How to Know You’ll Be a Successful Teacher Without Prior Experience

I Wasn’t a Teacher Before I Taught in Spain

One of the common assumptions you’ll face when teaching abroad is “oh, you’re a teacher at home.”

For them, my response was always a surprise. “No.”

My prior experience entailed business administration and event planning. However, one of the advantages I had in those jobs was the exposure to educational environments and the teaching opportunities that came with them.

I taught high schoolers the value of budgeting, how to understand credit, and how to manage debt. I also partnered with schools to recruit graduates for job pathways into the company I worked for, attended career fairs, and conducted mock interviews. And fun fact: by night, I was even the head coach for a local high school cheer team.

Though these experiences gave me a starting point, I always knew it was much different than traditional teaching in a classroom. However, I was confident I would be successful teaching abroad simply because of three signs.

If these signs resonate with you, teaching abroad may be more feasible than you think.

Sign #1: You Have At Least Some Interest Working in Education

First and foremost, I will stress the importance of having a genuine interest in the job you do from the start (and if not, then skip ahead to Sign #2 below). Here’s what I’ve seen happen when people pursue a job with no true intention: 

• I’ve personally worked in industries I didn’t have much desire to be in and while I did enjoy some perks of the job, I didn’t find long-term success. I would often question if my time there was worth it. As a result, I didn’t do my best work and was unhappy spending time somewhere I didn’t want to be.
• Some English assistants I’ve encountered took this solely as an opportunity to travel. Having more access to travelling around Europe is absolutely a benefit of this job, and I encourage you to do so! But do remember this is a job that requires commitment. 

I’m not saying you must be die-hard enthusiastic about teaching, but you must have some curiosity in the education system to succeed in this environment. The students you’ll be teaching require attention, careful instruction, and genuine relationship-building.

All of this was right up my alley and I always knew teaching others was my calling. Secondarily, I was passionate about experiencing other cultures firsthand. Combining my love for educating and travel made teaching abroad the perfect path for me.

If you take this job seriously with the desire to help students learn, it won’t only make a positive difference in their lives and learning experience, but yours as well.

Sign #2: You’re Willing to Going Beyond Your Comfort Zone

I believe that you are ready to teach abroad if you keep an open mind and execute on it. 

I mentioned in Sign #1 that I’ve worked jobs that didn’t quite align with my personal interests. While I had the skill and grit to be successful, I felt like I was getting the job done for the sake of checking the box. I didn’t put forth the care I wanted and this ultimately led me to being closed off from finding fulfillment in my work.

Being willing to try something new is a great start, but you must actively be open to what could be.

In fact, there are many other English assistants I’ve met who had no experience at all with youth or students beforehand. Although they initially felt some uncertainty in their decision to teach, they ended up having great experiences because they took a chance to explore alternative career paths and most of all, personal growth.

Remember - when you try something new, be open to all the possible outcomes. You may end up finding you love it more than you thought you would, or you may find it isn’t the thing for you. And guess what – either outcome is okay! 

The important thing is knowing you were willing to take a chance and find out for yourself.

Sign #3: You Seek Out Learning Opportunities/I Took Advantage of Training Opportunities

While I had a lot of exposure to teaching before coming to Spain, I still had a lot to learn  in order to feel confident in the work I was about to do. 

Here are some ways I found further support to feel comfortable in the classroom that I encourage you to take advantage of:

• Consider TEFL-certification. TEFL is an optional accreditation that CIEE offers. It is not a requirement to teach, but it is a valuable opportunity to enhance your teaching skills and earn an accreditation that is acknowledged worldwide. Personally, I hadn’t thought about TEFL until after I began teaching because I didn’t know much about it. Not having this certification was okay, but now I am in the process of pursuing it for my future work!
• Tutor outside of work. When I spent four hours per week after school to help students with their English, I gained 1:1 teaching experience and I got to build relationships with my students on a more personal level. I also found that the struggles they had were commonly shared amongst my other students which gave me insight into how I could adjust my teaching to address all their unique needs.
• Request feedback from your teachers. When you are working at your school, seek advice from those you work with daily. They are the ones who are best suited for offering suggestions to improve as well as validating what you’re doing right.

Yes! You Can Teach Abroad Without Prior Experience

If any of my advice above resonated, I highly encourage you to teach abroad.

In short, consider the following:

1. Interest: Have genuine curiosity and enthusiasm towards working with students.
2. Immersion: Keep your mind open to the possibilities and challenge yourself to try things that are unfamiliar.
3. Growth: Look for ways to improve your skill. This can be through accredited programs, working extra jobs, and building relationships with others like your school staff.

If that isn’t enough, think about what work you may have done that has had teaching opportunities, including in spaces that may not have been a traditional classroom setting; anywhere you may have helped someone learn something new.

Everything is a learning experience and there may be bumps along the way, but I truly believe teaching abroad can be a successful endeavor when aligned with these three signs.

If you need more encouragement, have questions, or would like to connect, I’d love to hear from you! Find me on Instagram @travelwithmiv.