About

A calmer, clearer way to think about teaching abroad

Teaching Abroad Explained exists to help people make clear, informed decisions about teaching abroad.

For many people, teaching abroad sits at a crossroads. It can feel exciting and daunting at the same time. Online information often makes this worse rather than better, swinging between glossy success stories, worst-case warnings, and advice shaped by sales incentives.

This site exists to offer something steadier: explanation, context, and realism.

Teaching abroad can be a deeply meaningful life experience. It can also be challenging, uneven, and more complicated than it first appears. Both things can be true at once. This site is built around that tension.

Where this perspective comes from

I’m Josh. I lived and worked abroad as a teacher for three years, with first-hand experience teaching in China.

That experience was positive, formative, and life-changing in important ways. It was also complex, frustrating at times, and full of practical learning that only becomes visible once you’re inside the experience.

Rather than presenting teaching abroad as a universal solution or guaranteed path to growth, I focus on what tends to:

  • stay consistent across countries and schools

  • vary wildly depending on context

  • catch people off guard once they arrive

No two people experience teaching abroad in the same way. Outcomes vary based on personality, expectations, location, working conditions, and support structures. Teaching Abroad Explained takes that variation seriously.

What you’ll find here

  • Clear explanations of how teaching abroad works in practice

  • Honest discussion of benefits, trade-offs, and risks

  • Practical guidance on jobs, contracts, money, and integration

  • Country-specific depth (especially China), built over time

  • Links to high-quality external resources where appropriate

The goal isn’t to persuade everyone to teach abroad. It’s to help you decide whether it’s right for you and, if it is, to approach it with clearer expectations and better information.

What this site is not

Teaching Abroad Explained is not:

  • a recruitment site

  • a coaching platform

  • a personal diary

  • a place that promises transformation or “the dream life”

Above all, this site prioritises clarity and trust, not persuasion.

If you’re considering teaching abroad

If you’re thinking about teaching abroad and want help thinking it through carefully, you’re in the right place.