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Aside from the great experience on your CV, the chance to prove yourself, and the interesting stories you will take away with you – the obvious things, if you will – there are plenty of things you will learn if you choose to become a teacher overseas…
1) Teaching is an important and respected job
People approaching teaching jobs in schools in the UK would be forgiven for having a negative view of the profession. That view is largely inaccurate anyway, but the difference between the perception and reality is even more marked overseas. As this article explains, teachers in the UK have a lower status than many other countries, which means you can expect a lot more respect for your career choice if you choose to teach overseas. You can maybe even bring a bit of that back to the UK!
2) Children respect their teachers
The greater respect for teachers that many countries and cultures have is not just obvious from the way adults treat teachers. Speak to anyone who has spent time teaching abroad and they will tell you how happy and interested the students are in their lessons. As this article explains different cultures have different approaches to learning and East-Asian students are often quieter, more driven and more focussed in lessons. Teaching abroad can teach you the value of a different approach to learning.
3) You will gain a deeper understanding of the other culture
Plenty of people come back from their gap year or a long holiday thinking they have fallen in love with Asia. But in actual fact a short, three-month jaunt across the continent doesn’t really give you any real connection to the place. Move to another country for an extended period of time, make friends with the locals and become an important member of the community as a teacher and you are sure to have a much more immersive experience and learn more about how other people really live.
4) You will learn a lot about yourself
Uprooting your life and relocating to another country is a big challenge, with cultural and language barriers. Taking the plunge and starting the adventure will help you mature, grow as a person and help you understand more about yourself. Let’s be honest, there might be aspects that you don’t enjoy but even those will teach you something about your personality and the sort of person you can be if/when you go back home.
5) You will learn how to question the status quo
Living and working abroad will help you understand that nothing is set in stone. What you take for granted in your native land is all culturally relative. Anything from table manners and greetings to celebrations and expressing emotion can be completely different depending on what country you are in. You should not assume anything. By understanding the cultural and social behaviours that you display it will help you to mature. You may well pick up some tips that you think ought to be applied back at home too. If you are considering relocating and teaching abroad there are plenty of options to choose from and if you are unqualified TEFL is a great place to start. To learn more about what it is like to teach abroad – and how to ensure you have a successful experience – this article from www.goabroad.com is a great place to start.
Source: pommietravels.com