I’m Nnenia Yasmeen, a NYC-based Fashion & Business Consultant and Creator. I’m here to guide aspiring influencers and entrepreneurs in the fashion and lifestyle industry on the power of self discovery and personal branding. Join me as I share insights on creative entrepreneurship, leveraging both online and IRL strategies and strategic partnerships to amplify your impact and influence.
I actually did this through C.I.E.E. I would recommend watching videos such as this for C.I.E.E. AND for Green Heart Travel AND Also for Travel Bud Co. Please also be sure to ask the tough questions such as how your program's staff assists people who get injured or sick. Are things like owning and operating motorbikes allowed or will doing so disqualify you for participation in future programs. Many schools you may work at are clueless if you were ever to get into a motorbike accident. This is important since some countries like Thailand have seasons where it freakin' rains like crazy for weeks at a time. This can make it hazardous to operate a motorbike on public roads. So If you get into an accident, you may very well be ON YOUR OWN, up s**T's creek without a paddle! Also, ask questions as to whether or not negative written reviews on various reviews sites if will also disqualify you for future participation in teach abroad programs. Some organizations may put you on an unwritten so-called 'black list' for being known as a whiny troublemaker. I wrote about a negative experience about one such program and I am facing a situation where I may be on such. a black-list for writing a negative review about a program and now the program administrators will not have ANYTHING to do with me. LOL. It's unfortunate but yep, it does happen. In my case, I owned a Suzuki scooter. Not a large motorcycle, just a 150cc scooter I used to put around in. Anyone who has lived in Thailand knows that it can RAIN LIKE CRAZY during some months of the year. This was a HUGE problem for me as I actually got into. a motorcycle accident and ended up breaking one of my arms. The school I worked at actually sent one of their own staff to confirm that I was in good health. I won't go so far as to call Teaching English abroad a 'Trap, I would say to DEFINITELY be sure to ask some SERIOUS QUESTIONS of whatever program you get into. Thai people are wonderful. Health care is reasonably modern and relatively inexpensive compared to the U.S. However, some program administrators are clueless some school staff are clueless and some may argue that some program participants are clueless also, myself included such as my decision to operate a scooter on a public road just outside of one of the largest cities in the world.
As a 36 year old who's been working 60 hour weeks for 20 years in the US, I'm just wanting stability and peace. Therefore my wife and I are super excited for the possibility...
Hi, Nnenia! Although I’m encountering it three years after you posted it, I really enjoyed your talk. As someone who spent 12 years teaching English in Taiwan 1994-2006, I would echo all of your advice. My story in brief: I traveled to Taiwan at the age of 28. After college, I had sort of gotten stuck and didn’t know in which direction to go career-wise, with little obvious options having graduated with an Arts and Humanities degree. I considered law school for a while, but my heart wasn’t in it. So I decided to try my luck teaching abroad for a couple of years, with the goal of paying off my student loans then returning to the U.S. and figuring out what to do with the rest of my adulthood. As it happened, I fell in love with teaching pretty instantly. I also met my future wife, a Taiwanese English teacher. I gradually got sucked into the entire Taiwanese way of life and, with it, a new collection of personal and professional aspirations. Fast forward a bit more than a decade, and concerns like the ones you mention were mounting. I was getting too old to teach young children anymore, and the hustle and bustle of a career as a cram school teacher (this was years before stable public school jobs in Taiwan became available for English speakers) was not conducive to raising our own two children in a healthy manner. So I returned to the U.S. with my wife (Hawaii, specifically), put myself through a Secondary Education certification program at the University of Hawaii, and became a high school English teacher (though I now teach Psychology primarily…my wife is a Chinese teacher). To everyone out there considering teaching abroad for a few years, the concerns that Nnenia lists are very real and very serious! The longer you stay out of your home country, the more challenging it will be to break back into the workforce at home. And the more expensive it will be. I burned up well over 100K (USD) in Taiwan savings getting us and our possessions back into the U.S. and remaining unemployed for 18 months in order to go back to school to get certified as a high school teacher. In retrospect, if I could do it all over again, I would have completed an online teacher cert program while still working in Taiwan. But that was in the early days of online degree programs, and I wasn’t aware that it was an option. I would also suggest to those who are teaching abroad and really enjoying it but do not have bona fide teaching credentials: Get online, find an online university, and get those credentials. Then consider transitioning into international school teaching. International schools provide employment opportunities that are far more robust and stable, offer far better compensation and benefits packages, and lead to career paths that can take you pretty much anywhere in the world. And you can age comfortably as an international school teacher, which can’t be said for other types of teaching abroad such as cram school and pre-school teaching. If, on the other hand, you don’t see yourself teaching as a long-term career option, have a solid “exit plan” for when you feel the time has come. I absolutely loved my life in Taiwan and have no regrets about the twelve years I spent there (and my wife and I are considering retiring there in the future). But if I could do it all over again, I would have planned things out so that I could obtain my teaching credentials and transition into the more comfortable and ultimately more satisfying world of international school teaching…though I cannot say I have any regrets about having taken the opportunity to raise our two children in the incredible state of Hawaii, which never would have happened if I hadn’t spent a decade’s savings in the move and stayed in Taiwan instead.
Hi there! Thank you sooo much for sharing your story and such great advice. I agree, had I decided to stay longer the best option was to go back to school and become a certified teacher and work my way into international schools. I personally opted out of that but it's a great plan long term for those who have no intentions of returning to the US. I've been back stateside three years and have definitely paid for the short sighted decisions I made in my early 20s. No regrets but still worth sharing. Similar to you, had I not made the decision to live in Taiwan I probably wouldn't be working in fashion in New York City. I appreciate you for watching and listening (I'm aware the title is click baity but that's part of social media marketing lol). I'm glad you received the message and can relate to it as the intention was not to offend any current teachers or derail hopefuls. Thank you again and best wishes to you and your family!
@@NneniaYasmeen - Thanks, and I hope your career is going well! One compensatory aspect of my early trajectory is that I was able to successfully pass on to my own two children advice about how to avoid the potential existential abyss of immediate post-college years that is so easy to fall into. Both have recently graduated from college, and my wife and I feel that one of our major successes is that each of them lined up robust, career-entry jobs within weeks before graduating. While I somewhat regret that neither of them have followed in my footsteps as an ambitious world traveler, I know that they can always do that sort of thing later in adulthood after having established themselves in a solid, stable career. Looking forward to viewing some of your other videos!
Another strong reason that just came to mind as to why people teaching English abroad without certification in Education should prioritize acquiring full Education credentials: You may very likely find that, despite the huge amount of genuine valuable teaching experience you’ve accrued through years of hard work in various types of schools, it won’t be honored by people in school systems in charge of hiring, and you’ll have to start at the bottom of the pay scale with recent college grads with no teaching experience apart from their student-teaching gig. When I left Taiwan after teaching year-round 40-50 hours per week for twelve years, I had become a very good teacher of basic English and had also acquired a full set of skills that were easily and quickly transferable into other teaching areas such as high school English. However, I started out my first year of public high school teaching with a $40,000 salary in 2007-2008, a full twenty years older and earning the same salary as people coming right out of college. And this in Hawaii, the least affordable state for teachers. I’m very sure that my obvious chops that school administrators could glean through observations helped me land my first job. But they didn’t help place me beyond the rookie level salary-wise, and it took me 14 years of salary chart climbing and a leap out of public education into an elite private high school to finally earn what I felt was a comfortable teacher salary at the age of 56. So, once again, get those teacher certs! If you are teaching in a fully recognized and accredited K-12, including public school systems and international schools, your years will be rewarded when and if you need to move back to your home country. And if you find yourself saying, “But no need, as I’ll never teach when I go back to my home country,” reconsider. I told myself the same thing. But when it came time to move back to the U.S. with a wife and two children at the age of 40, I realized that building on my teaching skills was the fastest and most realistic path back into the American workforce. I simply wasn’t going to be dropping out of life as a father and husband to attend law school at my own expense for three years…or anything similar.
Wow, this video was so helpful. I'm in the exact same position- I'm 24 and a friend introduced the idea of doing a TEFL to travel. Loved hearing your perspective on this as someone else who doesn't have a passion for teaching or wanting to pursue it as a career. It's been such a tough decision but hearing your thoughts was so helpful. Thanks for sharing.
These videos are fascinating, and I empathize a lot. I was “trapped” teaching for 5 years, but used the opportunity to study in my free time. Now I am doing a phd in an exciting field at the university I was teaching in. When you are just teaching it’s like staring into the abyss. I had to switch on all my survival instincts and find a way to make the future happen. My faith in Jesus was also helpful. God bless
A lot of people arent teachers and they have zero pride in it. They shouldnt be teaching at all. They buy into a really stupid way of thinking and they all want to pretend they arent teachers. "oh, I am just teaching for fun, really i am a _______" Its sad.
i taught for 4.5 years in Korea. The first two schools were great. Third one not so much, it was a new private HS. I spoke during my time there with the black woman that was the english teacher the first year they were open. She said some were racist. I am white but with the attitudes of a few of them i saw what she meant. I left that school early. SOMETIMES teaching is good, but find out about the school.
Gems were dropped, and seeds were planted! Your words of wisdom are always right on time, and your vulnerability and transparency are always appreciated. <3
Not sure they knew about them tbh! I’ve been upfront about my socials & creating content moving forward though. It’s important I join a team/organization that shares similar values and wouldn’t have an any issues with it.
@@roundtwo3321 Right but it's important you read and understand any contracts you sign off on. You should be good as long as you're not violating anything you agreed to.
@@roundtwo3321 I'm sorry to hear that and absolutely agree you with you. I usually block people I don't want to find me and would rarely talk about it in the work place so no one grows curious. Lol
I could you a management role within IT. No other way to say this but you would possibly need to modify your communication style to be a little more direct. You can be direct without hurting someone's feeling and consistency in treatment of staff is the key.
I’m an expat in Bogotá teaching English. I wholeheartedly enjoy my no stress, purposeful job. I never thought I would teach especially coming from a real estate career.
thank you for sharing your perspective! I'm currently in a similar situation, I'm feeling stuck in my country, with no job opportunities that excite me. I have considered teaching English because I would love to live abroad as an experience and have a decent job that won't be too demanding. but mainly, I'm in it for the travel. Even after one year, if I hate it I can come back, so there's no big damage.
Greetings from the US I just came across your video and I'm glad I did!! For someone who is considering moving aboard I was thinking of Taiwan!! This apartment seems absolutely perfect for someone just starting out and definitely would be on a budget!! I know you mentioned you teach but besides teaching what other opportunities are available for foreigners looking to make a New Start!! Any intel you can provide would be appreciated 👍🏽 as I would be leaving my home staye of Texas and moving there!! I enjoyed this video and again Thanks for Sharing🧡🤍🎇🤍🧡
How was experiencing racism in Taiwan? I'm in Thailand and I experience some racism, but its not quite like at home in the US. Do you believe that poc can lead happier lives more so living abroad or in the US?
I personally only had one blatant racist experience in Taiwan. I've heard incidences from other expats but it's a rare occurrence. I think it's up to the person to decide what makes them happy. I think that can be found in either the US or abroad for poc.. just depends.
Essentially, the american dream is if you work hard you can own a home, start a family, and live comfortably. Not only are millennials and gen zers realizing that these privileges are no longer financially attainable in the US in these current socioeconomic conditions… they’re realizing that these things are basic human rights in other countries such as China and Vietnam. And instead of trying to learn from and implement their policies, the US media demonizes them and spews constant lies to suit the interests of the ultra wealthy. Working class people are not respected in the US and you can get way more out of life for significantly less money, time, and stress elsewhere. Hence why the new American dream is to leave.
The only things I'm really passionate about are languages and music, so I want to be an English teacher in China because I can speak Mandarin Chinese and I was born in America, so I can also speak English, I have litteraly zero friends I'm America, so I wouldn't be leaving much behind, and I just want to meet more people, to hopefully create a friend group, to hopefully get rid of my lonliness
I'm 19 yo guy studying English in uni. I've got this idea of moving to another country and became an English teacher. There is very big BUT, I don't wanna be a teacher itself, my purpose is more in entrepreneurship and I would like to create my own online school. But living in Russia, war and etc. like pushing me to leave this place by any chance... Well, I'm confused. Btw I want to move in Spain, but that is so hard to find work there as English teacher because It's my second language
Traveling is such an important thing. Really builds a different perspective mentally. I traveled to Canada for Uni, I'm originally from the US, and I currently feel a little of that "starting all over" from a career perspective as I moved back to America. This is a completely normal feeling for human beings. Nothing is given to you in life. Life can be lonely and scary at times. But get back up, focus, and build something!!
It's only a trap if you go into it for the wrong reasons. If you're feeling stuck in life, feel like you have no purpose or direction, it can help ground you. I did it when I was 35 and it was the best decision I've ever made. Was it a career move? No, but the idea of a traditional 'career' these days is becoming less and less mainstream. I would prefer to teach and enjoy what I do than grind away in a job that doesn't respect my time.
I agree. I got stuck near Shanghai with COVID, for three extra years. When I returned to America, I couldn't get back to my Los Angeles because I had been gone so long, my driver's license, bankcards, technology all had to be replaced, this took months and was expensive and almost dangerous. Then I imagined that teaching online would be OK, and it's terrible and low-paying. Schools in America all seem corrupt or just uninspiring and low-paying. I finally have an idea to do corporate training in another industry I know about, but who knows if that will work out either. I've tried to go to other countries, but each country has some problem or other.
I’m actually teaching abroad after graduating with my masters, I’m not concerned about the timeline of my career path, everything will work out the way it’s suppose to!
Thank you so much for your video, im really considering Taiwan. Ive watched different videos from different teachers in different countries, i feel like Taiwan is the best. I was thinking of Thailand before i found out about the cost of living. Thank you so much from South Africa
