Getting an overseas job as a new ESL teacher is a daunting task. However, by using common sense and following the suggestions in this article the new teacher can get off to a successful first step in a career in English Second Language Education. As the new teacher gains experience, she will move up the food chair to the teaching positions that are highly coveted. Unfortunately, some new teachers never survive their first teaching position.

Many English as a Second Language teacher have enjoyed their teaching experience overseas; others have encountered significant problems. Some ESL teachers travel overseas under a contract with promises of good salary, bonuses and other amenities, only to find themselves in difficult situations often lacking funds to return to the United States. Even if you have a work visa and a well negotiated contract always have an open return airline ticket to your home of record. You should report any and all incidents to your embassy so that it is a matter of record. Your embassy cannot act as a legal adviser or negotiate business or personal grievances on behalf of individual citizens

ESL teachers considering teaching English abroad [http://www.education.uiowa.edu/edplace/JSS/International] should check that their contracts specify the maximum number of classroom hours per day and per week, maximum workdays per week, and vacation periods. Foreigners, meaning Americans, teaching in developing or third world countries, particularly at newly established private secondary schools and private English training centers, have often found their employers unable or unwilling to honor contract terms or to assist in obtaining employment-based visas and other permits required for foreigners to teach lawfully.

Prospective teachers should always ask for references from other foreign teachers who have completed a contract teaching term and have returned to their home country. There are also country forums at various ESL jobs sights that should be visited. Prospective teachers should never leave for their next teaching "job" without first receiving the proper work visa from the employer's embassy located in the U.S.

Prospective teachers should not accept a promise by a school or organization to obtain the correct visa after their arrival. Health insurance provided by local employers should be supplemented. Prospective teachers should always demand that they receive a contract from their employer rather than from an agent or intermediary. These agents or intermediaries often receive a large portion of the monthly pay promised to the teacher leaving the teachers without significant financial resources. These "fees" are sometimes not disclosed until after the prospective teacher arrives in country. To date, courts and police in many jurisdictions have refused to intervene in these cases on behalf of foreign teachers.