When the TEFL Dream Doesn’t Match Reality

Teaching English abroad is often painted as an ultimate adventure—a perfect blend of travel, cultural immersion, and meaningful work. The brochures show smiling students and enthusiastic teachers. But what happens when your lived experience is the complete opposite?

For some, the dream job can quickly feel like a poor fit. The initial excitement of moving overseas to teach can be overshadowed by workplace challenges and personal struggles. If you find yourself in this situation, you are not alone.

The Classroom Challenge

Imagine arriving at your new teaching job, full of ideas and a passion for language. You’re ready to inspire critical thinking and genuine understanding in your students. Instead, you find an environment that prioritizes keeping students entertained and filling out worksheets.

• Lack of Support: Proper training is essential. When requests for guidance are met with dismissal, it creates an isolating and frustrating professional experience.
• Philosophical Mismatch: A disconnect in teaching philosophy can be deeply demoralizing. If you believe in fostering genuine comprehension but are expected to focus on rote memorization, it can make your work feel meaningless.

Life Outside the Classroom

The challenges often aren’t confined to the school’s walls. Daily life in a new country can present a steep learning curve, and without a supportive work environment, these hurdles can feel insurmountable.

• Administrative Hurdles: Issues with housing, visas, and inconsistent workplace policies can create a constant undercurrent of stress.
• Daily Logistics: Simple tasks like taking out the trash or finding a meal after work can become major stressors, especially when compounded by a language barrier.
• Cultural Adjustment: Not connecting with the local cuisine or finding the public transport inconvenient can intensify feelings of isolation and homesickness.

Listening to Your Well-being

This is the most critical part. Your mental health is paramount.

• Recognizing the Signs: A significant drop in mental well-being is a major red flag. Dreading each workday, struggling with motivation, and feeling a constant sense of anxiety are clear indicators that something is wrong.
• Acknowledge the Relapse: For those with a history of depression or anxiety, high-stress environments can trigger a relapse. Pushing through often only makes it worse.
• Seek Professional Help: Resuming therapy is a positive step, but if accessing consistent and affordable care is difficult in your host country, it’s a serious factor to consider.

Crafting Your Exit Strategy

If you’ve weighed everything and decided to leave, it’s okay. This doesn’t represent failure; it represents self-awareness.

What to Say When You Quit:

Your resignation should be professional and brief. You do not owe your employer a detailed explanation.

• Keep it Simple and Vague: State your decision to resign, provide the required notice, and thank them for the opportunity.
• Cite Personal Reasons: “Due to unforeseen personal circumstances, I must resign from my position.” This is polite, professional, and reveals nothing.
• Health as a Reason: You can mention “health reasons” if you wish, but you are not obligated to provide specifics or documentation. Your health is private.

Planning Your Next Move:

It’s wise to have a plan. Many people in this situation see returning home for a reset as a strategic step, not a defeat.

• Address the Gap: Framing your time away as a “career break” is a common and accepted practice.
• Regroup and Reassess: Use the time to recover and plan your next steps without pressure. The skills you gained, even in a short time, are still valuable.

Teaching abroad is a tremendous experience for the right person in the right situation. But when the cost to your well-being is too high, the bravest thing you can do is choose yourself.