Fear Aside, Ladies! Travel And Earn Hefty As An ESL Teacher

2nd August 2022

TEFL teaching has been one of the hottest job markets across the globe where reputed schools hire both native and non-native English speakers to teach English to speakers of other languages. Traveling solo is absolute slaying and there is a popular myth that teaching abroad for women, especially for one who is a single woman is not safe.

Well, moving to a foreign country alone needs a lot of research work and it is definitely not thoroughly safe for anybody. We’re definitely not going to focus on only one gender because accidents and danger does not discriminate against genders. A TEFL certification offers excellent job opportunities across the globe while many offer online ESL teaching facilities by being in the home country.
 

You can choose a TEFL certification program according to your choice or availability. You can get opportunities to work as an English teacher in many countries. Let's talk about the top 5 countries in the world that are safe for a woman to travel solo.
 

1. If you’re a fan of the northern lights and the beautiful fjords of the Scandinavian countries, then Finland is your destination. It is ranked number one in terms of safety by the World Economic Forum in its Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report. Finland is one of the safest countries in Europe to travel alone, and one of the safest countries for women to travel alone!
    
2. One of the underdogs when it comes to natural beauty or metropolitan landscapes, Belgium is a classic European country that offers fascinating TEFL jobs to TEFL-qualified teachers. It ranks tenth in the International Women's Travel Center's list of the best countries for women traveling alone.
    
3. Lord of the Rings fans can definitely opt for New Zealand if you’re planning to travel somewhere that is a blending of adventure and surreal natural beauty. It is the fourth safest country in the world to travel in, according to a survey by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Some reports consider New Zealand to be the safest country for women in the world! It's without a doubt one of the world's safest countries for solo female travelers, and the safest countries to backpack!
    
4. Among other South American countries, Uruguay is having one of the lowest crime rates and that is why women can travel there without a 2nd thought. It is a small country next to Brazil and has charming picturesque beauty.
    
5. If you dream of moving to a new country that has aesthetic beauty like that of a fairy tale, choose Austria. The country is full of snowcapped mountains, lush green forests, and crystal clear water bodies. Austria is ranked fourth in the International Women's Travel Center's list of the best countries for women traveling alone. It is also one of the safest countries in Europe to travel alone.
    

There are various myths regarding a woman traveling solo to some other countries. Every infamous myth related to a woman moving to some other country for teaching or any other job is full of nonsense logic. Even in this 21st-century where people are invading other parts of the universe, the age-old thought of considering women weaklings is still constant.

Teaching experience abroad plays a great role in becoming highly-qualities TEFL teachers down the line. To make this happen, a woman must break the shackles of stupid stereotypes and come out of her comfort zone. There will be millions to scare you and a major of them is because they won’t be able to touch the peak you’ve gotten an opportunity to touch.

There is another myth that women are safe abroad alone only when it is in Europe. To contradict this, we mentioned the top 5 countries where women can travel alone. Many lucrative teaching positions offer incredible perks like free accommodations, reimbursed roundtrip flight fare, health insurance, and so on. Countries like UAE, South Korea, etc., provide such awesome amenities to TEFL teachers.

However, women who are planning to travel abroad alone for a TEFL teaching job must keep all these things in mind:

Research well before you land in the new country: Irrespective of your gender you should have a thorough knowledge of where you’re moving. You must be aware of their food habits, social norms, dos and don’ts, etiquettes, cultural beliefs, etc.

Getting along in a new place conveniently alone is not that easy. Therefore, you must keep all these things in mind before you’re flying to a new place.

Try to look for teaching with a program: A teach abroad program will give you access to experts that help teachers who are in the process of moving abroad, inch by inch. These programs help, provide support, and sometimes even offer in-country orientation to ensure that teachers are not entirely alone when you first arrive.

There are many special educational programs that help ESL teachers work in South Korea, Spain, China, and Thailand.

Use social media as your weapon: Believe it or not, social media has the power to spread any incident faster than a wildfire. It is the best platform for word-of-mouth facility where connecting people is quicker than the snap of a finger. There are some Facebook groups for women teaching abroad alone including:
 

• CIEE TEFL and TEACH ENGLISH ABROAD AND ONLINE, are two communities centered on TEFL and teaching abroad.
• We Are Travel Girls, and The Solo Female Traveler Network are excellent groups geared toward women.

If you want to look for more, just type ‘Expats- X’ on Facebook to be a part of such digital communities.

Don’t be judgmental because you’re not in their shoes: Cultural shock is a lethal thing that people face when they travel abroad. Adjusting to a new culture can be a hard nut to crack. Let’s say you’re from a country where smoking in public is banned but the country you’ve moved to has no such restrictions.

Going with the flow is the best option in the best option. If you’re having a problem, wear a mask to prevent yourself from the smoke or you can refrain from visiting those places where the population of smokers is quite high. Well, this cannot be possible if you have to visit such places owing to the location of the school where you teach.

The communication channel with homies must be smooth: Homesickness is a mess for real! Packing your bags must be the toughest moment you’ll go through. Make sure that while traveling abroad, bring small souvenirs like photos, toys, etc., from your home to make yourself feel at home in the new country.
 

If you’re a theist, you can bring small idols of deities that you worship. This is an effective strategy to gain motivation or courage when you’re down, however, this has no scientific explanation. We’re sharing this method as we’ve heard from many TEFL teachers who have traveled abroad alone.

You can regularly speak with your family members through video calls. This will pacify your chaotic mind if you ever encounter such a thing.

Senoritas, before we wrap up, take our advice. To find a job abroad as an ESL teacher after having a TEFL certification is of immense honor and if you’re a TEFL-certified English teacher, you’ll have a window of opportunities for glamorous jobs abroad. Choose wisely based on these points and keep making your pockets hefty by traveling.

To know more, call our toll-free number: 1800-212-6400.