Long story short, the local English teacher who oversees the English department came in and observed my morning class without a word to me.

I’m an American with 8+ years teaching in China, this is a private kindergarten.

I’ll start by saying I think the working relationship is not great coming out of our summer break as this person summoned the foreign teachers back early to have a meeting and discuss changes with 24 hours notice (21 hours to be exact). I mentioned to them that I would attend and participate but that the foreign teachers are contractually off for the month of August.

Today, I tried speaking to this person about getting some materials for the new “science” lesson I would regularly be conducting (again I’m a well experienced ESL, no science background and we don’t have a science curriculum). They gave me some very short answers and half (it felt like) ignored me as they went about recording dance TikTok videos (professional, right?).

Fast forward to my first lesson and main class, this person just comes in and sits in the back corner without a word said but I see she’s just on her phone doing whatever the entire 30 min lesson. Class is good and I have all my stuff planned and prepped the kids produce well and nothing out of the ordinary. They get up and leave as the class ends and I send them a message saying, “Hey name, as a professional courtesy if you intend to observe a lesson just throw me a quick heads up in advance. Thanks

Am I overreacting or is this gonna be a shitty year moving forward?

edit

I’ll just clarify since I think this is being misinterpreted or my meaning isn’t getting across.

I am not saying they needed to tell me in advance or anything like that. I’m saying, once you’re in my classroom for that purpose or any purpose, say something to me. Hi or hello, then it’s much easier to gather that they’re in my class for reason of observation and nothing else needs to be said. The point is, they said nothing in advance, came in and said nothing, left and said nothing.

I'm 35, almost 36. From Ireland. I'm thinking of getting a CEALTA and teaching English abroad if I can make a good living doing it, but I only want to teach adults. I have no interest in kids or teenagers.

Is it possible for someone like me to pickup a CEALTA and then go away off somewhere and get an amazing package for teaching English to adults? Where would be the best place to go?

My background is that I've worked in Sales, Account Management and Marketing. I have absolutely no experience with teaching.

I'm interested in teaching English in Guadalajara because I am interested in living there. I have a bachelor's degree and a TEFL. That being said I got my TEFL years ago and never used it. I have a passive income of $4,000 a month US. I don't care much about the income, just the visa, and quality of life. Is it feasible to find a school there where I won't work ungodly hours, and can teach more or less for the fun of it and get a visa?

I’ve recently been offered a job at a prep school in Ashgabat and was hoping someone here might have taught there recently and could give me some insight into working and living there before I accept… Haven’t been able to find much at all in my searching, despite there being a well-established international school there. I’m already aware of the restrictive culture, but am intrigued by it being a fairly unusual place for a Westerner to live, and am happy to tolerate some oddities in the name of a good adventure (and decent salary!).

I’ve read through a lot of the wiki and older posts before posting, but I was wondering if there are any updated perspectives from people who are in relationships and want to move abroad.

I’m 27 and my partner is 37. I’ve been working in the typical sales/corporate job market for about 5 years, while my partner has around 10–15 years of working experience, currently working for a large pharma company.

For couples who have made a similar move, what has your experience been like, particularly in 2026? I’d love to hear any tips, challenges, or things you wish you had known beforehand.

Our preferred destination is Ireland, although we’re not sure how feasible that would be for us from a work/visa perspective. I’m also still within the age range for a working holiday visa, so I’ve wondered whether that could be a potential route for us.

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has moved abroad with a partner, especially to Ireland!

TYIA for the answers.

EDIT: I also want to note I have a BA in Human Development and pre-reqs for teaching English as a Second Language. I dropped the teaching school due to COVID uncertainty and just wanted to get my degree.

Is it worth getting qualification and trying to teach abroad without a degree?

When I try to search using chatgpt it is saying most countries require a degree so I don't know if it's a waste of time to try without one. (I'm already 34 so not looking to get a degree)

I already have 4 years experience teaching English in Japan that I finished doing 5 years ago. I went there on a working holiday visa and changed to working visa. I was suppose to have a degree to do that but they just never checked.

I have now since been working in IT and currently doing a WHV in Australia (from England) but thinking once this is finished it might be a good idea to do teach English again.

I am just worried without a degree it might be a waste of time trying. I also don't have any teaching qualifications like TEFL but would be willing to get one just want to know if it's a waste of time with the fact I don't have a degree.

The main country I am interested in would be China but they seem maybe the strictest with it.

Hi guys, im on quite a tight time frame as I've signed a contract that I set to start next month - problem is I'm still missing my medical examination for my visa and have been utterly unable to find a clinic hdoesn'tere that'll even consider filling it out. I'm

I was told a letter of commitment would work but my recruiter and school claiims the medical office of Jilin doesn't accept those apparently.

I checked on tesl canada's website, ontesol is accredited with them. But for people who have taken it, is the course with it? Thanks!

For those with experience in Taiwan, If I was to try to job hunt on the ground for the (Pre? Post?) Lunar New Year hiring period, if there really is such a thing, when would be an ideal time to arrive in terms of the likely volume of open positions? I know Buxibans generally hire year-round. Attempting my first teach abroad job (Unrelated BA/TEFL/significant tutoring experience/other professional experience) and the general consensus seems to have always been that the ideal method is to apply in country.

Colombia/Peru/Ecuador, hows the scene? Hard to find many recent posts on them. 35 yo with no tefl experience but I have a masters degree in speech pathology and speak intermediate Spanish. Of course I know I’d need to get certified but I’m mostly curious if jobs even exist anymore? I know I will not save any money & may need to take on weekend tutoring. I just fkn love the Andes and looking for a way to stay there and contribute something and make a small amount of living money for a few years. Are all the jobs only in major cities or are there opportunities in small towns? Am I too old to even start all this haha. Thanks guys

I've wanted to travel my entire life. And at 30, I'm just tired of being here, slaving away at dead-end jobs. I hadn't even decided on a career path when the pandemic hit. Then I got trapped in retail hell. I finally decided and enrolled in college online. But I've only got one year down on my Bachelor's in English Literature, which I'm taking online. So, it'll be a while before I'm completely "ready". I've checked with my school and they're okay with me taking my classes from anywhere in the world, so long as my assignments are submitted on time. So, that's not an issue.

But I'm considering taking a short break from college just long enough to get my CELTA certs and taking a job somewhere else just for a change of scenery. I'd be returning to college the second I got settled in wherever I find work. And it would just be until I finish my degree. Then I'd be aiming for a better job in a country I intend to stay in long-term.

Would it be worth it to get some teaching experience under my belt before I finish my degree program? I'd be taking lower paying jobs, most definitely. But I'm thinking it might be the play for me.

Any advice or guidance would be much appreciated.

Side note: The Cambridge CELTA "find a centre" page is currently down and I'm a little bit confused as to where else I should be looking for online certification programs. Or how much it would cost, for that matter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edit: I won't be replying to any more comments. I've tried to explain the severity of my current situation to no avail. And I do understand the perspective of those attempting to talk me out of it. However, I've done further research since my original post and I'm determined to find a way to make this work. Is it a terrible idea? Absolutely. But I also know that this sub is notorious for trying to talk everyone out of pursuing options that they wouldn't personally pursue. So, as much as I appreciate the concern, I will be doing what I believe is best for me. I'm an ambitious person and I've never shied away from taking risks. If things don't work out, my situation can't get much worse than it currently is.

At the end of the day, my progress toward my degree isn't going to magically disappear if I can't make this work. I'll be able to pick up right where I left off.
If I manage to succeed, I'll happily come back with my success story. If I don't, oh well. It's my life and it's not affecting any of you. So, wish me luck!

I'm interested in finding a TEFL job in Thailand but the burning season has me worried. How bad is it in Bangkok? And the Southern parts of the country? I've been looking and can't find a clear answer. I have asthma (not severe) so I can handle some pollution but places like Chang Mai are totally off the table.

Someone recently contacted me about private one-on-one lessons to prepare for the FCE. They’ve already taken a placement test and were placed at B2 level, so I think they’re mainly looking for a few lessons to help them get ready for the exam.

I’m a bit unsure about how to approach this. A complete B2 course would normally take a whole year, with a coursebook, workbook, etc. I know I should probably use the FCE Trainer for exam practice, but I also feel like having someone pay for private lessons just to sit there and do practice tests doesn’t feel right.

I’ve prepared students for the PET before, but that was at an institute where we followed a coursebook and had a whole course. I’ve never taught private one-on-one lessons before.

They say they mainly need help with vocabulary, but obviously grammar, writing, speaking, listening, etc. are important for the exam too.

I’d really appreciate any advice from teachers who have done this before!

I was reading that it isn’t a good idea to get a job thru an agency but all the jobs I see on echinacities or hired china are from recruitment agencies. How do you find the schools that are hiring?

Hi,

I posted a while ago about TEFL in Japan and I had a lot of helpful replies here. Anyway, I saw an advert for a placement in Vietnam by the TEFL institute. I tried the eligibility test and failed it. I can only guess that it was my age, I'm 47 and they seem to limit it to 36.

I'll probably stick to my initial plan of doing the TEFL course and then looking for places in Vietnam and China but it has me a bit worried about my age.

Thanks.

I'm a dual US/DE national (born in the US and never lived or worked in the EU, but frequent visitor to friends and family in Germany) considering moving to Germany for the next phase of my life after dropping our youngest off at college, and have some questions for anyone with experience teaching ESL there.

1. How challenging is it to find work teaching English in Germany given that:

a. I'll be 62-63 years old on arrival?

b. I have 10 years experience (1992-2002) teaching in Taiwan (public high school, private language academies, kindergartens, private tuition), but no certifications (I'd be willing to obtain TEFL and/or CELTA), and what I consider to be a 'teacher's personality' - outgoing, supportive, patient, and devastatingly handsome. Plus a BA in English with a writing specialty from the UW-Madison and B1-B2 German.

c. I have 25 years experience in IT Operations specializing in user support at an international nonprofit based in the US that serves the financial industry, so I'd likely focus on adults/business where my 'gravitas' (wrinkles and gray hair) helps.

1. Does a position at a private language academy qualify one for public health insurance? The difference in cost between public and private coverage is probably the make/break for my plan since residency / permission to work is not a problem at all.

I've planned well enough, as it turns out, that I wouldn't be relying on the teaching salary for living expenses (although every little bit helps), so my primary motivations for teaching are the enjoyment I experienced during my stint in the 90s and the opportunities it provides for cultural integration. I used too love running into former students, parents, and colleagues out in the wild years later.

Thanks in advance to anyone with local experience and advice.

I am British and wondering whether this is possible as considering applying ! Thanks for all your advice in advance 😃

Hello, I’m starting my position as an esl teacher in a university. I was curious about what I should be aware of and how are lessons usually conducted? I’m a little nervous.

Just a heads up, this is my first ever position aside from teaching children online.

Thank you!

Hi everyone! I’m searching for a TEFL/EFL dissertation topic that is original, interesting, and actually worth researching.
I’m not interested in AI-related topics and would love to hear ideas from people who have studied TEFL, TESOL, applied linguistics, or English education.
What are some interesting or underrated areas/topics you think would make a good dissertation? Thank you

Hello! I'm based in China and just switching from EF which uses a smart board and utilizes classwork every class into kindergarten with no classwork and no screens. I'm doing a great job so far, and have lots of games to play, but I want to get ahead of the problem because I'm starting to run out of ideas.

The problem is the kids are only 3-4, so a lot of the games I use frequently aren't possible yet because they just don't understand how to play them. Any amount of prep is okay, it just can't rely on a smart board or writing. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Did anyone become a teacher through nyc teaching fellows or Teach For America and transitioned to tefl/international teaching/teach abroad in a public/government school abroad? I want to hear about your experience, if your content certification is relevant to your current job, long term plans/ideas about the future and how you got to where you currently are. Did you move with just the initial certificate or you earned the professional certificate and if that needs to be maintained or updated. Thanks!

Bonus: sped teachers, are you still 'sped' where you are now? What does teaching look like to you now?

Hey everyone!

​I’m starting my first job teaching English to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders who have never studied English/any other foreign language before. their native language is Arabic btw! ​I need some advice ~

​Day 1: What should I do during the first lesson when they don't understand basic commands?

​

Should I use their native language to explain rules, or stick strictly to gestures and pictures?

​How do I start teaching the alphabet when they only know Arabic script?

​Classroom Control: What easy games or signals work best to get their attention?

​Any simple tips or routines for complete beginners would help a lot! Thanks!

Hi everyone and TIA

I'm currently doing a part-time CELTA online via Zoom and I'm looking for some advice from people who have either completed an online CELTA or have experience with CELTA teaching practice.

I missed TP1 and TP2 due to some personal issues, but I will be making them up soon.

I’ve also had some concerns about how the course has been delivered and, particularly, how feedback and results have been communicated.

After resubmitting a piece of work, I was subsequently told that I had failed, Focus on the Learner  The issue is that I was never actually told that I had failed this  at the time. I didn't receive feedback or a result, so I eventually had to contact the tutor myself to ask why I hadn't received either. It was only then that I found out that I had failed on this point.

I've also recently received feedback on my latest TP report saying that I didn't elicit or nominate students, which has confused me because I believe I clearly did both during the lesson. I accept that I may not have done them effectively enough or consistently enough, but the feedback seems to suggest that I didn't do them at all.

This has left me wondering whether I'm misunderstanding some of the CELTA terminology and expectations, or whether there are issues with how my teaching is being observed and the feedback being communicated.

The fact that the course is delivered entirely online via Zoom may also be relevant. There are obviously particular challenges with online teaching, including breakout rooms, monitoring, eliciting, nomination and keeping the focus on learners.

I'm not looking to attack my centre or tutor. I accept that I'm responsible for improving my teaching, and I'm trying to understand what I should be doing differently. I'm mainly interested in hearing from people who have had similar experiences.