You’re now finally making the move. Your bags are packed, your TEFL certificate is in hand, and you have your plane ticket. The only thing left to do is take off on your new profession as an English teacher abroad.
It’s not surprising that you’re eager about this significant new journey. After all, you have the opportunity to travel, see new nations, and get to know a wide range of fascinating individuals while earning money.
The following 6 suggestions were put together by our top TEFL specialists today in order to help you succeed and survive both inside and outside of the classroom.
Is it stressful to teach English abroad?
Undoubtedly, one of the most profoundly transformative experiences you will have is teaching English abroad. Because it entails traveling to a strange place, beginning a new work, establishing new friends, or learning a foreign language, it can occasionally be frightening. Set self-care as a top priority to help you overcome these obstacles.
In the past, self-care was frequently equated with trips to the spa or maybe a steak dinner. However, maintaining a person’s wellness is a continuous effort rather than something you do once a year or with money from a job.
The Self-care Wheel is one tool for assessing your general well-being. During my final year of teaching, as work grew busier, I discovered that framework to be beneficial in balancing work and personal obligations. The wheel has sections for psychological, emotional, spiritual, private, work-related, and physical aspects. However, you could also want to take into account other aspects of your life, such as your financial security or how happy you are with your love life. Recognizing that your well-being has many facets will help you make investments in the things that are most important to you.
Here are six self-care categories that I’ve learned about throughout my three years of teaching English in Japan, each with a real-world example. I discuss personal wellbeing last and use the terms wellness and wellbeing interchangeably.
Psychiatric Health:
Publish a journal. In Japan, I retained quite a few. I even kept special journals, some of which I used for poetry or sketching. Others involved me talking only about my day or my plans. People who just relocate overseas frequently experience culture shock, so documenting your thoughts and observations is a useful approach to adjusting to your new surroundings.
Try your creativity. Since I was very little, drawing has been one of my hobbies. Every day, I would carry an iPad or a sketchbook to work so I could draw during my lunch break. Even though I occasionally only had five minutes to doodle, my daily artistic routine kept me content and helped me maintain a feeling of self.
You can use creativity in your work as well. Handcrafts became a regular component of my job after I started teaching kids. There are many inexpensive crafts that can be produced with paper, crayons, and colored pencils that are perfect for holidays and festivals. We constructed Santa hats with preschoolers during a Christmas lesson.
Emotional health
I was offered this advice by one of my mentors during my first few months in Japan: “Read less news and listen to more love songs.” Too much media may make me anxious, and transitioning to my new way of life was already difficult enough. As soon as I cut back on my news consumption, my mood significantly improved. The benefits of listening to music are comparable, and love songs may be incredibly calming (as long as you’re not just getting over a breakup).
Don’t forget to laugh. Simple acts like finding something amusing on the train and giggling to yourself can accomplish this. I experimented with improv comedy while it was still before COVID, and I occasionally viewed humorous movies (in English or Japanese) on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Obtain a pet. I met other instructors who had hamsters or bunnies, and I was able to maintain a goldfish as a pet. Keeping a dog or cat in a Japanese apartment is more challenging, and doing so in the COVID era is particularly challenging.
In any event, these are a few suggestions to assist control your emotions and help set your emotional dial to a pleasant setting.
Spiritual Health
Frequent hikes currently, accessing a hiking route in Japan requires a number of transfers on the public transit system. But it might be possible with a little investigation, forward preparation, and help from Google Maps. However, as some routes are best accessed by vehicle, it is preferable to establish friends with a few locals. An image from a very frigid walk in Gunma Prefecture, which is reachable by bullet train from Tokyo, is seen below.
Do some yoga. Your preferred YouTube instructor is an easy way to practice yoga in the comfort of your own home. When I could practice with others and attend yoga classes.
Occupational Health
Join a trade association. I am a participant in the TESOL International Association, formerly Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, and the Japan Association for Language Teaching, albeit I may be under-utilized due to schedule issues (JALT). In addition to regular webinars, TESOL features an online community platform where you can ask questions of other teachers from across the world. Keep in mind that you can deduct membership fees from your income taxes as a business cost. JALT sponsored a variety of events nearly every week all around Japan. Because of my evening commitments at a private language school, I was only able to participate in one online event. Another thing to keep in mind when considering career alternatives is that public schools are open during the day.
Play hard, work hard. For employees to be productive, the opportunity to take time off from work is essential. Long-term job satisfaction is mostly dependent on having weekends or days off to relax, recharge, explore the neighborhood, or travel as your schedule and finances permit. My preferred pastimes in my spare time were going to the beach or museums. Fortunately, Japan has a lot of both.
Physical Health
You can find English-speaking service providers by doing some research online or by asking around. Make maintaining your physical health a priority by visiting the dentist and doctor at least once a year.
You can find English-speaking service providers by doing some research online or by asking around. Make maintaining your physical health a priority by visiting the dentist and doctor at least once a year.
Personal Health
The loneliness and isolation you can feel can definitely be combated by maintaining contact with friends and family back home. The finest part of my experience living overseas, though, was without a doubt being open to and cultivating new friendships.
Routinely forcing colleagues to go out drinking, and getting housemates to cook meals together were challenges that weren’t as easy as they appeared
