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Teaching English

One way to travel — or to pay for your travels — is to get a job overseas teaching English. If you want to spend several years in a destination, this is a popular way to earn a living. Jobs worth considering as a long-term prospect — or even as a career — are widely available. They generally require qualifications and experience; see Certificates below. In many such positions, the benefits include airfare and housing, though there is great variation from country to country and by type of institution.

Other jobs might do to supplement a backpacker's income, or even let you live somewhere interesting for a year. For some of these jobs, especially in remote areas, anyone who looks foreign and speaks some English can get work. Again, details vary greatly.

Speaking the local language is not generally required for the job itself, though it may be quite useful in beginner classes and will make your stay far easier and more pleasant in other ways.

Jargon
The students are learning ESL (English as a Second Language) or EFL (English as a Foreign Language) or ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). Some people make much of the distinction between ESL (in a English-speaking country so TV, shops and so on all help you learn) and EFL (English is almost never used except in class), but others treat the terms as interchangeable. For the teacher, add a T for Teaching to get TESL, TEFL or TESOL, or just call the field ELT (English Language Teaching).

A trend since the 1970s has been to do a lot of ESP (English for Specific Purposes), designing custom courses depending on what the learners need to use the language for. One branch of this is EAP (English for Academic Purposes), preparing students for study abroad.

A major part of the ESP approach is needs analysis, figuring out how your students will use the language. Consider a company somewhere that exports products to English-speaking countries. The engineers might just need to read manuals and product specifications in English; they might never hear, speak or write it. Marketers might need to read the quite different language of orders and contracts, and to both read and write emails in much less formal language. Some of them might also need to talk with customers. Executives might need to handle complex negotiations in English — a task that requires not only excellent spoken English but also business skills and an awareness of cultural differences. Ideally, each of these groups would get an almost completely different English course.

In some situations, needs analysis is a formal process and courses are written to order for specific groups. Often, however, the teacher just does an informal analysis and finds or invents exercises to suit a class.

Tests
A good score on an English test is almost always required for students whose native language is not English to study at a university that uses English (sometimes even when the university has a different primary language). Tests may also be required for visas in some countries or for some jobs. The widely-used tests have their own acronyms:
 * TOEFL, for admission to US universities
 * IELTS, for British, Irish, Canadian, Australian and NZ universities
 * (Many universities accept either)

 * TOEIC, a business English test from the TOEFL people
 * BULATS, a business English test from the IELTS people
 * BEC, business English Certificates from Cambridge (three exams at different levels)
 * CPE, also from Cambridge: their highest level exam.

Teachers abroad may supplement their income by serving as examiners or markers for these tests, though both the demand and the pay rates for this vary considerably from place to place, and they are different for each test. In China a typical teacher can roughly double his or her income by working as an IELTS examiner a few weekends a month. Requirements are stiff, though — IELTS 9 (native speaker level) English, a TEFL certificate (CELTA or Trinity OK, anything else subject to discussion) and three years classroom teaching experience with adult students (neither teaching kids nor online teaching counts). That gets you into examiner training; there is a fee for the course and any travel involved is at your expense. You then need to pass a stiff test, and re-take it every two years, to actually get the work.

Some ESL students may also need or want to take other tests to get into foreign universities; these are not ESL tests, but admission tests designed for native English speakers. The main ones are:
 * SAT and ACT for undergraduate admissions
 * GRE for most graduate programs, with both a general test and specific tests for different fields.
 * GMAT for graduate business programs.

For more on these tests and discussion of others, see Studying abroad.

The work
"English is weird. It can be understood through tough, thorough thought, though."

Teaching ESL (or any other language) has much in common with any other teaching, but also has its own unique challenges. Among other things, it needs some understanding of how language works, quite a bit of patience, and considerable showmanship since non-verbal techniques such as gesture and facial expressions are often needed to scaffold the weaker linguistic understanding of the learner.

Teaching English as a second language is significantly different than teaching English literature and composition to a class of (mostly) native speakers, though of course there is overlap as well. For one thing, an ESL teacher has to deal with a wider range of problems, notably pronunciation difficulties and spoken usage questions, such as when "How are you?" is more appropriate than "How do you do?" Also, in any language even intelligent adult second language learners make grammar errors on things any eight-year-old native speaker gets 100% right; an ESL teacher has to teach and correct those. Also, you have to monitor and adjust your own English, speaking slowly and clearly, avoiding slang (or emphasizing it, depending on a needs analysis), sometimes explaining terms, and so on. At any level, the teaching needs to be highly interactive. Too much talk by the teacher is fatal; you cannot teach language-using skills either by lecturing or (except in tiny groups) with a series of one-on-one interactions between the teacher and different students. You must set up situations for students to actually use the language. Often this means introducing some vocabulary and/or grammatical structures on the board or in a listening or reading exercise, then setting up some sort of pairs or group task where students can try it out. Various sorts of discussion, role-playing or game activities are often used.

A whole range of props are often used — maps to practice giving directions, newspaper clippings for reading comprehension or summary-writing practice, menus for a restaurant role-play, pictures for parts-of-the-body or parts-of-a-car, cartoons to provoke discussion, and so on. Sometimes the teacher must find or invent these; sometimes the school has a stock, as in the picture, or they can be borrowed from other teachers. It is fairly common for teachers working overseas to ask friends at home to mail them posters and other props, or to collect props themselves on visits home. If you are going abroad to teach, bring props or mail yourself a batch before leaving home.

Different levels
Getting beginners started speaking English is difficult; techniques include translation, mime, pictures, and a lot of repetition. With young learners, you may be able to make a game of it. Patience and a sense of humour are essential; attempts to communicate when language skills are very limited are hard on both student and teacher.

With intermediate students, you get seemingly straightforward questions that strain your knowledge of your own language when you try to answer. If "He doesn't have much money" is OK, what is wrong with "He has much money"? Which is better: "a big red balloon" or "a red big balloon"? Why? Is the other incorrect or just unusual? Training and grammar reference books can help a lot here, though sometimes the answer is just "That is the way we say it."

From advanced students, you get even more difficult questions on grammar and usage. Also, especially in ESP settings, you may need considerable knowledge beyond the language itself. For example, to teach business English above a certain level, you must know quite a bit about business. You need not be as expert as the students, though. For example, to teach medical English, you need not be a doctor but a nurse might make a fine teacher, a degree in biology or experience in a related field would help, and at least a good understanding of high-school-level biology is probably essential.

Certificates
Anyone contemplating more than a bit of casual work in this field should seriously consider getting some training. Training can make it a good deal easier to survive in a classroom and can help you be a better teacher. A certificate may make it easier to get a job, or to get one of the better ones. Also, in some countries a bachelor's degree is legally required to get a working visa; there is some hope of negotiating your way around this if you have a TEFL certificate, but almost none without it.

There is no such thing as an international TEFL accrediting body. Masters' degrees are the only actual accredited degrees or certificates, and few positions actually require those, mainly due to the tremendous demand for English teachers and the very short supply.

There are a number of different ESL/EFL teaching certificates available. Most programs include some classroom experience and can be completed in one to three months.
 * Many schools give their own courses to staff.
 * Various companies in Western countries offer programs, often including job placement help.
 * There are online courses.

Short of a Master's Degree, a Cambridge or Trinity certificate is the most marketable qualification to have: Both Cambridge and Trinity courses are accredited by the British government. Both offer supplementary courses for holders of their basic qualification, including one for teaching young learners.
 * Courses for Cambridge CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) are given under license by over 250 centers in over 40 countries. The course is now available online as well. The CELTA course is generally both more difficult and more expensive than other courses, but of similar duration. Job ads routinely ask for "CELTA or equivalent" rather than just wanting "a TEFL certificate".
 * Trinity College London CertTESOL is also taught in many places and also widely accepted. It is "or equivalent" for those ads.

There are many other TEFL certificates. Most involve a minimum of 100 hours of academic coursework led by a qualified instructor (MA or equivalent) and a minimum of 6 hours of practicum (student teaching) with real ESL students (not TEFL class peers). This is typically completed in 4 weeks full time or 9-11 weeks part time or online.

If you plan to make a career in the field, consider more advanced training such as a diploma course (Cambridge DELTA or Trinity DipTESOL) or a Masters degree. These are required for many teacher training or head of school jobs and for some of the best teaching jobs.

Quite a few universities offer ESL/EFL training, often both a Certificate program and a Master's degree. A few offer a Master's program designed for teachers working overseas, with most work done by correspondence. The Cambridge DELTA course is offered the same way.

Cactus TEFL has a directory of courses including both CELTA and Trinity courses as well as their own.

Destinations
Popular destinations for paying English teaching jobs include
 * Eastern Europe
 * Asia, especially China (see Working in China), Japan (see Working and studying in Japan), South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam
 * Middle East (Saudi Arabia is known for high-paying opportunities) and North Africa
 * Latin America

Worldwide, ESL is a major industry. In any of the areas mentioned above, there are both ESL programs in public schools and universities and quite a few private schools. In some places it seems there is a language school on every block. Japan's eikaiwa ("conversation schools") range from small schools to major chains; both hire native speakers from abroad. South Korea's hagwon, China's buxiban, and schools in many other countries do the same.

Demand for teachers in some areas is enormous. Dave's ESL Cafe breaks recruiting ads into three groups: Korea, China, and anywhere else. Checking on a random day (not in the peak hiring season which is around July for a September start) there were over 50 new ads in the previous week for China, over 100 for Korea, over 50 for the rest of the world. Some of those employers advertise more-or-less continuously, some have many jobs on offer, and Dave's is by no means the only site with jobs, so overall demand is very high.

There are a few places where it is difficult to go as an ESL teacher. Some countries, like North Korea, are almost completely closed; others, like Burma are just opening up after decades of being closed and might be quite interesting but perhaps still difficult. Your own government may forbid you to go to others; for example, an American cannot legally teach in Cuba. Jobs are occasionally advertised in war-torn countries like Afghanistan, but taking such a post would be too risky for most. It is also difficult to go to English-speaking countries. Australia does not need Americans to teach them English, and vice versa. There are ESL jobs in those countries — mainly teaching immigrants or foreign students — and some might be open to foreigners who meet the visa requirements (see Working abroad and country articles), but they do not recruit abroad or provide expatriate benefits as ESL jobs elsewhere do. They may also be somewhat harder to get since employers may prefer locally-recognised qualifications or a local accent.

With those exceptions, there are ESL jobs almost anywhere. There are plenty of jobs in all the areas listed above and some in almost any non-English-speaking country. Areas like sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific islands do not have huge numbers of jobs, but they do have some. Given reasonable qualifications (preferably a degree and TESL certification), the question is more "Where would I like to go?" than "Where can I find a job?".

There are many factors to consider in choosing a destination. Some prefer a destination not too wildly different from home, perhaps Western Europe; others want to go somewhere really exotic such as Mongolia. Some might want both, a basically European civilisation but still fascinatingly exotic: perhaps Peru or Prague? Any of these are possible. Some jobs are in major tourism centers such as Bangkok or Rio de Janeiro, others in out-of-the-way but interesting places like the Maldives. Areas such as Japan and the Middle East generally offer higher salaries, but in terms of buying power you might be better off with lower pay in a low-cost country such as Cambodia or Bolivia. The same applies within countries; major cities often have higher pay than rural areas, but higher expenses.

Language can be a major factor. If you already speak a foreign language, it will be relatively easy for you to live in a region where it is spoken. Some teachers choose a destination partly because of a desire to learn the language, or to improve their language skills. This often implies a preference for countries where an important language is spoken — for example Russia rather than Finland, or China rather than Mongolia. Teaching in Latin America may appeal for many reasons, not least because Spanish or Portuguese are much easier for an English speaker than Arabic or Chinese. It is also somewhat easier for speakers of European languages to learn English than for speakers of unrelated languages, but both students and teachers still have to work at it. See also university programs below and language tourism.

Places like Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong offer a nice combination. There are jobs for foreign ESL teachers, but many local people speak English well so these places can be much easier to live in than elsewhere.

In India there are few jobs for foreigners teaching English; plenty of Indians already speak excellent English and some of those are trained teachers. There are jobs for specialists, such as teaching English literature at university level or doing teacher training, but most of these require a Masters or Doctorate. For less qualified teachers, there is only one large group of non-volunteer jobs. India (especially Bangalore) has many call centers for Western companies outsourcing customer support work. Those centers routinely hire fairly large numbers of people — mostly American/Canadian English speakers, but some for other accents or languages — as accent and cultural coaches for their phone workers, and they prefer to hire people with ESL training and/or experience. The money is very good for India, but these tend to be fairly high-pressure jobs like anything in a call center. Also, the hours are often rather odd; you need to be on duty at whatever the peak times are in the clients' time zones. If the clients work 9AM-5PM New York time, then your working day runs 7PM to 3AM in Bangalore.

Part of the job picture in the Philippines is similar to that for India — not many jobs for foreign ESL teachers but call centers do hire some. There are also many people, mainly Japanese and Koreans, who come to the Philippines to learn English and of course the centers they go to have jobs. Those centers are often happy to hire teachers from abroad, but generally not to incur large extra expenses compared to hiring Filipino teachers. You may get a very good salary by local standards, but in most cases not benefits like free housing or airfare.

Pre-Brexit, European Union employers preferred to hire teachers from Britain or Ireland because citizens of those countries did not need work visas (Irish citizens still don't, of course). Some employers would be reluctant to hire anyone who needs a visa; others would hire qualified teachers from anywhere, and a few show a specific preference for American/Canadian accents.

For country-specific information, see the Work sections of country articles. For some destinations, see also Tips for travel in developing countries.

Pay and conditions
Nearly all ESL jobs that hire from overseas include worthwhile benefits, though there is great variation from country to country and employer to employer. A free apartment and annual two-way airfare home are common, though not all employers provide them. Most contracts are for a year, though some provide salary for only a 10-month school year. University or public school jobs often have quite long holidays.

Language teachers typically do not get the high salaries and juicy benefits package that an expatriate sent by a company or government to handle overseas business would. In particular, education for any children may pose a problem. International schools are generally quite expensive and few ESL employers (except in the Middle East) cover this. The local schools may not suit your kids.

In lower income countries a language teacher's pay is generally enough to live well there, but not much by the standards of higher income places. For example, US$1000 a month plus a free apartment lets you live quite well in China; local teachers are making considerably less and paying rent on their apartments. You can afford to travel some in the holidays, within China or in nearby low-cost areas like Southeast Asia, and in most jobs the employer covers most or all of the cost for an annual trip home. However it would be almost impossible to pay off debts back home, or to plan a trip to Japan, on that income. In the same region, Korea, Japan or Taiwan have higher salaries, enough to save some despite higher living costs.

It is also common for schools to hire locally for summer programs, for part-time work, and sometimes for full time employment. These jobs often have fewer benefits than the overseas-hired posts.

The best pay for language teachers is generally in the Middle East. They can afford to be choosy, though; most jobs there require a degree and TEFL certificate, and some require an MA. Some jobs in Japan and Western Europe also pay quite well, but living costs are high.

There are also some highly paid jobs training oil workers; usually these involve an on/off cycle — 42 days on-site working long hours, then 21 days away or some such — with the employer paying for a flight out every cycle and providing both housing and food when you are on-site. Most of these want good qualifications — typically degree, CELTA and five years experience.

Hours
For most classes, considerable planning and preparation is needed to produce reasonable quality lessons. A language teacher's workload is generally 15 to 20 contact hours a week; with preparation time, marking, staff meetings and so on, that is a full time job. Generally, there are some extra-curricular activities as well.

There are exceptions. With small advanced classes, sometimes all you need to do is start a discussion. Preparation consists mainly of choosing a topic; students just grab it and run. Or for some classes, you may be given a carefully laid out program with a textbook, student workbook and sometimes even presentation slides provided; such courses require less preparation. On the other hand, some schools will just dump you in the deep end ("Here's your class; teach it!") with no materials, and sometimes with other problems like no photocopier or Internet, or a class where students have wildly different levels of English. In those cases, you put in quite a bit of extra time.

There can of course be problems with this. It is fairly common for employers to want up to 25 classroom hours a week, and 30 is not unheard of. Management and teachers fairly often disagree on the importance of various meetings and paperwork. Some schools push the extracurricular stuff too far, requiring a lot of (usually unpaid) additional duties. Some rent their teachers out to local schools, which often means you have quite a lot of (usually unpaid) travel time. At some schools, nearly all classes are on evenings and weekends, or "split shift" schedules (where you teach say 9-11AM in the morning then 7-9PM at night) are fairly common. The worst schools may have several of these problems together; they tend to burn out teachers, to be unable to keep staff, and to be continually advertising jobs. Beware of such schools!

On the other hand, some teachers assume that showing up for class is all they have to do, wandering in with no preparation and inventing a lesson plan as they cross the threshold of the classroom. Expert teachers may be able to pull this off occasionally, but making a habit of it or trying it without a lot of experience generally leads to disaster. Teaching ESL is not just part of your holiday; it is a demanding job and needs to be taken seriously.

Risks
There is some risk in taking any overseas job.

If you travel somewhere and then look for work, you avoid some of the risks but you incur expenses. Also you may miss out on benefits; free housing and annual airfare home are more-or-less standard when hiring from overseas, but less common for local hires. Finally, you will likely not be able to get a working visa in advance since you don't have a job. Depending on local regulations, this may be a minor detail or a major hassle.

On the other hand, if you are recruited from half a world away, it is hard to know exactly what you are getting into or who you are dealing with. Most teachers end up just fine in their overseas jobs, but problems are common enough that being careful is absolutely necessary.

Some schools are greedy businesses exploiting both teachers and students; the more cynical teachers have been heard to describe some as "McEnglish". Some recruiters are amazingly slimy and interested only in their commission. Many schools and some recruiters are just fine, but definitely not all. There are plenty of horror stories — horrible accommodation, outrageously large classes, demands for unpaid overtime, late pay, broken contracts, etc. Of course there are lots of happy teachers in other schools, sometimes even in the same school.

One of the tricky things about working abroad is to adapt to local conditions; getting overly upset about things you cannot change is a shortcut to madness. On the other hand, provided you both choose your battles and adapt your tactics to local conditions, fighting for reasonable treatment can also be quite sensible.

The lowest risk jobs are the government-run recruiting programs; these can offer a safe way to get your feet wet. Other government-run places, such as universities and public high schools, are also relatively safe, as are jobs with large international companies.

Some factors indicate higher risk: That said, thousands of teachers are having a wonderful time in jobs with one or more of those risk factors. Some are perfectly happy in jobs with all four! Be aware of risks and use a little caution, and you should be fine.
 * Private language schools are riskier than government programs.
 * "Third-world" countries and those with highly corrupt "systems" are also much riskier.
 * If a recruiter is involved, your risk is significantly higher; either the school or the recruiter can mess you around.
 * If the culture is wildly different from your own, then you may not understand the negotiation process you are involved in or know what questions you should be asking.

Check Wikivoyage and other sources for information on the location. Do a web search on the city name along with terms like "pollution", "corruption" and "gang"; you might expect a few hits for almost any city, but if there's a big problem, this may turn it up. If having modern conveniences and Western food is important to you, check websites for major international retail chains like Ikea or the European supermarkets Metro and Carrefour to see if they have stores there. Ask the school to email you photos of the accommodation and classrooms.

Checking on the job and the employer is harder. The most important precaution: Ask to talk to current foreign teachers before agreeing to anything. Be extremely wary of any school that will not let you do this.

You can also check the web for comments on potential employers or on recruiters. ESL teachers are a chatty bunch, and mostly literate, so there is a lot of information available. Most of the job ad sites have forums that include comments on available jobs. There are also many country-specific forums offering school reviews or just a blacklist of problem schools. Take reviews with a grain of salt, though; even quite a good school may have a few angry ex-employees ranting on the web. Look for other web comments and talk to current teachers before drawing any firm conclusions.

In certain locations, there may be additional risks; we cover the most common ones in Tips for travel in developing countries and Tropical diseases. For some places, Altitude sickness, Cold weather or War zone safety may also be relevant.

Also, ensure that any potential employers are willing to sponsor you for the appropriate visa, as most countries do not allow foreigners to work on a tourist visa or visa waiver, even if you do not overstay. Some employers will instead ask you to make a visa run to the nearest border to save them the hassle of filing the necessary paperwork for a work visa, but this is illegal, and you risk getting jailed, deported and blacklisted from the country if you get caught. The governments of some countries, such as China and Thailand, are aware of this tactic and cracking down on it.

Looking for work
There are many ways to look for work in the field. One option is to narrow down your areas and then send out letters or email with your resume included. This does require sending out many letters with the expectation that a lot of places will not have openings at this time. However, since it is well known that most job openings are never advertised, there is a good chance this will turn up openings that otherwise would not be found.

If you have less experience as a teacher or would like to experience teaching English before committing to a full training course and career, another option is to take an internship. Like a job, you will typically receive free travel, food and lodging. You will also receive a salary, though this is likely to be smaller than a teacher’s pay. However, you will have a greater support network around you and it is unlikely that you will be the only English teacher in the school. Interns are normally tasked with improving their students’ listening and speaking skills rather than lead full courses for a fixed-period contract, ranging between 3 months and a year.

There are often fairly strong preferences for native English speakers and for citizens of major English-speaking countries. Job ads fairly often include a list of acceptable passports; UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are on every list, Ireland and South Africa on most. Even if not explicitly stated, many employers will not even read the rest of your resume, and some governments will refuse to issue you a work permit, without one of those passports. Many ads also give an acceptable age range, and a few specify gender or marital status; this would be illegal under discrimination laws in some countries, but is fairly common in ads for overseas jobs.

Especially in Asia, various prejudices and stereotypes may also come into play; many schools prefer white people, especially blue-eyed blondes, in large part because they hope the "right" image will help their marketing. This is mainly based on economics — the archetypal native English speaker is a white person, and parents who send their children to be taught by a native English speaker expect the teachers to look that way. Overseas Chinese (even ones with English as their first language), Filipinos, Indians, Malaysians, American Blacks, and especially Africans all report some difficulties finding jobs, or getting lower offers. Members of all those groups are happily employed in other schools, and many are well-paid, but getting a job is easier if you fit the stereotype.

Web sites
Many web sites offer English teaching jobs; the best-known is Dave's ESL Cafe. Others include Cactus TEFL, TEFL.com, LoveTEFL.com, TEFL Org UK, ESL Job Exchange, and Maximo Nivel. One of many employment discussion lists is TESLJob

Fewer web sites offer internship options though they are becoming more popular. For example, The TEFL Academy offers paid internships in countries including China, Thailand and South Korea, while Premier TEFL and TEFL Org UK package their internship offers with their TEFL training courses. Different internships will require different levels of training so read the details carefully.

Web search for phrases like "English teacher" or "ESL job" will turn up dozens more sites. There are also many sites for specific countries or regions; include one or more country or city names in a web search to find those. See also the Work sections of our country articles.

As with everything in the ESL business, some caution is required; some sites are run by recruiters (see cautions below) and some have been accused of censoring discussions in their forums to protect their advertisers from criticism.

Professional associations
There are two major professional associations for ESL teachers, US-based TESOL and British-based IATEFL. Both are international organisations whose members come from all over and are working all around the world. Both publish journals (available in university libraries) and run a website and an annual conference. The journals and websites have job ads and the conferences have a hiring fair. Like most academic organizations, these are more applicable to teachers of TEFL at the university level where service involvement is required for tenure and promotion; the majority of TEFL teachers have little or no involvement with them.

Teachers in many countries have established ELT teaching associations; many are set up as regional affiliates of either TESOL or IATEFL. Like any other job search, networking and finding the people who are "in the know" is a great way to find a job or to learn more about local conditions:
 * Arabia — TESOL Arabia
 * Bangladesh — BELTA
 * South Korea — KOTESOL
 * Russian Far East — FEELTA
 * Philippines — PALT
 * Singapore — Singapore Association For Applied Linguistics
 * Thailand — Thailand TESOL
 * Taiwan — ETA-ROC

At the very least, read the appropriate site to get a feel for the issues that are important in the country you wish to work in. You may also discover who are the leaders locally and what is currently important. Having this information ready will help with any interview. Some sites will link to posts for job notices. Look for conference announcements and plan a visit; these are excellent chances to look for work.

Governments of destination countries
A few countries have government-run programs for recruiting foreign teachers:
 * Chile — English Opens Doors (Volunteer posts with very low pay)
 * France (including overseas departments) — English Assistant Program
 * Hong Kong — NET
 * Japan — JET
 * South Korea — EPIK
 * Spain — Auxiliares

These generally take new university graduates and do not require teacher training or experience. Most placements are in secondary schools. You may be posted to a rural school where you're the only foreigner for miles around — great for experiencing local culture, not so great if you wanted to move in with your girl/boyfriend in Tokyo/Seoul.

Most of these jobs pay fairly well for entry-level posts, often a bit more than training centers offer to beginning teachers. For example, as of 2013 the Japanese JET program pays ¥3,360,000 (about $33,000) in the first year with increases in subsequent years. These jobs also look fairly good on a resume; anyone hiring English teachers in the region is likely to know these programs and if your next job application will be back home, then listing a national Ministry of Education as your last employer sounds much better than Tomiko's English Academy.

In some countries the State, Province or other entity in charge of education for many cities will also assist schools in finding staff. Contacting the education department directly can lead you to schools needing foreign ESL teachers.

Governments of English-speaking countries
The British Council is the British government's educational and cultural department. Among other things, they are the largest English teaching organisation in the world, running schools in many places.

The Council also handle recruiting for various foreign governments' English programs. Say Elbonia needs a few dozen teachers, or a few higher-level specialists like teacher trainers or curriculum and test designers; the Council will advertise, collect resumes, and produce a short list of candidates. For the actual interviews, senior Elbonian staff can fly to London and use Council facilities to interview, or the Council can handle the interviews too.

For some of these jobs, the Council also provides guarantees for teachers; if a corrupt school official steals your pay or you need to bail out because of a revolution in Elbonia, some Council contracts require compensation and the Council pays it even if they cannot collect from the other government. This does not completely remove the risks, of course, but it does reduce them significantly.

Council jobs can be searched on their web site or look for ads in the Guardian and the Times Education Supplement or Higher Ed. Supplement. Some, but by no means all, of their jobs are restricted to British citizens. Most interviews are in London. British Council schools may also hire locally wherever they are, but these jobs usually do not have benefits like airfare and housing that the London-hired ones do.

The US government runs a few programs in which American citizens can teach English abroad: the English Language Fellow and Specialist programs, the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant program, and some Peace Corps positions. Another program, paid for by government and run by Georgetown university, sends teacher trainers and other experts abroad; it requires a masters degree and US citizenship.

The big chains
There are a number of large companies in the ESL business, such as English First, International House, Wall Street English and Berlitz. The British Council (see above) might be considered another in this class, though it is rather different in some ways. Any of these has dozens of schools in multiple countries, and all of them are more-or-less continuously recruiting teachers.

There are substantial advantages to working for such a company, especially for novice teachers. These are professional organisations, not fly-by-night operators; that is good to know when you contemplate the risks inherent in working abroad, and it may also make one of them look better on your resume than a smaller company.
 * Any of them tends to have experienced managers, to offer training for teachers, and to pay at competitive (though not always generous) rates.
 * Perhaps more important, none of them are at all likely to try the tricks that sleazy recruiters or schools sometimes get up to, such as avoiding the cost of a proper visa by asking teachers to work illegally on a tourist visa or making large profits while paying teachers a pittance as "volunteers" or "interns".
 * Given experience in one of these companies, it may be relatively easy to move to another location or to a different job. Consider a teacher who has done a few year's ESL in Indonesia and is ready for a change; any such teacher could look for work in, say, Japan or Prague and have a reasonable chance of finding it. However, a teacher with one of the big companies can seek work at the same company's schools in those places; he or she is likely to have it significantly easier, both in finding work and in adapting to the new school on arrival.
 * If you want to make a career in ESL, there may be more opportunities in a large company; there are jobs in management, teacher training and materials development that you can hope to move into.

That said, there is a downside. For one thing, most such companies are franchise operations so conditions at a particular school depend on the local franchise owner as well as the global organisation. Some reports on expatriate-in-wherever bulletin boards claim that certain schools in large chains are utterly awful places to work, generally because at that particular school either the franchise owner or the foreign manager is a twit. Such reports need to be taken with a grain of salt and it is quite common to hear that one location is terrible while another nearby is just fine, but some caution is indicated.

In most cases an experienced teacher with some knowledge of a country can find a better job than these places offer — one with more money, shorter hours, longer holidays or less stress, and sometimes more than one of those. However, for someone new to ESL teaching and/or the country, these places are quite often the best prospect.

Recruiters
Some people on expatriate-in-wherever discussion sites say quite emphatically that you should never consider taking a job if a recruiter is involved. That is likely overstated — other people posting on the same sites often disagree, and some even recommend particular recruiters as honest and useful — but treating recruiters with caution is almost always advisable. In many cases, they create more problems rather than solving any.

Note that this includes various "job search" sites which do not give contact information for actual employers, or even for recruiters other than the company running the site; these are just thinly disguised advertising for a particular recruiter and should be either shunned entirely or used with caution. It also includes various organisations in Western countries that offer ESL training followed by "placement assistance". The training may be useful (see certificates above), but after that they are just a recruiter and should be treated with caution.

Some recruiters want an up-front payment from teachers, a "membership fee", "placement fee" or whatever. In nearly all cases, these should be rejected out-of-hand. Honest recruiters make their money by getting commissions from schools; any who ask for payment from teachers are quite likely scammers. This does seem to vary some from place to place, though; for example, almost no recruiters for China or Thailand ask for an up-front fee, but for Latin America many do.

For volunteer recruiting, see also Volunteer_travel.

Other ways to teach abroad
There are many other ways to live abroad. See Working abroad for some details. Here we cover those that involve teaching.

Teachers from other fields
If you have a teaching qualification in your own country, but not in ESL — perhaps a biology or history or even English literature teacher — then many English teaching jobs will happily accept you, though some will want an ESL certificate as well.

With such qualifications, consider looking for work at International schools. These are mainly for the children of expatriates, and the fees are generally paid by companies or governments who send staff abroad. The fees are often high, but nobody cares; most parents do not have to pay them and for the parents' employers they are a necessary business expense. In these schools both the educational standards and the teachers' pay rates are similar to those in high-income countries, quite often a bit higher. In most cases pay and conditions are much better than what language teachers get elsewhere. In addition, free education for your own children is often included.

These schools generally want appropriate qualifications for primary or secondary schools, but there is some variation. All want certified teachers, but some restrict that to certifications from a particular country or even state, while others will happily hire certified teachers from anywhere in the English-speaking world. A few will also hire well-qualified ESL teachers – typically degree and CELTA – without schoolteacher certification. Many international schools also look for two years teaching experience in addition to formal qualifications. Many schools conduct interviews on Skype.

There is a Council of International Schools and an International Schools Services directory; both sites also have teacher recruitment links. A company called Search Associates handles recruiting for a number of schools and runs job fairs in large cities around the world. Many of those schools teach the International Baccalaureate – a high school diploma that most universities in any English-speaking country (and many others) will accept – so another way to find schools is through the IB site. You could also ask embassies or companies with many expatriate staff what schools they use, or ask on an expatriate-in-wherever forum.

A web search for "international school" plus the name of a country or city will also turn some up, but be aware that "international school" is sometimes (certainly in China, possibly elsewhere as well) purely a marketing term, used in promoting any school that teaches some English.

Certified Montessori teachers can also find work in many countries.

Some programs, such as JET in Japan also have positions for experienced sport coaches.

Teaching other languages
Of course English is not the only language for which there is demand. There are jobs around the world for teachers of any major world language, though often not as many as for English teachers.

Various governments sponsor organisations to promote their nations' languages, and offer jobs for speakers of those languages.
 * Chinese: Confucius Institute
 * French: Alliance Française
 * German: Goethe Institute
 * Greek: Center for the Greek Language
 * Italian: Società Dante Alighieri
 * Japanese: Japan Foundation
 * Korean: King Sejong Institute
 * Portuguese: Instituto Camoes
 * Russian: Russkiy Mir Foundation
 * Spanish: Cervantes Institute

Universities and high schools abroad, or training centers that mainly teach English, may also hire teachers for other major languages. Some countries, such as China, have universities that specialise in teaching foreign languages. As for English teachers, international schools often have better pay and conditions than other places.

University programs
Many Western universities offer some sort of year abroad program, often in co-operation with a foreign university. For students of the language or history of some remote part of the world, these may be a fine opportunity. Typically there are fees which you would not pay if you went on your own, but on the other hand you get credits from the Western university for your foreign studies.

There are two main types of program; examples here are from China but similar things are available in other places.
 * Some programs, e.g. Berkeley, offer full time study of the foreign language. Often these are fairly flexible about time; a year, a semester or a summer are all possible.
 * Others give some language and teaching training, then place you as an English teacher in the host country. Usually these require a longer commitment, typically a year. The advantage is that you make at least enough to live on.

Volunteer work
Volunteer positions are usually for a shorter term and may or may not include room and board. For details see Volunteer.

Online teaching materials
Many sites offer teaching materials, lesson plans, or related ideas.

 * EFL Magazine
 * The Internet TESL Journal is a source for teachers wishing to understand ELT better or get new ideas: broken down into Techniques, Articles, and Lessons. Updated monthly.
 * TeachingEnglish, run by the British Council, has a wealth of resources for teachers to use in the classroom, as well as advice on how to improve and progress within the profession.
 * World of Better Learning is the blog of Cambridge University Press, a leading publisher of ELT resources, and includes up-to-date teaching ideas and free resources.

There are several Wikis for English teachers:

 * ELT Wikia ELT World Wiki
 * Teflpedia TEFLPedia

All have lesson plans and teaching materials as well as more general articles.

title: Teaching English


text:
Te Anau

Te Anau is a small town on the shore of Lake Te Anau, in the Southland region of the South Island. It is the gateway to Fiordland National Park and Milford Road.

Get in
Turn off the Queenstown - Invercargill highway just north of Lumsden onto SH94. Te Anau also has an airstrip for light sightseeing aircraft.

Most travellers use Te Anau as a jumping-off point to Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. Allow 2 hours to reach Milford Sound from Te Anau. There are lots of scenic stops along Milford Road, but not much else, so stop at Fresh Choice for snacks and be sure to fill up your fuel tank, as there is limited petrol available in Milford Sound.

By bus
InterCity Coachlines run buses to Te Anau from Christchurch via Dunedin, Queenstown and Milford Sound. From Invercargill a change at Gore is required.

Tracknet run buses from Queenstown and Invercargill. This is also available as a combined ferry and bus ticket from Stewart Island by Stewart Island Experience. Tracknet have services to and from some walking routes.

Do

 * Tramp any of the many tracks located in the area. Te Anau isn't called the walking capital of the world for no reason! The major tracks that can be started from the surrounding area include the following "Great Walks":
 * Don't miss out on going to Milford Sound, taking a cruise, and enjoying the scenic wonderland. For once it's probably better to take a bus, they don't rush it and you get good quality commentary.
 * Take a day walk somewhere - Lake Marian for example. If you don't have gear, you can hire it from Bev's Tramping Gear Hire.
 * Don't miss out on going to Milford Sound, taking a cruise, and enjoying the scenic wonderland. For once it's probably better to take a bus, they don't rush it and you get good quality commentary.
 * Take a day walk somewhere - Lake Marian for example. If you don't have gear, you can hire it from Bev's Tramping Gear Hire.
 * Take a day walk somewhere - Lake Marian for example. If you don't have gear, you can hire it from Bev's Tramping Gear Hire.

Eat
There are several decent places to eat, considering the size of Te Anau.

The local supermarkets are a cheap alternative if you're self-catering.

Drink
The three main venues in Te Anau are The Ranch, The Moose and Redcliff, in order of the age groups most likely to be found at each location. There is also a working men's club for the older generations.

Sleep
During December and January, bookings are essential! While bed and breakfasts, hotels, and backpackers abound in Te Anau, they will fill up and the nearest accommodation could be as far away as Gore.

Go next
State Highway 94 (SH 94), the Milford Road, leads to Milford Sound, 120 km to the north. Milford Sound is a major tourist attraction, but the trip itself is just as spectacular and should not be rushed. There are several scenic stops along the route that provide unique views. With about 2,500 visitors a day travelling to Milford Sound at peak times, it pays to get an early start, especially as parking space sometimes runs out in the (free) Milford car parks in the late morning.

Manapouri is just to the south via State Highway 95 (SH 95), which serves as an important gateway for exploring Doubtful Sound.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Te Anau


text:
Teaneck

Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey. It is the suburb with the second highest population of the 70 towns in the county with 39,776 as of the 2010 United States Census. The town is 11 miles west of New York City. Teaneck was founded on February 19, 1895. Today, it has a diverse population. Teaneck has many lovely streets for its residents and visitors to stroll, shop, dine, and even enjoy local artwork.

Understand
You will more than likely need a car to get around. If you work in New York City, however, you can easily take a bus ride. Public transportation is fairly easy to figure out and buses run very frequently in and out of the town’s limits.

Just like New York, summers are hot and sticky with temperatures rising into the 90s. The usual summer temperatures range from 69-85 °F (21-29 °C), and the winter months usually range from as high as to as low as. The tri-state area shares a very similar range in temperature and they take pleasure in all four seasons.

The town is known for its major institutions like Holy Name Medical Hospital and the Metropolitan Campus of Farleigh Dickinson University, the largest private university in the state of New Jersey. The Teaneck Armory is home to the New Jersey National Guard’s 50th Main Support Battalion and they host many events for the community, mainly in the summer months. The commercial development of the town is concentrated in four main shopping areas and there is convenient access to many main highways from different points in town.

By car
Teaneck is positioned along a number of major highways, including the New Jersey Turnpike (a portion of I-95) and I-80. Teaneck is the eastern final point of I-80, which stretches around west to downtown San Francisco, California. The town’s main highway is Route 4, running east to west through Teaneck from New York. There is no commercial development along this highway in the town itself due to a decision taken back in the 1940s to create a greenbelt, but there is easy access to the commercial area just a few minutes down Route 4. New Jersey’s other main route is the Garden State Parkway, which can be reached by car just a few miles west of Teaneck.

By plane
The closest commercial airport to Teaneck in New Jersey is Newark Liberty International Airport, away in Newark. New York City’s LaGuardia Airport is miles away in Queens and can be accessed via the George Washington Bridge and is approximately 22 minutes away (in the most ideal traffic conditions). John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens is (34 minutes) from Teaneck. There is also Teterboro Airport, which offers general aviation service, and is about (10 minutes) away. All of these airports can be accessed by car or by taxi services located in Teaneck that will pick you up any time, day or night.

By bus
New Jersey Transit bus service has very frequent service to Teaneck Road, Route 4, and Cedar Lane. There is less frequent service on other main streets. NJTransit bus services are offered at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan via the 155, 157, 167, and 168 routes. There is service to and from the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal in Upper Manhattan via the 171, 175, 178, and 186 routes.

A number of jitney services also provide an inexpensive, fast unscheduled service along Route 4 between Paterson and the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal, with stops along the way including several in Teaneck.

By train
There is no passenger train operation in Teaneck.

Parks
For its size, Teaneck has quite a few parks, 7 to be exact. They are mostly small grassy spaces in residential areas with swing sets and basketball courts, but there are a few that hold significance for the entire town.
 * Andreas Park. West Englewood Avenue will lead you down the hill to this park that sits on the edge of the Hackensack River. This park has large open space, a jungle gym and free public tennis courts. This park is active year round with a great spot for people to push off in their boats to drift on the Hackensack River.
 * Votee Park. The largest completely developed park in Teaneck and is located almost right in the middle of town. The park covers a huge amount of space, covering an area between Queen Anne Road and Palisade Avenue. Facilities include an in-ground swimming pool, a children’s wading pool, restrooms, an amphitheater, three soccer fields, five baseball fields, refreshment stands, a double handball court, four tennis courts, and a lighted, enclosed, two court basketball facility. There are 2 playgrounds (at either end), picnic areas, and paved walking paths. One playground is accessible for disabled children and has special equipment designed for kids with physical disabilities.

Arts and culture
Teaneck has a number of plays and art exhibitions happening all the time. Many are supported by The Puffin Foundation and its Puffin Cultural Forum located on Puffin Way. This includes the Teaneck International Film Festival held annually in November since 2005. The Teaneck Community Band presents a series of five outdoor summer concerts each summer, also sponsored by the Puffin Foundation. Teaneck is home to the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, founded in 1953. The Teaneck Cultural Arts Coalition has organized many community-wide events.

The Garage Theater Group is Bergen County’s first non-profit professional theater company, and their members consist of mainly Teaneck residents and they perform the bulk of their shows at Farleigh Dickinson University.

 * The American Stage Playhouse (+1 201-692-7744) at Fairleigh Dickinson features revivals as varied as Forever Plaid and The Bad Seed as well as several new and works every season.

Buy
Teaneck has four main shopping areas located on Cedar Lane, Teaneck Road, DeGraw Avenue, West Englewood Avenue, and Queen Anne Road, most commonly known as "The Plaza."
 * Cedar Lane. One of the more popular and conveniently located streets is one of the busiest streets in town. There are over 15 restaurants, clothing stores, shoe stores, salons, and the Cedar Lane Cinemas. It is the town’s only movie theater and they occasionally host live performances by local performance groups. Many restaurants on the street are kosher. A farmers' market is held every week, even into the winter months, and has become one of the most popular events in town. Free dance lessons are also given outdoors in the summer months as a community outreach program to bring people of all ages and backgrounds together.
 * Teaneck Road. This is another popular street for residents to shop for the essentials without having to get on any highways. This road stretches all the way through town, connecting Teaneck to its bordering towns. There is also direct access to the highway from many points on this road.
 * West Englewood Avenue. The west portion of this street stretches from the train tracks all the way down to the Hackensack River and is mostly residential, but east of the tracks, the street is part of the Queen Anne Road "Plaza" business district and is lined with restaurants and shops.
 * Queen Anne Road (“The Plaza”). This is the most popular road in town next to Cedar Lane because of its diversity. There is something for every demographic, whether it is a kosher chain of places to eat, a bank, a pharmacy, and the most popular restaurant in town Mexicali Blues Café. Live bands will come and play at the café once or twice a month and the place will stay open until well passed two in the morning. The younger crowd tends to hang out down there, but up the road is referred to as “The Plaza” where families gather. Several kosher eateries are found in the area where families can go and have their choice of pizza, falafel, chicken, bagels, pasta, Chinese, sushi, Persian, Italian, burgers, salads, and even a Starbucks-like coffee house.

Eat
Teaneck is not known for any kind of fine dining, but for the simple things made extremely well. These places are made “the usual” spot for people all over Bergen County because it’s easy food made to perfection.

Teaneck also has a nice array of kosher restaurants. These are closed on Friday evenings and Saturdays, but some are also open late Saturday night, especially in the summer.

Learn
Teaneck is home to the Metropolitan Campus of Farleigh Dickinson University, which is set on the border between Teaneck and the Hackensack River.

Go next

 * New York City - If you didn't come from New York in the first place, it's the most obvious place to go next, or take a day trip to.

title: Teaneck


text:
Tecate

Tecate is a city of 73,000 people (2015) in Baja California on the border with California, about an hour east of Tijuana. Unlike most US/Mexico border crossings, there is no town on the US side. Well known for its traditional infrastructure and looks, Tecate remains true to its origins with its main plaza in the center of the city and its city hall and historic church within walking distance. Tecate is best known for Tecate beer, which is one of the most popular in Mexico, and for being the home of author Daniel Reveles.

Understand
It is in a valley and is surrounded by several hills and mountains, the most prominent and famous of them being Kuuchamaa (also spelled Kuchamaa and Cuchama) Mountain. Kuuchamaa Mountain, also known as Tecate Peak in the United States, is a sacred mountain for the Kumeyaay people (known in Mexico as Kumiai) people, and the Kumeyaay language is still spoken in the mountains near Tecate at Juntas de Nejí. Kuuchamaa is rich in greenery, wildflowers and birds. Tecatenses as well as tourists are often seen enjoying hikes and bike rides along its many trails.

Tecate is hot and dry during the summer and cool and sometimes rainy during the winter.

From San Diego
Take Highway 94 east. Tecate Mexico is a 58-minute drive and 65 km (41 mi) away from San Diego, California.

From Tijuana
Take the toll road ("cuota") that parallels Mexico Highway 2, 45 km (30 mi) east. Highway 2 then leads east about 130 km (80 mi) to Mexicali by way of the notorious "Rumorosa Grade". Tecate is 52 km away and approx take 57-minute drive from Tijuana, City of Baja California States.

From Ensenada
Take Mexico Highway 3 east. The highway is two lanes and is about a 75 minute drive to the border crossing.

From the border
Tecate's border crossing is probably the easiest in California. You can pay a few dollars to park at one of the lots on the US side and walk across the border. It can also be an alternative border crossing to get back into the US; it's less crowded than the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa border crossings (to get back into the US). It will be a long drive from Tijuana, but it will save you some time.

By bus
There are many ways to get here from Los Angeles or San Diego, California, U.S.A.

Do

 * The yearly Tecate-Ensenada bike ride.
 * The yearly Tecate-Ensenada bike ride.

Buy
Tecate has a central shopping plaza, but those crossing the border and looking for souvenirs will be disappointed.

Drink
Tecate is home to the namesake, which offers tours. Through the guide you will get to know how it was created and what's unique about Tecate Beer.

The old Mexicans knew the culture of fermented alcoholic beverages, with the aroma of a corn beer. After the Mexican War of Independence in 1845, a barley beer was introduced in Mexico. In the 19th and 20th centuries, many breweries were opened in various region of Mexico. The industry was infused with taste and technology from the German and Austrian immigrants, further developing its taste.

Go next

 * The Vinicola L.A. Cetto winery, along Highway 3, offers tours. More than 100 wineries are located in Valle de Guadalupe along Highway 3 and some have tasting rooms in Ensenada.
 * California Motorsport Adventours Off road adventure tours to the LA Cetto Winery. Begin the San Diego or Puerto Nuevo Baja. Minimum 4 riders. Contact the office for reservations.
 * Guadelupe Canyon hot springs, with nearby hiking and petroglyphs, is located 30 miles (48 km) down a dirt road east of La Rumorosa.

title: Tecate


text:
Tecolutla

Tecolutla is a beach town 190 km north of the city of Veracruz along the Gulf of Mexico coast in Veracruz state. It has the closest beaches to Mexico City, and much of its economy is based on tourism, as it is only a four- or five-hour drive from the capital. It is the northern end of a tourist corridor along the Gulf of Mexico called the "Emerald Coast", which extends down to the city of Veracruz.

Understand
Tecolutla's biggest attraction is its natural settings of wetlands with estuaries, canals and mangroves associated with the river.

The beach tourism is mainly concentrated during peak seasons, such as Christmas and Easter holidays, and special events such as the annual fishing tournament.

The local language is Spanish, and little English is spoken by locals.

Get in
It is near Papantla and Poza Rica, cities placed near interchanges of highways that link to Tampico to the north and Mexico City to the west. Tecolutla is easily accessible by car or by buses linking to Papantla or nearby Zamora de Hidalgo. Bus tickets are available online. The town can be reached in one day's drive from Brownsville or Mcallen, Texas.

Get around
The town is very walkable with a small downtown core.

See
The town square has some picturesque colored buildings and a small park. On the far end of the beach locals operate short boat tours of the nearby mangroves, where a few exotic birds can be seen.
 * El Tajín archeological site, built by the same people who have inhabited this municipality, the Totonacs. Tecolutla is the closest beach to this site, which is about 40 km away. This was the most important ceremonial center in the area and it still host celebrations each year at the spring equinox.
 * Cultural attractions include the Hueytepec archeological zone, the Parish of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, the old lighthouse, the Hotel Tecolutla, the Municipal Palace and the Marine Museum, which contains an exposition of river and ocean products. This museum on Matamoros Street has more than 300 aquatic species both alive and preserved.
 * El Tajín archeological site, built by the same people who have inhabited this municipality, the Totonacs. Tecolutla is the closest beach to this site, which is about 40 km away. This was the most important ceremonial center in the area and it still host celebrations each year at the spring equinox.
 * Cultural attractions include the Hueytepec archeological zone, the Parish of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, the old lighthouse, the Hotel Tecolutla, the Municipal Palace and the Marine Museum, which contains an exposition of river and ocean products. This museum on Matamoros Street has more than 300 aquatic species both alive and preserved.

Do
The town has about 15 km of beaches which face directly onto the Gulf of Mexico. These beaches generally have gentle waves and warm water, except during storms called nortes. These are strong cold fronts that come down from the north along Mexico's Atlantic coast between December and February and can cause sudden drops in temperature and winds. This fickle weather keeps Tecolutla and many other Gulf coast communities from becoming major resort areas like Cancun.

Do swim in the ocean water, which has a gentler surf than most Pacific Mexican beaches, and which is warm enough for swimming almost all of the year, although hotel pools can be chilly in winter months. Beach umbrellas can be rented for the day.

The beaches of the town are divided into North and South beaches, each with its own hotel zones, restaurants, and camping areas. Both offer boat rides and bicycle paths. At the South Beach, where breakwaters protect the mouth of the Tecolutla River, there are also beachside cabins. Docks serve boat rides up the river, and fishing expeditions on the river and in the Gulf. A type of boat often used to navigate around the estuaries is called a panguita, which looks like a very long canoe.

Festivals

 * From April to September each year, the beach known as Vida Milenaria is reserved for sea turtles returning here to breed. This project is led by Fernando Manzano, better known here as "Papá Tortuga" (Daddy Turtle). This group hatches and frees between five and six thousand baby marine turtles each year. The returning turtles lay about this number of eggs which volunteers collect and protect. Tourists are invited to help free the baby turtles when they hatch.
 * The annual fishing competition in May draws many visitors locally, from Mexico and even beyond. There are events for shad, sea bass and tarpon and take place both on the sea and on the Tecolutla River. This is one of the few times of the year the resort is packed.
 * During the Coconut Festival in February, local restaurants and hotels get together to make "the world's largest coconut custard in the world." After it is presented and measured, locals and tourists are invited to have some free.

Buy
The main streets are full of knick-knack stores selling cheesy souvenirs, although there are some local crafts and vanilla liquor from nearby Papantla.

Eat
Tourist restaurants abound, although it's mostly fish dinners. A local specialty is fish with Veracruzana sauce, a delicious sugary, spicy tomato-based topping. Another local favourite is Mojo de Ajo which is a garlic sauce that is very tasty on fish or shrimp

Drink
There are a few bars or nightclubs. Most tourists tend to drink on the beach, which is well served by people pushing carts with food or drink. On weekends there are often street bars.

Sleep
Tecolutla can be crowded during Semana Santa (Easter), when it is popular with Mexicans on holiday. At other times the small town is fairly quiet, and finding lodging in one of the many small hotels which line the beach is not difficult. With the exception of Easter you can just show up and easily find accommodation ranging in price from US$18-55 a night, and even less expensive for longer term rentals.

Stay safe
Leaving possessions unattended on the beach isn't wise, but generally this is a safe place and the locals are friendly. Even the hawkers are usually quite laid-back. Camping on the beach at night is not recommended.

Go next

 * Poza Rica
 * Huachinango
 * Xalapa
 * Veracruz

title: Tecolutla


text:
Tega Cay

Tega Cay is a small city along the eastern shore of Lake Wylie west of the town of Fort Mill in the Olde English District of South Carolina. Tega Cay is a suburb of the major city of Charlotte and has experienced rapid growth over the past decade.

Understand
Tega Cay means "beautiful peninsula" in Polynesian and has been known for its professional golf courses, restaurants and beachfront parks located on the Tega Cay peninsula of Lake Wylie in South Carolina.

Get in
Tega Cay is accessible from Interstate-485 exit number 4 and Interstate-77 exit number 88.

Get around
Tega Cay is best accessed by car, but cycling is common through the town especially in residential areas of the greater peninsula.

Sleep
There are no hotel accommodations in the city of Tega Cay, but there are a few options in nearby Fort Mill.

Go next

 * Rock Hill
 * Fort Mill
 * Indian Land

title: Tega Cay


text:
Tegal

Tegal is a city on the north coast of Central Java, near the border with West Java.

Understand
Tegal is the home of the ubiquitous warteg eating places across Indonesia (from Warung Tegal), known for their low prices.

By car
Tegal is on the North Coast Route trunk road (Jalur Pantura). From the west, a tolled motorway connects Jakarta,, and Cirebon, , with Tegal. The toll ends at Tegal's western outskirts. To the east, the trunk road continues to the provincial capital Semarang,.

By ride-hailing app
There are some online ride-hailing apps such as Gojek. You may choose to go by motorcycle or car.

Tegal food

 * Glotak, a spicy dish made from gembus (Javanese tofu dregs).
 * Kue pia, mung bean pastry.
 * Nasi bogana, rice with side dishes wrapped in banana leaves.
 * Olos, tapioca starch batter snack.
 * Rujak teplak, boiled veggies with cassava sauce.
 * Sate Tegal or Sate kambing muda (young goat or mutton satay)
 * Sauto is soto, the widely available clear broth soup, but with the addition of fermented soybeans (tauco) giving a delicious umami hit. Widely available.
 * Tahu aci (fried flour-filled tofu)
 * Tahu pletok (fried flour-filled tofu)

Drink
Tegal is famous for tea served in a small earthenware teapot (hence its name teh poci or teapot tea, clay pot tea), with little earthenware cups to drink it from. Normally strong, and served with a lump of rock sugar so big that it barely fits into the cup. Widely available.

In the Slawi District of Tegal, there is a local iced drink called es lontrong, made from agar, mung bean, white bread, coconut milk, and pandan syrup.

Go next

 * Brebes — known for its duck-salted egg.
 * Cirebon — the 'city of shrimps', a city about to the west.
 * Pemalang — one of the pineapple cities.

title: Tegal


text:
Tegucigalpa

Tegucigalpa is the capital of and largest city in Honduras. This 400-year-old mining center has a depth that is there for those with time and nerve to find it. It has a plethora of interesting, if decaying, old colonial buildings, and many old stone streets winding intriguingly up steep hills to hidden parks, stone steps, and old houses.

Understand
Tegucigalpa (Hondurans in general, and people familiar with the city, shorten it to "Tegus", while most locals actually use the full name...) is a great example Central America of urban sprawl gone amok, spread out across very hilly terrain.

The defining event in recent Honduran history, and that of Tegucigalpa also, is Hurricane Mitch, which devastated the country in 1998. Mitch reportedly set the country back 50 years. Tegus is still recovering from the massive flooding of the river, and equally massive landslides, both triggered by the rampant deforestation of the hills surrounding the city. Indeed, signs of whole colonias (neighbourhoods) having slid off steep hills are still evident. Workers continue to toil daily in the river, removing silt deposited by the flooding. Many or most people lost friends and relatives during the crisis.

By plane

 * Aeromexico Connect (Mexico City).
 * Avianca (San Salvador, Guatemala City, Bogota)
 * American Airlines (Miami and seasonally from Dallas)
 * CM (Roatan)
 * Copa (Panama City)
 * Iberojet (Madrid, Barcelona)
 * Spirit Airlines (from Fort Lauderdale and seasonally from Houston)
 * United (Houston)
 * United (Houston)

 * Aerolíneas Sosa (La Ceiba, Roatán)
 * CM (Islas Guanaja, La Ceiba, Puerto Lempira, Roatán, San Pedro Sula, Islas Utila, Belize City, Flores, San Salvador, Guatemala City)
 * Lanhsa operates to Islas Guanaja, Puerto Lempira, Roatán, San Pedro Sula, Islas Utila via La Ceiba. Check schedules.
 * Lanhsa operates to Islas Guanaja, Puerto Lempira, Roatán, San Pedro Sula, Islas Utila via La Ceiba. Check schedules.

By bus
There are a number of bus international bus lines running to Tegus from other Central American capitals, from San Pedro Sula, Siguatepeque, Comayagua, and from other parts of the country. They offer first class, very comfortable service at a reasonable price with some of the following:

The companies have their own bus stations in different parts of the city with the majority of buses coming into Comayagüela, the sister city of Tegucigalpa. It is also reputedly one of the more dangerous parts of the city. If arriving to Comayagüela after dark, do not walk around looking for a place to stay. Even in the day, walking from bus stations in Comayagüela to a hotel, hostel or another bus station at any distance away would be a bit risky.

Get around
The football (soccer) stadium is a great central point for learning your bearings map-wise of the city. Several of the larger roads meet in a round-about that uses the stadium as its hub.

By taxi
Taxis (directos) will take 20 minutes to do the cross-town trip. Negotiating for the price (before getting in) is expected. Taxi drivers are a bit wild, so buckle up (oops, they don't have seatbelts). Prices increase with number of passengers and late at night. Don't be afraid to walk away from an expensive offer: taxis are everywhere and you'll likely win the negotiation by walking away.

Colectivos, like the city buses, run set routes from one point to another. If you see a long line of people weaving down a side walk, this is most likely a collectivo line.

By bus
Buses run set routes that most visitors won't know.

There are common bus stops throughout the town, but are unlabeled. Find a large group of people standing on the sidewalks for the largest selection of bus routes. To know the main destinations of the buses, look on the front of the bus above the windshield. Most buses operate to distinct neighborhoods and link to El Centro or the market in Comayaguela. In the market in Comayaguela you can also find many inter-city buses with various prices and various levels of comfort, ranging from the most common chicken-bus to double decker luxury buses.

See
Tegucigalpa is the capital city of Honduras. Set in a central valley surrounded by mountains, it’s known for its well-preserved Spanish colonial architecture.

Do

 * Movies The Mall-Multiplaza has a Cinemark theater on the third floor. Showtimes for popular movies frequently are half English with Spanish subtitles, and half dubbed in Spanish. As of 2009, tickets are L63/person.

Buy

 * The Mall-Multiplaza is a two-story, top-of-the-line mall, just like you would find in any of the biggest cities in the United States. Overpriced and somewhat opulent, but a nice place.
 * Cascadas Mall the newest mall in Tegus located close to the airport is very modern and has many US restaurants such as Applebees inside it. Nopt as popular as Multiplaza
 * San Isidrio Market down by the river. You can walk around the 16 square blocks of true Honduran markets and see where the Hondurans who can't afford to shop at the mall go to buy their things. Women travelers will be more comfortable with a male companion. The market gets "earthier" the nearer the river you get. If a local warns you that you are heading into an unsafe area of the market, thank them and backtrack. (See Stay Safe).

Eat
Tegus has a unhealthy variety of American food restaurants: McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Subway, etc. All follow "home office" food preparation procedures and travelers can eat at them without fear of getting sick. The food court of Multiplaza will do for on-the-go meals.

Tipping in Honduras is 10%. Tipping is not generally expected at smaller restaurants but always appreciated.

 * NiFu NiFa, Avenida Minas de Oro, adjacent to Farmacia del Ahorro y Reasa is an upscale Argentinian restaurant with parrillada and skirt steaks and a salad bar, wine and licuados and a terrace. +504 9440-0679
 * Duncan Maya is located just off the park, on the same street as La Terasa, but a bit closer to the park. It is on street level. Duncan Maya is often open later than other places in the area and at a certain hour will be your only alternative to fast food places. That being said, the food is greasy and a bit over-priced. But, they do sometimes have live bands at night (very loud), and it's a must for the "local" experience. Their "bistec de caballo" (yes, horse steak) is excellent.
 * Asados El Gordo has a few locations throughout the city and one on the road to Santa Lucía. Some of the best "parrilladas" or meat fests in the city accompanied by traditional sides such as beans, platanos, avocado, cheese, mantequilla (crema), and the oh so necessary tortilla. Very moderately priced: the "parrillada para dos" includes grilled chicken, chorizo, grilled steak, two plates of the sides mentioned above, and two drinks for just around US$20, and provides enough food leftover for another person to eat.
 * Asados El Gordo has a few locations throughout the city and one on the road to Santa Lucía. Some of the best "parrilladas" or meat fests in the city accompanied by traditional sides such as beans, platanos, avocado, cheese, mantequilla (crema), and the oh so necessary tortilla. Very moderately priced: the "parrillada para dos" includes grilled chicken, chorizo, grilled steak, two plates of the sides mentioned above, and two drinks for just around US$20, and provides enough food leftover for another person to eat.
 * Asados El Gordo has a few locations throughout the city and one on the road to Santa Lucía. Some of the best "parrilladas" or meat fests in the city accompanied by traditional sides such as beans, platanos, avocado, cheese, mantequilla (crema), and the oh so necessary tortilla. Very moderately priced: the "parrillada para dos" includes grilled chicken, chorizo, grilled steak, two plates of the sides mentioned above, and two drinks for just around US$20, and provides enough food leftover for another person to eat.

Drink
Friday and Saturday nights after nine may get a tiny bit dangerous as the alcohol content in the patrons goes up. In Honduras, empty beer bottles are left on the tables until the bill is paid, so you can get a very quick visual indication of where cooler heads will prevail and where tempers may rise just by looking.

Beers range in price from L12 to L30 depending on where you buy them. The cheapest way to go is to buy bottles from a store, however to do this, or at least to get the cheapest price, you need to have a supply of empties to exchange for new ones. You will have to pay more the first time to buy the bottles, but then you've got the cycle going.

Decent rum is incredibly inexpensive in supermarkets (US$6/bottle for what would be $25 elsewhere).

Honduras has four national beers, Salva Vida, Imperial, Port Royal, and Barena. They are all quite similar, all lagers. Port Royal is a bit skunkier, and Imperial may be a bit more flavorful.

The local hootch, known as "guaro" presumably deriving from "aguardiente" (fire water), comes in two brands, Tatascan and Yuscaran. This is cheap, strong cane liquor, the choice selection of drunks in Honduras. At 40% alcohol, a litre of this stuff could run you as little as a dollar. Probably best to avoid... or a one time occasion.

Sleep
Several cheap hotels can be found 15 minutes east of the center on Avenida Gutenberg. There are also many economical hotelitos and hospedajes (as well as some upmarket ones) around Inglesia Los Dolores, 5 calle.

 * Hotel Paseo Miramontes. 4 km. from the International Airport and in the vicinity of shopping malls, government offices, banks and the vibrant sector of the city, HPM provides personalized quality service at an excellent price. +504 2239-8179
 * Hotel Paseo Miramontes. 4 km. from the International Airport and in the vicinity of shopping malls, government offices, banks and the vibrant sector of the city, HPM provides personalized quality service at an excellent price. +504 2239-8179

Stay safe
The most important rule for street safety in Tegucigalpa is to never walk anywhere after dark. Are there areas of the city that are safe to walk in after dark? Yes. As an (assumedly) short-term traveler, do you know what they are? No.

In general, no one in Honduras will intervene during a crime. They do not want to get involved and reap the anger of the perpetrator. They will look the other way and walk right on by. Take special care at night. It is common for a foreigner to be robbed on the streets of Tegucigalpa at night. Thieves will stake out areas near tourist hotels, especially the Hotel Maya.

Cars are commonly broken into in broad daylight and the thieves don't even bother wearing masks. If you are driving, it is always worth it to pay to park in a guarded lot.

Follow these general guidelines:

 * Keep to the main parts of the city and don't be tempted to go to places that you are not sure of.
 * Keep to the main roads and avoid short cuts down back alleys etc.
 * Never walk at night in the center of the city even for a short distance - always take a taxi.
 * Be particularly wary of people hanging around outside hotels; it is a favorite place to catch tourists and mug them.
 * Ignore the street children and people coming up to you in the streets with hard luck tales. Street children can become violent and the latter may be part of an elaborate scam or they might just simply be pick pockets. The best thing to do is just to walk on and ignore them.
 * Do not carry large sums of money when shopping and do not wear expensive jewelry.
 * Do not accept food and drink from strangers; visitors have known to be drugged and then robbed.
 * If you must carry large sums of money or valuable possessions, carry two wallets: Keep one hidden with most of your money in it. The other should be in the most common place, your back pocket. Keep US$5-10 in the wallet, and a few stray lempiras. The lempiras can go to beggars (they tend to be persistent), and the dollars to appease any possible robbers. Typically US$5-10 is viewed as a day's salary in Honduras, and just may be enough to appease a robber without sacrificing your larger stash. Use caution, as there is no such thing as a predictable thief in Honduras.
 * If you shop at the Mercado San Isidro in Comayagüela, don't go after dark and don't carry a lot of valuables with you. Even in the daytime there are pickpockets and "grab-and-run" thieves in the market.  And definitely don't walk around in Comayagüela itself (apart from the market area) at ANY time, day or night.
 * It is possible to go to Parque de la Paz and take panoramic pictures from the top as well as a picture of the monument itself. However, you must be very careful.  Do not ever walk up the hill by yourself or even in a small group.  Have a reliable taxi or tourist guide drive you up and make sure not to wander around too much when you're at the summit.  It ought to go without saying that this is only possible in the daytime.

Embassies

 * 🇬🇷 Greece
 * 🇯🇵 Japan
 * 🇺🇸 United States

Go next

 * San Pedro Sula
 * Copán Ruinas - A small town named after the nearby ruins of an ancient Mayan city.
 * Nicaragua - There are direct buses to Managua with connections to go further south.
 * El Salvador - Direct buses are available to go to San Salvador.
 * "Valle de Angeles" (Valley of the Angels) A small tourist town is 25 miles away from Tegus and is a great place to do all of your tourist shopping (a little cheaper than airport prices) and stay at The Rooster's Guesthouse for intimate provincial accommodations in private cabins, family rooms and dormitories.

title: Tegucigalpa


text:
Tehachapi

Tehachapi is a city in Kern County, California in a valley within the Tehachapi Mountains which separate the San Joaquin Valley from the Mojave Desert.

Understand
Tehachapi is unusually windy. Two of the largest wind farms in the United States are located here: the Alta Wind Energy Center, which as of 2013 was the largest wind farm in the United States, and the Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm, which in 2013 was the fifth largest wind farm. Since the California Central Valley is an immense basin surrounded by mountains, the few low passes through the mountains serve as conduits for air going in and out. Tehachapi Pass, just east of town, is the lowest — and hence windiest — pass in the valley's surrounding mountains.

Do
Hiking. There are lots of excellent trails and parks for outdoor activities. The Pacific Crest Trail crosses Highway 58 east of town, with parking at the trailhead. Southwest of town, there is superb hiking in Tehachapi Mountain Park.

Go next

 * Bakersfield - nicknamed "the country music capital of the West Coast", Bakersfield is the largest city in the southern San Joaquin Valley and is thus the best option for those seeking lodging, transportation, or other services.
 * Keene - west on Highway 58, Keene is home to the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument, which contains the headquarters and grave site of the famous labor leader. Another attraction is the Tehachapi Loop, which is located just outside of town and is a favorite of railroad fans around the world since the engineering wonder is one of the few places where a train can be seen passing over itself.
 * Mojave - east of Tehachapi on Highway 58, Mojave is a hotbed of aerospace activity, with the Mojave Spaceport the headquarters of Scaled Composites, the first private company to launch a human into space. Edwards Air Force base, a landing site for the space shuttle and a center for the development of experimental aircraft, is located south of town.

title: Tehachapi


text:
Tehama County

Tehama County is in the Shasta Cascades region of California. The county has a quintessentially "western" feel, with most county residents employed in ranching, timber or farming, and most tourists drawn to the region for fishing, boating, hiking, and other outdoor activities. While there are numerous streams and rivers, the Sacramento River is the largest, intersecting the county and offering excellent fishing for rainbow trout, king salmon, chinook salmon, steelhead, smallmouth bass, sturgeon, and striped bass.

Understand
Tehama County was formed from parts of Butte, Colusa, and Shasta Counties in 1856. The county is primarily rural, with terrain varying from the high point in the Sierras at 8,200 feet down to the Sacramento River valley, just 341 feet above sea level. The economy is driven by ranching, farming and timber production.

Outdoor recreation options include camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, golfing, snow skiing, and boating. Given its rural nature, visitors will find opportunities ranging from day hikes all the way to week-long backpacking adventures.

Get in
The primary north-south route through the county is Interstate 5, which travels from Sacramento northwards towards Redding, Oregon and Washington.

Go next

 * - Tehama County's northern neighbor is a land of mountains, lakes and rivers. Massive Shasta Lake, California's largest reservoir, is the "houseboat capital of the world", with rentals available for those who want to vacation on the water.  Several spectacular waterfalls can be found in the county, including the 129 ft Burney Falls, which Theodore Roosevelt described as "the Eighth Wonder of the World", and McCloud River Falls, which is actually three scenic waterfalls.  In the county's southeastern corner, Lassen Volcanic National Park is home to a geologic hotspot highlighted by  10,457 ft Lassen Volcano.  The mountain can be summitted via a steep trail, but plan to do so in the summer - the park's 600 - 700 in of annual snowfall make it the snowiest place in California.
 * - Located east of Tehama County, the forests, rivers and mountains of Plumas County were originally inhabited by Native Americans before miners arrived during the Gold Rush, followed soon after by loggers, and today tourists visit the county for its camping, fishing, whitewater, snowshoeing, and other outdoor opportunities. The Feather River Scenic Byway is a popular way to see the county's beauty, with the east-west route following California's first designated wild and scenic river past nearly one hundred waterfalls, historic bridges and tunnels, spring wildflowers, vivid fall colors, and the "Stairway of Power" consisting of seven hydroelectric powerhouses installed along the river.
 * - Named for the Marysville Buttes that are actually found in neighboring Sutter County, Tehama County's southeastern neighbor is a rural destination featuring rolling hills, rivers, and large agricultural areas. The town of Chico is a college town that is home to many excellent restaurants, massive Bidwell Park, and the National Yo-Yo Museum.  The town of Oroville boasts a downtown area that dates back to the Gold Rush, and is now home to America's tallest dam (tours available), behind which sits a reservoir that is enjoyed by boaters and hikers.  Further afield, 410 ft tall Feather Falls rewards hikers willing to traverse the 8 mi loop trail.
 * - Bordering Tehama County to the south, Glenn County is an agricultural region that is most likely to be experienced by travelers passing through on Interstate 5. While it lacks significant amenities, there are a few options for travelers to experience small-town America at events such as the Glenn County Fair, held in mid-May in the town of Orland, or at the Thunderhill Raceway Park outside of Willows, home to the longest automobile race in the United States: the 25 Hours of Thunderhill.
 * - Lying halfway between San Francisco and the Oregon border, Tehama County's southwestern neighbor boasts redwood forests, wineries, breweries, and remote, untouched coastline. In addition to its natural features, the county is home to the largest Buddhist Temple in the Western Hemisphere, the 400+ acre City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Ukiah.  The  Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, located near Fort Bragg, is a 47 acre public garden with oceanside views.  While hikers and backpackers will find no shortage of options, those looking for less strenuous ways to enjoy the scenery can ride the Skunk Train, a railroad that has been in operation since 1885 and takes riders 40 miles through old growth forests and across historic trestles between Fort Bragg and Willits.
 * - One of only three California counties with no incorporated cities, rugged Trinity County lies among the Salmon and Klamath Mountains along the Trinity River. The county seat of Weaverville is home to some of California's oldest buildings, with the state's second oldest courthouse (built in 1856), a drugstore that has filled prescriptions since 1852, and California's oldest Taoist Temple (operating since 1873).  Those looking for outdoor adventure will find numerous opportunities for camping, backpacking, rock climbing, boating, rafting/kayaking, hunting, and fishing, with Trinity Lake in particular a favorite spot for houseboat rentals.

title: Tehama County