Teach Abroad

Study abroad students have so many opportunities once they return from their experience abroad, and many students who have left reviews on our site have let us know that they want to continue pursuing international opportunities! One of the best ways to go abroad again, or even for the first time, is by teaching English abroad! That being said, we are thrilled to announce that Abroad101 will now be offering more resources on teaching abroad thanks to our first teach abroad sponsor, BridgeAbroad, who has graciously provided FIVE $2000 teach abroad certification scholarships that we will be offering participants to earn through an essay competition on our site!

Once upon a time, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) was considered a pathway for people that lacked clear ambition or weren’t ready for the responsibilities of a full-time career.  However, due to an incredible increase in demand worldwide for knowledge of English over the past couple of decades, the face of English language learning and teaching has shifted dramatically.  It’s believed that there are now more people studying English as a Foreign Language (EFL; if you’ve ever wondered about all of these acronyms, be sure to check out the Alphabet Soup of TEFL) than there are native-English speakers, and these learners are often pursuing English for professional or academic reasons.  In the United States, public schools across the country saw enrollments of English language learners increase from 3.5 million to 5.3 million over the span of 1997 – 2009, according to a study released in 2011 by the National Clearinghouse for English Acquisition.  It has been estimated that over a BILLION people across the globe are currently learning English! That means there are TONS of jobs available in exciting locations all over the world!

TEFL as an industry has progressed tremendously in recent years, and some of the more recent developments is the option to participate in TEFL as a study abroad experience or as a way to gain international experience in the Education field.  There are several TEFL certification options that currently exist, but the most common can be divided into two camps:  certifications completed online, and certifications completed in a traditional classroom setting over the course of four weeks.  Onsite certifications are the most rigorous, but also the most thorough.  In recent years, some education abroad providers have combined a TEFL training course in a foreign country with language skills and a host-family stay.  Depending on the TEFL provider and the home university, college credit can be issued for such an experience, and you don’t necessarily have to be an Education major to take advantage of the benefits after graduation!

If you’re still wondering why you should teach abroad, check out the reviews from people who have already been certified to teach abroad!

 

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