Everything You Need to Know About Teaching English Abroad

Hey Au Pairs!

Au pairing is a great starting path towards pursuing a life abroad, and after an au pair stay many people long to stay abroad in some capacity, but wish to move on from au pairing into a more professional and independent job. Well, I’m here to share with you one of the most common and popular ways to live abroad is teaching English! I’ve been living abroad for nearly four years doing just this!

To learn more about teaching English abroad keep on reading!

Before we dive into the specifics of these programs I think it’s important to note that you do NOT need to have studied Education at university to apply for these programs! You can come from any educational background so long as you hold a Bachelor's degree! It’s also important to note that you must be a native English speaker from an English speaking country.

Fulbright

The Fulbright program is a prestigious and highly coveted program that offers an array of different scholarships to pursue opportunities abroad. One of the scholarships they offer is to teach English in a foreign country. I first moved abroad through this program and stayed with them for two years. Typically this program only lets you apply one academic year and you no option of renewing. Expect to work in school or university as the assistant English teacher, in addition to this Fulbright requires you to carry out a side project of your choice.

This program pays the most in comparison to other English teaching programs. Depending on the host country you wish to work in there might be a language requirement. In Spain, the language requirement is an intermediate level. This program also covers the roundtrip flight from your country to the host country you’ll be placed in.

Auxiliares de Conversación

The Auxiliares de Conversación program is the most popular program to teach English in Spain. They accept anyone so long as you have a Bachelor's degree. Additionally, they don’t require you to speak any Spanish. Within this program you can renew for as long as you wish to stay with them unlike the Fulbright program. They do pay a bit less than the Fulbright program but duties are the same! I am now working in Spain through this program and have had a positive experience thus far!

TAPIF

TAPIF is the French equivalent of the Auxiliares de Conversación program, only they have a two year limit. You’ll be placed at a French school and serve as the assistant English teacher. The TAPIF program does have an age limit of 20-35. They also require all candidates to have a B1 level of French. I’m hoping to be able to apply to this program in the future!

JET

One of my closest friends is living and working in Japan as an English teacher through this program! With JET, there is a five year renewal limit. My friend is coming up on her 5th year of teaching English through this program and has loved it! They also don’t require you to speak any Japanese.

Are you interested in teaching English abroad after you finish up au pairing or are you currently teaching abroad? Let me know in the comments below!