How can I become a teacher in the USA from the Philippines

Invariably, teaching tends to be an experience that most people in the industry will tell you is both challenging and rewarding. Some prospective teachers might wish to increase both of these factors by choosing to teach abroad rather than in their own countries. If you are already trained as a teacher in the Philippines and would like to try your hand at inspiring students in other places, we here at J1Teachers.com can help you get started down that path.

While there can be a lot to cover at first, we have the knowledge and experience to help you reach the goal of teaching abroad, and we can also help to facilitate your entry into the J1 program that will make this possible. In our post today, we will cover some of the places where you might make the most money teaching abroad, possible opportunities for Filipino teachers who work with us, which States in the US might pay the highest salaries to teachers, visa options for foreign teachers, and some of the most common reasons people might decide to teach English abroad. Finally, we will take you through the basics of submitting your application as well.

Where Can You Make the Most Money Teaching Abroad?

Many people have a passion for teaching, but it is still a job that helps them live and grow. It’s important to be able to negotiate a good salary for your teaching job before you decide to make the big move, but it isn’t as simple as just looking up the countries that pay the highest wages on paper. While there are clear indicators for countries that tend to value foreign teachers, particularly those who might give English classes to their students, other factors can influence what kind of pay you will take home.

For example, some countries or areas that might pay teachers high wages on paper will also have relatively high costs when it comes to living expenses. After paying for the basics that come with these costs, you may be left with less than you think once you see your first stub. Conversely, some countries that might not seem to pay teachers highly in comparison to others may offer additional benefits with the job. These benefits might be help with classroom supplies, medical assistance, free training, or a host of other things. It is possible that what you get in benefits can make up for not teaching in the area that pays its teachers the highest wages.

In general, South Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, and parts of Europe can represent some of the places where teaching jobs abroad for Filipino teachers might provide the most income. That said, the United States is a large and diverse nation, and different states or areas will have their own standards when it comes to teacher compensation. Although they may not make it to one of the top five entries you’ll find on some lists, the sheer scope of the possible opportunities available to you there means that some extra attention is a good idea.

Job Opportunities for Filipino Teachers Abroad

Despite some of the most lucrative opportunities being in the countries we talked about above, many Filipino teachers choose to take jobs in countries that already have large English-speaking populations. Both the US and Canada are destinations of choice when it comes to teaching jobs abroad for Filipino teachers. For countries that do not use English as a primary language, many Filipinos can get jobs in Thailand or Japan teaching English as a foreign language to students of various grade levels.

While these are all great options, it is important not to overlook just how valuable you might be as a new teacher in the US. In truth, there tends to be a shortage of skilled educational professionals in the country. This could make anyone with the appropriate credentials an asset who is valued instantly for the skills they can bring to the table. Additionally, more and more Filipino teachers are looking to the US as a way to hone their skills or gain new experiences from within the teaching world. This means that you can immerse yourself in a new culture while possibly maintaining some ties to new friends who understand what it is like to be a Filipino teacher in the States.

Regardless of your reasons, there are plenty of opportunities for teaching in the US, and you can find the niche that fits your style or skills the best. Here are just a few of the possibilities:

• A job as a teacher of English or other subjects at a traditional state school

• Private tutoring for individual students or smaller classes

• Working with international schools located in larger US cities

• Online teaching, including teaching students while you live abroad in the US

How To Get the Highest-Paid Teaching Jobs Abroad?

One way you can look into getting the jobs that pay the highest might be to see which areas are lacking teachers. If there is a shortage, some places may wish to offer extra monetary incentives to foreign teachers willing to come and work there. Further, being proficient at teaching a high-level subject could also be a way to get some of the best jobs. When it comes to the US, you should also make sure that you meet the requirements of the states that pay the teachers the highest wages overall.

Highest Paid Teaching Jobs by US States

In this section, we can give you a short list of the teaching jobs that pay the highest in some of the top US states, but it does come with some caveats to keep in mind. The jobs you’ll find in these states should list the highest pay in terms of salary. However, as we touched on in an earlier section, the total cost of your living expenses for a particular state could be quite high when compared to some of the others. For this aspect of your finances, you may be able to obtain additional benefits in the form of paid housing. Whether you can get housing agreements like this may depend on what is available in your area or the program you are on as a visiting teacher.

• New York tends to pay teachers one of the highest wages, with salaries topping out at around $85,000.

• California comes in next. This state can go up to about $83,000 for teacher salaries at the high end.

• Massachusetts is just a little lower than California’s pay on average, going up to about $82,000.

• Connecticut is where you might start to see a sharper dip in top teacher salaries, with the state going up to about $76,000.

• New Jersey continues this trend, with their salaries for highest-paid teacher work going up to just over $73,000.

Even so, many of these areas offer some good living conditions and respectable salaries overall. Additionally, the particular position for which you apply may be negotiable. This means that it may be possible for you to earn a salary that is higher than what we’ve listed here based on your skills and qualifications.

Common Visas for Teachers

As a teacher from the Philippines looking to go abroad for work, there are a number of visas that might be available to you. We do specialize in the J-1 visa here at our organization, and we will touch on that in this section. However, there are a couple of other visas that are most common for Filipino teachers, and we will talk about them here, too.

• The J-1 visa is one that is usually reserved for researchers, scholars, or teachers who wish to travel abroad for work. These are non-immigrant visas. In most cases, some fluency in English is expected of applicants who are travelling on a J-1 visa. The J-1 can be a good choice for anyone who meets the requirements of the US state in which they’d like to teach, has at least a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in their chosen field, and has a minimum of two years of teaching experience already. J1Teacher.com already has experts with a lot of experience ready to assist you with this process.

• The H-1B visa is a good choice for any foreign workers who want to stay in the States as part of their employment for several years. In most cases, the visa is valid for three years. However, you can extend this to up to six years in total. The caveat here is that the US limits how many of these visas it will award annually. You’ll need a bachelor’s degree, its equivalent, or a higher degree of up to four years of study to be considered for this one.

• The TN visa is similar in many ways to the H-1B visa and its requirements. However, it is one that you can apply for at the border to the US and be approved instantly, although this is not necessarily guaranteed. Further, it is for three years, and you have the option to renew it at the end of that time. The application process tends to be easier than the one for the H-1B visa.

Why Choose To Teach English Abroad?

Teaching abroad is a great way to put your skills to the test in a completely new environment. On a related note, you can share these skills with foreign teachers in your host country. You’ll probably see some methodologies that you can bring back with you and apply to your own knowledge, and there is the possibility of teaching others about what you have learned. Thanks to our help at J1Teachers.com, the actual process of applying for visas and getting things in order should be much easier for you, too.

Many Filipino teachers will already have enough fluency in English in order to teach it abroad as a skill, making the choice to give it a try even easier. Further, even if you’re teaching in the US to students who already know English as a primary language, there are ways you can put your knowledge to use. Some students may need extra help in reading or writing categories, and younger students may rely on you to teach them the basic structures of English.

Finally, you can participate in this program as part of a cultural exchange that helps you learn more about the communities, differences, and similarities between students in the US and those you know back in the Philippines. It’s also a great chance for you to help your foreign students enhance their own knowledge of your home country.

Submit an Application

If you’re ready to start your journey as a teacher from the Philippines who takes their skills to the US, you can submit an application form. At J1Teachers.com, our specialty is helping US schools that want to host guest teachers from other countries. We also provide a wealth of resources to help those teachers start looking for jobs in the States, too. What’s more, you don’t need to use a recruiter when you let J1Teachers.com help you out. We know about the requirements for teachers, what schools are looking for, which programs might be right for you, and more.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are several wonderful opportunities for Filipino teachers to visit the US professionally. With the right training and work background under your belt already, J1Teachers.com is here to make the whole process of finding a placement seem a little less daunting. Create an account with us and start looking today!