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Going abroad to teach English...


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My daughter is interested in doing this. She is about to finish her sophomore year as an English major. Due to financial constraints she must take a year off and she would love to do something meaningful while making a little bit of money for that year.

 

Does teaching abroad sound reasonable in her situation?

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Yes it sounds like it could be reasonable. But you or she needs to do some homework. The site that Jlynn linked is a good one. If you google "Teaching English in Asia" or "Teaching English abroad" you will get many more hits. Some places require a certificate in teaching ESL - but many more don't. If she is interested in a specific country then google "Teaching English (country name)" Some of the sites list pay rates in the native currency. You'll have to figure out the conversion to U.S. dollars. Some bigger English schools will have actual dormitories for their teachers. For someone of her age going overseas for the first time, having the support of other English - speaking teachers could be helpful. Some countries are safer for young women alone. Japan has a pretty low crime rate. But be warned that Americans are seen as being "easy" by many people overseas. Many men will make advances to an American woman that they would never dream of making to a young woman from their own country.

 

In Japan at least, some missionaries use English language classes as a way to evangelize. If she wanted to do something meaningful, she might look into short-term missions that included teaching English. But that would not be a way for her to make money.

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Yes it sounds like it could be reasonable. But you or she needs to do some homework. The site that Jlynn linked is a good one. If you google "Teaching English in Asia" or "Teaching English abroad" you will get many more hits. Some places require a certificate in teaching ESL - but many more don't. If she is interested in a specific country then google "Teaching English (country name)" Some of the sites list pay rates in the native currency. You'll have to figure out the conversion to U.S. dollars. Some bigger English schools will have actual dormitories for their teachers. For someone of her age going overseas for the first time, having the support of other English - speaking teachers could be helpful. Some countries are safer for young women alone. Japan has a pretty low crime rate. But be warned that Americans are seen as being "easy" by many people overseas. Many men will make advances to an American woman that they would never dream of making to a young woman from their own country.

 

In Japan at least, some missionaries use English language classes as a way to evangelize. If she wanted to do something meaningful, she might look into short-term missions that included teaching English. But that would not be a way for her to make money.

 

Her student loan payments will kick in as soon as she is no longer a full time student, so she will have to have an income. She will need enough to live on and pay those loans. When she comes back she will be old enough to be considered independent of us and I believe my husband's income will no longer apply to her via the fafsa and so she might be eligible for grants that she is not eligible for now.

 

She just feels like she has to stop incurring debt right now.

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Her student loan payments will kick in as soon as she is no longer a full time student, so she will have to have an income. She will need enough to live on and pay those loans. When she comes back she will be old enough to be considered independent of us and I believe my husband's income will no longer apply to her via the fafsa and so she might be eligible for grants that she is not eligible for now.

 

She just feels like she has to stop incurring debt right now.

 

If she is making a low salary (or no salary), she can ask for a deferment on her student loans under the "hardship" clause.

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If she is making a low salary (or no salary), she can ask for a deferment on her student loans under the "hardship" clause.

 

She can?

 

That's good to know.

 

But, the reason she wants to take the year off is to rid herself of the debt she has so she can start her junior year with no past student loan debt. She is just terrified of how fast her debt is growing.

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I haven't read all the responses, but I wanted to let you know about a book I just requested through my library system. It is called Teaching English Abroad: A Fresh and Fully Up-to-Date Guide to Teaching English Around the World by Susan Griffith. I thought it sounded interesting!

 

LauraD in MN

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