Some Things You Should Know About Teaching in Cambodia

Cambodia is a very peaceful country and attracts millions of visitors every year.  Native speakers are welcomed from any country that they come from and also fluent English speakers regardless of their country of citizenship can also find work.  The Cambodian people are very friendly and very respectful, especially towards their teacher!

​It is not impossible to secure a teaching position before you arrive in Cambodia, however,​the vast majority of people find a job when they are already in Cambodia.  Most schools want to meet you in person before offering you a job.

​Salaries for qualified English teachers range from $10 - $25 USD per hour.  Typically you are paid in cash either weekly or monthly.  Don't expect any additional benefits, these are rarely available unless you find a gig at an international school.

Visa requirements?  They simply don’t exist in Cambodia.  If you have the money, you will get a business visa.  It costs about $280 per year. Some schools, especially the schools that only recruit experienced and qualified teachers, might even pay this for you.

​So, if you are considering teaching in a very friendly, laid-back country with a really low cost of living, Cambodia may be perfect for you.​

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, free surfing lessons, great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a guaranteed job waiting for you when you complete the course. 

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Some Things You Should Know About Teaching in China

Don't forget the toilet paper!

Now, I’m not suggesting that you pack a jumbo pack of toilet paper in your suitcase, but whatever you do, make sure you remember to take some with you whenever you go anywhere in China – generally toilets will not have toilet paper. It may sound like a pretty mundane thing to worry about, but it makes a big difference! It’s also worth getting used to squat toilets and not having doors, or sometimes even cubicles. Don’t worry, after the initial shock you will get over it. Just remember, you’re the only one who’s embarrassed!

Don’t be alarmed if people stop you in the street and talk to you

Some people get very unnerved when they first arrive in China, as lots of people will stop you in the street and talk to you in English. So, chat to people if they strike up a conversation – they’re just practicing their English.

Learn how to write Chinese characters

There’s no need to become a master at calligraphy, but it’s worth learning how to copy Chinese characters. It makes things much easier when you’re asking for directions, getting a cab or buying train tickets to show someone a piece of paper with where you’re trying to get to written on it – solves pronunciation problems and also makes it much easier for the person in question to gesticulate where you should be going or draw a little map if you’ve got a pen.

Don’t worry about being stared at

No, you haven’t got something in your teeth – don’t panic! While staring is considered rude in the US, people in China don’t have such hang-ups. So, as something of a novelty, especially if you’re staying in a rural area that doesn’t have many Western visitors, you will find yourself the subject of quite a bit of attention! Try not to let it bother you – it’s not meant maliciously so just smile…

Never turn down an invitation

You’ll probably find lots of people wanting to take you out for meals, show you their city and generally make you feel as welcome as possible. So never turn down an invitation – you can have an awesome time while making new friends – going shopping, eating out, being shown around different places in the city, and even ending up as a guest at a wedding.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, free surfing lessons, great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a guaranteed job waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Want to Teach Abroad? Don't Be Scared!

While teaching abroad is exciting, challenging and well just pretty awesome, moving to a new job, house and country all at once can be a bit overwhelming. So, if you’re feeling a little nervous about the whole thing, try doing some of these – they’ll help to put your mind at rest:

Do a TEFL course

While doing a TEFL course won’t prepare you for every classroom eventuality, it will prepare you for the realities of life in the classroom, including how to plan lessons and how to prevent all out rebellion against you! Do a TEFL course and, not only will your employment prospects rocket, but it will also help you to feel much more confident about stepping into the classroom for the very first time.

Do your research

There’s nothing more frightening than heading into the unknown, so it’s a great idea to do your research before you accept any job offers.  Once you get that all important job offer don’t be tempted to accept in straight away without doing any research. It is a good idea to Google the name of the school you’re thinking of working at and ‘review’ – you may soon find out that there’s a reason why they’re offering such a ‘good’ salary. In addition to this get to know the area you’ll be working – read some guidebooks or simply get on Google Earth for a bird’s eye view. It’ll all help to put your mind at rest.

Have some resources tucked up your sleeve

Any experienced teacher will tell you that, no matter how well thought out your lesson plans, there will always be times when you have to resort to plan B, C or even D! So, before you step foot in the classroom for the first time, make sure you have some tried and tested activities to fall back on if and when things start getting a little hectic.

Network

If you’re feeling nervous about moving to a new country, the best people to talk to are those who are currently living and working there. And with the wonders of the internet it’s now easier than ever to do just that.

Learn a bit of the local language before you go

While you don’t need to know the local language in order to teach overseas, it’s handy to know a few words of the local language so you’re not totally overwhelmed when you touch down.

Keep an open mind

Most major TEFL destinations have cultures that can feel very alien to most westerners: you may be confronted with things that seem frustrating, strange or just plain wrong. The only remedy for this is keeping an open mind and remembering that you decided to go overseas to experience another culture, not make everyone behave in a way that’s acceptable to your own.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, free surfing lessons, great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a guaranteed job waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Don't Live A Boring Life!

Life doesn't have to be boring! If you feel like you’re stuck in a rut with everything in your life: work, home life and anything else, there is a way out! Due to the massive worldwide demand for native English speakers, it’s really easy to find paid work as an English teacher with just a TEFL certificate. You can get a TEFL certificate  in just a four weeks, after which you can start your exciting new life wherever you want.  Want to know why it’ll be more exciting than life back home? Simply read on:

1) New surroundings

A change is as good as a rest, right? Well if that’s the case, a change to the other side of the globe will do you a world of good. Wake up wherever in the world you choose, you can be sure that it’ll be different and so much more exciting!

2) New challenges

Teaching English abroad isn’t a stroll in the park: even if you do loads of TEFL training, you’ll find you can spend months planning your first lesson but it may or may not actually go to plan. But if everything was easy, getting the hang of it wouldn’t be half as satisfying, right? Once you start understanding life in the classroom, teaching is incredibly rewarding and, because you’ll probably be a conversation teacher tasked with games rather than grammar, pretty fun too.

3) New people

When you head overseas to teach English, one of the mains worries will be whether you’ll meet any friends. Relax. Unless you’re heading to a remote village in outer Mongolia, you’ll most likely end up in a town/city with lots of other foreigners, who usually end up as a close-knit community. Plus, with your new-found English skills will come new-found popularity with local teachers at the school, who will certainly be eager to make you feel welcome so they can improve their English.

4) New experiences

When you think of having lots of money, it’s not the money that counts, it’s the experiences it buys – so what if you could start having those once-in-a-lifetime experiences without shelling out lots of money? That’s what living abroad enables you to do – teaching overseas gives you a shortcut to thousands of incredible experiences. And you’re getting paid to live there.

Want to find out more? To learn more about teaching abroad and whether it’s the escape route for you, please contact TEFL Zorritos and we will give you all the information you need to have a great career teaching EFL abroad.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, free surfing lessons, great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a guaranteed job waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Love to Travel? Then Get a TEFL Certificate!

Want to really experience another culture? Now’s the time to say goodbye to that backpack and hello to the amazing experiences offered by teaching EFL.

Here’s why:

Spending time with people like you isn’t experiencing a new culture

Is spending all your time with other travelers who are just like you really making the most of your time abroad? You could have just stayed home!

Instead teach abroad and your working life will be spent surrounded with locals – both students and other staff. Great for getting understanding a country’s culture.

Get paid to be there

Unless you’ve got a big bank balance, spending any length of time in a country is out of the reach of most travelers. That means quick hops here and there, only seeing the ‘don’t miss’ sights that guide books rave about. With TEFL, you’ll be getting paid to be in a country for anywhere from six to 12 months, which means you can experience everything a country has to offer and not feel like you have to cram it into too short a time.

You’ll get to know the locals

While it’s easy to pass through a country and have nothing more than a few brief exchanges with waiters and taxi drivers, teaching abroad forces you to get to know the people you’re teaching, working with, and living with. Sometimes cultural differences can be a bit of a challenge, but you didn’t fly half way around the world to have everything run like it does back home!

You’re already qualified!

If you’re a native English speaker, you’re already qualified to teach English abroad. Yes, you need to do a TEFL course in order to get your hands on the best jobs and not make a total mess of your time in the classroom, but you don’t need any previous teaching experience or the ability to speak another language.

Be in the picture yourself

Go to any major tourist attraction and you’ll see tourist snapping away, trying to peer into a totally alien culture. Want to know the best way to get to know the place you’re visiting? Stop hiding behind your camera and dive in feet first – get to know people and you’ll soon find that you’re not on the outside looking in, you’re in the picture yourself.

You’ll get to really know the town

You’ll make friends with so many locals and long-term expats, you’ll know exactly where’s good to go at the weekend and how to find the really cool stuff.

So, what do you say? If you’re ready to ditch your backpack and grab your TEFL certificate, make sure to contact TEFL Zorritos today and get started on your travel adventures.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, free surfing lessons, great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a guaranteed job waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Surviving Your TEFL Course

You have registered for your TEFL course and are excited about the adventures it’ll bring you. But remember to take it seriously, this is a time to concentrate on your studies and make sure you are prepared to start your EFL teaching career. So, to make sure you stick with it and realize your ambition of teaching overseas, here’s how to survive your TEFL course:

1) It won't be easy

TEFL certificates aren’t handed out like beads at Mardi Gras. You have to work for one, which is why employers value them. So, don’t expect to be able to breeze through your course just by showing up for classes a few hours each day.

2) Ask for help

If you get stuck on your course don’t give up, ask for help! Ask your teacher for assistance.  Remember your accredited TEFL course includes accredited and experienced TEFL trainers, whose sole purpose is to help you understand and to be able to execute the lessons that are presented to you.

3) Remember why you are taking the TEFL course

You signed up to experience other cultures, learn new things and live in amazing places. Your TEFL course will give you a ticket to all this, so keep at it!

4) Give it your best shot

You will make mistakes, but don't let that stop you from trying.  These mistakes are exactly how you learn to be a better teacher.  Pay attention, listen to what your teacher is telling you and do your best on every assignment and teaching practice.  Your hard work will pay off!

5) Take your teacher's comments to heart

Your trainers are there to help you and are highly-qualified experts who have taught all over the world. So, when they give you advice about something it’s worth listening to and acting on.

Finally, remember that over 90% of all TEFL students pass their courses, so if you put the hours in, it’s pretty certain that you’ll get that hard earned certificate at the end of the course.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, free surfing lessons, great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a guaranteed job waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

How to Have a Successful EFL Teaching Adventure

So, your suitcase is packed, and you are ready for new adventures, ready for new challenges, ready to teach English abroad!  Here's how to make the most out of your EFL teaching adventure:

1) Be open minded

The whole world is not a chain of McDonalds and Starbucks. Foreign countries are foreign! Unless you’re teaching in your home country, you will encounter many things that just seem strange.  So, it’s important to keep an open mind. Remember that you’re there to experience an entirely new culture and way of doing things, not to impose your beliefs on your new home.

2) Take an accredited TEFL course

You might be able to speak English, but that doesn’t mean that you are able to teach it. A TEFL course gives you a really good grip on all the classroom essentials such as controlling your class, planning your lessons and corrected your students errors – so you’ll be a lot better prepared for life in the classroom. Plus with a TEFL qualification, you can usually earn more money and find jobs at more reputable schools.

3) Accept invitations

You’ll probably be inundated with invitations for everything from karaoke to weddings. When you first arrive in-country you might suffer from a bit of a culture shock and you might just want to lock yourself in your room and speak to your family and friends on Skype. As tempting as that is, though, don’t do it! Get yourself out there.. yes it may be really scary (e.g. going to a party on your own in a city you don’t know), but the locals will go out of their way to make you feel welcome so just enjoy yourself and make the most of it!

4) Remain calm and flexible

Life as an English teacher is amazing, but it can also be infuriating. Timetables change, contracts change, expectations change… you can have the world promised in your contract, only to turn up to find a tiny apartment with bad plumbing. That’s a worst case scenario, and many teachers don’t have any mishaps at all. But, it’s important to have low expectations before you arrive and to remain calm and flexible once you do get in-country. Don’t stress the little things.

5) Speak up!

Your school has invested a lot of money in hiring you and they’ll want to keep you happy so you finish your contract. They’re not mind readers though, so if you’re ever unhappy with anything, from your accommodation to your hours, say something ASAP (and not just to your friends and family, they can’t do anything about it but your school can)!

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, free surfing lessons, great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a guaranteed job waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Why Aren't You Traveling?

Too little money, too many responsibilities… everyone’s got some lame excuse for not getting out there to see the world – what’s yours?  If you won the lottery tomorrow, you’d probably jet off to some far-flung corner of the planet. But why wait until you win the lottery, or until you retire? What exactly is it that’s holding you back?

Money

So you’re not a millionaire – you don’t need to be! There are over 2 billion people all over the world learning English, meaning fluent English speakers are like gold dust. All you need is to do a TEFL course and you’ll be able to apply for paid work all over the world. You will need to get some money together for you TEFL course, then the flight out to wherever you’ll be calling home for the next 6-12 months, but it’s not going to break the bank.

Your job

Be honest with yourself – is your job something you really want to do, something you’re really passionate about, or just something that pays the bills? Thought so. And if that’s the case, why stick at it for the next 40-odd years until you retire and are too old to enjoy life? Why not enjoy life NOW!

Your friends and family

Who doesn’t love their friends and family? It’s human nature – but with the wonders of the internet, even if you’re on the other side of the world, you’re only ever a Skype call away. Plus, traveling, especially if you’re teaching overseas, is a fantastic way to make lots of wonderful new friends.

Run out of excuses yet? If you’re ready to start traveling, one of the best ways to do it is to teach abroad – if you’re a fluent English speaker, all you need is a TEFL course and you can start working and living in amazing places all over the world.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, free surfing lessons, great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a guaranteed job waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Improve Your Life and See the World

Teaching English as a Foreign Language can improve your life and give you many transferable skills that are in demand in the domestic jobs market. So, even if you’re not thinking of teaching as a long-term career, spending time teaching abroad can be really beneficial to your future career.

Improve your communication skills

When you teach abroad you’ll spend much of your time standing in front of a class or preparing lessons. This will improve your communication skills and your confidence in presenting to a group, both of which are really useful in all forms of business. And because you’ll probably be teaching in a non-English speaking country, you’ll also learn to communicate effectively with people who don’t speak your language.

A challenge you won't forget

From the second you step off your outbound flight until the moment you say a tearful goodbye to your students, you’ll be challenged almost constantly. You’ll need to learn how to function in a foreign country, how to navigate your way around a new city, how to build new working relationships and how to function outside of your comfort zone. If you write your resume properly, future employers can’t help but be impressed.

International networking

While you’re overseas you’ll cross paths with people from all walks of life: from foreign tourists and backpackers to local businessmen and university professors to government officials. If you make the effort to stay in touch, there’s every possibility that something may come of it. Life throws up all sorts of opportunities, it’s just a question of recognizing them and using them to your advantage.

Open new doors and broaden your horizons

Many people head off to teach for six months or a year and never come back: they find new opportunities and follow a new path in life. You never know where TEFL may take you until you take that all important first step!

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, free surfing lessons, great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a guaranteed job waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Is Teaching EFL Right For Me?

So you have been seriously thinking about starting a new life abroad as an EFL teacher – one filled with exciting new experiences, new friends and weekends relaxing on the beach. Before you make the leap here is the type of person who is most successful at teaching EFL:

Willing to try new things

The people who have the best time when teaching abroad are those who never turn down an invitation. You’re there to experience a new culture, so embrace the unexpected and the unusual!

Patient & Calm

Teaching English abroad, especially if you’re teaching kids, can be pretty frustrating at times. Wherever in the world you are, kids are kids, and can lose interest and start playing very quickly. The good news is that a calm and orderly teacher usually makes for calm and orderly students. So as long as you can keep calm and carry on you’ll be fine! 

Open-minded

When you start teaching English, you won’t just be starting a new job, you’ll probably have just arrived in a totally new, alien country too. It’s important to keep an open mind about any cultural differences you encounter, including crazy new foods, initially strange-seeming etiquette and nonsensical bureaucracy.

Willing to make mistakes

Good teaching is all about trial and error – no one gets it right the first time! So, even if you’ve done loads of TEFL study, when you first start teaching lots of your classes will feel like total disasters. Don’t be disheartened – you’ll soon find that for every couple of activities or lessons that flop, you’ll hit on one that’s a rip-roaring success. And once you’ve got a good idea of what flops and what flies, you’ll be set.

Enthusiastic

You do need to be enthusiastic about the idea of teaching and ready to get stuck in and start helping your students, otherwise you’ll soon find your time abroad feels very long indeed.

A good listener

Being a good listener separates a mediocre teacher from a fantastic one – a good teacher will keep an ear out for the mistakes his/her students make and work out how they can correct them in subsequent classes. A bad one will just ignore their students’ efforts to talk – which do you want to be?

Flexible

No matter where you’re teaching, things in the TEFL world have a pesky habit of changing at the last minute: working hours changing and timetables being overhauled are just some of the most common issues, while schools dropping contracts at the last minute are at the more irritating end of the spectrum. As a teacher there’s not much you can do to avoid these last-minute changes, so it’s important to be flexible and embrace the unpredictability of things!

Friendly and approachable

No one wants a grumpy teacher – while it’s important to maintain a degree of professional distance between yourself and your students, you’ll find them much more willing to cooperate in class if you’re fair, friendly and approachable.

So, you’re cut out for the world of teaching EFL – if you haven’t started one already, your next step is an accredited TEFL course.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, free surfing lessons, great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a guaranteed job waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Culture Shock When Teaching EFL

Teaching EFL abroad is a great opportunity to see the world and expand your horizons. But being away from home, family, living in a different culture and always being surrounded by the unfamiliar – well that can take its toll. You might be suffering from culture shock.

It starts with euphoria

The first thing you’ll feel when you get off the plane is euphoria. You’re in a new country, surrounded by new things and it’s simply amazing. But this natural high has its drawbacks – after all, what goes up, must come down.

The full force of culture shock

Everyone’s different and some lucky people don’t even suffer from culture shock. But those who do have reported feelings of unease, negativity and a strong desire to shy away from anything new.

How to deal with it

Dealing with culture shock isn’t as difficult as you’d think. There are just a few simple steps you can take, which can make a big difference:

•    Be prepared
Knowing what to expect goes a long way to helping you deal with new cultures and experiences. So research the country you’re going to be heading to before you go.

•    Be yourself
It sounds obvious doesn’t it? But you’d be surprised how many people travel to a new country and try to become a completely different person at the same time. There’s no denying the fact that taking on a totally new career in a totally new country will change you. Just let it happen naturally, because if you don’t, you’ll feel even more lost.

•    Take one day at a time
If you’re teaching abroad, you’re probably going to be away for a long time. But imagining a whole year in this new, scary place can be overwhelming. So stay focused on the now and take one day at a time.

•    Make friends
One of the things you’ll miss the most when you’re working abroad is your friends, so make new ones. So if you’re feeling down, tell someone about it – they’ll probably be feeling the same way.

•    Explore
Getting to know your destination will help make it more familiar. And that’s the ultimate cure for culture shock. Start by looking for similarities between this new culture and your own.

•    Stay in touch
When you’re feeling homesick, there’s nothing better than talking to someone from home. So make sure you keep in close contact with everyone you’ve left behind to go on your travels.

•    Learn the language
The language barrier can put a real strain on you while you’re abroad. So you might find it useful to take a course before you go or while you’re there. Alternatively, ask the school you’re working for to set up some language lessons for you.

Just remember, your trip will be whole lot better if you embrace new cultures, instead of clashing with them. So if all else fails, just go with the flow.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, free surfing lessons, great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a guaranteed job waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!