Lots of people want to travel but don’t know how to foot the bill – especially recent grads who are always strapped for cash. Many would be willing to work as they traveled in order to pay the bills, but temporary work isn’t easy for the less savvy traveler to come across. Savvy travelers know, however, that one of the most flexible and best-paying jobs is teaching English in foreign countries. English teachers are in very high demand as a more global economy demands English speakers on all corners of the globe. But how does a strapped-for-cash kid with wanderlust translate good intention into money and action?

 

Those in the know will tell you that a TEFL certification is absolutely necessary for finding lucrative jobs teaching English of the sort that a traveler wants – low responsibility, high pay. And even savvier travelers know that it’s possible to get the certification while you’re already on the road. English teaching institutes offer English teaching classes in several interesting and sometimes exotic locales.

 

Some of the most popular places to get TEFL certified for Americans is in an English-speaking non-American place like the United Kingdom. And indeed, there are a number places within the UK to learn to teach English and get a certification in TEFL. London, for instance, is full of English teaching courses that will give you the tools not only to make money on the road, but to achieve the satisfaction of teaching a speaker of a different language your native tongue – enough to give you a real sense of accomplishment, if not a little bit of Anglo pride or patriotism.

 

If you’re wondering whether courses to teach English in London are all fun and games, the answer is that – for the most part – they are. This is because the most difficult aspect of teaching in a language is having the fluency in the language to make it fun: and for the most part Americans have this (or at least one would hope!) The other 30% or so is in the technique, and this is easily mastered in the course of 3 to 4 weeks in classes filled with other like-minded adventurers hoping to see the world “until the money runs out.” It’s no wonder that TEFL classes for ESL in London have gotten so popular in the last year or so as the prospect of finding a high-paying entry-level job in this economy has evaporated!