The spread of English language education is only limited by the number of people willing to teach it, and a quick look at any job site will pull up hundreds of available positions, however finding the right job means asking the right questions. Most offers will be legitimate, with no intent by the employer or recruiter to take advantage of the teacher, yet because of any number of reasons ranging from culture to distance to universal employer-employee dynamics, certain topics should be discussed beforehand. Find out specifics about salary, hours, housing, transportation, and so forth. Following are questions you might want to ask yourself or your potential employers in your quest for the best available teaching position.

First, how important is money? Salary? Airplane ticket? Overtime? Even to the teacher who believes he or she doesn't care about money and just wants to have an adventure and learn about another culture, salary should be paramount. With the exception of volunteer positions, most job offers come from employers that care about the bottom line. TESL is a business. Thus, even if money is not a big factor, the teacher should make efforts to avoid being taken advantage of or exploited. Teachers should ask, is there a teaching bonus? Is airfare paid for and will it be paid at the beginning or the end of contract? What about overtime? In the United States there are laws concerning overtime, and often the pay is one and a half or even two times hourly compensation.

Do not assume you will be paid the same as in your home country. If the job demands twenty-five hours a week, make sure it specifies class time or not. In my experience I found I had to be present at the school over forty hours a week, even though my in-class time was about half of that. Therefore, ask what constitutes work, and how this might apply to overtime.
 
Know whether you will be paid in US dollars or local currency and pay attention to see how stable the currency is. In Korea, in less than two months the won crashed from 900 to 2,000 to the US dollar. I turned down a job in Turkey partly because I'd be paid in lira and the inflation was over 100% a year. My job in Brazil offered salary in US dollars, but the real crashed between the time I was hired and my pending arrival. They told me they could only pay in local currency, an over 40% pay cut. As I wanted to experience South America and money was less of a factor I went anyway.

Next, ask if housing is provided. If not, will the employer help you acquire accommidations? In Korea most employers provide housing. In Japan and Taiwan this is usually the responsibility of the teacher (schools will assist) but the salary compensates. Ask about the furnishings: a ‘furnished' apartment can mean many things. Does it have silverware, plates and glasses? A couch? Bedding? Television? In Korea I had to buy quite a few things for my "furnished" apartment. Unacceptable housing led me to quit my job in Argentina, as my furnished apartment was adjacent to a classroom (it had been another classroom), and the kitchen and bathroom were not attached. Also find out if there will be roommates.

Is the accommodation near the school and how much travel is necessary? This is especially important if you work a split shift. In Korea I had a 7:30-8:30 am class and my next class didn't begin until 3 pm. It took 25 minutes one way from my apartment to the school. Try to request consecutive hours as sometimes schools will accommodate. One of my bosses in Taiwan owned two schools, and furnished me with an old scooter so I could get to the distant school. It added an hour to my day, but I had use of a scooter, and thus the arrangement proved beneficial to both parties. Ask about travel compensation. In metropolises like Seoul, Tokyo or Bangkok, commutes can take a long time and can add up in taxis, bus fares, and so forth. Many employers are reasonable and will take this into account, but if you do not speak up they may not accommodate you. When I worked in the UAE everything was spread out, and thus travel compensation was part of the package.

What hours and days of the week? Specifically, is it a five or six day week and are there split schedules? If the school demands non-consecutive hours and weekend work you need to know this up front. My first job, as mentioned above, I had a 7:30-8:30 a.m. class, and the next class didn't start until three. The schedule made life rather unpleasant, but contractually I had no recourse.

What type of students will I be teaching? Teaching children, teenagers, or adults requires different skills and strategies. The motivation, level of proficiency and amount of teaching versus babysitting vary among age groups. Many children resent learning English and can be extremely difficult. If this is an issue with you, inquire.

Is health insurance provided? It may seem obvious, many governments have a form of health care in place, some employers ask that you pay or contribute to the insurance, and so on. Find out the details.

What is the policy with sick days and vacation? Many schools will offer vacation that coincides with their school year, as well as days off for national holidays. However, if days off are not mentioned, check. Also, see what the policy is with sick days as well as emergency leave. Some contracts state that they will fine you for days not worked without a doctor's note, this simply means you will not be paid for that day. If you are teaching at a university, make sure you know your exact vacation dates before you book a trip away, don't assume you have the same dates as the students as sometimes there are staff development or administrative days that you will be expected to attend.

Will there be a grace period after the end of the contract? In other words, will you be able to stay in your apartment while you look for another job or travel around the country? In Brazil, my last day of teaching was Friday the 17th and the school charged me rent starting on the 18th.

Also, in the job seeking process, you might want to apply to more than one position, and even call the employer before you make a choice. Once you have that job, even if you have a contract, save all Email printouts of your correspondence. Having the Email printout has helped me on more than one occasion. Part of the experience is preparing for the unexpected, but there will be enough difficulties with culture and language barriers, and thus be responsible for doing whatever you can to find the right employer and minimize problems. A little preparation will, as they say, go a long way.