I was looking for a Nintendo 64 controller on craigslist and found a misplaced ad for teaching English in China.
Completely changed the course of my life, I've been traveling ever since.
this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2025
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bitofarambler
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Q&A for any and all questions you might have about traveling.
FAQ
are there requirements to be an ESL teacher other than being a fluent English speaker?
nope.
some countries and schools require a TEFL certificate or prefer candidates with an associate's degree depending on the position, but if you want to teach English, all you need is to be a fluent English speaker.
how can you afford to travel long-term?
The cost of living in most countries is around $500 USD a month for transportation, rent, utilities and food altogether; teaching English pays $2000 USD a month with zero qualifications or experience.
every month I taught English, I had a few extra months of my cost of living.
I taught English for about 7 years.
as long as you're making more than 500 USD a month remotely in any job, you can travel long-term.
What's the best country?
Pffft get outta here.
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I did start teaching in China through that ad without any certifications or experience, which is fairly common.
A lot of countries, China included, just require a native or fluent English speaker for a teaching job.
I've been to about 30 countries so far; most of Asia, western Europe, india, morocco, I'm in Panama right now.