Over three months living in my new city and it is about time Buenos Aires had a 5 reason entry. Yes thats right: time to start quaking 5 reasons to TEFL in Thailand and Spain blogs, Buenos Aires has arrived….Holaaaa!!

Coincidence that this is the first photo? Maybe.

1. Availability of Work:
Although my last blog condemned the lack of work in Buenos Aires, Im big enough (but only in a metaphorical way of speaking) to admit that I was sorely mistaken. Theres work by the bucket load and its available all year round. Buenos Aires is a little less conventional that what I imagine most TEFLing experiences to be like. Most (almost all) teachers are working on a tourist visa and as such are not working in state schools but act more as a freelance teacher working for as many institutions as they can manage at one time with the only difficulty finding an institution that is well-organised…

Students in BA!

Your biggest test will be juggling the different institutions and making sure you have time to get from place to place. Most institutions are aware of the typical BA TEFL experience and act to accommodate your availability; so its never a big deal if you turn down a few classes as there is likely to be other work they will want to throw your way. Of course, private students pay a lot more per hour.

Spend a day sticking up advertisements in the local universities and once you have two or three private students it wont be too long before word of mouth sees you picking up a few more. Of course, if they cancel with short-notice you find yourself short-changed so I recommend having a combination of both institution and private students.

2. Bank-holidays:
You may or may not be aware but the current President of Argentina loves to hand out willy-nilly bank holidays for events, significant or otherwise, that represent a time in Argentine history. This allows TEFLers plenty of time to explore Argentina.

Whilst Argentina is nothing short of gigantic there are areas closer to your adopted home that are well worth a visit a long weekend in Rosario or a daytrip to Tigre are the most popular amongst expats but for those more medium fetched destinations of Salta, Mendoza, Cordoba or Iguazu? Well, a four day bank holiday is never too far away either!

Iguazu Falls - Day trip?

The good news about institutions is that they dont mind if you head off on holiday for a week every now and again of course this means you wont be earning whilst youre away and you may not have the same classes as you did before, but once that foot is in the door they always have work they want to send your way.

3. Food:
WOW! If you decide to TEFL in Buenos Aires you will have to make your peace with getting fat! Maybe save up a little extra to buy an extra seat for your return flight but dont worry because, by George, its worth it.

In our apartment, Friday night is empanada night (with Thursday nights designated as Nicks Nearly Naked Thursdays Night a blog entry for another website). Friday night/empanada night is an attempt to restrict the amount of empanadas that I eat; but, like a guiltily proud alcoholic hiding whiskey bottles in brown bags, I often puff out my face with empanadas in the week because whether for lunch or dinner, they are truly magnificent!

And next up? Dulce de leche: The David Beckham of food! A caramel spread sent from the Gods used for bread in the morning, hiding in your biscuits during the day and seaming out of restaurant desserts in the evening, I will be taking a suitcase-full back with me.

Argentinean ready-made pizza slices can be found at a corner near you and gloriously tasty ice-cream parlours are open until the early hours of the morning. Yes, the rumours about Argentinean meat are true: you just wont get it better anywhere else…spiffing stuff!

Nom nom nom nom nommmmmm

4. Nightlife:
Whatever you want from your evening, Buenos Aires has it. A buzzing bar, nightclubs the size of small cities, or maybe you just want to have dinner and an ice-cream at two in the morning you can find it aplenty here in Buenos Aires.

Palermo hosts the majority of young people heading out to paint the town, but on Sunday nights you can find street parties on the cobbled streets of San Telmo with local live music and beers flowing, creating a great and cultured vibe.

Nightlife/morning life in Buenos Aires

But beware not to start your pre-drink too early as clubs dont open until 2am and the pre-party often doesnt start until 11 or midnight. Its not uncommon to be heading home in daylight with the subway already running so dont make any important plans for the following day!

5. …Because its Buenos flipping Aires!
OK so a vague final reason but there is so many reasons to visit and TEFL in Buenos Aires; one could write a small book! From the vibrant and modern Palermo neighbourhood to the cultured tangoing on the cobbled streets of San Telmo; from weekend markets accompanied by live music to sheer craziness of watching a live football match, Buenos Aires has it all.

San Telmo Market, BA

And for all those worried about obtaining a work visa, I have yet to meet a teacher with one. Most institutions pay cash in hand at the end of the month no questions asked. Of course like any big city there are also certain pitfalls TEFLers should be wary of and Ill be writing to inform you of these over the next few days, but for now…

…Saludos chicos!

Nick Petrou is currently TEFLing out in Buenos Aires and you can also check out his own opinion site called Organic Baked Beans.

You can also chat with Nick directly here

If youre up for teaching a mix of students from all over the world while earning good pay and enjoying a relatively high standard of living, then head to Australia. This enormous country has everything: amazing beach life, adrenaline pumping and adventurous activities, and a huge variety of places to live.

I taught English in Sydney for four months and then travelled up the East coast. Despite craving a more exotic lifestyle, more on that later, I had a great time and would recommend going to Australia to teach English as a foreign language. But before you go, you have to be ready…

Just a little place I know in Sydney

A tough start

After living in Ecuador and Brazil, I found life in Sydney a bit dull. Id had such an adventure in South America learning Spanish and Portuguese and experiencing another culture that I felt as if Id returned to England. I suppose that if Id gone straight from London to Australia then I would have been more excited, but I found the culture too similar to back home.

When I got to Sydney I only had about 500 left of my savings, so I was desperate to get a job. Id sent my CV off to a few language schools and luckily had an interview the day after I arrived. The director was up front with me and said she felt I lacked a good base of grammar to teach her students. I managed to blag a couple of days trial. She was right though. In an observed lesson, her Chinese students ripped my lesson plan to pieces. The students were not the relaxed type Id been used to in Ecuador and Brazil.

A week or so later I found another job working for a small language academy for Korean students. The director, Mr Kim, was a serious and professional man but we hit it off and he gave me a two week trial. The only problem was the workload. I had to prepare all the material as there was no book to follow. I spent about three hours a day researching and writing all the worksheets and material for the following days lessons. I only had one class of four Korean students and they were more interested in grammar exercises than fun discussions. I was relieved when the students started drop away and I was forced to find another job.

Ayers Rock. It rocks.

The good times

A day after leaving sulking Mr Kim I found another job with a language school, Maewill English Colege in Manly, north Sydney. Mae and Will, the directors, were top class and welcomed me into their school. It was a great place to work. The students were mainly from China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Brazil, with a few from Eastern European countries. There was a good crowd of Australian and British teachers too and the atmosphere in the staff room was a laugh. Plus I was earning about AUD $500 a week, a massive jump up from the $2 an hour I got in Ecuador.

Life in the classroom

I loved working at Maewill. I taught four different classes in the morning and each class was a different level and mix of students. Teaching mixed classes was challenging, especially because the Chinese students wanted to know explanations for all the grammar. I had to study what I was about to teach and asked the more experienced teachers for help.

I often came unstuck with the Chinese and sometimes Korean students for explanations. A couple of times I tried to make up rules, but they bombarded me with questions as to why all the time. I soon learnt it was better to find out the answer and tell them next class. Over time I gained their respect.

It was fun teaching the Brazilians. As soon as they knew Id been to their country we had a connection. They were a good bunch and watching them interacting with the Asian students was funny.

Another good part of working for Maewill was that every Friday wed do an excursion or sporting activity. This included tennis table competitions, football tournaments, trips to the zoo, ferry cruises around the Sydney Harbour, and trips to the beach.

Let's hit the beach!

Life in the real world

As mentioned before I wasnt overly impressed with Sydney. Its a great city with a lot of things to see, buzzing nightlife, and a fantastic party atmosphere. However, after South America I was craving something different from back home. I missed learning a language and the buzz of the unexpected.

To save money I lived with a Chinese family in the centre of Sydney. It was cheap because I shared a room. Franco, my roommate, was a tad on the weird side. He was a skinny lad from Hong Kong who always carried a yellow teddy bear with a bell on. I tried to get to know him but he was shy and preferred studying than chatting. The rest of the family were okay, apart from the miserable mother who stomped about the place complaining all the time. I just laughed it off.

During my time in Sydney I was mainly focussed on saving up money so I could afford a decent trip when I left. I managed to save up about three grand in four months. Most of which I spent travelling up the East coast. My three-week adventure included a four wheel drive trip on Fraser Island, learning how to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef, and a camping trip to Ayers Rock. Australia is a beautiful and fascinating country.

Conclusion
If youre a first time TEFL teacher then Id definitely get some experience before you head to Australia. Competition is fierce and directors expect a lot from their teachers. Dont let what I said about culture put you off, Australia is a great place to live and work, I just prefer to live in a country where I can learn a language. Ill be writing more blogs about what I loved and hated about Australia so stay tuned.

Baz is currently TEFLing out in sunny Seville in Spain, the lucky dude, but has previously taught English in Ecuador, Brazil, Australia and Thailand! You can either check out his personal blog here or you can also chat to Baz directly here!

In part one of this post, we looked at the first fourquestions to ask yourself before choosing yourTEFL destination of choice. Here we areagain with the next four questions… it’s almost decision time. Are you ready?

1 – Will I be able to do the traveling I want to?

Do you want to travel to as many countries as possible, or are you happy to stay in one country and immerse yourself in that culture? Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have incredible cultures, but traveling to other countries from them can be expensive. However, if you were based in Europe you would easily be able to travel to other countries at a lower cost.

2 – Do I meet the minimum requirements to teach there?

There is nothing worse than having your heart set on going to a certain country, then realizing that you dont meet the minimum requirements to be able to teach there. Some countries require you to have a degree and a TEFL qualification of a certain number of hours. The requirements for different countries can vary a lot so you should check that you meet these first!

3- Does the country have a strong TEFL market?

Countries in Asia have a huge demand for TEFL teachers, whereas in places like South Africa the demand is a lot lower for paid TEFL teachers. So you need to do research into the demand for TEFL teachers. However dont rule a country out altogether if there isnt a huge demand, you still may be able to find work with the right qualifications. Check out sites like www.eslcafe.com and www.tefl.com for job listings.

4 – Will I be able to commit to the time-frame?

Some countries, such as Spain, have summer schools so you would only be needed for a few months. In general most schools require a years commitment; however there are some schools that hire teachers for shorter lengths of time. Its always worth checking the time length of contracts that are usually given in a country.

As well as asking yourself all the following questions, you need to do lots of additional research into the country. Use all the information available to you to help you decide where to teach. You can use i-to-is jobs abroad page- to get lots of information on what teaching is like in different countries. For each country you can download a free guide which gives you all the essential information to teaching there. You can also use the groups on Chalkboard to read blogs from people who are teaching in the country- this will give you a really good idea of what to expect in the country.

How did you decide where to teach first? Tell us below!

“Just 8 reasons? That’s all we get?”

No no no no no no, there are waaaaaaay more than 8 reasons, but rather than jump up in your face with 8,000,000 reasons (pretty sure we could find that many if we had more time) we’ll start with 8.

If youre finding the thought of finding a teaching job and jumping on a flight to China a little daunting, then a China internship could be for you. Weve made it easy to TEFL in China! Read on for just a few reasons to reserve your spot on the next internship opportunity!

1. Everything is arranged for you. Everything. An internship will already be set up for you. So for the lazy this is for you! You won’t have to lift a finger. Well, except to pick up the chalk and write the lessons on the blackboard. Youll spend five months in China, during which time youll complete over 200 hours of practical teaching experience. By the time youll be done, youll have the confidence to enter any classroom and teach away!

2. In-country support. i-to-i has teamed up with the reputable Beijing-based organization, TTC (Teach & Travel China) experts in organizing cultural programs. So when you get to China, TTC will be there to help any time you need it with 24/7 in-country support. Youll never be left stranded on your own, with a problem that cant be answered.

3. New friends from all around the globe. On the internship youll be joined by other interns from the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. You’ll automatically have a group of new international friends and you can support each other through your first months of TEFL. These guys can help if youre feeling homesick. And youll not only be learning about Chinese culture, youll be learning about whether Guinness goes with dim sum.

4. Full TEFL training Included in the program is the full 140 hour combined TEFL course, so youll be totally prepped when you get to China and do your classroom course in Beijing. And the class will be fresh in your mind when you start teaching.

5. Your accommodation and food are provided for you

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