Where to Turn for Advice
IF you are considering teaching abroad, thorough research about the experience and your destination is key. Here are a few good resources:
Other teachers. Seek out someone who has taught abroad and can tell you what the experience or a particular program will be like.
College career services. These offices usually have abundant resources about teaching overseas and often get inquiries directly from foreign schools or programs looking for candidates.
The library. Learn all you can about the country in which you would like to teach. You can also often find materials on how to teach English.
One book worth looking at is ''Teaching English Abroad,'' by Susan Griffith. The much-cited primer has country-by-country listings of schools, work conditions, and requirements. A new edition is due in 1997; the 1994 edition is $15.95 and is distributed in the US by Peterson's Guides in Princeton, N.J.
Consulates. They often have information on job opportunities.
Professional organizations. To find out more about teaching English, contact, for example, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Inc., at 1600 Cameron St., Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314; (703) 836-0774; or via e-mail at: tesol@tesol.edu.
Transitions Abroad magazine. Published six times a year in Amherst, Mass., it covers studying, working, and traveling abroad - and emphasizes affordability. Its January/February 1996 issue focuses specifically on teaching English overseas. It also offers a lengthy pamphlet, ''Teaching English Abroad.'' Call (800) 293-0373.
