Teaching English Abroad

Get Paid to Travel

If you are a recent Canadian university graduate dreaming of traveling the world, but you lack the funds to follow these dreams, you might want to consider teaching English abroad. Then you can travel and get paid to do it. Many countries such as South Korea and Japan hire recent university graduates from Canada to teach English to elementary and high school students overseas.

What qualifications do I need to teach English abroad?

Many countries require only a Bachelor’s Degree in any subject – not a teaching degree, so you can apply for these jobs even if you have not trained as a teacher. These teaching jobs usually require applicants to get a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate, which is available from a number of providers, and can be completed in as little as 6 weeks. Each country has its own requirements, so you need to research the qualifications for destinations where you want to work. There are many recruiting agencies that can provide you with assistance in your search for a position teaching English abroad.

What do I need to do to apply to teach English overseas?

The application process will vary by country, but generally you will need to provide proof that you have a university degree and you may also be asked to provide a certified criminal record check from the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police).

Proof of Educational Status

To prove your educational status, you may be asked to provide certified (notarized) copies of your diploma(s) from your university, as well as your TEFL certificate. To get your documents notarized, you need to take the original to a notary public, who will make copies, and then place their notary seal on the copy along with their signature and a certification that the copy is a true copy of the original.

Apostille – Legalization

You may be able to submit the notarized copy directly to your employers, or they may also require you to have it authenticated by your provincial government or the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Canadian government, and then legalized by their country’s Consular authorities in Canada. Authentication involves submitting the notarized copy to the appropriate government agency, which will then authenticate the notary seal and signature by ensuring that they match those on file with the government. A certificate of authentication is then attached to or stamped on your notarized copy. The Consulate then legalizes the document, allowing the notarized document to be recognized in the employer’s country.

Certified Criminal Record Checks

A certified criminal record check is a document provided by the RCMP (the Royal Canadian Mounted Police). This document states whether or not a person has a criminal record in Canada. Many employers require proof that a person does not have a criminal record prior to being hired for a teaching abroad position. You may also be required to provide a certified (notarized) copy of the certified criminal record check to your future employer. You can do this by bringing the original hard copy of the criminal record check to a notary public, who will photocopy and notarize the copy for you.

How can Red Seal Notary help?

We have helpful Notaries who can provide certified true copies of your documents. You just need to bring in the original document, and the Notary will photocopy and notarize the copy for you. Red Seal Notary has convenient walk-in offices in Toronto, Ottawa, and Mississauga where you can have the document notarized in person. You can contact our call center to make appointments to notarize documents at locations across Canada. Red Seal Notary can also provide assistance with having your documents authenticated and legalized for use overseas. Call or email us to discuss your authentication requirements with our helpful Customer Service Representatives. We can provide RCMP accredited fingerprint based criminal background checks at our walk-in locations in the GTA and Ottawa. You just need to provide two pieces of valid government issued identification (at least one with photo).

Helpful links

Information about the TEFL certificate (Teaching English as a Foreign Language)

General information about teaching abroad