World is a Class - Good Cheer Publishing

Travel & Teach

Caleb Powell's Introduction to
The World is a Class: How and Why to Teach English Around the World

This is not a teacher's manual but more of a guide for the adventurous person who wishes to live in a foreign country as a teacher. For such a person, I have information on how to find a job overseas, how to prepare for the experience and how to survive once you're there. If you are such a person, highly qualified or not, there is a job out there for you.

Seven years ago I saved money and traveled to Australia and the South Pacific. I enjoyed myself but returned half-satisfied. My desire to see the world had increased but I faced the prospect of working hard to save for future journeys. Although I had a university degree in English, I returned to the blue-collar world.

Two years later, by chance, a friend of mine received an offer to work in Guam for a government contractor. He offered me a job and I accepted. The cheapest flight to Guam stopped in South Korea. I knew Seoul had opportunities for teaching and asked my travel agent for three days there. I took my diploma and a tie in case I had an interview. Teaching had to be better than painting government buildings in Guam.

Less than 24 hours after arriving in Seoul I had work. I postponed my flight to Guam and, instead, took a flight to the tip of the Korean peninsula. I fell in love with the Korean lifestyle and, unknowingly, began a career that has lead to the United Arab Emirates, Brazil and Argentina. I have worked as a teacher illegally and have been caught, taught at private language schools, government schools, two schools at once, and given private lessons. I have signed and gone over details of contracts. My students have been adults and children at all levels of proficiency. In looking for the right job, I have been interviewed face-to-face in Cambodia, Taiwan, and Bolivia. I have used Internet and regular mail to find employment and have been interviewed by phone and computer, receiving offers from Turkey, Taiwan, Japan, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. And I've been turned down by countless others. I know the market and how to find the right job.

Also, I have lived in four foreign countries and, while each country has an individual personality, there are universal methods for dealing with culture shock and related problems. I have been fired and rehired. I've quit and threatened to quit. I've also learned the art of compromise. I know how to negotiate and make the best of a situation.

Surviving in a foreign country is not a direct part of teaching, but comes with the package. This part of the adventure can be negative if you're not prepared. Mixing with a different culture can and should be valuable and productive and is the part of teaching overseas that I love most. The benefits far outweigh the difficulties. Not only has teaching given me the best time of my life; I get paid for it. I've lived in four countries and traveled to over thirty others. In this book I will share what I and others have learned and hope to play a role in encouraging you to begin your own adventure.

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