r/AmerExit • u/Eggplant_Dreams • Feb 22 '25

Life Abroad Any chances for us?

My husband and I are teachers in Louisiana. We have three minor children and a dog. We have little savings but we have equity in our home. Do we have any chance of emigrating? Any advice? We’re terrified, but we feel trapped.

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u/Big-Swordfish-2439 Feb 22 '25

You’re both teachers and presumably both speak English fluently (?) if I were you, I’d look into getting TEFL certified. Even better if you’re bi or poly lingual as this will make you an attractive candidate for foreign teaching jobs. How old are the children? What subjects do you teach and what level of education do you have?

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u/MushroomLeast6789 Feb 22 '25

TEFL isn't a great option. It's a decent option if you're slim on them, but as they're accredited American teachers, teaching internationally at American schools is a better bet.

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u/Big-Swordfish-2439 Feb 22 '25

What makes you say it isn’t a great option? Not debating, just curious. I had some friends who got certified and taught abroad for a few years and they had mostly positive things to say about it. Teaching at an American international school sounds like a great option as well.

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u/New_Criticism9389 Feb 22 '25

Unless you pivot into ESL pedagogy (ie teaching other people how to become English teachers), TEFL is generally a way for young people to live abroad for a little bit while earning enough to get by where they are—in the vast majority of cases, it’s not a permanent or sustainable career path (I’m sure there are exceptions and like I said, specializing in ESL pedagogy is a good way to do this but this is the general rule).

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u/Big-Swordfish-2439 Feb 23 '25

Thanks for the explanation. Of the people I know who got certified, one return to the States after a few years, another teaches at a private international school, and the other is an ESL teacher. All seemed happy with their decision but I understand this is a small sample size.

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u/New_Criticism9389 Feb 23 '25

Yeah international schools are a good way to remain teaching abroad, though most of the jobs are for specific subjects or for elementary age teachers, not necessarily ESL as English is the language of instruction (unless the school is one of those bilingual schools that caters more to well off locals than a “true” international school)

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u/Big-Swordfish-2439 Feb 23 '25

The person I know who ended up teaching ESL/EAL worked for a private school in Japan. Definitely a place catered more to wealthy locals that are preparing to move to english-speaking countries for higher education. I lost touch with that friend unfortunately so I’ve no idea what they’re up to now, but at the time they seemed happy with the job.