Teaching abroad is the experience of a lifetime. Not only do you get paid for traveling the world, you also get to immerse yourself in other cultures in ways completely different from being a tourist. Most importantly, you get to make a positive impact in the lives of your students by giving them the tools of communication!

But there are some things you’ll need to have before embarking on your adventure abroad. 

In order to teach abroad in 2023 you’ll need:

• A clean criminal background check 

• Authenticated academic records 

• A passport with at least 18 months left on it

• If you’ve never taught English to non-native speakers before, it’s also highly recommended to obtain at least a 120-hour in-person TEFL course 

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “That’s only 4 things. I hope you’re not teaching young children math”. 

Don’t worry! Not only am I not teaching Math, I also did not mislead you. Number 5 is the secret sauce. It’s not a requirement, but something that’ll give you a huge advantage when it comes to actually getting jobs teaching abroad around the world.

I’m keeping it secret until the end to encourage you to keep reading!

It’s worth it though, feel free to scroll down and see for yourself before continuing on with this article. I’ll wait. Good stuff, right?  

Well, without further ado let’s jump right in!

What Will I Need to Teach Abroad in 2023? 

1. A clean criminal background check 

A background check is the first thing you’re going to want to get when preparing to teach abroad. You will, after all, be working with kids and it would probably be more suspect if a school DIDN’T require a background check. But they will…

The reason to start on this first is that, depending on where you’re from, it can take…a while. Every country also has a slightly different procedure for getting this done. Got to love bureaucracy. 

Luckily for you, Destination TEFL has got you covered!

We’ve put together a comprehensive guide to obtaining a background check in some of the most popular countries we see coming over to teach in Southeast Asia.

Can I get a background check done in Thailand? 

The short answer is yes, you can get a background check done in Thailand.

The honest answer is that it’s a long, convoluted process. It involves finding and filling out the correct paperwork (most of which is in Thai, including the websites to find the right documents), waiting in line at the Police Clearance Center in Bangkok, and waiting for your home country to process and return your prints. 

Apart from just being a pain in the butt, this background check will only be useable in Thailand.

Background checks from your home country can follow you through to other countries as long as they’re still valid (usually between 1 and 3 years), which is why we highly recommend our teachers get this done before coming to Thailand.

2. Your college degree and transcripts 

The vast majority of countries around the world require a Bachelor’s degree in order to teach abroad. 

Luckily for most countries, this can be in any field. Good news art majors! Sorry, that was a cheap shot and you didn’t deserve it. 

So make sure you bring along both your University degree and transcripts when coming to teach English abroad. 

Also, note that you must bring either your original degree and transcripts or official copies (issued from your university). You can NOT obtain a work permit teaching abroad with photocopies of your degree or transcripts. 

Getting your degree and transcripts together is just the first step. Many countries will need you to authenticate your academic records. I know what you’re thinking…”what does that even mean?”

No worries, that’s just the kind of thing your friends at Destination TEFL are here to help with!

Authenticating Your Academic Records for Teaching Abroad 

Authenticating your degree and transcripts for teaching abroad is a bit different for every country. Usually, though, it’s a two-step process. 

Step 1: Get Your Academic Records Notarized or Apostilled

First you’ll need to get your degree and transcripts notarized or apostilled, depending on where you live. 

Americans, for example, can go through any public notary while other nationalities can only get this done through the relevant government agencies. Sorry South Africans, this means dealing with DIRCO. 

Research the process for your own home country to find out the specific process for you. OR sign up for one of our courses and let us help you with all of this. One less pain in your butt! 

Keep in mind, the notarization process does include putting a huge stamp on the document. If you’re not keen to get your original degree stamped, it might be worth paying for an official copy from your university. 

Step 2: Get Your Academic Records Legalized 

Now that your documents have been notarized, you’ll need to get them legalized for use in your destination country. 

All you’ll need to do is take them (or send them) to the nearest embassy or consulate and get them legalized. Obviously you should first make sure this is a service they provide, but most embassies do. 

Be sure to include return postage if you’re mailing it in. Because they will NOT cover the return postage for you, and that’ll put you in a pinch…

Once you get the documents legalized you’re all finished with this step. Congratulations!

Teaching Abroad without a College Degree

Now, there ARE a few countries where you can teach English abroad without a college degree. We’ve actually got a whole separate blog post for that, so check it out if that pertains to you! 

However, most countries including Thailand and Indonesia will require at least a Bachelor’s degree in order to teach English in their schools. 

I know, I know. I can hear you crying out “But Mitch, I know there are people teaching in Thailand without degrees!”

Indeed there are, and they are working here illegally. Somewhere down the line it either involves a bribe or a fake degree, two things we typically try to steer clear of. Not only is it illegal (and unethical), it opens these teachers up to a multitude of problems including deportation. 

Bottom line: try not to work illegally in ANY country…

3. A passport with at least 18 months on it 

Shocker, you need a passport to teach abroad. I mean…you need one just to go abroad. 

However, the thing that actually does throw some people through a loop is that you’ll need 18 months remaining on your passport in order to get a work permit. 

People rarely check the dates on their passports. However, if there’s not enough time left on the passport then most countries won’t process the work permit until you get a new passport. If you’ve ever gotten a replacement passport or new passport, then you know it isn’t the quickest process. 

Many a new teacher has burnt their entire first tourist visa just waiting for a new passport. So while this step may seem obvious, it’s really important to just double-check the dates on your passport and make sure you have the required amount of time. 

If your passport doesn’t have enough time on it, then it’s worth going ahead and waiting for your new one to come in before trying to teach abroad. Some countries will send it abroad for you, some won’t. However, even if they do you’ll still have to make a trip to immigration and explain that you need your old visas in your new passport, and then hope they’re in a good enough mood to oblige.

Travel Passports

Many countries also have special passports for travelers, and it is well worth the investment. In the UK, for example, you can get a 50-page passport as opposed to the standard 35 pages and it only costs a few pound more. In the United States there’s not even an extra charge, you just have to check a different box! Most people simply aren’t aware that these things exist.

No matter where you’re teaching, though, you are probably going to rack up the immigration and visa stamps. From border bounces to work permits, international travel and beyond, having a “tattooed” passport is one of those things that goes along with teaching abroad.

4. A 120+-hour in-person TEFL course 

Okay, elephant in the room. Obviously, as a TEFL course provider, we’re a bit biased when it comes to this. 

However, we got into this business because we believe that students around the world deserve better English teachers, and we’re passionate about training the best of the best. 

If you’ve never taught English to non-native speakers before then you DON’T know how to do it, and it’s not exactly an easy thing to do. 

Imagine normal teaching, except your students understand anywhere between 60% – 0% of the words you’re saying…

Proper TEFL training will equip you with the skills, strategies, and confidence to be an effective teacher in the classroom. And you want to be a good teacher because you’re a good person. I can tell.

Oh yeah, also most (good) schools require a TEFL certification. So there’s that. 

Is An Online TEFL Worth It? 

No. 

Sorry, was that too blunt? 

For starters, in-person teaching positions are smart enough to not hire teachers with only online training. You’ll need some kind of in-person teaching component to even be considered for a live teaching position. 

Luckily, we do have a Fast Track program that will get you some in-person teaching experience in either Thailand, Cambodia, or Indonesia. 

However online TEFLs aren’t just a waste of time. They give teachers false confidence that they’ll be able to do something they might not actually be equipped to do. Namely, teach real students. 

Imagine you were going in for brain surgery and the nurse told you “don’t worry, your surgeon is great. He took an online course he got for $20 on Groupon!” 

Doesn’t exactly instill confidence, does it? 

As an English teacher, you’re not just responsible for one person’s brain. You’re responsible for the education of anywhere from dozens to hundreds of students. 

If you don’t know what you’re doing then you are changing lives…but not for the better. 

Even if you don’t do your TEFL with us (heartbreaking, but we understand) make sure your TEFL meets the following criteria:

• It’s at least 120 hours 
• It’s done in person or has an in-classroom teaching component 
• It’s an internationally accredited certification
• The trainers actually have real credentials (one year of teaching abroad is NOT it) 

5. An optimized CV and introduction video 

I used to be the hiring manager at one of the largest language centers in Thailand, and let me tell you from personal experience that 90% of ESL resumes out there are awful.  

And the introduction videos…don’t even get me started on the introduction videos.

I honestly don’t know how some people in their right minds could send those resumes and videos to potential employers and actually expect to get an interview. 

It cannot be overstated how important your CV and introduction video are. Remember: you’re entering a new industry, in a new country, with very little prior experience for the most part. If you’re applying in a location where many people want to live, like Bangkok or Bali, then you’ll also be competing with hundreds of other applicants for these positions. I once received 86 CVs for one of our open positions at our language center. Suffice to say, I did not read them all.

You want to make sure you put your best foot forward, and supply employers with a CV and video that are going to get you called back for the interview. This means actually taking the time to do them right, and being mindful of the fact that they’re extremely important. Just a bit of effort can put you ahead of many people, but it also helps to know what to spend your time and effort on.

In all honesty, we’re not going to give you all of our secrets. After all, that’s one of the services we provide for our teachers!

However, I will drop a few tips to help point you in the right direction:

• Your CV shouldn’t be longer than 2 pages. Ain’t nobody got time for that…
• Your introduction video should be around 1 minute. See above…
• Include some sort of relevant teaching experience on your CV. Whether it’s your teaching practicums or teaching homeless puppies how to swim, you need to include some sort of educational background
• Your introduction video should have good sound quality and good lighting. Nobody is hiring robot vampire, so put on some lights and hunt down a decent microphone 

Okay, there’s a LOT more (truly, I could write a book) but that’s all you get for free. Gotta save the real special sauce for our trainees! 

What is an introduction video for teaching abroad?

We actually get this question quite a lot, so wanted to address it in this section.

Introduction videos are not common in the job market. It would be kind of weird if they were, actually. However, schools want to see, and more importantly, hear potential teaching candidates before bringing them in for an interview. For starters, they want to make sure you care enough to dress professionally and look like a real teacher in your introduction video. I can’t tell you how many introduction videos my team stopped watching after the first 5 seconds because the applicant was in sweatpants and a dirty T-shirt (or no shirt at all!). At least they saved us the time of having to read their CV!

Schools are also listening as much as they are watching. They want to hear your English, your accent and tone, to make sure that the students are going to understand you in class. This is a great time to start practicing your language grading and try to make your English sound as clear as you possibly can.

It’s Time to Teach Abroad 

All of this might seem like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s really not too bad. Most of our teachers can get it all done in anywhere from a few of weeks to a couple of months. It might take you a bit longer because you don’t have trained experts guiding you through the process, but it’s far from impossible. 

However, if you DO want trained professionals to help you with all of this (and more!) then we’re here to help! Every single one of our TEFL courses comes with full service and support. From where you’re sitting (or standing) right now to a classroom abroad, we’ll help you every step of the way. 

This can be a daunting undertaking, but it’s well worth it for the adventure, the impact you’ll make in the lives of your students, and the life lessons you’ll learn along the way. Teaching abroad is a life-changing experience, no matter what you want in life!