Teaching English abroad has since become an extension of that childhood wonder and has since taken me to live and work in Singapore and Hong Kong, encounter disgruntled tigers in China, SCUBA dive with black tipped reef sharks in Malaysia, trawl the backstreet markets and bars of Bangkok, camp, bungee jump and swim with wild dolphins in New Zealand, farm stay in Australia and rub shoulders with the locals on outlying Indonesian islands.

The first thing to consider when thinking about teaching English in Asia is your qualifications. Simply being a native speaker is no longer enough. In Singapore and Hong Kong (which are both excellent bases to live and work whilst you plan your adventures during school holidays) you will need to be qualified. The more qualifications you have in the field the better. In both countries, you will need a sponsor in order to obtain a working visa. In my experience there are three types of sponsor and I list these in order of preference. Your first choice should be an international school, your second a government school and your third would be a commercial language school.

In order to secure a position in an International school, you will need a college or university degree in English language or Literature along with a post graduate diploma in education or similar. A Masters is an added bonus. Competition for positions in these schools is very high and so even if you are qualified, previous experience will be your passport. The English School’s Foundation, The United World College, American, British, Australian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean International schools exist in both countries and their staff, students and educational systems will largely reflect that of their country of origin.

Both the Hong Kong department of Education and Singapore’s Ministry of Education offer excellent terms and conditions for English Teachers which include a basic salary, medical insurance, return flights and a generous housing allowance. Government positions in Hong Kong are less stringent in that they will accept a native speaker with a degree related subject. This will involve a slightly lower salary but you will still be paid a great deal more than the average local salary. However, competition for these positions is also very high so if you’re not successful in your application, you may like to consider applying directly to schools which may include free accommodation and medical insurance in addition to your salary.

If you are successful in securing a position of this nature, please ensure that you request photographs of your intended accommodation long before you sign a contract. In my introduction to this article, I was disappointed with my accommodation but was later able to renegotiate alternative arrangements. I was lucky but it didn’t exactly get my employment off on an ideal footing.

Commercial language schools offer less secure work and less favorable terms and conditions yet I have spoken to teachers who work for several of these institutions at any one time and they claim to be making a decent living. These institutions will accept TEFL or TESOL certificates in addition to your native speaker status. The downside here is that you will not be paid for holidays as this is probably their busiest time. Students and adults often take up holiday, weekend and evening classes to improve their English so this is when you will be called upon to teach. In addition, the people who run these places have also been known to dismiss teachers at a moment’s notice if they are not happy with their services. Working for International schools or government departments of education is more preferable because they will offer you a contract of employment.

Contracts of employment vary and as with all contracts require careful scrutiny. Most International schools and government positions will require you to sign up for two years. In my experience, two years is a reasonable amount of time for both parties to get the measure of each other and if you want to move on then simply apply for an alternative position elsewhere. A word of warning here. If you break an employment contract, there are likely to be more consequences than the agreed financial penalties. The government department responsible for issuing a working visa for your next position may not be sympathetic, especially if you are breaking a contract with their own department of education in favor of a private organization.

For those of you with families, international schools and government positions in Hong Kong and Singapore will offer increased housing and educational allowances to accommodate spouses and children. Your spouse will also be free to seek employment during your term of contract.  It is generally accepted that your children will need to be educated an international school that is in keeping with your country of origin. However, I suspect that such applicants may be at a disadvantage when competing for positions for with single teachers as employers seek to cut costs in these difficult economic times.

In terms of the working and living experience, Hong Kong beats Singapore hands down. Whilst both cities are excellent living environments for westerners and their children, there is a great deal more of interest in Hong Kong in terms of entertainment and the arts, local culture and nightlife. Whilst your salary may go a great deal further in Singapore, there is certainly a ‘big brother factor’ there which certainly isn’t evident here in Hong Kong.

Please be assured that both countries will expect you to work hard in return for what they offer, but to me, when the day is done it’s the playing hard that counts…

I have included a list of valuable links here which have been of great use to me in the past and which I hope will help you on your way.

Links:

Singapore:
www.moe.edu.sg

Hong Kong:
http://www.asiaxpat.com.hk/

General Job sites:
http://www.eslcafe.com/
http://www.tes.co.uk/