I Couldn’t Get a Job After College and Moved Abroad to Teach English

Graduating during an economic downturn isn’t for the weak. I earned my print journalism degree in early 2009, just as traditional newsrooms were becoming a thing of the past during the Great Recession.

After months of job hunting with no success, I packed my bags to teach English in South Korea for a year. While it was challenging at times to live so far from my family and friends, I met like-minded travelers while immersing myself in another culture. And while the culture shock took some getting used to, my time in Seoul truly became one of my favorite life chapters. Now, I tell everyone that teaching abroad is the best thing to do after college.

Many countries offer visas for teaching English. Here are four reasons I loved teaching English abroad and why it’s worth considering.

This might be one of the easiest times in your life to move abroad

While everyone’s situation is unique, the time between graduating from college and settling into your career is generally well-suited for spending a year or two abroad.

When I graduated at 22, I hadn’t been outside the country yet. I had a deep desire to see the world, but I didn’t have the resources to travel extensively or vacation often. I also knew if I jumped into a career, I could be gaining momentum toward life goals like buying a home, settling down, and starting a family.

Those milestones are great, but they can also be some of the biggest anchors that prevent people from living abroad later in life. If I were ever going to live overseas, this was one of the few times I would have had the flexibility to simply pack up and go.

It can be a great deal for new grads

Teaching contracts vary depending on the specific program and country, but these positions commonly provide housing in addition to a monthly salary. Teachers can also receive health insurance and visa support, and some contracts even include round-trip airfare and bonuses.

These were incredible benefits during the Great Recession, and combined with a relatively low cost of living (thanks to affordable public transit and cheap local eats), I had enough disposable income to travel internationally throughout the year.

It was also cheaper to travel throughout the new-to-me continent — the ease with which I could hop on a low-cost airline and spend a week in Thailand or head to Japan for the weekend is one of my personal favorite perks of living abroad.

Once I was based in Seoul, I could easily plan for long weekends in Tokyo or winter break in Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. Since my job was with a public school, I had ample vacation time that I could use to travel throughout Asia, while my weekends were free to explore South Korea. However, access to travel may vary depending on where you’re based; some teaching opportunities are in urban centers, while others are in more rural areas, which can make it more difficult to explore in your free time.

Living in another country offers an opportunity to expand your perspectives

Living in another country offers the unique opportunity to meet like-minded expats and locals. During my years in Seoul, though I did miss family and friends from back home, I also met coworkers, neighbors, and community members I never would have encountered on a short trip, and these experiences were often enriching cultural exchanges.

It’s been 14 years since I lived abroad, and I’m still grateful for how this experience changed how I look at the world. After two years of living as an outsider, I was able to see that my way of doing things was no better or worse than someone else’s way — more often than not, it was simply a reflection of our respective cultures and upbringings.

I carry that with me to this day. By default, I’m much more prone to pause to understand situations more broadly, rather than react based on assumptions. The perspective gained from living abroad was some of the best education I ever received, even as a college graduate.