That said, depending on the goals of this student, there are still a lot of places to start that are more general than not. I used to use https://www.eslcafe.com/quite a lot, but that was many years ago, and it looks like the forums are quiet since Covid started. Not sure what that’s about. 

Another site that was well-respected when I was checking things out years ago was https://www.teachaway.com/and I remember them being ready for folks in a lot of situations. The second one is a legitimate business and the first is a clearing house. Either way, it takes at least 3-4 months to go through the process when things run swift as a stream.

Warnings about the clearing house and legitimate business, both: foreign contracts are often not what people bargain for and getting local references for the place that you’re going to is a valuable element of research, which is why I mention the forums that used to be so useful. 

So hmm… It’s a hustle, not like an American setting that has accessible, legal frameworks… 

I’ve had contracts that were immediately replaced on landing, I’ve arrived and had no job at all, I’ve arrived and had alternate job descriptions to what was discussed on the way… All this with the upfront investment of getting on a plane with gear and taking the plunge. 

It can be unsettling. 

On the other hand, I’ve had wonderful experiences as well. People are often super grateful that a teacher has made the leap and go out of the way to make landing easier, buying things for the free apartment and more. They can be super awesome with personal assistance, or be professionally removed even when it isn’t an absurd drop. So, it’s really a game to play in a way. A real roulette-wheel spin. 

I would encourage researching the place that offers a contract in whatever way possible, such as finding past teachers online who write about their experiences (keeping in mind that more often than not, what goes up is negative, because positive experiences don’t often send people to the forums!?) or getting in touch with current teachers there. It’s worth thinking about… 

Could be that this student/teacher is ready for adventure and doesn’t need a lot of money. Great! Then I’d say take the first super cool-looking job in Korea, Thailand, or Japan that looks great and plan on being self-reliant for a lot of things. Often, the first job anyone gets is with a kindergarten and from there, once on the ground, a body can meet folks around and get more information. That’s like getting a foot in the door, to teach a year of Kindy. (And it’s fun and easy!) From there, more interesting jobs like international schools and even (Look at Korea’s http://www.epik.go.kr/index.do program!) public schools are available. I taught two years in Korea’s public school system and had a great time with it ~ 

Language, language, language! 

    In the process, after the school or country-of-focus is found (there will still be a couple months of paperwork), getting into Memrise or Duolingo and picking up some of the language for the place this person is going is the best thing they can do, for so many reasons. From ordering lunch and riding the bus to understanding the grammatical complexities that their future students are coming from, this will be invaluable as a mental movement. 

Well, there’s a quick think for ya. Hope it helps. 

Cheers,

Jim

Sent from the updated version of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Reminding you to read at length often, and most importantly, Don’t Panic.