Working Abroad- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Unfortunately, due to local visa regulations for English teachers, only passport holders from the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa can be considered for our job openings.

Due to visa regulations, we can only hire teachers on minimum 12-month contracts. To teach English with English 1, you must be willing to live and work abroad for at least a year. We have also found that it will give you enough time to travel, explore, learn about the local culture, and settle in!

Successful applications will receive a call or email from one of our recruiters within the first week of applying. However, due to the high volume of applicants, it may take longer.

Yes, you must have a bachelor’s degree to teach abroad with English 1 due to local visa regulations. Without a bachelor’s degree, we are unable to consider your application. However, if you obtain a bachelor's degree within the next four to six months, you can also start the process early.

We hire all year round, but we recommend you apply as early as possible to give you more options about locations and starting dates.

No, we don’t use Mandarin Chinese or Bahasa Indonesia in the classroom. During our sponsored Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course, it will become clear how we approach this.

Outside of the classroom, most cities in China and Indonesia have English road signs and metro stations. Many restaurants offer menus in English, and if they don’t, they usually have pictures. While it’s not necessary, learning some basic survival Mandarin Chinese or Bahasa Indonesia, such as addresses for taxis and common food items, is recommended to make things a bit easier. In most large cities, you can even order food using apps in English.

We are looking for candidates with prior teaching experience, though it is not a strict requirement. If you don’t have experience, we offer comprehensive training and professional development to help you gain the skills and confidence needed to excel in the classroom. As long as you have a bachelor’s degree in any subject, we’ll support you every step of the way to become a successful teacher.

No. English 1 provides full-time, salaried teaching jobs in China and Indonesia. Although this is a job that offers full training and support, you are not required to pay to participate in the program. Instead, we will do our best to help you relocate to your new country. We offer arrival support and cover some (if not all) of your visa costs.

We have a community of over 2,000 teachers in China and Indonesia who help and support each other. We also have our own social network where teachers can ask questions and seek assistance. Additionally, we organise social and cultural events for our teachers, most of which are free, to help them connect with others and gain a deeper understanding of Chinese and Indonesian cultures.

If you teach kids and teens, you can expect to teach up to 20 hours per week. These 20 hours will be spent in class teaching, and you will spend the rest of your time at school lesson planning, providing student feedback, and sometimes helping students. Your working week is usually five days, with two consecutive days off. Your weekend days will not be Saturday and Sunday, as you might be used to, but two weekdays, which is standard in the industry. You are entitled to an annual leave plus statutory paid holidays. This will give you enough time to take short trips on your days off and travel during your vacations.

This depends on your lifestyle. Your salary is paid in the local currency which is well above the local average. You should have enough to save money, pay student loans, travel, eat out a few times a week, and enjoy a good social life. Take a look at the cost of living in China and Indonesia to learn more. If you share an apartment with other teachers and eat local food, you will have more left than if you have your own place and eat Western-style food every night.

Although some schools in the smaller cities provide housing, on the whole, English 1 doesn’t. While housing can be a concern for most of our new teachers, we have found that it is better if you get to choose your living situation. If you prefer to live alone, you can. If you prefer to save money and live with roommates, you are free to do so. You can choose where you live, who you live with, and choose to live in the part of town that you like. When you arrive, we will provide two weeks of hotel stay for you, so that you have time to house hunt.

During your onboarding training, you will receive information on housing so that you know what to look for, and we’ll put you in touch with English-speaking housing agents so that you can find the right place for you.

Yes, we do. English 1 offers three types of insurance. We work with companies to provide health insurance to all of our teachers. Our insurers have a standard package, which is a little cheaper. The standard package allows you to use public hospitals and health centres, and you will be reimbursed for any treatment. The premium package requires you to contribute more. However, this insurance policy will cover the cost of most international medical centres. English 1 will match your contribution each month, and the insurance will be deducted from your salary automatically.

It is a company requirement that all teachers are covered by medical insurance. You can choose to use your own medical insurance, but you will be required to show us that you have one in place when you arrive. It is a requirement that, as a minimum, coverage matches that of the standard package English 1 offers.

No need to worry – we’re here to help! The best thing to do is apply so we can gather all your details and ensure you meet the requirements. Once we have that, one of our recruiters will reach out to you for an initial chat before scheduling an interview. This is a great time to ask any questions you have, and you can always ask more during the interview.