Before you begin: define your priorities

Teaching English overseas is an exciting job and most teachers have lots of fun. However, there are many wrong routes a new candidate can take. In essence, the secret of landing the best possible job depends on your capacity to avoid mistakes. Access to information and ability to use it is the other element of success.

To choose the best strategy and become a winning candidate you must start with analyzing your situation and determining your priorities. 

What good is a job that does not fulfill your needs? For example, if you look for a relaxed atmosphere and travel opportunities, a school with a mandatory overtime is not what you are going to enjoy. 

If you have to send money back home a country that limits foreign transfers to $10 a month is not the place you want to be. Etc., etc.

This is where many people screw up: the temptation to go to "job listings" is often irresistible. Unrealistic expectations and lack of preparation are the most common reasons for disappointment. Let your competition follow this route: it is the easiest way to get the wrong job at the wrong school in the wrong country. Or get no job at all. 

A job that is a torture for one person can be just what the doctor ordered for another. 

A female teacher from the Middle East sent us an email saying that the local schools were too "westernized." She was looking for a more "traditional" teaching environment. We have also received complaints from this region, the teaches describing the conditions as "too conservative." 

Everything is relative, even money. Those who select a contract because it simply pays more than others are often disappointed: the real value of money depends on the cost of living in a particular country. Your savings potential will also depend on the conditions of your contracts, such as free housing. 

$100 in Turkey buys more than $1,000 in Japan. Do you begin to see the importance of research?

Do you have special requirements (restrictions)?

Any preference (cultural, geographical, political, etc.) is essentially a restriction on your potential. Obviously, those who are able to conduct a job search without restrictions will find more opportunities. However, it is essential to identify your restrictions to avoid future disappointments.

Legal restrictions

The US and Canadian citizens must keep in mind that work permits are very hard to obtain in the countries of the European Union and Scandinavia (France, UK, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Luxembourg). Certified (K-12) teachers will find opportunities in all of these countries, however (refer to The Insider Secrets to Finding a Teaching Job Overseas). 

Regulations and the amount of red tape differ from country to country but it is generally hard for non-EU teachers to find legal work in Western Europe. For the exceptions and specific suggestions use The Overseas Schools Directory - TEFL section (members ID required.)

Teachers from North America are welcome in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Middle East, South and South East Asia, Far East, Central and South America.

Most of us have stereotypical "knowledge" about most foreign countries so some preliminary research is essential. A good source of information is EscapeArtist.com 

Take a good atlas or world map and use it as reference to select the regions of the world that you absolutely do not want to go to:

 Write down what you have left:

It seems like the world is suddenly shrinking! By eliminating unwanted and/or hopeless regions you create a list of hot prospects to focus on.

You may update it in the future. Nothing will prevent you from considering a job in a different area of the world should you come across it! Meanwhile, you will use this list as a guideline to accelerate your search.

Legal Issues: Visas and Permits

Many countries do not require visas for citizens of US, Canada, Britain and others - as long as the purpose of the visit is pleasure and travel. When a person intends to take up employment the situation changes. One needs a work permit and a residence visa or a work visa -- although many people ignore this requirement and some countries do not seem to mind.

The regulations differ from country to country considerably. For example, British teachers do not need any visas to live and work in the countries of the European Union (EU); while US and Canadian teachers must obtain residence permits and work visas in these countries. 

Likewise, NAFTA makes it easier for US citizens to live and work in Canada and Mexico but bars Europeans. The proposed free trade agreement for the Western Hemisphere is supposed to simplify the regulations in the same direction.

Refer to the Overseas Schools Directory for the specific information on the countries of your interest.

From the legal viewpoint, pre-arranging jobs from your home country is much more convenient: you are able to obtain a work visa or a work permit BEFORE you arrive in the foreign country. This usually takes a considerable amount of time but it's worth the hassle.

When you receive a job offer and a contract your employer will provide you with the specific instructions on how to apply for a work visa in your home country. Usually, you submit a copy of your contract with an application to the consular section of the corresponding foreign Embassy (Consular Section.)

The list of required documents differ from country to country (your employer will let you know); be prepared to provide copies of your degrees, TEFL certificate, passport, up to a dozen passport size photographs. Some countries require a medical certificate (X-ray and HIV) and a police clearance report. Sometimes documents need to be translated. 

All schools that hire overseas teachers are familiar with the procedure and will provide you with the specific directions (although not all assist with arranging work permits!)

In some cases the only way to secure a job is to travel to a foreign country first. In many instances it is hard to obtain a work permit without a contract and the school is unable to offer you a contract until you have a work permit. So some teachers choose to work without a proper visa (that is, illegally).

How safe is it? While working without a proper visa or permit is illegal in all countries the actual situation will depends on the country. For example, in many Asian and Latin American countries the local authorities do not care much if you have a proper visa. Thousands of people work without permits - saving money and hassle. At the same time, the countries of the Moslem world (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Oman, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, etc.) consider it as a serious violation of law.

The other possible complication is that you may be required to leave the host country after you secured a position in order to fix the visa. Fortunately, it is usually easy to travel to one of the neighboring countries

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