Balancing your time as an overseas English teacher is more difficult that it may seem. Being given the opportunity to live in a foreign country will be a pivotal experience in anyone’s life. Making sure to take advantage of the opportunity while still being able to perform your duties as a teacher can be a challenging task.

As overseas language teachers, we also want to make sure we are providing our students with the best education possible. Although teaching abroad is a great way to see different parts of the world, being a responsible teacher comes first and foremost.

Below are a few effective ways to ensure you can see everything possible and still do a wicked amazing job as a teacher.

Planning

This is definitely one of the most important parts about living abroad.

Plan ahead.

This is especially important if you don’t speak the language and have never been to the part of the world you’re going to. Things will inevitably go wrong and when they do you will want to be prepared with a back-up plan.

When you’re planning to travel around during weekends or holidays make sure to give yourself enough time to prepare lessons for your coming classes.

That being said, preparing your lessons early on will leave you with peace of mind while you travel. Traveling around this new part of the world will be one of the most important things you do while abroad, so make sure you can do it with a clear mind!

Time Management

This not only applies to teaching but all walks of life. Being able to manage your time effectively will give you more chances to travel, meet new people, learn a bit of the language, and experience the local culture all while being able to do your duties as a teacher.

Keeping track of your school’s schedule and events that are happening will be vitally important. Knowing how much time you need to spend on preparing each lesson and allotting that time for prep will make your lessons more fun and effective. Not to mention, easier on yourself.

Take your job seriously

While teaching abroad is a great opportunity to live in another place, it doesn’t mean that you can take your responsibilities lightly. Teaching is still a very serious profession and is highly regarding in many countries.

You will quickly find that teaching is one of the most rewarding professions. You will also realize that you will enjoy your time abroad much more if you take the time to be professional at your school.

Are you a teacher? How do you manage your time? Let us know any useful hints, tips or tricks in the comments section below, we would love to hear from you.