As millennials, we often find ourselves in somewhat of a catch-22.
Stuck in a post-grad job we don’t like, with a measly salary and little opportunity. 🤷 But those career and personal goals will need to be on hold because without that boring 9-5 the debt collectors will be knocking at your door.
Why teaching abroad is the perfect career choice for millennials
Now I don’t know about you, but I didn’t go to university and undertake a mountain of student debt so I could give up on my dreams and wither away in a badly-lit office cubicle.
So what if I told you there is an alternative?
There’s been an influx of millennials leaving their life behind and heading overseas to teach English abroad. I know you’re probably wondering what all the hype is about and how it’s all possible. Can you really travel the world for a living?
Read on and I’ll break down why millennials should teach English abroad:
Ditch the rent cheque
So payday is finally here and you’re ready to live large, but hold onto that bank card. In order to afford that one-bedroom apartment, you’re looking at upwards of $1,800 in most of North America’s major cities.
According to a GoBankingRates study of average monthly apartment costs you’ll be spending around $2,000/month in Boston, $2,000/month in Seattle, $2,395/month in New York and an unbelievable $3,395/month in San Francisco.
Unless you’re missing your college days and want to move in with a handful of your friends, ditch the rent altogether and take a position teaching English abroad that offers fully subsidized housing or a housing allowance.
Pay off your debt
Nobody really ever really warns you about the mountain of debt that comes with a degree or prepares you for how out of reach the idea of home ownership really is.
So how do you claw your way out of the red and into the green?
Teaching English abroad typically means your cost of living will see a significant drop giving you the opportunity to save more of that hard-earned cash. That way, YOU can reap the benefits of all of your hard work.
Increase your happiness
Anxiety and depression in millennials has hit record highs.
Studies show that the pressure of student loan debt, career expectations and personal goals has this generation showing a 4% increase in depression rate over both Baby Boomers and Gen Xers.
So, what can you do to find joy in life and combat the symptoms of depression? Although there’s little scientific research on this – as anyone who takes a vacation will tell you – it’s no secret that the benefits of travel can have some serious mood-boosting effects.
Travel the world
Living and working abroad gives you the opportunity to spend your weekends exploring some of the most incredible places in the world. The best part. Many of these destinations are right on your doorstep.
So if you happen to land a position teaching English language learners in Beijing, bank on some weekend adventures. You’ll be able to fly to Seoul in two hours, take an overnight train to Shanghai or drive to the Great Wall in just over an hour.
So there you have it, all the reasons you needed to say sayonara to your humdrum life and take the leap to teaching English abroad.
But if that wasn’t enough motivation to quit your 9-5 and create your new normal here’s a few ESL teaching vacancies to get you started:
And before you hit the road, here’s a quick heads about about the qualifications you’ll need to teach English abroad (hint: a TEFL certificate is one of them!)
