If you are looking for a high-flying career as a teacher abroad, your life is surely going to be thrilling – with the exciting opportunity to experience new cultures and explore new parts of the world; however, on the flip side, leaving your community of friends and family back home can be a tough call. Moreover, when teaching in a foreign country where we don’t necessarily speak the language or fully understand the culture, it’s even harder to make friends.
The following are some handy tips that will help you to make friends with both expats and other locals while teaching abroad.
1. Take a TEFL Course Abroad
A TEFL course is a much-needed investment in your teaching career; with a TEFL certificate, finding a teaching job in the country you’re planning to work in becomes much easier. Teaching English as a Foreign/Second language to learners who had zero to little exposure to the language can be difficult at times, especially if it’s your first time teaching. If you enroll on a TEFL course with a good course provider abroad with placement assistance facilities, then your chances of getting hired by a school or teaching company afterwards multiply.
Moreover, pursuing in-class TEFL courses gives you the opportunity to connect with your peers who will be living in the same city (or at least the same country) and will belong from different parts of the world with a passion for teaching and travel. Hence, in-class TEFL programs are a great way to meet new people, possible-friends and connect with them.
2. Teach Abroad Through a School or Company with Cohorts
Though it is a fact that a TEFL certificate helps you to easily find teaching jobs abroad, it is not mandatory to have one. For some schools or language institutes, having English as your native language or an equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree is what you need.
Several teaching companies have an orientation for all of the new teachers before they begin to teach classes. These groups of teachers are called cohorts who usually have the same contract timeline as you; these kinds of meetings are also an ideal way to meet new friends. The training usually lasts for a month and is a great opportunity and an easy way to befriend other teachers and find like-minded teachers in your cohort to befriend.
3. Attend Language Exchanges
Being abroad to teach English allows youto learn and practice the native language of the country that you’re in. You will find many big cities around the world conducting weekly language exchangesto bring both locals and expats together to speak each other’s language.
Attending language exchange sessions will allow you to meet new people and is againa great way to befriend not only other teachers and expats but the natives too who loves to meet foreigners visiting their country. Another fun part of attending these meet-ups is that since they are usually held at restaurants or bars, you can take recommendations of your new local friends and try local food and drinks.
4. Connect with Communities on Facebook
Now, moving abroad and finding opportunities for a teaching job has become a lot easier, thanks to social media platforms like facebook. Social media plays a massive role when it comes to connecting teachers from all over the world. Through facebook, you can search for expat groups in the country that you are planning to go to so that you can gather as much information before you land there through the recommendations that group members will provide you with.
These Facebook groups provide you with great details about festivals, weekend trips, food, music, and anything related to the place you’re planning to go to or are already in. Hence you will find answers to any queries related to visas, general concerns about life, and even job opportunities.
Another way you can use Facebook to add to your friend list is by connecting with all of the new people you meet in your class on this platform. When you add your new friends on Facebook, you’ll also see the events they like/share and this in turn will help you create your to-do list for your overseas stay. In these events, you are also likely to make new friends. You can use social media to your advantage even if you pursue Online TEFL courses.
Conclusion
Now that you have gathered a good amount of information to make friends while teaching abroad, don’t be afraid to take the initiative to get to know new people. Usually, it’s these people you surround yourself with that make an experience so memorable. The best part about befriending people while teaching abroad in your EFL/ESL teaching profession is that you’ll expand your network of friends, which will just lead to more travel planning to visit new parts of the world in the future for professional needs or otherwise.
Written By : Sonal Agrawal
