YOU - Confident and Skilled in the front of your classroom:  Here's all the Skills you missed if you haven't taken a formal TEFL Training Certificate Course.  No need to miss out - get your basic TEFL Training right here - all the basic concepts, vocabulary, lesson planning - in one place. KNOW What to do and HOW to do it! TEFL Training for New Teachers How to Teach English Overseas A Ten-Week Plan to a NEW Life Overseas Everything you Need to Know to Land a Job and get Moved Overseas. Insider Tips from an Experienced TEFL Teacher, TEFL Teacher Trainer and former Peace Corps Volunteer working Overseas since 1989. A Fast Track Grammar Review for EFL Teachers No need to fear grammar any more!  This well known Grammar Review is humorous and light-hearted in its approach to grammar. No other grammar book can get you up to speed as quickly and easily as Fast Track. Written by a teacher-trainer to get newbies up to speed FAST.

How Much can I Earn or Save Teaching English Abroad?

EFL/ESL teachers, in most countries, tend to earn at least what the average wage-earner in that country makes and often quite a bit more. 

The lifestyle afforded by a career in TEFL typically exceeds that of the common woman/man in most developing countries and is generally comparable in more developed countries.

That said, what people often really want to know is:  Can I save any money teaching English overseas?  Will I make enough to pay off my student loans and other debts? And the answer is, "Yes, sometimes, and in some countries."  Really, it depends on the country in which you choose to teach - and your lifestyle.

How much can I save?

EFL Teachers in Korea and Taiwan, for example, typically can save as much as US$1,000 per month or more.  Your lifestyle, of course, will affect your personal bottom line as well as how currencies go up and down - but the general idea is acurate. 

TEFL professionals in the Middle East can sometimes triple the savings of Korea, but the ME will generally require advanced degrees and previous experience for the better positions and certain cultural aspects of the region are not to everyone's liking. 

EFL Teachers in China report a good lifestyle on their wages - but that they are usually unable to save significant money.  The same is true of Thailand and Mexico and many countries in South America.  Their wages earn them a modest but comfortable living - but serious savings are difficult to come by. 

So, as you ponder the decision about teaching English overseas, you'll also need to consider your financial situation and that will affect what countries you want to look at for your TEFL career.

If you have student loans or other debts, consider only countries where your likelihood of success is great and the average teacher is able to comfortably save at least the amount of your obligations and enough to travel and enjoy the region (Primarily Korea, Japan, Taiwan and parts of the Middle East).

Success

The author's personal experience is that he started in TEFL with very little in the way of assets - and over the period from 1992 to 2005 was able to buy several rental properties in the USA and pay them off.  All the while teaching in four different countries and traveling to many others. 

Overall, for author anyway, it was an excellent lifestyle combined with an ability to save.  But, it is not all roses and happy faces, he would prefer to always work in a country like Thailand and sit on a beach - but has had to make some choices and spend some time in countries like Saudi Arabia and Korea where earnings and net savings can be very high.  TEFL was a real career for author and he needed to make sure he had sufficient funds for retirement (He is now retired at the young age of only 57 - and enjoying that beach!).