Choosing a destination: Part II

When does the school year start?

In addition to varying health and safety issues, different countries have different academic schedules that may affect your plans. While some schools offer jobs year-round, others only hire in the months just before the school year.

According to Griffith, “employers normally choose their staff several months before they are needed, so most schools advertise between April and July for jobs starting in September” (88).

To find out when school starts in your country of interest, I would recommend simply searching “academic school year (insert country name here).” When I typed the above and inserted Argentina, I immediately found the American Youth Abroad website, which lists start and end dates for a number of countries. The Argentinian school year, for example, goes from February through December, and the Ecuadorian school year goes from August through July.

Considering that I am looking to start a job in August or September, that might indicate to me that Ecuador is a better bet—provided of course that it meets my other criteria.

Certification required?

Different countries will also have varying certification requirements, often based on the need within that particular region. So, before you invest in a $2,000 TEFL certification program, find out whether or not it is necessary. I plan to address issues of certification further in a later blog.

Standard of Living and Currency Stability

It’s a good idea to investigate standard of living and currency stability online, because the Internet can keep up with the rapidly changing socioeconomic scenes that affect some countries.

Since I’m interested in learning about Latin America, I signed up for a trial subscription to Latin America Monitor, which provides "succinct country-by-country analyses" of the current business environment, economy, and risks within the region.

It's a service offered by Business Monitor International, which also provides reports on Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It's very expensive for a paid subscription, but the 3-month trial version is plenty for someone like you or me who simply wants an up-to-date overview.

One thing I find frustrating is that the Monitor breaks Latin America up into 6 regions, but only allows you to access information on 1 of the 6. I assume that it does the same for the other regions. So, if you haven't narrowed your area of interest down that much yet, it won't give you everything you need to decide. Also, the articles have definitely been written in "business-speak," so be prepared for references to BMI and CPI and lots of other terms that I left behind in Econ 101.

Testimonials

To avoid such stiff and incomprehensible reports on your country or region, testimonials from former or current teachers abroad are priceless. They add a personal dimension to your research and are actually enjoyable to read.

I find that TransitionsAbroad.com is an invaluable resource for country specific testimonials. I navigated to the Latin America page, written by the much referenced Susan Griffith, and found articles on teaching English in:

• Mexico
  
• Costa Rica
  
• Ecuador
  
• Chile
  
• Colombia
  
• Panama
  
• Brazil
  
• Paraguay,
  
• And more!
  

There are similar websites from Transitions Abroad for teaching in Asia, Europe, and just about any location you can imagine. Many of these testimonials cover living conditions, challenges and risks in a much more interesting and understandable way than an expensive business report.

Last, but certainly not least, Susan Griffith's Teaching English Abroad offers a country-by-country guide with information on cultural issues, school year start and end dates, living conditions and language schools within a number of countries. I definitely recommend this source if you're looking for a comprehensive overview of your intended destination. However, I believe the Internet is best for retrieving up-to-date information on current events, safety issues, and things like standard of living and currency stability that can change frequently in regions with less stable economies.

Print Sources

Griffith, Susan. Teaching English Abroad: Teach Your Way Around the World. 8th Edition. Oxford: Vacation Work, 2006.