Job Discussion Forums

marcus.hammer · Joined: 03 Nov 2016 Posts: 6

I am a native English speaker with a bachelor's degree from an American university and a master's degree from a German university. While in Germany I taught business English.

I would love to teach English abroad, but I have a wife and four kids. Can this be done? Does anyone have experience with taking contracts and bringing the family? In what countries would this be easiest to do?

Thanks in advance,

Marcus

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I had my family with me on one of my contracts in Saudi Arabia. This is no longer as common as it was.

Terms and conditions are materially much worse than they were.

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

You didn't provide info about your degree major(s) and years of experience. But generally, a master's degree from a German university isn't likely to boost your qualifications for a TEFL position. Regardless, unless you have some highly desirable skill set or your wife expects to eventually work as well, you'll find it hard to earn enough for a family of six.

suphanburi · Joined: 20 Mar 2014 Posts: 916

In the heat of the moment · Joined: 22 May 2015 Posts: 393 Location: Italy

You have five other opinions to your own. You might be happy overseas and away from extended family, friends, home comforts, English speakers, and the rest but if one of your brood is miserable it isn't going to take long for you all to be miserable.

Jmbf · Joined: 29 Jun 2014 Posts: 663

I would say that this is a terrible idea unless you can secure an international school type position with high pay, decent accommodation and subsidised education for your kids. Raising children can be very expensive unless you are willing to put them through the local education system.

marcus.hammer · Joined: 03 Nov 2016 Posts: 6

Much appreciated!

Thanks for all the answers. I had my doubts, but I wanted to hear from experienced people. I do appreciate it.

My degrees are a Bachelor's of Arts in History and a Masters in European Studies.

The only other viable skill that I have is web design. So maybe I should concentrate on this instead of trying to make a living teaching.

Have a great week!!

Marcus

jpvanderwerf2001 · Joined: 02 Oct 2003 Posts: 1117 Location: New York

The main issue, at least in my view, is education for the kids. In many countries, that can be quite expensive, unless your kids speak the local language. As someone else mentioned, an international school gig would fix that issue. I'm unsure that your particular qualifications would help you get an international school job; hiring at such schools can be quite competitive.
You mention that you have skills as a web designer. Perhaps you could teach EFL in another country while doing web design work on the side; in a low-cost country I could see that affording a pretty decent living.

marcus.hammer · Joined: 03 Nov 2016 Posts: 6

jpvanderwerf2001 · Joined: 02 Oct 2003 Posts: 1117 Location: New York

I would be willing to bet that many expats homeschool their kids, especially if one of the spouses doesn't work. I would guess each country has its own laws, though I wonder how many governments (especially in developing countries) check on expats' kids' educational progress.
Regarding certificates: If you plan to do this "long term," then I would recommend getting teaching licensure in your home country. The most attractive international school jobs usually require one.
However, if you're going the EFL route (basically just language schools), then a CELTA would be a good idea.
Another option is teaching in universities. They usually don't pay well in developing countries, but my experience has shown me that they will often hire any native speaker they can get their hands on. (Again, this wouldn't be applicable in a country such as Germany, of course. I'm thinking more former Soviet and certain Asian countries.)
Some other thoughts:
* Will your spouse be happy in a country where they might not know the language?
* If anyone in your family has health issues, how will you take care of those?
* Will you be able to get a working visa easily? (I wouldn't stay in a country illegally, and I definitely wouldn't do so with kids.)
I hope this all helps.

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

marcus.hammer · Joined: 03 Nov 2016 Posts: 6

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

yurii · Joined: 12 Jan 2017 Posts: 106

MotherF · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 11:38 pm Post subject:

You may be able to make it work in Latin America. In some countries like Mexico, homeschooling is technically illegal (as a violation of a child's right to attend school) but Mexico lacks the man power or will to prosecute things like that. So there are plenty of foreign "world school" families doing just that. If you are looking for encouragement, I suggest you avoid this forum and find a facebook group for families abroad, and find ways to make it work. You can get various income streams, some in person teaching, some online teaching, and some online web development work.