Anybody ever teach English abroad? Any tips on making it happen? Pros/cons? Etc

What about Singapore? Or Switzerland?

That'd be great but sounds like a long shot.

What do you mean?

I mean, I don't think it's likely I'd be accepted to places as nice as that.

if you get a teaching degree I don't see why not

Here's a crash course in the shit you need to know before picking a country, then. I've had friends who taught in Latin America and Europe, but personally I'm really only qualified to talk about Asia. Maybe somebody can weigh in on those other countries.

The unfortunate fact is, the market is typically better in less-developed places. Everybody wants to go to Japan, so the market is already saturated with teachers. That's not to say that you can't find a job, it's just that the good jobs aren't as thick on the ground as they used to be. It's easier to find a job in Taiwan, and it's much more common to simply show up in the country and find one after you land. I personally favor that, because it means you can scope out the school and the bosses before you make a commitment. Worker's rights and work-life balance are not really things yet in most of Asia, so an overly demanding or bipolar boss can make your life hellish ... and there are a lot of bipolar bosses in Asia.

With Japan (and mainland China) it's much more common to find a job and sign a contract before you get on the plane - it's harder to just show up and then convert your visitor's/landing visa to a working visa in those countries. With most countries in SE Asia, Vietnam and so on, you can also just show up and start looking. Working conditions there are likely to be better, lower cost of living plus a less saturated market. Obviously that's balanced by the fact that the countries themselves are less developed, but they're not awful by any means. Just be smart, buy bottled water and don't stand on busy street corners with your $600 iPhone held loosely in your hand. Your salary might not be higher but your money will generally go farther.

cont'd, sorry for typing so fucking much, but this is shit I wish I'd known when I came here

Fuck. Not really wanting to go back to school for another degree and lose four more years of my life. Guess that's off the table.

I don't know whether you have a TEFL/COEFL certificate or not, or if you're willing to get one. With Japan, China and SK (although you said you're not interested in that one) you'll likely need some sort of certificate, and a real one, not some bullshit 20-hour online course. There are many jobs in China that you can get without one but I personally wouldn't feel comfortable accepting most of those jobs; the less selective they are, the more likely the job is to be sketchy. There are a lot of sketchy jobs in mainland China, although there are plenty of good ones. With SE Asia and Taiwan you won't need a certificate if you have any kind of undergrad degree.

Whatever country you pick, do your homework beforehand, and understand the legalities of working there. Schools will often lie to you and put you in legally iffy positions - working too many or too few hours, starting work without the proper visa, working as a university/elementary/kindergarten teacher when that's flatly illegal (in Taiwan, for example, kindie cannot legally be taught in English). They'll lie to you and say that "everyone does it." Sure, and some of them get deported.

Make sure you do actually want to teach before you do this, teaching can be tiring. Don't take any job that has more than 25 teaching hours per week. Do not take any job that balks at providing the correct visa or that has a contract with a harsh penalty for severing it. Protect yourself, because your employer will not protect you.

Don't be a stupid embarrassing drunk westerner.

Thanks for the advice.

TESOL is a profession and a discipline you need training in. DO NOT think that just because it is your native language you can teach it. You will be doomed to failure

Well, how do I get the training?

Now think reeeeal hard. Where would be a likely place to go to learn stuff?

Your house?

Well, there's no way I could afford to spend another four years of my life in school nor could I pay for it, so I guess I'll have to look for something that doesn't require a teaching degree.

Then you're just a faggot weeb. Japan doesn't want you. No seriously, they don't want you.

What if I didn't, faggot?

Bump. One of maybe a few.

Then you're not a faggot weeb and good luck in your venture.

Thanks. Somewhere in Europe would be preferable but I would accept Japan as long as it was a rural location. South Korea and China are right out.

Bump.