Who will I be teaching?
An ESL teacher has to teach all kinds of students. Some students may be older than you and some may be much younger. Sometimes you will have to teach large classes. The students could possess different levels of proficiency in English. Some students are already proficient in the language. Others may be beginners with hardly any understanding of the language. Some students want to learn business English. Others are more interested in general English.
What are typical working hours?
Most teachers work five days a week and most schools require you to work 20 or 25 hours a week. Remember that you will need extra time to prepare for the lessons. And if you are teaching a large class, you will also need to spend more hours on grading assignments and worksheets. If you work full-time, you may get 6 to 8 weeks of paid holidays. If you work on an hourly basis, you may not get paid holidays.
How much can I expect to earn?
Well, don’t expect to earn much. ESL teaching jobs don’t pay very well. Of course, if you are working for a reputable employer, you should be able to earn enough to get by comfortably. Teachers working in Japan, Korea and the oil-rich Gulf countries tend to get better salaries than those working in other countries. If you manage to find a job in these countries, you should be able to earn a handsome salary. But remember that in many of these countries the cost of living is pretty high. So that is an important point to consider before accepting a job. You will almost always be paid in the local currency.