Putting It All Together
Before you start applying for jobs overseas as a new teacher of English as a foreign language, you need to make sure you have everything you need ready, so you’ll be able to field requests for interviews and job offers with ease.
Here’s what you need:
A Passport
This is the number one, gold-star, most important thing you need before you even look for a job overseas. No employer will take your interest in working overseas seriously if you don’t have a passport. Plan this in advance as it may take a few weeks to get a new passport processed. Many job applications require you to send in a photocopy of your passport along with your resume, so get this done first!
Now, some people, especially people who have traveled abroad before and know how vital a passport is, may get cold feet about sending their passport details around to strangers. They worry about identity theft or that some other kind of scam will result. However, the risk of having your passport details stolen is very slim (passports are hard to counterfeit), and you’ll not be taken seriously by employers if you don’t provide this. It’s a calculated risk, but really, not much of a risk at all.
Passport-Style Photos That Make You Look Employable
For travel purposes it doesn’t matter if your passport photo makes you look like a hobo living under a bridge. It just has to look enough like you that the immigration officers are satisfied. But, you’re going to need lots of small photos for your job application paperwork, your visa paperwork, your work permit, and for many other uses as well, like staff ID cards and embedding it on your resume (you know to do that, right?), maybe a driver’s license. You could try your luck with a pro photographer, or get a friend to try their hand at making you look professional. However, the cheapest, easiest way to get these photos is to put on a nice collared shirt or dess blouse, comb your hair, put on a big smile and go get some passport-sized photos done. Be prepared to get lots more of these made throughout your career in EFL. Ideally, wear your “Sunday Best” outfit. Shirt, tie, jacket for men. Professional suit or similar for women.
A Well-Thought-Out Resume
Your resume for TEFL (also called a CV in many parts of the world) should highlight your skills and personality. Even if you’ve never taught English before, you probably have transferable skills from previous jobs or volunteer positions. Take a look at our post on how to write a great TEFL resume.
Certified or Real Copies of Your Diplomas and Certifications
Merely listing your qualifications on your resume will probably not be enough for the hiring process overseas. Even though your employer couldn’t give two hoots whether you went to a community college or an Ivy League university, unfortunately the government agency handing out working papers may want tangible proof of either. This will depend largely on the country that you work in, so do your homework on what’s required and follow your potential employer’s requests to the letter. In some countries; Japan and Korea, for example, you’ll need hard, true copies of your four-year university diploma. Other places just need a photocopy or a scanned, digital file. Here’s a good tip – things sometimes get lost overseas, or in a bureaucrat’s office, so you won’t want to take your only, original diploma. Instead, contact your alma mater, pay their fee, and get a “true” copy (a new “original”) sent to you before you start seeking jobs overseas. Also, have photocopies in black and white and in color, and a keep a scanned copy on your computer or saved in your email. The same thing goes for any other important educational certificates and your TEFL certificate.
An Email Address that Sounds Vaguely Professional or Neutral
Most job queries for TEFL jobs are done via email. So it’s important that your email address be one that’s easy to understand for non-native English speakers (as your employer will likely be). YourName@Whatever.com is a good one; KitTiKat785Cute@Whatever.com is not.
Additionally, it’s good to have:
A Skype Account
Other VOIP services are also good, but Skype seems to be the most widely used around the world. It’s best to have an account ready in case a prospective employer wants to give you an interview.
Letters of Recommendation
I’d say that most employers abroad aren’t going to pay much attention to your letters of recommendation, unless they’re from previous TEFL employers. However, they can’t hurt.
The Contact Information for a Doctor or Clinic to Give You A Check Up
Some countries (China in particular) will want you to get a doctor’s sign-off saying that you’re in good health and fit to teach before they’ll issue the paperwork you need to get your working visa. This can be expensive, so I’d say to wait until you have a firm job offer before actually getting the check-up, but doing your research ahead of time will save you from scrambling to find a suitable physician or clinic while your new boss waits.
A Video Demonstration
It’s easy and quick to make a short video of yourself teaching a mock lesson to “students” or at least introducing yourself to the camera. You can post this on YouTube or another service and provide a link in your cover emails. While of course this video won’t be an accurate depiction of a classroom experience—unless you can co-opt ten English learners to help you make it, it will let prospective employers hear what your spoken English sounds like and illustrate that you’re a hard-working, go-get-it kind of person.
A System For Recording Job Applications
Applying for jobs overseas isn’t the same as applying for ones in your hometown. Unless you move to the country first and then look for work, which I actually recommend in many circumstances, you may be spreading your net looking for work over several different nations. After the first five or so applications it can be difficult to remember where you’ve applied, and which school is in which country. Was “English Hope” in Spain or Turkey? What about “A+ English?” A spreadsheet showing the name and location of the school, the email address or other contact information you used to submit the application, and the documents you submitted will help you not only for this job application, but in the future when you’re looking for your next TEFL job.
Tip #1: If you don’t supply your passport details and other pertinent information asked for in the application, schools are unlikely to offer you a job. How else do they know if you’re really serious about applying?
Tip #2: Even after you’ve secured employment, keep all these documents handy, especially the scanned copies. They will be useful time and again throughout your career overseas.
