I guess it all depends on where you want to teach; some places have very high standards (like Japan), but you might find an opening there.

If you want the most flexibility, you’ll want a CELTA or Trinity TESOL — they’re the highest recognised ones. All the other courses seem to fight it out amongst themselves.

I know one of our TEFL affiliate partners has a promotion running until 31 August, so that might be worth checking out. Nomadic Matt also wrote an ebook on teaching English overseas; he might have some other ideas for you.

Thank you for posting this great article and podcast, I found it to be immensely helpful. I am currently looking into taking a TESOL course; however, I am located in Los Angeles and there doesn’t appear to be any TESOL centers in my area. The closest center is in San Francisco. I saw online (http://www.tesolonline.com/courses/140-hour-dvd-course.php) that there is a 140hour TESOL certificate course with a tutor. My question is, do you what the difference is between earning a TESOL certification from the online course versus earning the TESOL certification from the on-site course could effect me in terms of job opportunity? In your experienced opinion, do you think I would be able to find competitive work all over the world with a 140 hour online TESOL course certification? Any tips/advice would be most appreciated Thanks!

On the other hand, we have a few qualified friends from places like Germany and Austria — people who are more qualified than us — and struggle to find teaching work. Good luck!

Although I’ve seen lots of ads online, I have never taught in a University — contracts are too long for me. I don’t know what the pay is like, but it seems that you have to be above a DOS to start earning real money; and at that point you’re quite far away from the students/course delivery.

So, keep up with it, I’d say. I keep feeling tempted to do one; but I also want to keep teaching as a way to fund travelling, rather than having to sign long contracts which keep me in one place. Then again, if we “settle down” for a few years I’d consider it. Good luck with your studies!

Have you met instructors or school administrators who have a MA in TESOL? Or bumped into anyone with a MA in TESOL in the expat communities where you’ve traveled? I’m very curious to hear how they actually fair and if it’s worth any more weight in the job market than CELTA certification.

Thanks so much for Indie Travel!

The place we did our qualification has closed down. I’ll email a DOS I know in Auckland and forward her response on to you.

Not having a degree won’t stop you getting jobs in many countries if you have a good teaching certification. I think it’s compulsory in Japan though. You’d be best to have a look at the job boards to see what people are asking for in the countries you want to travel in.

We managed to pay off our student loans before coming away. If it’s a matter of delaying your trip a year or so I can’t recommend that enough. We’ve had limited success in sending money back through the mainstream banks: transactions take up to two weeks and fees work out to around NZ$80-100 each time. Of course, the bank’s margin on the exchange rate is also disgusting. Next time we’re going to try moneygram, western union or some convoluted paypal trick.