BootsnAll Travel Community

Hello All,
My name is Kanika and I am new to the site. I have only been to Venezuela but I would love to expand that to Europe and other South American countries. I would love to work abroad but I don't know where to start. Any suggestions would be great. I have 2 small children so they would have to come with me. I think it would be an amazing experience for them as well as me.

Kanika

That is a broad request. You should try to pick someplace--even a region--to start with. Think about what languages you know--that can determine where. If you can't decide, head to your local library, go up to the 900s and begin browsing the travel books. (The beginning of the 900s--the end is history and war.) Bring them home. Get some ideas. Figure out what kind of work you want to do--can you do your current job overseas? Brainstorm and think and read and soon you'll have a start.

Good luck!

Hi Kanika, and welcome to BootsnAll.

I agree with cherie in that your request is pretty broad. To help you narrow things down a bit, you might want to check out our forums on "Traveling with Children" and "Volunteering, TEFL-ing & Working Abroad." There are plenty of other members who have brougth this topic up before. We also have regional forums if you're looking for info on specific destinations.

As for moving abroad with two small kids, I think it's difficult but not impossible. In many developing countries, the cost of services such as babysitting can be very very low. You can get a nanny for nothing. What are your language and professional skills? What kind of work are you interested in doing?

Unless you have some highly sought-after skills, living overseas with two young children is probably not going to work well - and is possibly irresponsible.

TEFL teachers and other relatively modest-waged jobs aren't going to pay you enough to allow you to educate your children.

The few people I have met working overseas who had young children with them were either sponsored by major corporations with BIG wages and benefits to match or really stuggling in a TEFL job and only lasted a year or less.

Just my opinion.

Just curious, what would be irresponsible about moving abroad with two young kids? Are you just referring to those people trying to raise kids on a TEFL salary?

I would like to move abroad with my kids too, but trying to determine what would be a good age for the kids. My husband works in IT and may be able to telecommute or be employable in some countries. I'm trying to get a feel for the upside and downside of doing this from people who have done it. I am also interested in getting a TEFL for extra income.

Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by quimby:
Just curious, what would be irresponsible about moving abroad with two young kids? Are you just referring to those people trying to raise kids on a TEFL salary?

I assume that's what TK's talking about. Even so, I don't really see how it's irresponsible. I've know EFL teachers supporting whole families on their salaries. One thing to consider is that no matter where you go, there are people living there, raising kids, etc. In certain places (e.g., Turkey), EFL teachers actually get paid quite well relative to locals even if the salary looks bad when you convert it to USD or whatever you currency of reference is.

In your case, teaching as a means to supplement what is probably already a good income, it sounds like a great idea. I wish my parents had done it (I guess State Police can't really telecommute though, can they?) and I could have grown up a bit more well-traveled (our only "overseas" vacation was to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario) and maybe even multilingual.

I don't have kids but I think it just depends on where you go and what you do. I think, for example, the way Kate Winslet lugs two kids around Morocco in Hideous Kinky is irresponsible...most people probably won't do that though! (she wasn't working at all, either, as far as I remember...)

I agree with Haci Richard that TEFL salaries are often good compared to local salaries, but might take into account that locals do often have resources available that foreigners don't - families nearby who would love to take care of their kids, a community they are already part of. Plus while their life will likely stay in that country, many foreigners will eventually relocate back to their own country. Educating kids in English is likely to be more expensive than in the local language. Then there's the issue of language - if I get sick or have an emergency, I have more of a challenge than a local to figure out what to do (and as an EFL teacher, I don't have the salary of an "international" worker, diplomat, etc. to pay for specialist medical care beyond what insurance covers).

All that said, I've met a few people who have grown up abroad and I am highly envious. My overall conclusion is that there is much more to be gained than lost. I think it's worth doing, just worth thinking through all the angles of.