Thinking about teaching abroad

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I've been thinking about traveling abroad (most likely somewhere in Asia) to teach English for years. I'm still interested in the idea. I do have my TESOL certificate and am working on my Masters in Special Education.

Problem is, despite wanting to do this for over 5 years, my anxiety keeps getting in the way. I have a number of concerns:

Going somewhere new where I don't know anybody and can't speak the local language. I won't have any friends or support network when I get there. I won't know the area or where anything is or where to go when I need to see a doctor for instance. And I don't know the laws and customs or what I should do in certain situations. Now I have traveled internationally on my own before, including returning to the US alone after growing up abroad; but the key difference has always been that I knew the language everywhere I traveled so I could always communicate with the people around me when I needed to. I've heard stories about people who got in trouble with the police because they didn't know that chewing gum or sitting in a public area were against the law.

In many place around the world, people do not tend to be very understanding when it comes to mental illness. Employers in particular. I suffer from major depression and generalized anxiety, and have had breakdowns in the past. I'm afraid of being in a foreign country, where everything from my visa to my housing is dependent on my employer, and what would happen if that employer fired me because of my mental illness. I also don't know if I'll have access to a psychiatrist or medication if I need them. And if I do, I don't know if there will be any laws in place to prevent my employer from finding out about my condition.

I don't know how my employer or other people may react to my AS quirks. I have lived abroad before, and I did get cut some clack because people assumed some of my social blunders were just due to me being a foreigner. But that never carried me far. I still got in trouble because I accidently offended people and I still took a lot of heat for my stimming.

And I'm also concerned about how closely employers will honor their contracts. I've heard stories of people never getting the accommodation they were promised even when that was written in their contracts. And I've even heard stories about people getting in trouble because their employers didn't follow legal guidelines regarding their work visas.

And if anyone has any experience in this field, I'd like to know what countries are the best to work in. Which have the best experiences for foreigner workers and which have the best living costs. Thanks.

You may find, as I have, that the Philippines is a generally hospitable social environment for westerners.  My "aspieness" is easily explained away by citing cultural differences -- with a smile, of course.  Filipinos seem to like it when I smile.

I'd love to go to the Philippines. But from what I've heard there aren't many good job opportunities there.

In Japan, teaching English is the easiest job to get for native English speakers, but also the worst job. Salaries are OK but rarely increase, many companies screw foreigners contract-wise, and everyone will see the "Western" stereotype in you. Plus, the competition is tough. Typical course is go here, be an ALT for a few years, date some Japanese for a while, get frustrated and tired with the perceived discrimination, then go home.

I don't look down on people teaching language, it's a decent job if you're a decent person, but it's definitely the broad path with all the negatives (and few positives) that comes with it.

Foreign cultures come with their own rules and challenges, but that's kind of an even ground for foreigners. Many people without ASD have to face our reality, learning social behaviour not by osmosis but by conscious study and learning. Going the extra mile to learn and use a bit of the local language, and taking interest in their culture and traditions, opens a lot of doors to friendship and acceptance.

Apologize profusely and hide the stimming. Accidentally offending people will be inevitable, but unless you're doing something absolutely insane you should be able to at least partially mend the relationship. Never make excuses. One of the more polite apologies in Japan literally means "There is no excuse". Go to a private room for the stimming.

As for mental illnesses, don't tell anyone. There is next to no understanding and even less support. If you need psychiatric attention then keep it under cover, e.g. getting prescription drugs on days off and so on. Your aspieness can be blamed on cultural differences, so no point in "coming out", as I see it.


I can only speak for Japan: healthcare is greatly subsidized by national insurance, psychiatry is included, and covers virtually the same range of diagnoses as in the DSM. Getting meds is simple here. Counselling/seeing a psychologist is not included but available, you just have to pay out of your own pocket.
There are no laws, afaik, to prevent the employer from finding out, but laws against discrimination prevent the employer from firing you if they do find out. The employer would have to clearly prove that you are misbehaving at work, and misbehaving to a great degree, to be able to fire you. In reality, though, many employers will try to screw you if they find out, because they know the foreigners don't know the rules well.
Most japanese never tell their employer or anyone else at work that they're seeing a psychiatrist. Still quite taboo. Again, in reality, a sizeable chunk of the population sees psychiatrists regularly.

In short: living here is something you should generally only do at the peak of your abilities and mental health. Because it is challenging.

I hope your teaching plans work out for you.

I used to live in Hong Kong and even taught TESL there for a little while when I took a break from my usual work in engineering.
It's a good place to go if you're nervous about the language barrier because plenty of people speak English and all the signs are in English as well as Chinese.
Or they used to be when I was there, up until 2005.
Oh, and health care is cheap and accessible.
But accommodation is small and expensive.

There’s a guy here who works in China. I’m not sure if he’s a teacher, though.

Many countries have opportunities for English teachers—because it’s the Lingua Franca of the world, really.

While many of the people over there speak English, there is a concern among many of them to speak English correctly.  On several occasions, Filipinos have asked me for something as simple as the correct pronunciations of a few words, to something as complex as tutoring classes for business people seeking to better their business relations with Americans.

I am not saying they you would become wealthy doing this, but that it may be worth looking into in detail before dismissing it completely.

It never gets cold in any part of the Philippines. 60 degrees Fahrenheit would make front page news.

What is considered a decent livable wage in Japan? I need enough to pay for rent and bills and other living costs, make payments on my student loans, and have some left over for savings and recreation.



I'm not dismissing it. But I want to be sure I know what I'm getting into.

I have spent several nights near Tagaytay on the rim of the Taal volcano, where it is not at all unusual for the temperature to dip below 60°F (17°C) from December to March, and this is not at all newsworthy.

Last edited by Fnord on 24 Jan 2021, 2:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Should have thought about high-altitude locales

High parts of Hawaii get snowstorms.

Most of the jobs would be in the Manila metro area, where it hardly ever gets below 65 Fahrenheit.

Then I assume that you have never actually visited the Philippines.  Have you ever even been to Hawai'i?

I’ve been to Hawaii. Yes.

No, I haven’t been to the Philippines. I’d like to go some day. I do keep up with the temperatures and climate there. I also know some Filipinos.

It depends. Smaller cities are of course cheaper. Tokyo is generally the most expensive. I heard 250,000円 as an average (see https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/salary- ... g-in-japan). People in my profession (architecture) start out on 180,000円 a month. It's the same for Japanese nationals, because it's a job for rich kids who don't need a salary since their parents pay. It was hard for me when I started out, basically could only afford rent and living expenses, no savings. Now I earn about 340,000円 a month. The Japanese average, across all professions and ages, is 345,000円. With that kind of salary, you're living a comfortable life. With 250,000円, life is still okay. I'm sure you can at least repay part of your loans if you don't do anything frivolous, and possibly choose a smaller city like Fukuoka.

I wish I tried to get into this when I was in my 20s or early 30s. Now that I'm 39 I'm too old to start out now.