I love learning. I love education. I love teachers. My mom was a teacher. I volunteer at a local high school where I provide a professional perspective to students. I think about becoming a teacher when I’m 55. I’d like to make a career change to a profession that has a lasting impact on youth. Despite all these positives…
I have a negative view on teaching internationally.
International teaching is a calling for those who haven’t found any meaning in their life and despite having no meaning in their life, they want to make an impression on youths in foreign countries. Anytime I met someone who said they were a teacher, the next question was always “no, what do you really do?” On average, one out of twenty times did someone reply, “no, I really am a teacher.”
Many people finding international employment tend to work as teachers. It’s an in-demand job with a pipeline and infrastructure that allows recent college graduates to continue living a fantasy life without responsibilities or purpose. These jobs fall outside the umbrella of being a teaching professional. It’s not to say there aren’t professional international teachers—there are phenomenal schools around the world that hire the best teachers available. Those teacher’s priority is teaching and when I bumped into those professional teachers during my travels, it was never in a hostel.
I never considered the part-time teaching gig. I think if you are going to be educating individuals, that should be your priority, not what road trip you’ll be taking next weekend. I did not want to pivot to a new career, then return to the U.S. and restart my finance career. I felt confident explaining my decision to travel around the world and the corresponding goals. I would not have believed my own story, if after teaching for two years, I returned to the U.S. and decided to focus on corporate finance again. I wouldn’t have been honest with the students about my reason for teaching or the company with which I was seeking employment.
Since I did not teach, I do not have any definitive or authoritative advice on the subject. From the people I met who were teachers, I know it’s easy to find a teaching position. There are plenty of resources that provide details on how to teach internationally, often country specific, whether you are looking for employment for six months or six years. Some teaching resources are blog entries on travel websites which cracks the façade of the “I’m a teacher” statement. The teaching jobs pay enough to live comfortably and leave remaining funds for weekend travel. The profession doesn’t pay enough to save money and face the reality of obtaining a mortgage when/if you return to the U.S.
The teach during the week and travel on the weekends is not all positive. The employing school district knows you need them more than they need you. I spent six months in a Hong Kong hostel and every month a new person came through who was having issues working as a teacher in China. Their visas weren’t coming through. Their salary payments weren’t coming through. When you are conducting your teaching research, read the horror stories too.
If you are serious about making an impact on a local’s life, there are alternatives to teaching that I believe are more rewarding. One alternative to teaching is volunteering for a cause. For all the teachers I met during my travels, I don’t recall meeting anyone who was volunteering long term. Years before I traveled around the world, I planned a trip that focused on volunteering efforts. The opportunities are easy to find but the experiences are hit or miss. The salary component is trickier than teaching (because you are volunteering) and in many cases the charity will only provide housing. Some charities go further and charge you to work and live at their facilities. Don’t expect volunteering to pay for your travels.
A third option to make an impact is to join someone already doing something great, someone who is already making a positive impact. During my travels I continuously met people who were fulfilling their calling in life. They found their passion and the rest of the world was better off. If you are in Luang Prabang and heading to Kuang Si Falls, on the right-hand side of the road before reaching the Falls parking lot is a butterfly and orchid conservatory. The guy running the place is obsessed with butterflies and orchids. His enthusiasm was so contagious that I considered working for him. Job opening or not I would have enjoyed spending a week with him and seeing the world from the perspective of someone who’s reached the peak of their personal Mt. Everest. This guy wouldn’t change places with anyone else in the world. If I ever travel around the world again, I’ll build in buffer time to work with people and groups who are positive and passionate about life.
One of the groups I’d want to work with is the Mines Advisory Group. On the same day I met the orchid guy I had a motorbike accident and I will always be grateful to the Laotians who helped me out. I’m amazed that between 1964 and 1973, every eight minutes an average of one U.S. B-52 bomb load was dropped on Laos…that the U.S. denied the bombings for over twenty years…that the U.S., to this day, has still not paid more than a couple million dollars for the cleanup…and yet Laotians will stop and help an American. For that assistance, I make a donation every year to the Mines Advisory Group for their mission of removing unexploded ordinance and landmines in Laos.
Each of these options allows you to extend your travel time. I evaluated these options before returning to the U.S. and concluded I could make a bigger impact in the U.S. than internationally. Someday, I’ll join the Mines Advisory Group in Laos.
I have a negative view on teaching internationally.
International teaching is a calling for those who haven’t found any meaning in their life and despite having no meaning in their life, they want to make an impression on youths in foreign countries. Anytime I met someone who said they were a teacher, the next question was always “no, what do you really do?” On average, one out of twenty times did someone reply, “no, I really am a teacher.”
Many people finding international employment tend to work as teachers. It’s an in-demand job with a pipeline and infrastructure that allows recent college graduates to continue living a fantasy life without responsibilities or purpose. These jobs fall outside the umbrella of being a teaching professional. It’s not to say there aren’t professional international teachers—there are phenomenal schools around the world that hire the best teachers available. Those teacher’s priority is teaching and when I bumped into those professional teachers during my travels, it was never in a hostel.
I never considered the part-time teaching gig. I think if you are going to be educating individuals, that should be your priority, not what road trip you’ll be taking next weekend. I did not want to pivot to a new career, then return to the U.S. and restart my finance career. I felt confident explaining my decision to travel around the world and the corresponding goals. I would not have believed my own story, if after teaching for two years, I returned to the U.S. and decided to focus on corporate finance again. I wouldn’t have been honest with the students about my reason for teaching or the company with which I was seeking employment.
Since I did not teach, I do not have any definitive or authoritative advice on the subject. From the people I met who were teachers, I know it’s easy to find a teaching position. There are plenty of resources that provide details on how to teach internationally, often country specific, whether you are looking for employment for six months or six years. Some teaching resources are blog entries on travel websites which cracks the façade of the “I’m a teacher” statement. The teaching jobs pay enough to live comfortably and leave remaining funds for weekend travel. The profession doesn’t pay enough to save money and face the reality of obtaining a mortgage when/if you return to the U.S.
The teach during the week and travel on the weekends is not all positive. The employing school district knows you need them more than they need you. I spent six months in a Hong Kong hostel and every month a new person came through who was having issues working as a teacher in China. Their visas weren’t coming through. Their salary payments weren’t coming through. When you are conducting your teaching research, read the horror stories too.
If you are serious about making an impact on a local’s life, there are alternatives to teaching that I believe are more rewarding. One alternative to teaching is volunteering for a cause. For all the teachers I met during my travels, I don’t recall meeting anyone who was volunteering long term. Years before I traveled around the world, I planned a trip that focused on volunteering efforts. The opportunities are easy to find but the experiences are hit or miss. The salary component is trickier than teaching (because you are volunteering) and in many cases the charity will only provide housing. Some charities go further and charge you to work and live at their facilities. Don’t expect volunteering to pay for your travels.
A third option to make an impact is to join someone already doing something great, someone who is already making a positive impact. During my travels I continuously met people who were fulfilling their calling in life. They found their passion and the rest of the world was better off. If you are in Luang Prabang and heading to Kuang Si Falls, on the right-hand side of the road before reaching the Falls parking lot is a butterfly and orchid conservatory. The guy running the place is obsessed with butterflies and orchids. His enthusiasm was so contagious that I considered working for him. Job opening or not I would have enjoyed spending a week with him and seeing the world from the perspective of someone who’s reached the peak of their personal Mt. Everest. This guy wouldn’t change places with anyone else in the world. If I ever travel around the world again, I’ll build in buffer time to work with people and groups who are positive and passionate about life.
One of the groups I’d want to work with is the Mines Advisory Group. On the same day I met the orchid guy I had a motorbike accident and I will always be grateful to the Laotians who helped me out. I’m amazed that between 1964 and 1973, every eight minutes an average of one U.S. B-52 bomb load was dropped on Laos…that the U.S. denied the bombings for over twenty years…that the U.S., to this day, has still not paid more than a couple million dollars for the cleanup…and yet Laotians will stop and help an American. For that assistance, I make a donation every year to the Mines Advisory Group for their mission of removing unexploded ordinance and landmines in Laos.
Each of these options allows you to extend your travel time. I evaluated these options before returning to the U.S. and concluded I could make a bigger impact in the U.S. than internationally. Someday, I’ll join the Mines Advisory Group in Laos.