By Josh Butterworth. Josh is Impact Teaching’s Thailand Program Coordinator, and he lives in Thailand.
Nobody really knows what teaching abroad is like until they’ve actually done it. Is it a year of hard work and pain? No. Is it a very long holiday with a bit of work here and there? No. The truth is that it’s somewhere in between, minus the pain. The opportunity to travel and explore the world is most certainly unlocked, but so is the chance to develop as a person, which sets you up for future success in your career. We have alumni members doing every job under the sun, from copywriting to biochemistry, but the common trend is that they’ve all achieved something great in their work – and it all started with teaching abroad.
Will you be next?
Let’s explore five ways that teaching abroad can help you grow and develop the skills you need to kickstart your career, whatever direction you choose to go in!
Confidence
Put simply – standing up in front of a class full of students for the first time is dauting. But I guarantee you’ll walk out of that classroom more confident than when you walked in, even if just by one percent. This effect accumulates over time and can turn even the shyest person into a public speaker. But it isn’t just the teaching that boosts your confidence – it’s the whole experience of moving to a new country and overcoming challenges that creates a sense of assuredness, proving to yourself that you can do anything. Whether it’s something as simple as ordering a meal in the local language for the first time, successfully dealing with a disruptive student or battling feelings of homesickness – everything you do is money in the bank as you save to become a more confident and self-assured person who is ready to take on the world.
Resilience
Here at Impact Teaching, we believe in honesty. So – it wouldn’t be right if we sold teaching abroad as all roses and champagne. There are tough days, just like anything in life, but that’s part of the reason it is such a rewarding and positive thing to do. Though adversity comes resilience. And difficulties faced halfway across the world in a country where you cannot speak the local language seem to be amplified, however, the challenge of overcoming them forces you to develop into someone who can face anything thrown their way. This sets you up for life in general as well as the workplace, if you can deal with problems in China, Vietnam, Poland or beyond – you can deal with them anywhere.
Dependability
Rocking up ten minutes late for a lecture or getting an extension on your coursework deadline isn’t a big deal – but having hundreds of students and your hardworking colleagues relying on you is different. Being a teacher changes the way view responsibility and makes you a more dependable person. It may just be a class to you, at first, but seeing the excitement on your student’s faces when you walk through the door will quickly change that. When you realise you are responsible for guiding them in their educational and personal development, and see the real impact you are having – the job becomes much more than that. A drive to do your best begins to grow. Making sure your prepared for lessons and turn up on time becomes second nature and no longer a struggle. Regardless of if you’re in an teachers office in Thailand, Hungary or Timbuktu – witnessing the hard work and dedication of your colleagues will also drive you do your best. This attitude does not disappear on the plane home, it’s something that will stay with your forever and throughout your career.
Teamwork
You may or may not be working alongside a local co-teacher when you begin your teaching adventure. But you will most certainly be part of a team who all share the same goal – assisting students to develop their English and succeed in their education. Cultural differences occasionally cause confusion and create challenges, it is in overcoming them and learning how to work successfully with your colleagues that equips you with the tools you need to flourish in any workplace. Language barriers and different outlooks lead to scenarios that require patience and understanding to be resolved, this generates an ability to be flexible and calm when working as part of a team. If you can communicate successfully and work efficiently with your colleagues in a school halfway across the world – you can work with anyone anywhere.
Cultural Sensitivity
One of the main benefits of teaching abroad over travelling is that you are completely immersed in the culture of a place where you are living and working. You’re gifted the opportunity to really understand how and why people think and act in the way they do, we think that this is a great privilege. There may be points when you question why your colleagues or students are behaving in a certain way, and you may disagree with what they are doing. But over time you begin to understand, respect and appreciate the many cultural differences, as well as noticing the similarities. This makes you question how and why you think the way you do, and turns you into a more rounded person who understands people on a far deeper level. In the workplace, this is a very beneficial trait to possess. You will be more equipped to work and connect with your colleagues from across the world, as well as your own country, in a way that leads to stronger relationships followed by success.
Teaching abroad offers far more than just the chance to travel and explore the world. You have the opportunity to develop and grow as a person, preparing you to pursue any career you desire, and your CV looks a lot stronger at the end of it all. Employers love to see that applicants have taught abroad because they really understand and appreciate all the skills that it develops.
So – would you like to give it a go?
We have programs in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Hungary and Poland. You choose where you want to go and we’ll make it happen. We are the teach abroad company you can trust. Why? Because we’ve been there and done it. Our journeys started in China and Thailand – but now we’re here to turn your dreams of an adventure and ambition to further your career – into a reality.
Get in touch with any questions here!
Or apply if you’re ready to go!
