8 Ways to earn or save money so you can teach English abroad

Teaching English abroad can be a life-changing opportunity. There are multiple reasons why people teach English abroad. One of the main reasons people want to teach English abroad is because it gives you the opportunity to travel the world without going broke. 

Before you can start, you’ll have to get the necessary certifications. A lot of countries don’t require a teaching or English degree, but a valid TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification is a minimum requirement before you can start your adventure abroad. 

While a TEFL certification isn’t as expensive as a teaching or English degree, it does cost some money. If you are interested in getting your TEFL certification but don’t have the money right now, here are some excellent ways to earn or save money so you can enroll in that life changing course. 

1. Make a budget and stick to it
Everything starts with a budget. To get a good understanding of your own finances, it is important to track everything. Write down what you earn each month and write down what your expenses are each month. The goal is to make the difference between income and expenses as high as possible, in the positive direction that is, so that you can save as much as possible. 

By creating a budget for yourself, you can keep your expenses in check. Do you have an expensive coffee habit? By allocating a certain part of your budget to coffee runs, you get a better understanding of how much money actually goes into those daily lattes.

2. Save on the not important things
Saving money usually means cutting back on something. That doesn’t mean you have to cut back on everything. Successfully saving money is a marathon, which means you’ll have to create a sustainable routine. Don’t eliminate the things you love dearly - if that daily latte is really important for you to start your day, keep it or try to be creative and make your own latte at home. But is that cookie you always get with your morning latte really that important or more of an indulgence? Identify the things that you can eliminate or cut down on and focus on those first. Once you see how much money you can see, it might inspire you to tackle some of your persistent habits too. Need some more inspiration? Check this article for more money-saving life hacks. 

3. Get rid of unwanted items
So you want to teach English online and travel the world, but you need extra money to enroll in the necessary courses? This is the perfect moment to take a good look at your home and your closet for unwanted items. You’ll be traveling soon anyway and you can’t take all your belongings with you, so why not sell some things off to earn a little extra cash? A great way of getting rid of some unwanted items is by selling them at a flea market. 

4. Get a second job
One of the easiest ways to increase your income is by getting a temporary second job. Seasonal jobs are perfect for this. Some examples of seasonal jobs are summer camp positions, tour guides, seasonal retail jobs or summer festival jobs. 

If you’re looking for something a little more steady, try a weekend or evening job. Restaurants are always looking for people willing to work evenings or weekends. 

5. Become a tutor
A great way to practice becoming a teacher and earning some extra money in the process is by tutoring. Whether you are still a student yourself, a teacher, or somebody who recently graduated, as long as you are able to break down difficult material to an understandable level, you’ll have no trouble finding students to tutor.  

6. Get creative
Do you have a knack for painting or knitting? Or what about making jewelry or designing T-shirts? There are hundreds of opportunities to sell your creations online and make a little money on the side. 

Etsy is probably the most well-known website for selling your DIY creations, but there is also Shopify, Amazon Handmade, Ebay, or your own personal website. 

7. Become a blogger
As you prepare to teach English abroad, you’ll probably have some interesting stories to tell. People love hearing from other people who are trying new things, especially if the thing they are trying to do is exotic and a little out of the box. 

Traveling the world and teaching English abroad is one of those things. Keeping a blog as a way of documenting your journey could very well turn into an extra source of income. For example, you can earn money with ads or affiliate marketing. 

8. Freelance as a side hustle
Are you good at your job? Then why not freelance in your own time to increase your income? There are so many job opportunities for freelancers, as long as you know where to look. You can attach yourself to an agency or work on freelancer platforms such as Upwork or Fiverr. 

Some typical freelancer jobs are writing and editing, web development, or graphic design, but you can also freelance in accounting, data entry or by becoming a virtual assistant.

Conclusion
Teaching English abroad can be a life-changing opportunity for you, but first you need to get the necessary certifications. While a TEFL certification isn’t as expensive as a teaching or English degree, it is not free either. Luckily there are more than enough ways for you to save money or increase your income. It all starts with creating a budget and sticking to it. 

Next, identify your costly habits and try to change them. Now that you’re thinking about traveling the world as an English teacher, why not purge your home and closet of unwanted items and sell them? 

Now that you’ve got your spending habits under control, it is time to increase your income. Look for a second job, become a tutor, sell your DIY creations online, become a blogger and share your adventures with the internet or freelance as a side hustle.