalstoairportstolargecorporationsand thisisthetimetonarrowyourjobsearch.Payspecialattentiontoyourownpreviousexperienceandskills. Manypeoplehavespecialknowledgerelatedtocertaincareersthatmanyothersdonthave.Takeadvan tageofitandseekemploymentteachingEnglishinthatarea. IfyouworkinITrightnow,forexample,considerteachingEnglishatacollegewheretheyteachITora technicalsecondaryschool.Youwillalreadyknowthespecializedlanguageandhaveaninterestinthe area.Ifyoualreadyknowthebusinessandvocabularythatgoeswithit,youareidealforthem. NotenoughpeoplemarrytheirpreviousexperiencewiththeirnewjobsinTEFL.Mostpeoplewillhave specialtalents,knowledgeandskillstheyshouldexploitifnotimmediatelywhenfirst,thenlaterwhenyou havealittleexperienceunderyourbelt.

Manypeoplehavespecial knowledgerelatedto certaincareersthatmany othersdonthave. Takeadvantageofitand seekemploymentteaching Englishinthatarea.

CVsandResumes
Getusedtotheideathattheworksceneoverseasisverydifferentfromyourhomecountry. Employerswillwanttoseeyourphotograph.Theywillaskyouaboutyourfamily,yourageandifyouare married.Getusedtotheideaofdifferentnotbeingabadthing.Itisnotunusualforpeopletoaskmany questionsthatwouldbeillegalinmanycountries.Intheircountrytheyarelegaland,intheireyes,theyare legitimatequestions. WorkvisasforEnglishteacherssometimesrequirethatyourpassportbefromacountrytheydeemas beingEnglishspeaking.Ageissometimeslimitedforcertainkindsofvisas.Menmaynotbeallowedto teachatawomen'sschool(SaudiArabiaforexample). Decidenowiftheseissuesreallybotheryou.Iftheydo,youmayhavesomedifficultylandingajoboreven survivinginsomecultures.

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WhattoputonyourResume/CV
Traditionalresumesarefinebutbesuretoputtheessentialinformationnearthetopwhereyourpotential employercanseeitquickly.Traditionally,aCVisamuchmoreacademicallyorientedformandmore detailedbutyou'llfindthetermsresumeandCVusedsomewhatinterchangeablyoverseas.Keepthem bothtotwopagesorlessifyoucan. Ifyouareanolderperson,putacutoffpointtolimithowlongyourresumewillbe.Dotheyreallyneedto knowthatyouworkedforMcDonalds35yearsago?Conversely,ifyouareveryinterestedinteachingina particularspecialtysuchasBusinessEnglish,ScienceEnglish,HospitalityEnglishorHospital/Medical English,thenbesuretoincludeyourexperienceinthatareatostrengthenyourposition.

Twothingsarevery important.Makethem wanttohireyouandmake yourselfanattractive candidateineveryway.

Photo
Mostcountrieswillwantaphotoattachedtoyourresume,passportsize,topleftcorner.Itisusuallyokayif youprintitontheresumeiftheprintingisofhighquality.Makesureyoudressandappearprofessionalin thephoto.Youaresellingyourself.Thisshouldnotbeaninformalphoto.

Age,MaritalStatus,Sex,Nationality,Dependents
Ifyoudon'tincludethisinformationandtheemployerhasmanyapplicants,guesswhereyourresumewill go.Getusedtotheideathatnoteveryonethinksthesamewayorhasthesamerulesorstandards.People andculturesandcountriesaredifferent.Thatiswhatmakesitallsointeresting.

ContactInformation
Makeiteasytobecontactedandmakesureyouhavepropercontacts.

MarketYourself
Twothingsareveryimportant.One,makethemwanttohireyou.Makeyourselfanattractivecandidate ineveryway.Two,letthemknowyoudon'thavetheproblemsthelastpersontheyfiredhad!

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Beanattractivecandidate,literallyandfiguratively.Makesureyourphotoonyourresumeisprofession allydoneandthatyouaredressedprofessionally.Menshouldbeinadressshirtandtie.Smileinyour picture. HighlightyourTEFLtrainingifyouhaveit,anyteaching/trainingexperienceyoumayhave(TEFLornot,paid and/orvolunteer),multiculturalknowledge,travelexperience,multilingualskillsandanythingelsethat makesyouappearready,skilled,andprofessional.

Getaprofessionalphotofor resumesandapplications

Yourtravelandknowledge/experiencewithotherculturesandcountrieswillreassurepotentialemployers thatyouwon'trunawayafteronlyaweekortwoonthejob. Besuretohighlightyourspecialskillsandabilities,andanyworkexperiencethatmightberelevanttothe joborsimilartotheexperienceoftheircustomers/students. Writespecificallythatyouarereliableandcanholddownajobforlongperiods(ifyoucanandhave). Highlightfamilyresponsibilities,noteifyouaremarriedandaddanythingthatstressesdependability. Expectationsofemployersareoftenreflectedincontractstheywillshoworofferyou.Trytocounteranyof thenegativeissues.Someinexperiencednewbiesreactwithoutrageandangeratsuchclausesintheir contract.Understandtheemployersandshowalittlefinesseindealingwiththem.

WeekThreeSummary
DecidethefocusofyourjobsearchCorporate,Adults,Kidsorwhateveryoucanland.

WeekThreeChecklist
Prepareresume/CV Getaprofessionalphotoforresumesandapplications Providepropercontactinformation Prepareacoverletter Doublecheckyourscanneddocuments

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Week Four
Bynow,yourpassportmayhavearrivedorshouldbearrivingsoon.Scanthefacepageofyourpassportto sendwithyourlettersofinterestandemailsofenquiry.Thoughthisisweekfourinatenweekprocess, youcouldactuallyfindyourselfoverseaswithinthreeorfourweeksfromnow.

StartingtheJobSearch
Onewordofcaution.Manypeopleondiscussionboardswillsuggestthatonlytheworstjobsareadvertised andyoushouldjustheadonoverandgetajobinperson.Tosomedegree,theyarerightbutitalso dependsonthecountry.VerypopularcountrieslikeThailand,forexample,tendtohirelocally.Countries likeKorea,tendtohirefromoverseas.Japandoesabitofboth.LatinAmerica,largelyhireslocally,China tendstohirefromoverseas. Probablytheeasieritistogetaroundacountrywithoutknowingthelanguage,themorelikelytheywill hirelocally.Butmanycountriesareabewilderingmazeifyouarenotfamiliarwiththemandevenjust findingalanguageschoolmightbeclosetoanimpossibletask. Beinghiredlocallyoftenmeansaschoolwontpayyourtravelexpensesandalsooftenmeansyouwill needtoleavethecountryandgotoaneighboringcountrytoapplyforavisathatwillallowyoutowork. Manycountrieswillnotallowpeoplewhoarrivedonatouristvisatoconvertthatvisatoanemployment visa.Therefore,anextraexpensewillbeinvolved. Ifthisisgoingtobeyourfirstjoboverseasandpossiblyyourfirsttimeoverseasatall,trytolandajobfrom yourhomecountry.Itjustmakesiteasier.Forsomecountries,likeChinaforexample,itiscommonfor airfaretobepaid.Yournewemployerwilloftenmeetyouattheairport,helpyougetsettledandwill oftenarrangeyourhousinginadvance.Youwillhavelittletoworryaboutotherthanjustshowingupfor workondayone.Comparethattoarrivingnotknowingwheretogoandwheretostayandifyoullbe successfulatarranginganythingatall.

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ShouldYouUseaRecruiter?
Manypeoplemistrustrecruitersbutsomecanbequitedecent.TheauthorsveryfirstTEFLjobwasfound witharecruiter.

MyExperiencewithaRecruiter
Wasthefirstplacementproblemfree?No!MyfirstschoolgotoutoftheTEFLbusinessandleftmeessen tiallyunemployedinastrangeland.But,therecruiterhandleditallandactuallygotmeupgradedtoacol legejob.AllofasuddenIwentfromoneweekofvacationperyeartofourmonthspaidvacation.Notbad atall! Iwaspatientanddealtwithmyrecruiterinareasonableway.Iaskedfortheirassistance. Ididn'tdemandit,swearatthem,callthemcrooksordemandaninvestigation.Manyothersinsimilar situationsdoreactinsuchways.BecauseIwasreasonableandbehavedinaculturallyappropriateway, therecruitertriedhardtosolvemyproblemsand,intheend,didagreatjob.

Followtheculturalrules. Theywork.Leaveyourego outofitandlearnto operateasaskilled expatriate.

RecruiterorNot?
Checkthemout.Askontheforums.Checkouttheemployerjustasyouwouldifyoufoundthejob yourself.Becausearecruiterfindsyouajob,doesnotmeanyouhavetotakeit!Checkouteveryangle.

SomeCulturalIssues
Beingtooassertivecanbeyourgreatestdownfall.Otherculturesdealwithproblemsindifferentways. Trytolearnthemostappropriatewaytogetthingsdone.Knowwhatyouwantandneed,butusetheir culturalbehaviortogetitdone.Overassertivebehaviorwilloftennotwork. Followingculturalrules,youcangetwhatyouwant,evenwhenothersdon'tgetwhattheywant. Itdoesntmatterwhoisrightorwhoiswrong.Justgetdonewhatyouneedtohavedone.Followthecul turalrules.Theywork.Leaveyouregooutofitandlearntooperateasaskilledexpatriate. Lifeoverseasismorelikeafunculturalgame.Learnhowtoplayitsoyouwin.Itisfunandchallengingto figureout.Youwillfeelgreatwhenyougetitsolved.Havesomeculturalawarenessaboutallyour interactionsstartingwiththeinterviewsandallthewaythroughyouremployment.

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HowtoContactEmployers
Thesameapproachdoesn'tworkeverywhere.Whatreallyworksbest?Personalcontactandnetworking worksbestbut,ifyouarenotincountry,you'llhavetotrysomeotherapproaches.

AdvertisedJobs

Thefuturebelongstothose whobelieveinthebeautyof theirdreams. EleanorRoosevelt

Whenjobsareadvertisedonpopularboards,theadvertisermaygetasmanyas100responsesormore Youneedtothinkabouthowtogetyourapplicationtothetop.Followup.Itcanhelpyoulandthejobyou want. Tip:Itisworthyourefforttogetalistofschools(onlineisofteneasy)andsendyourletterofinterest(or email)tothembeforetheyadvertise.TrytonotcompetewiththehoardsontheInternet.Lookfor schoolsthatadvertisedafewmonthsback.Someschoolsknowtheywillneedateacherinafewmonths butmightfeelitistooearlytoadvertise.Theywouldloveyoutocontactthemtoknowtheyhavethe situationtakencareof.

EMail&Telephone
Manyofususeemailforeverything.But,forsomereason,noteveryonerespondswelltoit.Some employerswilluseitefficiently;otherswon't.Useitifthatiswhattheyaskforbutdon'texpectittodo thejob.Afollowupphonecallmighthelpyougettothetopofthelistevenifyoumustmakeitat2AM yourtime.Thatlittlebitofeffortmightmakeahugedifferenceifyoulandthejobyouwant. Somecountrieswantapersonalcontacttomeetyoufacetoface.Thisishardtodoifyouareinyourhome country.Phonecallsarecheapnowadays,trythemtoo.Beawareoftimezonesofcourse.

RegularMail
Someemployerswillwanthardcopiesofyourresumeandaletterofinterest.Stillitisbesttofollowup witheitheranemailoraphonecall.

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ViaRecruiters
Recruiterscanfacilitateyourrapidplacementbutbesuretoconductyourduediligenceordoyourresearch thatwewilldiscussinWeekFive.Dontsendyouroriginaldegreeororiginalofanydocumentstoa recruiter.Iftheyhaveyouroriginals,youwillnotbeabletoindependentlylookforotherwork.

Usually,theemployerisjust tryingtogetafeelifyou areafriendlyandpleasant person.

HowMany?
Planona10to20contactstofindthejobyouwant.Someplaces(Koreaforexample)willrequirefewer; othersmayrequiremore.Berealisticandmentallyprepared.Thereisenoughdemandthatyoucanlook overafewoffersbeforeyoudecide.Don'tholdouttoomuchbutdon'tfeeleitherthatyoumusttakethe firstjoboffereither.

BePatient
Holdoutfortherightjob.Knowthatasanewbie,youmaynotfindtheperfectsituationbutdon'tgiveup whatyouwanttooquickly.

TEFLInterviews
TEFLinterviewsarelikeinterviewsforjustaboutanyothertypeofjob,butwithafewexceptions. Particularlyifyouareabeginningteacher,don'texpecttrickgrammarquestionsorreallydifficult questionsofanysort. Usually,theemployerisjusttryingtogetafeelifyouareafriendlyandpleasantperson.Bothofthese issuesareimportanttotheemployerwhoistypicallyabusinesspersonrunningaschoolwhereitwouldbe niceifthecustomers(students)liketheirteachersenoughtokeepsigningupformoreclassesandearning him/heraprofit.Theyalsowillwanttoknowifyoustutterorhaveaspeechdefectorstrongaccent. Speakclearlyandcarefullyduringyourinterview.

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ProfessionalInterviews
Itwouldbeunusualtohavewhatyoumightconsiderareallyprofessionalinterview. Thenotions,mentionedabove,offriendlinessandpleasantness,aregenerallywhatinterviewersarelook ingfor.Ifyouareapplyingforajobthatrequiressomeexperienceortraining,thenyoumightexpecta questionaboutyourteachingphilosophy,teachingmethodsorhowtodealwithadisciplineproblem.Of course,thinkaboutthesethingsbeforetheinterview.

Goconfidentlyinthe directionofyourdreams. Livethelifeyouhave imagined. HenryDavidThoreau

TheUsualInterview
Atypicalinterviewdoesn'texist.Soreally,youprobablycan'tdomuchtoprepare,excepttoputyourself inagoodmood,smilealot,dressappropriatelyandgoforit.

SpeakClearly
Onethingalmostallinterviewersarelookingforisyourabilitytospeakclearlyandunderstandably.Do thatpurposefullyduringtheinterview.Don'ttrytoimpressthemwithyouruseofthelanguage.Youare probablyalreadylightyearsaheadoftheEnglishlanguageskillsofanynonnativespeakerthatisinter viewingyou.That'swhytheywantandneedateacher.Theywanttoknowthatyoucancommunicate wellwiththeir students.

TelephoneInterviews
Thesetypeofinterviewsarefairlycommonifyouaretryingtolandajobfromabroad.Trytospeakclearly assomeconnectionswon'tbegood.Bepoliteandaskforaquestiontoberepeatedifyoucan'tunder standwhatisbeingasked.Telemarketersaretoldtosmilewhentheyareonthetelephonebecauseithelps toconveyasenseoffriendliness.

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TheRoleoftheTeacherinSociety
Knowthatinmanyculturestheteacherisconsideredasurrogateparentandthatevenexperienced teachersinsomecountrieswilltellyouthemostimportantthingaboutanyteacheristhattheylovetheir students.Itisabitrefreshing.Thereisaniceoldfashionednessaboutsuchthinking.

Justberelaxedandsincere. Thatsincerityisoneofthe thingstheyarelookingfor.

It'sokaytotellaninterviewerthatyouenjoyteaching,enjoystudentsandhaveastronginterestintheir success. Justberelaxedandsincere.Thatsincerityisoneofthethingstheyarelookingfor.

Where'sthebestplacetostartteachingoverseas?
Ifyouhaveadegree,thebestplacesareprobablyKoreaorChina.Therearemanyothergreatoptionsout theretoo.Koreaoffersthebestcombinationofminimalexpectationsforanewbieteachercombined withfreehousing,airplaneticketsandagoodsalarythatallowsyoutosaveUS$1000ormorepermonth. China,withthesamequalifications,cansometimesofferyouauniversitypositionwithfewerhoursand morepaidtimeoffthoughwithasmallerwage. Ifyoudonthaveadegree,Chinaawayfromthemegacities,SouthAmericaandCentralAmericayourbest options.

FactorstoConsider
Yourbestplacemaynotbe,andprobablyisn't,anyoneelsesbestplace.Takealookatfinancialissueslike howmuchitwilltakeyoutogetsetup.Knowthatmostcountriespayonlymonthlyandyoumaynotget paiduntilaslateasthemiddleofthemonthafteryourfirstmonthofwork.Sixweeksofworkmaypass beforethefirstmoneystartstocomein.

AirTickets
Doyouneedtopayfortheseorwilltheybereimbursed?Somejobsrequirethatyouworkaspecific amountoftimebeforeyouarereimbursed.

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Housing
Doyouneedtorentyourownhousing?Whataboutdeposits?Howmuchoutofpocketwillyoupaybefore yourfirstpayday?

YourFirstJob

Everygreatdreambegins withadreamer.Always remember,youhavewithin youthestrength,the patience,andthepassionto reachforthestarsto changetheworld. HarrietTubman

UntilyouhavelivedandworkedoverseasasanEnglishteacherforatleastsixmonths,trytominimizeyour spending.Ifyoudecidetheoccupationisnotforyou,youmightpreferthatyoudidn'tspendtoomuchto findout.

KeepaReserve
Whenyouheadout,makesureyouhaveareservetogetyoubackhomeandbackonyourfeet,justin case.

WeekFourSummary
Startyourjobsearch.Readabitaboutculturalissuesandmanagethemcarefully. Usearecruiterifyouthinkitwillbetoyouradvantagebutdochecktheirreputation. Useappropriatecontactmethodsforthespecificjob.

WeekFourChecklist
Beginapplyingforjobs Prepareforaninterviewandsmileduringthatinterview Contactarecruiter Dontacceptajobimmediately

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Week Five
Gettingthatfirstseriousjobofferisaveryexcitingthing.Afteryoudancearoundafewmoments,stopand catchyourbreathandstarttothinkaboutthingsyoumustknowbeforemakingafinaldecision. Thissectionisdesignedtohelpyouknowifyoushouldtakethatjobornot.

AskQuestionsAbouttheJob
Don'tbeshy.Thereareimportantthingsyouneedtoknowbeforemovingyourselfhalfwayacrossthe world,butdon'taskallthesequestionsatonetime.You'lloverwhelmyourpotentialemployer.Spread themoutabit.Manyofthesecanbeaskedduringtheintervieworwhilereviewingthecontactyoullhave whenthejobisoffered.

Someimportantquestionstoaskorthingstoknow:
Whatisexpectedofmeonadailybasis? HowmanyclassesadaywillIbeexpectedtoteach? Howlongiseachclass?Iseachclassconsidered"onehour"evenifitisonly45or50minuteslong? WillIbeexpectedtostayattheschoolevenwhenIdon'thaveclasses? WillIhaveresponsibilitiesotherthanteaching?(likecleaningtheclassroomortheschool,recruitingstu dents,evaluatingstudentsforplacement,handingoutflyersfortheschool,parentmeetings,etc.) WillIbepaidforthattime?

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Doesthejobprovidehousing?Isitfurnished?Whatdoes"furnished"mean?Howarethebillspaid?How farisitfromtheschool?Isiteasytogettoworkfromthere?DoIhavetopayadepositforit?Howbigis it?WillIhavetoshareit?Whataretheaveragemonthlycosts? Whoismyboss?TowhomdoIreport?Whoevaluatesme?WhatcriteriaisusedtodecideifIam successful? HowmuchsickandvacationtimedoIget?WhodecideswhenIcanuseit?CanIuseitallatonetime? DoesitaccruemonthlyorcanIonlyuseitattheendofmycontract?Isthereabonusorgratuitypayment attheendofmycontract?Howmuchisit?Howisitdetermined?

Insomepartsoftheworld, contractsarelookedatas "flexible"instruments. Askcurrentemployees ifthecontractisfollowed.

Whatteachingresourcesdoestheschoolprovide?Teacher'smanuals?Photocopymachine?Projector? Internet?Computer?Printer?Paper?Chalk/Markers? Isthereairconditioningand/orheatingintheclassrooms? Howmanystudentsareinaclass?Howaretheyplacedorevaluatedforplacement?Howdowedecideif thestudentsareprogressingorsuccessful? WillIhaveaworkspaceavailableattheschool?Adesk,anoffice? Arethereotherforeignteachersattheschool?

AskQuestionsAboutYourEmployer
Onceyouhaveajobofferandareseriouslyconsideringit,youneedtodoalittleresearchaboutyour employer.It'simportanttocheckthereputationofyouremployer. Askmorethanoneteacheratthatschoolifitispossible.Rememberthateveryonehasadifferent experienceandwhileonepersonlovesthejobandemployer,othersmaynot.Thingsthatgreatlydistress oneteacherwontevenbotheranother.Askmorethanoneperson.Askspecificallywhattheylikeordon't likeabouttheemployer. Someemployersarewellknownfornotpayingontimeorpayinglessthanwasoriginallyagreed.Some haveworkedforaschoolwiththeseproblemsbutstayedknowingthattheemployeralwaysmadegoodon amountsowingattheendofthecontract.Itisuptoyoutodecideifyouwilllettheseissuesbotheryou.

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AskQuestionsAboutYourAccommodation
HousingcanbearealconcernintheTEFLworld.Notsomuchofaproblemifyourschooldoesnotprovide itasyoucanfindandgetthequalityofhousingyouwantandarewillingtopayfor.whentheschool providesit,sometimesyouwillbestuckwithalessthansatisfactorysituation.Employerprovidedhousing isquitecommonintheFarEast,China,MiddleEastandinotherareaswherehousingtendstobeexpensive orrequireshugesecuritydeposits. CuttingCosts Schoolsthatprovidehousingwanttospendtheminimumamountneededforyourhousing.Asktheother teachersthereifitisdecentornot. SharedHousing Askifhousingisshared.Itmaybegoodtosharehousingwithsomeonewhocanshowyouaroundand maygivesomehelpwithyournewjobandemployer.Youmayendupwithsomeonethatyoudonthave anythingincommonwith.Ifthejobisattractivetoyou,itmaybeworthtryingit. "WesternStyleHousing" SomeemployerswilladvertisethattheyprovideWesternStyleHousing.Askindetailwhatisprovidedin thehousing.Askaboutthesafetyoftheareawhereyourhousingis. RequestDecentHousing Whenhavingaproblemwithhousing,youcanalwaysaskyouremployer,"Wouldyouacceptlivinghere likethis?"Don'tdemandamansion.Havereasonableexpectationsbutdorequiresomethingdecent. Housingissuesshouldnotalwaysbethekissofdeathforapotentialjob.Somesmallissuesarenotso importantinthebigpictureifyoureallylikeajob,itslocationandwhatyouwillbedoing.

...probably97%ofschools payontime,treattheir employeesfairlyand followthecontractsthat theyhavesigned. Youjustdon'thearabout them.Theiremployeesare outenjoyingtheirlivesand notbusycomplainingon theInternet.

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 Goconfidentlyinthe directionofyourdreams. Livethelifeyouhave imagined. HenryDavidThoreau

WeekFiveSummary
Whileyouareintheprocessofgettinginterviewed,thisisthetimeforyoutostartaskingquestions. Getthedetailsaboutthejob,youremployerandaccommodation(ifprovidedbyyouremployer)

WeekFiveChecklist
Startinterviews Asktheimportantquestionsaboutyourjob Askquestionsaboutthereputationofyouremployer Askquestionsaboutyourproposedhousing

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Week Six
GettingOrganized
Weeksixisaboutorganizingyourlifeforsomemajorchanges.Onceyoustartaseriousjobsearch,itmay actuallytakeyoulessthantwoweekstolandajobthatyouwouldlike. IfyouareheadingtoKoreaorChinaandhavedoneyourresearch,itwillnotbeuncommontofindagood jobwithinonlyafewdays. Ifyouusearecruiter,theycanalsospeedtheprocessalong.Evenifyouusearecruiteryoushouldstilldo theresearchonyourjob,employerandhousingthatwassuggestedinWeekFive.Ifyourrecruiterdoesnot wantyoutoaskquestionsaboutthejobthatshouldbearedflagtofindadifferentrecruiter. Bytheendofthis,youshouldhaveacceptedaposition,seenandsignedacontractforthejobandreceived eitherafaxorascanofyourcontractsignedbyyournewemployer. Contractsareaguidelineandemployersdontalwaysfollowthemtotheletter.Expectyourcontracttobe inthelanguageofthecountrywhereyouaregoingwithpossiblyatranslationofitintoEnglishanditmight beapoortranslation.Thequalityofthetranslationisnotanindicatorofthequalityoftheschool,though itmightbeanindicatorofjusthowmuchtheyneedyou. Generallyspeaking,onlythenativelanguageofthecountrywhereyouaregoingislegallyvalidfor contractsinthatcountry.Dontgetoverlystressedaboutcontracts.Thereareoftenafewthingsyouwill justhavetotakeongoodfaithoryouwillneveradaptoverseas.Dontforgetthatyournewemployeris takingongoodfaiththatyouwillbeadecentandreliableemployeeandthatyouhaverepresentedyour selffairlyandhonestly. Thisweek,wewillfocusonorganizingforthemoveoverseasevenifyoudontreallyknowwhereyouare goingyet.

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Whattodowithyourhomeifyouownit
Ifyoualreadyownyourhome,goodforyou.Shouldyousellitorrentitout?Theanswerdependsaloton youremotionalattachmenttoyourhome.Doyouviewitasjustaninvestmentorassomeplacesacredfor youtokeepallyourlife? AnInvestment

Employersinmostcountries willprovideyouwitha verybasicformofhealth insurance.

Financialsecurityisanimportantissueforthoseofuswholiveoverseas.Itisimportanttoviewyourhome asaninvestment.Keepitforlongtermgainifyouliveinanareawhereyoucanexpectpricesto appreciateinthelongterm.Ifyouplanonreturninghomeinonlyafewyears,keepitbutrentitforthe income. Rentit Ifyouviewyourhomeasaninvestment,youshouldconsiderrentingitsoitproducessomeincomeor returnoninvestmentforyou.Thisismoneyyoucansaveforlaterinlifeorforyourreturntoyourhome country.Useyourpropertytohelpsecureyourfuture. ProfessionalManagement Getprofessionalmanagement.Theyknowhowtomanagepropertytherightway.It'swhattheydo.Don't leavesuchavaluableassetinthehandofamateurslikefriendsorfamily.Rentalpropertyproblemscan strainrelationshipstothebreakingpointandyoucanfindyourselfheadinghomeaheadofscheduleto solveproblems.Donttrytomanagethepropertyfromoverseas.Itisdifficultenoughtodowhenyouare onthescene.

HealthInsurance
Employersinmostcountrieswillprovideyouwithaverybasicformofhealth/medicalinsurance. Insomecountries,youwillbecomeeligibleforthenationalhealthcaresystem.Inothers,youwillbelongto aprivateplanthatyouremployerhaspurchasedforyou(oryoumaypayforacertainpercentageofthe coverage).Insomecountriesyouwillnotbeprovidedwithanyinsuranceatall.

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 Therealquestionisthis:Istheprovidedcoverageorprivateinsuranceyoucanbuyadequate/enough? Ifyouareyoungandhealthy,don'trideamotorcycleanddon'ttraveltoothercountries,thenitprobably is.Thesetypesofcoveragearefinefortheoccasionalvirusorsemiseriousillnessbuttheyarenot adequateforlongtermoroutofcountrycoverageorforanykindofseriousorcatastrophicillnessor injury. Ifyouarethinkingaboutteachinglongterm,aremiddleagedorolderorrideamotorcycleandtravelout ofcountry,thenconsiderpurchasingagoodqualitypolicythatyoucantakewithyoufromcountrytocoun try. Aren'tthesetypepoliciesexpensive?Whatisreallyexpensiveistohaveaseriousmedicalproblemwithno orpoorcoverage.Youwillfindthatsomepoliciesofferedbymajorinsuranceprovidersarequite expensive.Buttherearesomereasonablealternatives.Twotraditionalcompaniesthatoffer"instant quotes"onlineareMultiNationalUnderwritersandGoodHealth.Ifyouseekgoodinsurance,itwillbe worthyourtimetoconductaseriousGooglesearchtofindsomethingthatwillfityourneeds. Twotraditionalcompaniesthatoffer"instantquotes"onlineareMultiNationalUnderwritersandAetna International(AI).AIishere:http://www.aetnainternational.com/ TryhereforHCCMedicalInsurance:http://www.hccmis.com/citizensecureeconomyinsurance/ UKCitizenshavegreatoption,theInternationalTeachersPortfolio.Contacttheirconsultant FionaLaveryatfiona.lavery@ukglobalgroup.co.uk. Useyourownjudgmentaboutinsurance.Consultyourphysicianandfinancialadvisorforfurtherguidance asneeded.

Takecareofallyour obligations,debts,bills, taxes,etc.beforeyougo.

BeforeMovingOverseas
Takecareofallyourobligations,debts,bills,taxes,etc.beforeyougo.Considerapermanentforwarding addresssothatimportantmailcanfindyou.Mostofususeourparentsorrelativesforthisatfirst.

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CommercialMailbox Ifyouaregoingtospendmorethanacoupleyearsoverseas,considerusingacommercialmailboxservice ratherthanleavingittoyourfamilyorfriends.Inafewyears,ifyouwouldlikeanothercreditcard,wantto maintainacredithistoryorbuyahouse,forexample,itisusefultohaveapermanenthomecountry address. GetaCPAorqualifiedaccountantforyourtaxes Taxesarenotdifficulttodobutifyouhatedoingthem,makearrangementsbeforeyouleaveforaqualified accountanttodothemforyou.Also,overaperiodoftime,taxescanbecomemorecomplicatedasyou losecontactwithallthechangesandasyouincreaseyourinvestments. Everycountryhasdifferentrequirementsfortheircitizenswhileabroad.Learntherulesandfollowthem carefullybyhiringaprofessional.Alocalaccountantinyourhomecountrywillbecheaperthancontacting aninternationalofficeinaforeigncountrywhenyourunintoaproblem.Takecareofyourtax responsibilities.Youwillhavetoanswertothemwhenyoureturnandcanevencomebacktobiteyouif youneverreturntoyourhomecountry.Doitrightfromthestart. Useyourownbestjudgmenthowtoapproachyourpersonalhealthandfinancialissues.Consulta professionaladvisorasneeded.

Useyourownbest judgmenthowtoapproach yourpersonalhealthand financialissues.Consulta professionaladvisoras needed.

WeekSixSummary
Startorganizingyourlifeforyourmove.

WeekSixChecklist
Acceptapositionandsignthecontract Makeadecisionaboutyourhouseifyouownone Makeadecisionabouthealthinsurance Findanaccountant Considerapermanenthomecountrypostaladdress

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Week Seven
VisasAllowingEmployment
Bythisweek,youshouldhaveresearchedandacceptedapositionandsignedacontract.Noteveryjobwill comewithacontractbutoftenasignedcontractwillberequiredforyoutogetthecorrectvisayouneed. Checkoutthejobsituationiftheemployersays,Comeonover.Welltakecareofthepaperworkwhen yougethere.Keepyoureyesopen.Ifyouarehiredfromoverseas,thepaperworkandvisasareusually (butnotalways!)doneandthecorrectvisastampedinyourpassportbeforeyouleaveyourhomecountry. Ifyoutraveltoacountrytoscoutforjobs,expecttodoavisaruntogogetthepropervisafromoutside thecountry.Somejobsmayrequirethatyouarriveonatouristvisaandchangeittoalegalworkingvisa oncethere.Inquireaboutthedetailsandaskanotherteacheratthesameschoolifthisworkedoutokay forthem. Visaapplicationprocessesandpaperworkcaninvolveanythingfromasimpleletterfromyouremployer andcopyofthecontracttoasubstantialamountofpaperworkthatyouwillwonderifyoucanever complete.Ifthevisaprocessseemslengthyordifficult,experiencedemployerswilloftenhaveacontact personwhocanhelpwalkyouthroughtheprocess. Getthevisaprocessgoingnow.Itcantakeanywherefromafewdaystoamonthorevenmore.Itdepends onthecountry,theemployerandifallthepaperworkisdoneproperlythefirsttime.Expectafewhitches intheprocess.Theydohappen.Theyarenotasignofproblemswiththeschool.

GiveNoticetoYourCurrentEmployer
Thisisalwaysthemomentoftruthandoneofthemostexcitingpartsoftheprocessthoughtherewillbe manymoreexcitingstepsalongtheway.Nowyoufindoutifyouwereplayingandfantasizingorifyouare reallyreadytogo.

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BudgetingforYourTransitionOverseas
Planforenoughtogetsetup,dealwithanypossibleproblemsandreturntoyourhomecountryifneeded. Figureouthowmuchthatwillcostyouandsetthatmoneyaside.Itisyoursafetynet.

Peoplesometimeshead overseaswithonlyacouple hundredbucksintheir pocketandsomehowdo justfine.Infact,thegreat majorityofpeoplereallydo justfine.

Peoplesometimesheadoverseaswithonlyacouplehundredbucksintheirpocketandsomehowdojust fine.Infact,thegreatmajorityofpeoplereallydojustfine.Onlyasmallminorityhaveanyrealtroubleand eventhenpeoplewhoarewillingtotoughitoutusuallysurvive. PlanOptimisticallyandRealistically Youarenotprobablygoingtogetpaiduntilthefirstdayofthemonthafterthefirstcompletemonthyou work.Planonbuyingbasicfoodsandotherbasicnecessities.Agoodguidewouldbetotakewithyouat leastwhatyouwillearnthefirstmonthonthejob.Ifyoucan,taketwomonths.

PlanyourReturn
Besuretosetasideassoonaspossiblethefundsyouwouldneedtocompletelysetyourselfupathomein caseyouwishtoreturn.

SellorStore?
IfyouthinkyouareonlygoingoverseastoteachEnglishforshortperiodoftime,itmaybegoodtokeep andstoremostofyourpossessions.Considercarefullywhatyoukeepasyou'llbesurprisedhowlittlesome thingsmeanthatseemedsoimportanttoyoubeforeyouleft.Ifyouarethinkingofspendingalongtime overseas,selleverythingexceptthoseofsentimentalvalue.

ATipforWhileyouareOverseasandTraveling
Whenyoutravel,ifyouwanttoacquireamementoofyourvisittoaspecialcountryorplace,buyjustone specialthing.Inthisway,youcanendupwithagoodcollectionofqualityart,fabrics,carpets,andother veryspecialthingsfrommanycountries.Theywillholdyourmemoriesandlaterfurnishyourhome.

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 Ilikethedreamsofthe futurebetterthanthe historyofthepast. PatrickHenry

WeekSevenSummary
Youareontheway.Timetotakecareofsomeessentials.

WeekSevenChecklist
Startyourvisaprocessifyouhavenotdonesoalready Givenoticeatyourcurrentjob Makeabudgetforyourtransitionoverseas Decidewhattosellandwhattokeep

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Week Eight
Itstimetosortoutyourtravelarrangementsifyouhavenotdonesoalready.Isyournewemployersend ingyouaticketorgoingtoreimburseyouwhenyouarrive?Arethearrangementsuptoyou?Getallthat takencareofnow.

WhatKindofPlaneTicketsShouldYouBuy?
Buyanopenoneyearreturnticket.Justincasethingsdontworkout.You'llhavethisticketinyourback pocketandyouwon'thavetoworryaboutit.Itmaywellhelpyougetoversomeroughspots.Knowing youcanleaveoftenhelpsyoutodecidetostay. OneWay Probably,mostpeopleheadoverseasonaonewayticket.Manythinktheywillwanttogotravelingand notheadrighthomeaftertheirfirstyearoverseas.Theythinkthattheywillwanttocontinueworking overseasafterthat.Theyareprobablycorrect. Employer'sTickets Someemployerswillprovideyourticketorreimburseyouforyourticketseitheronarrivalorafteracertain periodoftimeorattheendofyourcontract.Waittobuyituntilyouknowwhattheywilldo.Sometimes, thisisallaverylastminutesituation.

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WhatKindofExpensesareInvolvedinMoving?
Berealisticaboutwhatyouneedtotakewithyouandyouractualmovingexpensesshouldnotbemuch morethanjustyourplaneticket.Dontforgetthecostsofsettingupyournewhome. Knowthatoverweightbaggagefeesareveryexpensiveandcaneasilyexceedhundredsofdollarsevenfor justonebag!Doublecheckyourweightallowanceandinvestinasmallscaleandweighyourbagsbefore headingtotheairport.Beparticularlycarefulofthingslikebooksastheyareveryheavy.Thisisallpartof good planningseveralweeksbeforeyouleave.

...overweightbaggagefees

areveryexpensiveandcan easilyexceedhundredsof dollarsevenforjustone bag!

SetupyourBanking
Keepitsimple.Don'tgochasingafter"offshore"accountsandotherfancybankingschemesthatwillcost youasmallfortuneinfeesandthatareonlyinterestedinyouifyouhaveseveralhundredthousandor evenamilliondollars,ataminimum. StartPractical Getabankaccountwithfree"BillPay"servicethatistotallyaccessibleviatheInternet.Evenyourlocal creditunioncandothisnowadays.Findabankorcreditunionthatalsooffersotherfinancialservicessuch aslifeinsurance,billpaymentsvia"EFT",and/orinvestmentaccounts. SetupyourAccounts Arrangetheseaccountsbeforeyouleaveyourhomecountry.Somearequitedifficulttosetupfrom overseas.Oncetheyaresetup,itiseasytoattendtoyourfinancialaffairs,evenfinancialplanning, fromanywhereintheworldviatheInternet. InternationalATMCard MakesureyougetaninternationalATMcardtogowithyouraccount.Itshouldbelongtooneofthe internationalsystemssuchasCirrusorMaestro.Traveler'sChecksareoldfashionedthesedays,some placeswontevenknowwhattodowiththem.GoodinternationalATMcardsworkalmosteverywhere.

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IntegratedBanking WithyourbankaccountonlineandarelatedATMcard,youwillfindyourfinancesgreatlysimplified.If youwiremoneyhometoyouraccount,youmaywithdrawitasneededviayourATMcard,payyourbills withtheBillPayserviceandevenmovemoneyinandoutofyourbrokerageaccount.Allofthiscanbe interconnectedwithyourPayPalaccountifyoudon'tliketouseyourcreditcardsontheInternet.

IfyouuseanInternetcafe, besureyoucarefullyclose allwindowsandsignoutof eachaccount.

Security Manypeoplefearidentitytheftorothersecurityissueswhenmanagingtheirfinancesonline.Ideally,you shoulduseyourhomecomputer.IfyouuseanInternetcafe,besureyoucarefullycloseallwindowsand signoutofeachaccount.Openthemagainbeforeyouleavetomakesurethatyoudid.Theyshouldopen totheloginpagenotdirectlytoyouraccount.

ShouldYouSetupaBrokerageAccount?
Ifyouthinkyoumightwanttoinvestinstocks,mutualfundsand/orbonds,checkintoabrokerageaccount andseeifitsuitsyourneeds.LookontheInternetforagoodcompany.Almosteverythingcanbedone onlineonceyouhavetheaccountsetup.Itisusuallymucheasiertodoitbeforeyougo. Onceoverseas,itisusuallydifficulttoopenabrokerageaccount.Manyfinancialregulationsarebasedon whereyouliveandwherethebrokeragecompanyisbased.WhileyoumightnotconsiderJapanorKorea orSaudiArabiatobeyourrealhome,brokeragehousesmay.

Online
Getitdonebeforeyougoandsortoutanyandalltheproblemsofusingtheaccountonline.Mostbroker ages(andbanksandcreditcardcompanies)have"paperless"transactionsandstatements.Thisiswhere yourstatementsaresenttoyouviaemailoryoucandownloadthemfromtheInternet.Itavoidsthe problemofhavingtodecidewhatshouldbemailedtoyouandwhatisn'treallyneeded. Arrangeyourbrokerageaccounttobeinterconnectedwithyourbank.Mostbrokerageaccountsandmost bankswillallowyoutosetupbackandforthmovementofyourfunds.Thenyoucandoitallonline.

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 Wearewhatwerepeatedly do.Excellence,therefore, isnotanactbutahabit. Aristotle WeekEightSummary

Takecareofyourplaneticketsifyouhavenotdonesoalready.Becarefulofyourweight. Arrangeforyourbankingandinvestmentaccounts.

WeekEightChecklist
Arrangeyourplanetickets Weighyourbaggage SetupabankaccountaccessibleviatheInternet SetupaninvestmentaccountaccessibleviatheInternetand

interconnectedwithyourbankaccount

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Week Nine
PassportandVisa
Everyweekgetseasiernowasyounearyourdeparturedate. Aboutnowyoushouldhaveyourpassportreturnedfromtheembassyofthecountrywhereyouaregoing withanewvisastampedinitthatwillallowyoutogotothatcountryandbeginorpursueemployment. Everycountryisdifferentandhowthisworkscanworkin50differentways.Askyournewemployer.Most likely,youwillalsohavetodoafairamountofpaperworkonceyouarriveatyourdestinationtocomplete theprocessofworkingtherelegally. Overseas Onceinthecountryinwhichyouwillbeworking,you'lltypicallyneedtogosomewhere(immigration, MinistryofLabororboth)togetyourworkpermitsortedout.Usually,yourresidencevisaisonlyfora shorttimewhenyoufirstenterthecountry.Itwillthenbeextendedtotheperiodoftimeforyourwork permit. Thiscanbeconfusingwhenyourworkpermitcanonlybeissuedfortheperiodoftimeofyourvisabutyour visawillonlybeissuedfortheperiodoftimeofyourworkpermit.Butdoesthechickencomebeforethe egg? Thereisnoneedtoworry.Somehowitallgetsdone.Leanonyouremployer.Itwon'tusuallybethefirst timetheyhavegonethroughit.

PlansBandPlanC
Beforeyougo,createaPlanA,PlanBandPlanC.

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 Ifyoudonothope,youwill notfindwhatisbeyond yourhopes. St.ClementofAlexandra

Westernerstendtothinkofthingslikecontractsasbeingwritteninstonebutinmanycountries,contracts canbequiteflexible.Thiscanmeanthatyouremployermaynotdothethingstheysaidtheywoulddo. Youmaynotlikethat.Youmaywellfindatimewhenitmaybebestmoveon.

PlanBandPlanC
Whenyoudoyourresearchaboutcountriesandjobs,keepasecondandthirdchoiceinyourmind,justin casethingsdon'tworkoutforPlanA.Keeptheseinthebackofyourmind,keepyourresumeuptodate, andfishtoseewhatisouttherefromtimetotime.WithadecentPlanBandPlanC,youwon'thaveto worryaboutasurprise. Thereisalsothepossibilitythatyoujustwon'tlikethejobyoutook,thecountryyoumovedtoorsome otherunforeseenproblemmaysouryouonthewholedeal.

YourFirstCountryYourFirstJob
Keepopenthepossibilityofgoingbackhome.Don'tburnyourbridgestoanywhere.Youjustneverknow whenyoumightneedtoheadbackwhereyouwerelastyear.Trytokeepyouroptionsopen.Leaveevery employerongoodtermswiththemreadyforandinterestedinyourreturn.Maintainandnetworkwith peoplefrompreviousemployment.Itallworksbothways;youmightneedtohelpafriendcometowhere youaresomeday. Youmayneverneedthem(PlansBandC),butItisbesttobecautious.TheTEFLworldisjustalittleless stablethanothertypesofemployment.MostpeopleneverneededtheirPlanBorC,buttheyarethere, justincaseyouneedthem.

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 Weareallinventors,each sailingoutonavoyageof discovery,guidedeachbya privatechart,ofwhich thereisnoduplicate. Theworldisallgates, allopportunities. RalphWaldoEmerson WeekNineSummary

Youshouldhaveyourpassportbackfromtheembassyorconsulatethatissuesyourvisa. HavingaPlanBandCisagoodidea.

WeekNineChecklist
Receiveyourpassportwithanappropriatevisainit DevelopaPlanB DevelopaPlanC

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Week Ten
Herewego!Thisweekistheeasiestofall. Timetodosomefinetuningwithyourbaggagebeforeyouheadofftotheairport.Thisisweektenbutyou probablyshouldthinkaboutthisseveralweeksbeforenowaswell.

WhatShouldYouTakewithYou?
Takeonlywhatyoumust.Movinglotsofheavybagsaroundtheworldisnofunatall.Especially,asit seemsyoumayarriveonveryhotandsteamydaysorinthemiddleofasnowstorm,neitherofwhichisa lotoffunforcarryingalotofluggage. Medicine Generallyspeaking,manymedicinesaremuchcheaperoverseassodon'tbothertobringalotifyoucanget itthere.Unlessthemedicineyouwantisunusualorverynew,itwillmostlikelybeavailablewhereyou aregoing.Askonthediscussionboardsbutdonttrusttheanswers100%ifthemedicineiscriticaltoyour health. Anythingthatiscriticalformaintainingyourhealthbesuretotakeitwithyouontheplane. Other BringonlythebasicsinclothingYou'llfindyoucangetbywithfarlessthanyouareusedto.Bringafew specialphotosoffamilyandfriendssoyournewplacecanfeellikeayourhome. TeachingMaterials Bringoneortworeferencebooks.Booksareheavyandbulkybuttheyareoftenquiteexpensiveoverseas andsometimeshardtofind.ButwiththeInternet,youdon'tneedthemquiteasmuch.Youcanlookup almosteverythingonline.EventhemostremotesmalltownsnowadayshaveInternetaccess.

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ToBringaComputerorNot?
Lotsofpeopleusemovingasanexcusetopickupanicenotebookcomputer.Really,itisjustsomethingto worryabouthavingstolen.Acheapdesktopwhereyouaremovingwillusuallycostyouabouthalfwhat yournotebookwillcost.Pricescanvaryalotsoaskonthediscussionboards.Beawarethatinmany places,piratedsoftware(notadvocatingthis)isloadedontothesedesktopsforfreeorverycheaply. Getalargeflashdriveorportableharddriveandloadallyouressentialfilesonitandbringthatinstead. It'sawholelotlesstroubleanditisonelessheavythingtocarryandworryabout.

Spendtimetogooutand visitsomeofyourfavorite placesbeforeyouleave.

WhatShouldYouMailtoYourNewHome?
Ifyoureallyneedit,putitinyoursuitcase.Ifitiscritical,carryitonboardwithyou. Thingsmaygetlostifyoumailthem.Inmanycountries,mailserviceisnotreliable.

SayGoodbye
Itistimetosaygoodbyetofriendsandfamily.Saygoodbyetothosethatyoumaynotseeagainforquite sometime. Spendtimetogooutandvisitsomeofyourfavoriteplacesbeforeyouleave.Haveagreattime.Tellfamily membersthatyoulovethemandsaythethingsyouhavewantedtosaybuthaventsaid.

WeekTenSummary
Plancarefullywhattotakewithyou.Saygoodbyetofamilyandfriendsandgooutandhaveagoodtime.

WeekTenChecklist
Decidewhattotakewithyou Whattomailtoyourself SayIloveyoutofamilyandlovedones Getonthatplaneandgo

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Week One Overseas

Youmightjustbeabletousealittleguidancetohelpyougetthroughthefirstcoupleofweeksoverseas.

OntheJobOverseas
Whatshouldyouweartoyournewjob? Alwaysassumeashirtandtieandtrousersformenandsomethingequivalentforwomen.Askyourem ployertobesurebuteveninveryhotweather,moreconservativeculturestendtodressupabit.Dressing downisnotusuallyappropriate.Youwillbeseverelyjudgedbyhowyoudress.Groomingandappearance areveryimportantinmanycultures.MakeagoodfirstImpression.Itwillmakeadifference.Thereisalot oflocalvariationwiththis,sodoaskyouremployer. Shouldyoubuyacarormotorcycle? Avehicleofsomesortgreatlyenhancesyourabilitytogetoutandseeyournewcountry.Ifyoudon't alreadyknowhowtodriveamotorcycle,overseasmaynotbethebestplacetolearn.Rulesoftheroadin manycountriescanatbestbetermedflexible.However,manycountrieshavegreatpublictransportation systemsandyousometimeswon'tneedyourownvehicle. Howwillyouknowifitissafewhereyoulive? Askyouremployerandcoworkers.Ifitisnot,asktobemoved.Livingoverseasisgreatfunandareal challenge,butgettingmuggedorkilledshouldn'tbepartofthepackage.Itisimportanttoask;don't assumeyouknow.Culturalandvisual/behavioralcuesaboutcrimecandifferfromyourownunderstand ing.It'sgoodtobesure!

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Howcanyoureduceyourstartupexpenses? Don'ttrytobuyeverythingatonceanddon'ttrytosolveeveryproblembythrowingmoneyatit. Bepatient.Yourneedsmaybeverydifferentinyournewsituationfromwhattheywereinyourhome country.Takeyourtimewithspendinguntilyoureallyknowwhatisgoingon.

TheCultureGame Makeaneffortifyouare askedtogooutforkaraoke andactuallysingifasked. Bytheway,nobodycaresif yousingwell,it'sonlythat youmaketheeffort. Youneverknow;youmay cometoloveit!

Insomecultures,afterworksocializationisveryimportant.Becauseofthegreatculturaldivide,itcanbe quiteusefultosocializewithyourcoworkers,ontheirtermsandintheirways,tohelpthemgettoknow you.Makeaneffortifyouareaskedtogooutforkaraokeandactuallysingifasked.Bytheway,nobody caresifyousingwell,it'sonlythatyoumaketheeffort.Youneverknow;youmaycometoloveit! SocializingwithCoworkers Doitjusttobepolitebutalsobeopentofindingsomenewfriends.Becareful,however,ofgettingdrunk orbecomingtoofamiliaruntilyouknowyourcoworkersandtheculturebetter.Youdon'twanttostartoff onthewrongfoot.

CultureShock
You'llprobablygetitbutsometimesshockisabitofanoverstatement. Youcanexpecttofeeleuphoric(Ifinallymadeit), Angry(whycan'tImakethingsworklikebackhome?), Depressedanddisappointed(everythingisn'texactlylikeIexpectedittobe),and Isolated(Idon'treallyknowanyonehere). Allofthisisnormal.Afterallthisisaverybigtimeinyourlifeandofcourseyouwillhavesomestrongfeel ingsaboutit.Theseemotionalreactionsareallnaturalresponsestothesituationyouwillfindyourselfin overseas.Howtodealwithit?Getbusy!Personalprojects,work,travel,makingfriendsandevenvolun teeringwillhelpyouadjust.Alsotakealittletimeandjustrecognizethefeelingsforwhattheyare.

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OneofthebestarticlesaboutdealingwithCultureShockisatAbout.comCultureShock:byAbout.com Don'tforgetthatyoucanhaveproblemswithyourjob,boss,landlord,andfriendsinyourhomecountry too.Don'tblameitallonyourhostcountry! Knowthatonceyouhavelivedinseveralcountries,theeffectsofcultureshockdiminishasyoulearnto havemorerealisticexpectationsandasyoujustnaturallylearnhowtodealwithit.

Developalittlefinessein dealingwithcrosscultural communicationsandyour lifewillgomuchsmoother overseas.

SurvivingUncertainty Partoftheissuewithcultureshockisalsotheuncertaintyofyournewsituationandofhowthingsare goingtodevelop.Followthesamecourseoftreatmentasforcultureshock.Getinvolved.

DealingwithCulturalDifferences
Yournewcountryisn'tyouroldcountry.Howpeoplebehaveandrespondcanbequitedifferent. Many(maybemost)culturesarenotasdirectasourown.You'llneedtopayattentionandlistenfor underlyingcontentallthetime.Youcanmakeyourcoworkersandsupervisorveryuncomfortableifyou makethemconfrontyouorifyoubecomeconfrontational.Itcanreallystressyourrelationshipsandsour yourworksituation.Becareful,listen,interpret. Avoidmisunderstandingswhenmiscommunicationseemstohaveoccurredbyaskingyoursupervisorabout itinthecontextofaculturequestion.Youcansay,"Iamabitconfusedhere.Doyouwantmeto___? Pleasehelpmeunderstand."Thiskindofastatementtakestheheatoffthesituationandsaves"face"for everyoneinvolved.Youcanevenhaveagoodlaughaboutitinsteadofeveryonebeingupset. Developalittlefinesseindealingwithcrossculturalcommunicationsandyourlifewillgomuchsmoother overseas.It'sallpartoflearningtobeaskilledexpatriate.

WeekOneOverseasSummary
Dresswellforyourjob.ItisfarmoreimportantthaninWesterncultures.Payattentiontocultural differencesastheycanmakethedifferencebetweensuccessorfailure.

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Week Two Overseas

Itmightbetimetostartthinkingabitaboutspendingayearortwoormoreoverseasandhowthatmight workforyou.

Networking
Thinknetworkinginyourhomecountryandoverseasandthinkaboutcontinuingorimprovingyour credentials.Networkingisevenmoreimportantoverseas.Attimes,youcanlineupgoodjobsviafriends withashortinterview.Contactsandnetworkingworkforyouevenbetteroverseasthanbackhome. Keepintouchwithpeopleyouworkwith.Theywillmoveontoother,oftenbetter,jobs,andsowillyou. Youneverknowwhenyourpathsmaymeetagainorwhenyoumightbeabletohelpeachother. InYourHomeCountry Don'tforgettokeepintouchwithyourcontactsandfriendsbackhome.Youneverknowwhenyoumight wanttoheadback.Invitethemtovisityou,beagreathostandshowthemagreattime.Itcouldwellpay dividendsifyouweretoneedajobbackhomeonshortnotice.Itwillalsogivethemagreatexperience. Letyourfriendsseehowwonderfulalifeabroadcanbe. VisityourFriends,BossesandCoworkers Whenyouvisityourhomecountry,makesureyouvisityouroldcoworkers,bossesandfriends.Nothingis worsethancomingbackcoldhavinglostallyouroldcontacts.Doyourbesttokeepitpersonalwithagood listofpersonalcontacts.

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 Nothingwilleverbe attemptedifallpossible objectionsmustfirstbe overcome. SamuelJohnson

ImproveYourself
ImproveyourCredentials Whileyouareoverseas,takeanothertrainingcourseorgetanotherdegree.Somejobsoverseasareonly fourdaysaweekandyoumaygetlongvacationsifyouarelucky.Usethattimetoimproveyour credentialssoyoucancontinuetomoveuptheladderandimproveyourwages,benefitsandfreetime. Almostanyprogramintheworldcanbetakenonlinethesedays.

JustHaveaGREATTime!
Dontneedtoexplainthat.

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Appendix One
WeeklyChecklists
WeekOneChecklist
Checkoutthepossibilities Passport:Order,Update,Check Degree:Original,Orderaspare Transcripts:Order OtherDocuments:TrainingCertificates Scaneverythingyouhave

WeekTwoChecklist
Decideonaspecificcountrytofocusyoursearch Includefinancialwantsandresponsibilitiesinyourdecision Decidewhentogo

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WeekThreeChecklist
Prepareresume/CV Getaprofessionalphotoforresumesandapplications Providepropercontactinformation Prepareacoverletter Doublecheckyourscanneddocuments

Knowingisnotenough; wemustapply. Willingisnotenough; wemustdo. JohannWolfgang vonGoethe

WeekFourChecklist
Beginapplyingforjobs Prepareforaninterviewandsmileduringthatinterview Contactarecruiter Dontacceptajobimmediately

WeekFiveChecklist
Startinterviews Asktheimportantquestionsaboutyourjob Askquestionsaboutthereputationofyouremployer Askquestionsaboutyourproposedhousing

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WeekSixChecklist
Acceptaposition Signacontract Makeadecisionaboutyourhouseifyouownone Makeadecisionabouthealthinsurance Findanaccountant Considerapermanenthomecountrypostaladdress

Greatspiritshavealways encounteredviolent oppositionfrom mediocreminds. AlbertEinstein

WeekSevenChecklist
Startyourvisaprocessifyouhavenotdonesoalready Givenoticeatyourcurrentjob Makeabudgetforyourtransitionoverseas Decidewhattosellandwhattokeep

WeekEightChecklist
Arrangeplanetickets Weighyourbaggage SetupabankaccountaccessibleviatheInternet SetupaninvestmentaccountaccessibleviatheInternetand

interconnectedwithyourbankaccount

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WeekNineChecklist Wearestillmastersofour fate.Wearestillcaptainsof oursouls. WinstonChurchill

Receiveyourpassportwithanappropriatevisainit DevelopaPlanB DevelopaPlanC

WeekTenChecklist
Decidewhattotakewithyou Decidewhattomailtoyourself SayIloveyoutofamilyandlovedones Getontheplane

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Appendix Two
BasicTEFLMethodsandBoardwork
Itisgoodtoknowthebasicsandheretheyare. TEFLMethodologytaughtinmostTEFLtrainingprogramsisgenerallyeither"PPP"or"ESA" "PPP"meansPresentation,PracticeandProduction.MostEFLlessonsarebrokenintothosethreeparts. Presentationisthepartofthelessonwhenthetargetlanguage(thelanguagetobetaughttothestudents) ispresentedtothestudentsgenerallythroughelicitingandcueingofthestudentstoseeiftheyknowitand thenprovidingthelanguageifnoonedoes. Thetargetlanguageisusuallyputontheboardeitherinstructure(grammartype)chartsorindialogs. Presentationfeaturesmore"teachertalk"thantheotherstagesofthelesson,generallyasmuchas6590% ofthetime.Thisportionofthetotallessoncantakeasmuchas2040%ofthelessontime. NextcomesthePracticesectionwhenthestudentspracticethetargetlanguageinonetothreeactivities thatprogressfromverystructured(studentsaregivenactivitiesthatprovidelittlepossibilityforerror)to lessstructured(astheymasterthematerial). Theseactivitiesshouldincludeasmuch"studenttalk"aspossibleandnotfocusonwrittenactivities, thoughwrittenactivitiescanprovideastructurefortheverbalpractices.Practiceshouldhavethe"student talktime"rangefrom6080percentofthetimewithteachertalktimebeingthebalanceofthattime.This portionofthetotallessoncantakefrom3050%ofthelessontime. Productionisthestageofthelessonwhenthestudentstakethetargetlanguageanduseitinconversations thattheystructureanduseittotalkaboutthemselvesortheirdailylivesorsituations.Productionshould involvestudenttalkatasmuchas90%ofthetimeandthiscomponentofthelessoncan/shouldtakeas muchas2030%ofthelessontime.

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AsyoucanseethegeneralstructureofaPPPlessonisflexible,butanimportantfeatureisthemovement fromcontrolledandstructuredspeechtolesscontrolledandmorefreelyusedandcreatedspeech. AnotherimportantfeatureofPPP(andothermethodstoo)istherapidreductionofteachertalktimeand theincreaseinstudenttalktime. Oneofthemostcommonerrorsuntrainedteachersmakeisthattheytalktoomuch.EFLstudentsgetvery littlechancetoactuallyusethelanguagetheylearnandtheEFLclassroommustbestructuredtocreate thatopportunity.

Oneofthemostcommon errorsuntrainedteachers makeisthattheytalk toomuch.

"ESA"meansEngage,Study,andActivate
RoughlyequivalenttoPPP,ESAisslightlydifferentinthatitisdesignedtoallowmovementbackandforth betweenthestages.However,eachstageissimilartothePPPstagesinthesameorder.Proponentsofthis methodstressitsflexibilitycomparedtoPPPandthemethodasdefinedbyJeremyHarmer(itsmajor advocate)usesmoreelicitationandstressestheengagementofstudentsintheearlystagesofthelesson. ESAisasuperiormethodtoPPPwhenbotharelookedatfromarigidpointofview.But,EFLisnotrigid andyoushouldnotadheretoanyoneviewpointormethod.PPPisoftenaneasiermethodfornew teachertraineestogetahandleon.

Boardwork
OrganizingtheboardforamoreeffectivelessonisthemarkofaskilledEFLteacher.KISSor"KeepitSimple forStudents"isagoodrule.Doapracticewalkthroughofyourlessonandasyoudoit,puteverythingon theboard.Ideally,youdon'teraseanythinginonelessonandbytheendofthelesson,itshouldlookvery wellorganizedandunderstandable.Checkitfromthebackoftheroomtobesurestudentscanseeit. Usuallythebestwaytoorganizeyourboardworkistoliterallypresentthelessoninadryrunandwrite everythingontheboard,includingtargetlanguage,grammarstructureandvocabulary.Asyouthinkyour waythroughthelesson,youwillprobablynoticethatyouneedtoreorganizeorrestructureyourthinking. Thisisanexcellentpracticalexercisejusttocatchtheflowofyourlessonaswellasfororganizingyour boardwork.

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 ...walkaroundtheroom toseeifyourwritingisbig enough,clearenoughand visibletoeveryone.

Notethatinmanyclassrooms,studentswillnotbeabletoseethebottomonethirdoftheboardfromthe backoftheroom.Insomeclassrooms,thefarleftandrightsidesoftheboardmaynotbevisibleto studentsonthefaroppositeoftheroomduetotheextremeangleorfrombrightlightfromwindows.If therearecurtainsintheroom,usethem. Writeontheboardintheclassroomandwalkaroundtheroomtoseeifyourwritingisbigenough,clear enoughandvisibletoeveryone. Nevereraseanythingfromtheboardwithoutaskingyourstudentsfirst.Why?Yourverybeststudentsare takingnotes!Justasimple,"OkayifIerasethis?"andafastlookaroundtheroomwilldothejob.It'sonly polite,isn'tit?Goodteacherscertainlydon'tmindwaitingwhiletheirbeststudentsaretakingnotes. Agoodlessonplanshouldhaveanexampleofwhattheboardwilllooklikeonthelastpage.Thiswillhelp youplanyourboardworkinadvance.

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Appendix Three
LessonPlanning
AlessonplanissimplyastepbystepguidetowhatanEFLteacherplanstodointheclassroomonagiven day.Themoredetailedthestepsare,thebetter. Ideally,ifyoucouldnotgotoworkonagivenday,anotherteachercouldreadyourlessonplanandknow exactlyhowtoteachyourclassonthatday.Agoodlessonplanmightevenincludespecificgesturesand cuesusedforvariouspartsofthelesson.That'showdetailedyourplanshouldbe. Thereareliterallyhundredsoftypesoflessonplanbutthereisnotoneformatacceptedbyallschools. Manyschoolshavetheirownsetformat;otherswillletyouusewhateverformatyoulike.Thereis, however,somegeneralagreementaboutwhatshouldbeincludedinagoodlessonplan. Generallyagreedcomponentsofalessonplanincludethefollowing: Day/Date: LessonName:Whatwillyoucallthelesson? Class/Level:Age,topic,skilllevel,classname Materials:Listeverythingyouneedtoteachthislesson.Listeverypossiblethingyouwillneedtotaketo theclassroomand/orobtainfromtheschooltocompletethelesson.Thislistcanhelpyoumakesureyou don'tforgetanyhandoutsorspecialmaterialsthatyouneedtotaketotheclass. Textbook/Coursebookname:Fromwhatbookareyouworkingordrawingthelessonfrom? Unittitlepagenumber:Specificallywhereinthatbook?

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Goal/Aim:Whatareyouworkingtowardstoday?Describethefinalresultofthelessoninthisformat: Thestudentswillbeableto___(dowhat?)________. Example:Thestudentswillbeabletoaskandanswerquestionsabouttheirhobbiesandinterests GrammarStructuresEmployed:Showthestructures.Useastructurechartifneeded. QuestionsandAnswersrelevanttoyourlesson:Askduringthewarmuptoelicitfromstudentswhatthey mayormaynotknowaboutthetopictobecovered.

Believewithallofyour heartthatyouwilldowhat youweremadetodo. OrisonSwettMarden

NOTE:LessonBeginsHere Warmup:Thisincludesareview(revision)ofthepreviouslessonlinkedtothisnewlesson;questionsand answersyouhavewrittenabove,usedtoelicitconversationusingthenewstructuresandfunction;toshow examplesofwhatyourstudentswilllearninthislesson.Insomecountriesandwithsomeagegroups,this warmupmaycomeintheformofaspecificallydesignedgame. Presentation(orusetheESAformatdependingonyourschool):Notethetargetlanguagetobetaughtand howyouwillteachit.Includehowyouwillstimulatethestudent'sinterestinthelanguageandhowyou mightelicitfromthestudentsthelanguageyouareplanningtoteach.Includedetailsasspecificaswhenyou mightmodelstructuresanddialogandwhenyouwillrequirearepeatedresponse(choralresponse)fromthe students.Includeastructurechartforthegrammarorthedialogyouintendtoteach. Practice:Includethespecificactivitiesandattachanyhandoutstothelessonplan.Includeuptothree practiceactivities,sequencingthemfrommosttoleaststructuredslowlygivingthestudentsmorefreedom. Production:Thisiswherestudentsreallylearnandgeneralizeanewlanguageskill.Allow/encouragethe studentstotalkaboutthemselves,theirlivesorspecificsituationsusingtheirowninformationbutfocusing onthetargetlanguagethatwastaughtinthepresentationandpracticedinthepreviousactivities.Include exactlywhatyouwillaskthestudentstodoandthatyouintendtomonitorstudentsandencourageand correctthemasneededintheiruseofthetargetlanguage. Conclusion:Discuss/recapwhatyouhavestudiedandlearnedduringthelesson.Insomecountriesandfor someages,thiswillbefollowedbyagamethatusesthetargetlanguage. NOTE:LessonEndsHere

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ExpandedConcepts

Ageisanissueofmindover matter.Ifyoudon'tmind, itdoesn'tmatter. MarkTwain

YoucanfindliterallythousandsofEFL/ESLlessonplansontheInternet.Takealookatfewandyouwill rarelyseethesameformatused.Buttheywillgenerallyhave,inoneformoranother,mostofthe Informationindicatedabove. Trythesewebsitesandseewhattheyhaveandnotethesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthelesson formats.Don'tgetstuckinarigidideaofwhatalessonplanshouldlooklike.You'llnoticemanythatare calledlessonplans,reallyaren't! TEFLEducator/TEFLBootCamp:FreeTEFLTraining TheInternetTESLJournal:EFLandESLLessonsandLessonPlans Oneofthebestpagesforonthewebforunderstandingwhatisbehindlessonplansishere: LessonPlanningandthatpageincludestwoveryuseful(PDF)downloads: GuidetoLessonPlanningandReflectiveTeachingNotes LessonPlanningSheetsandReflectiveTeachingNotes

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Final Comments

ThisebookismeantonlyasaguidelinetohelpyouorganizeamoveabroadasateacherofEnglish. Theauthorhasenjoyedovertwentyyearsoflivingandworkingabroadandhopesyouhavethesame success. Tohelpusdoabetterjobofhelpingyou,wewouldappreciateyouropinionaboutthisebook. Pleasetakeourfast,easyandconfidentialsurveyhere:CLICKHERE

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Don'tjudgeeachdayby theharvestyoureapbutby theseedsthatyouplant. RobertLouisStevenson

Thispageispurposefullyleftblank.

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