this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2025
12 points (92.9% liked)

bitofarambler

65 readers
1 users here now

Q&A for any and all questions you might have about traveling.



FAQ


are there requirements to be an ESL teacher other than being a fluent English speaker?

nope.

some countries and schools require a TEFL certificate or prefer candidates with an associate's degree depending on the position, but if you want to teach English, all you need is to be a fluent English speaker.


how can you afford to travel long-term?

The cost of living in most countries is around $500 USD a month for transportation, rent, utilities and food altogether; teaching English pays $2000 USD a month with zero qualifications or experience.

every month I taught English, I had a few extra months of my cost of living.

I taught English for about 7 years.

as long as you're making more than 500 USD a month remotely in any job, you can travel long-term.


What's the best country?

Depends on what you're looking for.

For backpacking, Japan. For natural history museums, Ireland. For food, China. For cost of living, Cambodia or India.

founded 3 months ago
MODERATORS
 

I was looking for a Nintendo 64 controller on craigslist and found a misplaced ad for teaching English in China.

Completely changed the course of my life, I've been traveling ever since.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

I did start teaching in China through that ad without any certifications or experience, which is fairly common.

A lot of countries, China included, just require a native or fluent English speaker for a teaching job.

I've been to about 30 countries so far; most of Asia, western Europe, india, morocco, I'm in Panama right now.