Job Discussion Forums

[Landon]

My wife and I have been researching religiously about teaching abroad for about a year now. We have both lived in other countries and have traveled quite a bit. So, we think we know some things about comforts of living and wages in certain countries. I see lots of posts with phrases like, "you will live like a king" or "you could save thousands of dollars if you taught here".

My question is, can this be possible? Are there really any EFL teachers that are living like kings? New EFL teachers? Do the people that are actually making a comforable living and saving money have other passive income streams back home, like growing retirement accounts or rental properties? I am starting to think my definition of "living like a king" or "saving lots of money" may be quite a bit different from others.

This concerns my wife and me, because, like almost everyone else, eventually we will have to move back home. And, a few thousand dollars saved in Asia over the course of a few years will be gone almost instantaneously once we return to the US. We do not like the thought of getting older while we teach abroad and then coming home to start again from scratch. We are still young and are learning that it is not "thousands of US dollars" we will need in order to retire here, but "millions".

I assume we should first work on our retirement portfolios and collecting as much income property as possible now to supplement ourselves "living like kings" while we are abroad. Is this what most others are doing? I would like to hear how former teachers faired in their return home or what some would call "back to reality" with their savings and onward careers.

[EFLeducator]

[tttompatz]

[sharter]

When I did my CTEFLA 16 years ago I remember being told 'there's no money in TEFL'. It's not completely true but it is near the mark for the majority of positions advertised. Having recently left my 30's, I've started worrying about my future. You can live well and save a lot in the Middle East. You can also have a really enjoyable outdoor type of lifestyle if you choose your country to suit your needs. I took my wife and son to Qatar a decade ago and we had a lovely time as long as we weren't in the same room .

Going home is tough; I had to leave Libya last year and spent 24K GBP in 8 months. That worked out at about 100 GBP a day, which ,sadly, isn't much these days.

I'd work as a couple in the Gulf for as long as it suits you and then buy property/properties.

[Glenski]

[Teacher in Rome]

I'd say the advice you've been given so far is spot on.

I'm also a long-term expat and would like to add these thoughts.

- It seems that when people talk about getting a passive income, it's always through property. There are plenty of other ways you could do this - through setting up a business, earning money online... (not "get rich quick" schemes I mean - you'll need to put in the time). I don't think property is always the best option - especially, if like me, your only property is a house nobody would ever want to buy or rent, or if you don't have the capital to invest.

- You could also explore the idea of making pension contributions to a scheme back home while you're teaching. The only caveat is that pension entitlements seem to follow the ups and downs of the economy. I make mandatory contributions to the state pension here, and they've just extended the retirement age. If I relied exclusively on that, I'd be working and contributing until the age of 75.

- Getting a job is also a lot to do with marketing yourself. I sympathise greatly with anyone trying to get a job in this sort of economy when employers are so picky, but the fact is, there are jobs out there, just maybe not in your town or your sector. Teaching abroad isn't always attractive to an employer because it's international, sounds backpacky, not professional etc etc. But if you market it another way, there are all sorts of skills / experiences you can illustrate to show management experience, commercial awareness, communication / team strengths etc.

Someone with very good advice on how to get direct to the hiring manager (without resorting to a recruiter who's only looking for set criteria) is "Ask A Headhunter" (aka Nick Corcodilos - sp?). Highly recommended!

[Phil_K]

[EFLeducator]

[Teacher in Rome]

EFLEducator: were you going to add a comment?

[Prof.Gringo]

[EFLeducator]

[Landon]

Thank you to everyone who responded and for all the personal information. There is lots of good stuff here.

The consensus looks to be that it is possible to work your way up to making decent money as an EFL teacher while your are actually living and working in that country. But, when its time to call it quits and return home, your savings and qualifications may not be what you thought they were.

We know that our EFL teaching adventure more than likely will come to an end some day, and we will have to return home. I am starting to conclude from my research that those who completed their teaching stints and returned home sucessfully and were comfortable with their savings and career qualifications can be grouped 3 different ways.

First, the young recent college graduate that teaches overseas for a few years as a novelty adventure and never really intends on making it a lifelong decision. Or perhaps they do, but change their minds and decide it is not for them. They return home from their adventure with a few thousands bucks and then look to begin their careers. Not much gained, not much lost.

Second, the long term career EFL teacher who intends on living, working, saving and having a family in the foreign country for the long haul and even retiring abroad. This person's savings and qualifications will not have to translate back home.

And Thirdly, someone at end of their career or approaching retirement. They have already worked for many years and have their savings and passive income streams in place before they begin their EFL dreams.

I do not see how teaching EFL can work out well for someone that chooses to do this in mid-life or someone who chooses to do this for 10-15 years and wants to return to their home country after the age of about 35. We have concluded that these "fantastic" foreign salaries will not go far once returning to these Western economies. Judging from these last posts, it must be very difficult to return at the mid point in your career life and make those teaching EFL qualifications seem relevant in onward careers.

[EFLeducator]

[Glenski]

I think you should place caution on generalizing over a few posters' information, but at least you are getting firsthand info.

First, the young recent college graduate that teaches overseas for a few years as a novelty adventure and never really intends on making it a lifelong decision. Or perhaps they do, but change their minds and decide it is not for them. They return home from their adventure with a few thousands bucks and then look to begin their careers. Not much gained, not much lost.
"Not much lost" is very relative, depending on the field that one returns to and how frugal one has been. Besides, you wrote that these 3 groups were people who "returned home successfully and were comfortable with their savings and career qualifications". I think that is making a huge assumption here that is not necessarily valid in creating the categories.

Second, the long term career EFL teacher who intends on living, working, saving and having a family in the foreign country for the long haul and even retiring abroad. This person's savings and qualifications will not have to translate back home.

By your own definition of these categories, this person has no intention on returning home, so they shouldn't even be in your listings!

[natsume]

Don't forget the category of those who planned from the beginning to return home to go to grad school.