Tips for Dealing With Culture Shock

Updated 19 February 2012

The best thing to do is to be aware of culture shock and how to deal with it. If you’re prepared for what to expect it will make overcoming culture shock much easier. Having pictures from home, talking to people in your native language, talking a walk in the park, or even sleeping can all help with culture shock. Overseas-Exile has some interesting statistics about expats who leave foreign countries before their contracts are up. It seems like the more different that culture is from yours, the more likely you are to leave.

Learning the language is probably one of the most important steps you can take to getting accustomed to your host country. If people speak English where you work, you’ll probably face less problems. You will still have to deal with cultural issues, such as greetings, time, personal space, or dealing with co-workers and management.

Paperwork is often less organised in other countries. If you have to get a work visa, be prepared to run around to lots of different places to get notarisations, legalisations, and translations. You’ll have to be a patient person to deal with all this paper pushing, though it may help to think that all this paperwork allows someone to feed their family. Be patient, smile, and bring something to do to pass the time. If you’re nice to those who are helping you, they’ll be nice to you and more likely to help you out.

From bucultureshock.com

You can, change the way you dress, act and speak. Tank tops, shorts, flip-flops, cargo pants, swishy pants, tennis shoes, hats, and sunglasses might not be the best things to wear in some countries. The way you act is also important.

Don’t try to call attention to yourself. If you don’t speak the language of the host country, that’s fine, but try to make an effort to at least learn the basics. If you have to speak English, don’t shout or speak to people like they’re stupid. Use simple words and gestures. You can red more about fitting in at respectful travel.

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How to Teach Large Classes

Updated 17 February 2012

Go online. You can find lots of material for lesson plans online. There are also books with tips on how to teach large classes.

Have the students make the rules. When they do this they feel that they are more fair than those the teacher makes.

Give instructions clearly and check comprehension. Most students would rather just nod and say that they understand than ask for clarification. If you do comp checks you can ensure that they really understand what was said.

Dictations. Try playing a listening at twice its normal speed, than have students work together to piece the listening together.

Create power points. Writing on the board is time consuming so use technology.

Use drawings. Drawings can make a class fun and are worth 1000 words. Often the ugliest drawings get the best reactions.

Bring realia. Showing real objects help.

Use what students say. The next time your students are doing a speaking activity take notes on what they say.

Activity notebooks. Everyone works at different speeds. Rather than just having them sit and do nothing give them something to do. Give them worksheets that they can do when they finish or put a folder in the back of the room with things to do in it.

Why language learning is important. Discuss why English is important.

Move away from students. When a student speaks softly the biggest mistake that you can make is moving closer to them. Move away from them so that they have to project their voice.

Adapt material. It’s hard to use everything from the book so change some of the material so that it better suits your students.

Have sequential material. Have different questions according to the level so that all students can feel challenged.

Use students to help. Students can pass out papers and even help explain exercises and grammar to their peers.

Have them write goals. If they see what they’re working for, they will able to see progress.

Routines. They make students comfortable and will lessen the need for explanations.

Teach them to be respectful. They have to realize that they need to take turns speaking and listening to other ideas.

One paper per group. Save trees and teach students to work in groups. By sharing papers, they will be forced to work together.

Work on editing. By having students read each other’s work, they will recognize mistakes and explain why they are wrong.

Have assigned groups. Change it up every once in a while so that people get the chance to work with other people.

Group students. Creating smaller groups allows students the chance to speak and practise their English.

Walk around. Don’t just stand in front of the class and lecture. Moving around and you can help students when needed.

Create activity corners. Think of a couple of activities that students can do on their own or with a small group. Put these activities in different places around the room.


Try discussions. Break students up and give them a topic to discuss. You can either walk around and listen and correct what they have to say, or have them present their ideas in front of the class, or do both.

Get to know the students. Yes, it’s difficult to memorise everyone’s names, but it makes things a lot easier and lets the students know that you take the time to get to know them. If names are hard for you, try a seating chart, or name tags.

Make yourself available. Let your students know that they can meet you at certain times on certain days in order to ask you questions about what was taught in class.

Ask for feedback. Surveys can do wonders for your teaching. Students have valuable suggestions on how you can make your class a better learning environment.

Make comments. Try to write some comments on each student's paper even if it’s just to say good job.

Change things up. Movies, songs, drama, role plays, and debates are great activities for large classes.

Call on everyone. Don’t just call on the people in the front or those with their hands up. Call on those in the back as well.

Projects. Have students do a project or two where they have to work in groups. Not only will they get the chance to meet other people, but they will also learn valuable group working skills.

Provide an outline or syllabus. Let students know what will be discussed in each class with a simple syllabus. For each class write an outline on the board about what will be taught in class.

Be fair. Make sure your rules apply to everyone. Using rubrics work well and let students know how you are grading.

Don’t shout. The students should listen to you while you’re giving instructions.

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Classroom Management and Discipline

Updated 18 June 2013

Be consistent. Don't change throughout the course.

Positive Reinforcement. concentrating on the bad behaviour praise them for their behaviour. Check out the PBIS (positive behaviour interventions and support) website.

Start strict. Most teachers agree that it's easier to get more lenient than become more strict.

Talk loudly and clearly. Students need to be able to hear you if they're going to follow your instructions.

Plan your lessons. Know what you're going to do and what you need. Have fillers necessary as well. 

Play games. Tell students that if they behave you'll play a game at the end of class.

Be clear. Give instructions that they can understand. Write them down if necessary.

Be nice and respectful. You don't have to be mean.

Provide things to do. Not all students work at the same pace. Students get out of hand because they have nothing to do. Keep a couple of extra exercises or games for them to do when they finish. If they're busy, they're less likely to make trouble.

Don't shout. There's probably no way that you can be heard when many students are talking and you're just adding to the noise. Try clapping your hands or ringing a bell to get their attention.

Change the room layout. Separate students if necessary or give them assigned seats. 

Keep your promises. If you say that you'll play a game, play one. If you say that a student will be punished you'll have to follow through on that.

Learn more. If you're looking for online courses, check out Leadership in ELT offered by International House.

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What's the Best Country to Teach English In?

Updated 28 November 2014

General Tips

• More and more places want you to have a TEFL cert. You can now do them online CCELT is a 100-hour online TEFL certificate.The University of Toronto has 100, 120, and 150 hour options.
• Dave's ESL Cafe has a list of questions to consider before choosing a country. 
• Some people learn the language or advance their career prospectives.
• International TEFL Academy has a world index and country chart comparison. 
• Trip Base has a list of the top 10 countries to teach English in.

1. MONEY MATTERS
Before I even start to talk about salaries you need to know about budgeting, supplementing your teaching salary, and what your debt really costs you. The second thing that you have to know is the exchange rate. XE, Yahoo Finance, Onda Fx History, and the Bank of Canada are good places to check. Don't forget about the cost of living. If you have a job in Korea that pays $1333 and a job in China that pays $1000, China might be the better option, because of the cost of living.


2. BUILDING A NEST EGG
If you're looking to save money while teaching English abroad head towards Africa, Brunei, Hong Kong, Korea, and the Middle East. If you're a newbie, Korea is the easiest country to get a good paying job with great benefits.

There are a couple of countries in Africa (such as Libya, Chad, and Equatorial Guinea) that offer positions teaching for oil companies. Salaries usually start at £2500, but often they only accept people from the UK or Ireland and some of them only accept men. TEFL.com is a good place to look for these jobs.


Brunei is a little known secret among TEFLers though they generally don't hire American. They have strict requirements for its teachers. You'll need to be a licensed teacher in your home country and have 3 years teaching experience in primary or secondary schools. American teachers usually aren't welcome though. You can make between $37,000 and $57,000 a year. Salaries aren't taxed and you get great benefits such as furnished / subsidized housing, insurance, interest-free car loans, a settling-in allowance, and allowances for your spouse/children. CfBT (not open to Americans) and Teach Away recruit for Brunei. They also have an online TEFL cert from the University of Toronto.

Hong Kong may be a more difficult market to get into. The NET Scheme (Native English Teacher) is the best since you can make from $3000 to $6500 a month.You will need experience and to interview in person. Interviews are often in HK, Canada, and a couple other countries. Start up and living costs are high though. Teach Away recruits for NET. They also have a TEFL cert from the University of Toronto.

In Korea housing and flights are paid for, taxes are low, there's a one month severance allowance, and you'll get your pension back at the end. All in all most people make about $28K a year and are often able to save about half. You'll need a federal criminal background check (CBC) from your home country and if you have a record you might not be able to get a visa. Most people end up at a hagwon (institute) or a public school. Public schools recruit through EPIK, GEPIK, SMOE, TALK, or GNUCR. If you've got teaching experience then you might be able to teach at a university. Joe Seoul Man has a comprehensive list of universities in Korea.

The Middle East has tax free salaries ranging from $30 to $96K usd a year plus benefits such as yearly bonuses, furnished housing, paid utilities, flights, medical, dental, schooling for your children, a car, allowances for petrol, shipping, and storage. You'll need a couple years of teaching experience as well as a masters degree, preferably in TEFL. Keep in mind that life in the Middle East comes with limitations such as needing special permission to leave the country and alcohol limitations. Saudi Arabia is at the top as far as money's concerned. You can read more about teaching in the Middle East in this ELT article. Good employers are Amideast, YCMES, YALI, Aramaco, and the British Council. Universities are also very good to work for. Don't use recruiters though if you can help it. Apply directly to the university. Direct-hires get more benefits. The one exception is Oman since all the universities use recruiters such as the Ministry of Manpower.If you go there, make sure you get your stop-over at a hotel. You can find more info at Dave's ESL Cafe.

3. LIVING IN PARADISE
If you're looking for a laid-back atmosphere, try Argentina, Malaysia, Mexico, or Thailand. Malaysia is easy to get a work visa for and Argentina is very difficult. Mexico and Thailand are somewhere in between. Second and third world countries may also be very good to teach in since the cost of living is so low.

Argentina has more of a European feel to it than Mexico, but the Latin American mindset still goes strong. Read more about teaching in Latin America in FAQ about Latin America here. You can find free lists of schools at The LA Job List. You can earn about $700 to $1000 a month.

Malaysia is a melting pot of many religions and cultures. Although it's in SE Asia, it's not a third world country so that means that cost of living is higher than what you would pay in Thailand or Vietnam. You should be able to earn about $1500 a month.

Since Mexico is part of Latin America you'll be treated to two-hour lunch breaks and siestas. The language is considerably easier to learn than Asian languages. You can read more about teaching in Mexico in FAQ about Latin America here and find lists of schools at The LA Job List. You can earn about $700 to $1000 a month.

Thailand has great weather year round and lots of beaches. It's also a top tourist destination, so you'll find many of the amenities there that you will find at home. You can earn about $1000 to $1500 a month.

4. MONEY + THE GOOD LIFE
Different people think different places are good for money. Here's a post about best paying countries.

Asia's the place to go to get the best of both worlds: decent money plus a good lifestyle. People are often able to save a bit and still be able to afford travelling a little.


China has a low cost of living so if you can get 8000 - 10,000 RMB a month you should be ok. It is a popular country with expats so you can find all the amenities you need. Contrary to fact, there are places in China that pay well. Here's a list of good schools in China. Sino-British consortiums like NCUK or XJTLU and Sino-American consortiums like Fort Hays or Houston Community College often pay well. You'll often need a couple years of teaching experience plus a diploma or masters to get these jobs. IELTS testing with the British Council can also bring in some extra cash. Job openings are often placed on Dave's ESL Cafe. Here's an advert for IELTS examiners.

Japan has high salaries and a high cost of living. Typical starting salaries are about 250,000 yen a month and you may not get free housing. Due to key money (the deposit you put down on an apartment) start-up costs are high. One of the biggest benefits of working in Japan is that you own your visa. You can also work legally without a degree or get a working holiday visa.

Taiwan tends to pay more than China but less than Korea. Taiwan has high start up cost as well but most people are able to earn at least $2000 a month. The year-long hot weather is another perk to living in Taiwan. The ultimate guide to teaching in Taiwan has more info about teaching in Taiwan.

Vietnam has a lot cost of living and most people are able to make between $1500 and $3000 usd a month. Language Link, ILA, Apollo, and RMIT have decent paying jobs. Typical benefits include a relocation allowance, health insurance, a contract completion bonus, and re-signing bonus. There are lots of jobs out there for people who want to teach VYL. Try checking out New Hanoian or email teflersanonymous@yahoo.com

5. EUROPE
Europe has beautiful architecture and a fascinating history. Pay seems to hover around $900 to $1500 a month. Getting a visa in the new EU (Central and Eastern Europe) is much easier than trying to get one in the old EU (Western Europe). Europe for non-EU passport holders is a good place to start looking for info. Salaries might not be very good compared to the cost of living, but you will make enough to live on. The good thing about Europe is that a trip to another country is only a short train ride away.

If you can get into an international school, you'll be paid much more. Switzerland, for example, requires teachers to pay for most things, such as flights, accommodations, health insurance and taxes, but the salaries are so high (starting around $80,000) that people have reported being able to save half that a year. See ISR for more info about salaries.

If you're interested in teaching in Europe, do a little family background research as you may qualify for a passport. Italy and Ireland are the easiest countries to get a passport from. I've been trying to get Romanian citizenship since 1999.

There are tons of programmes that can help you get a visa to work in Europe legally such as Geovisions. You might also be able to go to Europe for a bit as a camp counselor. To learn more about specific countries in Europe read this article at ELT World.

6. INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
If you have a teaching license and a couple years of experience then money and visas won't be an issue for you. The majority of international schools will pay about the same as schools in your home country, but you often get better benefits if you work abroad at an international school. You can learn more a by reading teaching in international schools.

Ready to Take the Leap?
If teaching abroad sounds like something you'd like to do then start by reading these articles.

• 30 Days to Move Abroad
• Writing a Teaching Cover Letter
• Writing a Teaching CV
• Job Sites

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How to Supplement Your Salary Offline

From livingthai.org

Updated: 16 June 2014

While many people who come to Peru end up teaching English, there are lots of other things that you can do.

Many foreigners have set up businesses overseas. There are foreign owned language schools, bookstores, bars, and everything in between. Below are ways you can make money off line. Business Ideas dot net also has a lot of ideas. If you're going to offer products and services you usually have two choices: sell other people's stuff (and get a commission or buy wholesale and sell resale) or sell your own stuff. 

Some do it legally and others work under the table. Some countries make it super easy to start a business, others have a high investment requirement and lots of paperwork, which is why people work under the table. Chances of getting caught are often slim though. If you're looking to make money online, check out the article I wrote about making money online.


Art: Sell what you create or teach classes. Check out what Anajali does.

Babysitting Service: Charge a monthly fee, annual fee, and / or a booking fee in addition to an hourly fee.

Baby Stuff: People are always having babies!

Bake: People love homemade goodies.

Bar: There's no doubt that English teachers like to drink. If you're going to set up a bar, you'll have to go the legal route though. Look at what Old Pub and Wolfhound have done. 

Beauty: Hairstyles, makeup, and more

Bookstore: There's always a demand for English books. Look at what Confederate Bookstore and What the Book have done.

Childbirth Educator: People are always having babies and you can help them learn about the options available to them. Look at what Tender Embrace Birthing does.

Children's Classes: Music, dance, crafts, are all great activities for kids.

Clothing: You can cater to kids or adults.

Cook: People always miss food. If you can cook you could try catering or even shipping ready to made meals. Look at what 6th Floor Cafe does.

Cooking classes: Teach people how to make the local dishes. Look at O'ngo.

Course Book Writer / Materials Writer: You can try to approach big name publishers (like Longman, Oxford, Cambridge, or MacMillan), local publishers, or chains.

Crafts: You could sell items you've made or teach people how to make things.

Dance: Teach dance classes.

Doula: Doulas have been proven to help women in labour. More and more families are hiring them.

Ebook: Write an ebook, You can even set up an affiliate scheme.

Editing / Proof-reading: Although getting a position at Oxford or Cambridge University Press might be difficult there are plenty of local publishers that would welcome a native speaker to help them out.

EFL / ESL Examiner: IELTS or Cambridge examiner. Recruitment information packs for applicants can be downloaded from the British Council and the Cambridge website.

Exam Writer: Someone's got to write the exam questions, so it might as well be you. Cambridge, IELTS, Michigan, and TOEFL are the big exams, so try contacting them for more info.

Facebook: Creating fan pages or writing content for them is possible if you're good with words.

Food: Sell items that expats want, like cereal, cheese, or chocolate. Look at what High Street Market and Fat Bag do. You could also export local foods like Afex Peru does.

Foreign exchanges: Help foreign students who come over to study. Check out what CCCAsia does.

Foreign goods: Although iherb is pretty reasonable, you could sell other items, cosmetics, clothes, shoes, etc.

Group classes: They could be in your home or you could rent out a small office.

Homestays: People who host students in their homes can be paid pretty well. You will probably also have to cook for them and may have to do their laundry.

Hostel: Open up a hostel. Look at Hostel Trail in Ecuador.

Interior Decorating: From giving advice about major revamps to the little details.


Language Institute: You could open up an English institute or better yet, open up one that teaches the local language to foreigners. Look at what El SOL does.

Magazine: Start an English magazine.

Newspaper: Start an English newspaper.

Organise classes: Find a teacher and a venue and organise a class. Charge people a registration fee for your services. Some people have organised CPR and first aid classes and charged $20 for the registration fee which is in addition to the teacher's and venue's fees.

Photographer: Many people want a professional photographer to capture moments such as an engagement, wedding, birth, or their children.

Private Students: Try to find a niche, whether it be teaching kids, Business English, exam prep, etc. Look here to find out how to teach private students

Property, see rental income.

Recruit Teachers: Check the local laws and immigration requirements. Your best bet might be setting up a business back in your home country. You'll have to establish contacts and might have to make guarantees (recruiters often promise to replace a teacher for free if they leave within six months). Most recruiters can earn up to one month of the teacher's salary for each teacher they place.

Rental Income: Houses in other countries may be cheaper than at home.Put the full downpayment on a property, keep it mortgaged, and use an agent to manage it. Buy a couple properties since it's better to have 4 properties with the tax advantages and rise in value than tying all your capital up in one property that just generates rent with no expenses to offset the income. Dmocha from Dave's ESL Cafe says that you may be able to get tax breaks for property as far as interest, improvements, and agent's fees go. Look at what Apartment Club Peru does.

Sell stuff: Buy low, sell high.

Sports: You can teach classes, such as yoga.

Subbing: Contact schools and ask to be put on their sub list.

Teacher: Teach other subjects like martial arts, visual arts, drama, sports, yoga, meditation, photography, childbirth education, or school subjects. The possibilities are limitless.

Teacher Training: If you've got the quals and experience try contacting intensive TEFL course providers. Some may have weekend courses or may need trainers during the breaks. Check out what Kagan Korea does.

Toiletries: Natural soaps, butters, and oils are in high demand.

Tour Guide: Being an English tour guide is a good way to earn extra money during the high season. You can give tours when you have time. You can have set prices or do free tours with donations like Guided Bucharest.

Translating: Contact local businesses and offer your services or put an advert up on Craigslist. Here's a list of where to advertise your translation services.

Traveling with students: Organise trips for students. They can be daytrips to local places or even longer trips overseas. If you get enough students together, you could take them back to your home country for a vacation where they could study and learn about the culture first-hand.

Workshops: Lots of publishers offer training sessions so contact publishers and ask if they can put you on their list.

Writer: Write a book or article, online or in print. Also published in . . .
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