Can I Really See the World as an ESL Teacher?
For a lot of people, teaching overseas is a way to see the world. But if you become an ESL teacher, how much time do you actually have to travel?
First, you have to consider whether you teach in a traditional school or at a training center.
Traditional School:
If you’re working at a traditional school, congratulations—You’ll be able to travel quite a bit. Depending on what country you’re in, the dates and length of your summer and winter holidays will vary. Most schools don’t ask their foreign teachers to do much work during the holidays, so you’ll be pretty free during winter and summer vacation. Usually, once you’ve submitted your grades for the semester, you’re good to go! As for me, I usually go back to my home country for about a month in the summer, and travel for a few weeks during the winter vacation.
If you want to travel during the semester, however, most schools don’t look too kindly on that. If you ask for time off, you’ll generally have to make-up your classes or arrange for a substitute teacher. Since you’re a foreign teacher, there aren’t often substitutes. Asking a traditional school for time off will probably result in a “No way” answer.
As long as you’re willing though, you can do a bit of traveling through weekend getaways. Often, I’ll catch a flight on Friday afternoon or evening after class, and return on Sunday night, before my class on Monday.
Depending on your school or country, there also might be national holidays or a longer fall/spring break time when you could travel.
Training Center:
Working at a training center means missing out on summer and winter holidays, since training centers are open all-year round! Often, summer and winter holidays are peak times for training centers, since children aren’t busy with school and have more time to take extra classes. You can probably expect a week or two of vacation days as part of your contract. Some centers allow you to take a break between contracts if you want to go back to your home country for a few weeks before beginning another contract.
Working at a training center isn’t all bad, however, since you have more flexibility. Typically, you can use your vacation days at any time, as long as you give your boss advance notice. One thing I loved about working at a training center was that I was able to save up extra days off. Once, I took a week vacation and only used three of my vacation days. For the additional days, I just added on one or two extra classes to my schedule for a few weeks before I left, and was able to save up a few extra days off.
Another perk is getting to travel in the middle of the week. Instead of taking a quick trip on the weekend, when everything is crowded, you could go away from Tuesday to Thursday. Most foreign teachers have their days off during the week anyway. Imagine climbing the Great Wall with no people or wandering around the Louve on a Wednesday and having the place a little more to yourself. With the flexibility of a training center, you’re not stuck traveling only during holidays, when crowds are generally larger.
I’m based in China, so let’s mention that quickly.
How much can you travel if you’re an ESL teacher in China?
Traditional School in China:
Summer Holiday: The summer holiday is generally about two months long, starting in July and going until August. This is generally peak travel time for the Northern Hemisphere.
Winter Holiday: The winter holiday is usually around one month long, and varies according to the date of the Chinese New Year. Usually, school ends in January and starts again sometime in February. This is a great time to travel to Europe, by the way! Most people have used up their vacation days for the Christmas/New Year holiday, so they’re not usually traveling at this time.
Note: This holiday information is for a Chinese school. If you work at an international school, these dates could change. For example, international schools founded by Americans often follow American holidays, with a Christmas holiday instead of a Chinese New Year holiday.
Chinese Public Holidays
Chinese New Year: In January or February. Generally 7-14 days off.
National Day: From October 1- October 7
New Year’s Day: January 1st
(Three-Day Weekends: There are several three-day weekend holidays that could be great chances to go on a quick getaway. Many of these days change according to the lunar calendar.)
Tomb-Sweeping Day: In April
May Day: In May
Dragon boat Festival: In June
Mid-autumn Festival: In August or September
Training Center in China:
Typically, training centers offer 10 vacation days per year. But you have more flexibility as to when you take that time off, and you’re able to work overtime to save up more vacation days. Chinese holidays are still celebrated, but they might be a little different since training centers are often busier during those designated national holidays. You’ll still get a day off, but it might not be connected with your weekend or your day off might not be on the actual holiday. For example, when I worked at a training center, my boss just told us we had a day off for Dragon Boat Festival, and we could choose to take that day off anytime we wanted.
Bonus Note: What about expenses?
Often schools and training centers will offer a travel allowance for their foreign teachers. This is generally provided so foreign teachers can easily return to their home countries. Some allowances will cover the cost of your flight ticket completely, while other allowances simply help contribute to the cost. Having this extra money, could make it more possible for you to go home or explore new places!
Hopefully this gives you a better idea of how much travel you could actually do as an ESL teacher. Grab your passport, book a flight, and start exploring!