The TEFL Times

The latest article by Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa is the creator and writer for TEFL Tips

Working Holiday Visas are a chance to spend a short time working legally in another country. You often work between three and 12 months, depending on the visa. Depending on what country you are from, your age, civil status and whether you are a student or not all come into play when applying for a working holiday visa.

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A good website with information is Any Work Anywhere. Here you can find out more information about working holiday visas and what choices are available to you. Keep in mind that new programmes are always being added as well. Another great website is BUNAC and if you’re from Canada, try SWAP. You might also try going to specific country’s embassy’s websites, for example the Embassy of Norway in Canada and the Working Holiday in Korea website have information about working holidays in their countries.

There are also plenty of discussion forums, such as those at The Student Room, Gap Year, Boots N All websites and Expatica.

If you’re looking to work short-term in a country, there are many opportunites, such as picking fruit, au pairing, being a tour guide, camp jobs, waiting staff, sports instructor, just to name a few. WWOOF , Gap Year , Gap-Year, Find A Gap, and Season Workers are just a few of those offering short-term employment.

Teaching English short-term is also a possibility, especially during school breaks as lots of schools offer intensive summer camp positions. Just remember that you’ll be with the kids for the majority of the day teaching English in the morning and usually games or sports in the afternoon. Material, organisation, pay and benefits vary, so be sure to ask questions before you sign a contract. Some things you should ask about are: salary after taxes, the accommodations, books and syllabus, air conditioning (lots of places don’t have it), number of children per class, days off, and airfare. Many places will offer you airfare and a bit of spending money in exchange for a month or so of teaching.

Although you won’t get rich doing so, if you’re energetic and ready to work hard, it can be a very rewarding experience. Dave’s ESL Café and TEFL.com are good places to look for camp jobs. Usually places start advertising around mid-March for summer camps jobs (June to August) and around October for winter camp positions (January – February). Summer camp positions may last between two weeks to two months whereas winter camps are usually only a couple of weeks.

About the author
Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa is the creator and writer for TEFL Tips, The LA Job List, and The Ultimate Peru List. She enjoys answering people’s questions about TEFLing and Peru.