How does teaching overseas with Educators Overseas work?

1. Register online.
2. Login and complete an application, including submission of all documentation (letters of recommendation, official university transcripts, and a copy of your teachers certificate... the application explains documentation requirements in detail).
3. Once your application is complete and approved by Educators Overseas, international schools will view your profile and information when they search on our website for teachers and school administrators.
4. When an international school is interested in interviewing you for a position, they will contact us to request your contact information. At this point we will email you to let you know that a school will be getting in touch with you to discuss employment (we don't get involved in contract details and offers).
5. The school will contact you to request a phone interview, or they could just offer you a job outright. Please note: It is VERY important that you respond to a school's contact or offer, even if your answer is "Thanks, but no thanks." Non response is very unprofessional and is grounds for expulsion from the Educators Overseas program.
6. If you accept the offer and sign the contract, you're on your way to a new adventure teaching overseas!

When would a teaching job overseas begin?
Most schools begin their school year in August or September. Depending on hiring needs, you could be offered a position as late as the preceding July, although most hiring is complete by May or June. Sometimes teaching positions are available in January at the start of the second school semester, and sometimes teachers are needed in the middle of a term. Let us know your teaching availability when you register and we'll do our best to place you accordingly.

Can a teacher choose where they want to teach?
All applicants should be flexible and open minded in terms of where they will teach. Applicants can choose regions in which they ideally would like to be considered for a teaching position, but an international school outside your preferred region may extend a job offer, which you are free to accept or reject. That said, we will do everything we can to try and place you in your desired location. Visit our Where Can I Teach page to see all available regions. 

Do teachers have to attend a job fair to be selected for a job through Educator Overseas?
No. Educators Overseas will conduct an initial interview with teachers over the internet and with a webcam. The interview enables an international or ESL school to preview teaching candidates in a “live” format and subsequently forego job fair attendance. Schools usually want to hold follow-up interviews via telephone, or, when possible, in person.

How much does it cost to apply for a job in an international school?
There is no cost to a teacher to apply for a job in an international school through Educators Overseas. Once a teacher has accepted a position and begins a contract with an International school if he or she reneges on their contract and leaves before their contract is complete there may be a $500 penalty fee charged by Educators Overseas to help cover our obligations to the schools.

Other recruiting agencies charge hundreds of dollars in application fees and make teachers attend expensive recruitment fairs, why don't you?
Other recruiting agencies charge teachers application fees and require them to attend fairs. We are able to not charge teachers fees because we do not hold recruitment fairs (and therefore avoid that added expense). In lieu of recruitment fairs schools can view interviews of teaching candidates online and avoid the additional expense of attending recruitment fairs.

How long is an overseas teaching commitment?
Although some international schools will accept a teacher for a 1 year contract, most schools only offer 2 year contracts. All applicants to Educators Overseas must be willing to commit to working for 2 years overseas. In any case the contract can be extended upon agreement of the school and teacher.

What about a teacher’s current job?
Teachers can often negotiate a leave of absence with their school systems and return to their old teaching job upon completion of an overseas contract. Many schools welcome the international experience that comes with a teaching abroad position.

Can family members accompany a teacher overseas?
Some international schools will pay for accompanying spouses and/or children, although most schools prefer non-accompanied teachers or teaching couples for simplicity’s sake. Some schools will only consider unaccompanied teaching candidates.

Does a teacher have to be certified to teach overseas?
In most cases teachers must be certified due to school or host country requirements; however, some schools will accept non-certified teachers that have extensive teaching experience. Visit our Teacher Qualifications page to see all desired and required teacher qualifications.

How can I get a teacher’s certificate if I don’t have one?
You can increase your job opportunities overseas by becoming a certified teacher. Several programs can help you get certified without having to go back to school:
Passport to teaching: http://www.abcte.org/
Fast-TRAIN: http://gse.gmu.edu/programs/fasttrain/index.shtml

What can I do to increase my chances of being offered a teaching job overseas?
See our Teacher Qualification page for a list of desired and required qualifications; the more of these qualifications you have, the better.

If you have a question we have not answered here, please email us at