Just Go Teach English!

How do you visit foreign countries all expenses paid, for a year or two at a time? Just go teach English. The new popular post-graduate option for a lot of students seems to be programs that fly Americans to countries in Asia to teach English.

Of course the programs all vary, but I have a friend who is in South Korea teaching English by day and partying it up by night, traveling to Indonesia and other Asian islands, with insurance, and she did not know a lick of Korean before she left. I get misty-eyed just thinking about it.

We do not communicate too often because of the time difference, but I am always a little jealous after we do.

I was also talking to a Japanese exchange student in my class. I told her that I would love to go to Japan, and that I might try teaching English to get over there, immediately she mentioned the JET program. Going since 1987, JET is probably one of the most established English teaching exchange programs out there that has definitely grown in participation.

If you are wondering, 'is she an Education major?' The answer is no. Although, I have thought about teaching at some point as a way to give back to society. (However, fighting to make a difference in a system that has been broken since the 60's, except for the wealthy of course, simply does not appeal to me too much.)

I like to think that teaching English abroad could still contribute to American society in that I would be like an ambassador of sorts...

In any event, I will definitely be looking into it further.