The post-University ‘gap-year’ has a quite varied reputation (do employers like them, don’t they?) one thing remains clear, if you’re looking to land yourself a graduate job in the current climate you will need to spend a gap year wisely.

So, as appealing as it sounds to jet off to Thailand for 6 months to lie around on a beach and ‘find yourself’, other than coming back with an excellent tan there won’t be much else to show for it…

Many graduates who aren’t quite ready for the 9-5 or who are struggling to get a foot on the career ladder without spending countless months taking on various unpaid internships have turned to TEFL, or Teaching English as a Foreign Language as it is more commonly known.

Teaching English abroad is one of the most popular ways to gain international work experience as well as boosting a sparse CV with plenty of transferable skills…and you’ll get to have fun and earn a decent wage whilst you’re doing it!

Here are four ways why teaching English as a foreign language is a gap year well spent:

Living abroad
Teaching English abroad will mean that you will be relocating to the destination of your choice where, more likely than not, you won’t speak the local language…and no, you don’t need to!

Having a degree and a TEFL certificate will mean that you have the pick of TEFL destinations all over the world, so whether you choose to live in China, Ecuador, Vietnam or France working abroad and adapting to new surroundings will be well respected by any future employer.

Confidence boost
Alongside all the skills you’ll pick up along the way (organisation, time-keeping, class management etc.) perhaps one of the most important is the confidence boost you’ll feel. Natural public speakers are few and far between but after a few lessons crafting your own teaching style, speaking in front of an audience will no longer seem as daunting.

Your confident boost won’t just come from speaking but also a growing feeling that you can take on all sorts of challenges – this will undoubtedly not go a-miss when applying for jobs in the future.

Earning Money
Alongside all those handy transferable skills a job teaching English abroad will also mean that you get paid at the same time! Teaching salaries vary from country to country – the three top paying destinations include: Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates where you can expect to earn up to £2,000 a month.

Travelling
The best bit? You still get to travel! Despite working during the week, you will get to spend your weekends exploring your new surroundings, living the expat life and travelling to neighbouring countries.

Want to find out more about starting your own TEFL adventure? Visit www.onlinetefl.com for more information.

Guest Post by: Helen Hargreave, i-to-i