http://www.westhillconsulting-career.com/teaching.html http://www.westhillconsulting-career.com/blog/ There are thousands of Americans teaching English abroad in dozens of countries around the globe likeBangkok in Thailand, Jakarta in Indonesia, KL in Malaysia or Beijing in China. What do 90% of them have in common?

1. Westhill Consulting Career
and Employment Tips:
Teaching English abroad “Under the Table”
Without a Work Visa – What Does it Mean?
source: http://www.westhillconsulting-career.com/blog/2014/03/28/westhill-
consulting-career-employment-tips-teaching-english-abroad-table-without-work-
visa-mean/

2. There are thousands of Americans teaching English
abroad in dozens of countries around the globe
likeBangkok in Thailand, Jakarta in Indonesia, KL in
Malaysia or Beijing in China. What do 90% of them have
in common?
In addition to enjoying the international adventure of a
lifetime,they are teaching English “under the table.” In
other words they are not legally working in those
countries with a work visa. This is commonplace, even
routine, in dozens of countries around the world, but it is
not technically legal.
The first matter is to understand that there are different
types of visas that you will use to teach English abroad
and that regulations vary from country to country. Please
refer to our article, "What is a visa and do I need a visa to
teach English abroad?"

3. What does it mean to teach English abroad “under the
table,” without a work visa?
Typically the following:
 You don’t have official permission to work in that country.
 You are officially working illegally.
 You probably entered the country where you are teaching on a
tourist visa (in many countries a tourist visa will enable you to
stay legally in the country for 90 days) and in many cases, you
will stay on and teach English on a tourist visa that has expired
or lapsed (this will be the case in countries like Italy and Spain
where tourist visas cannot typically be renewed). In such cases,
you are not only working illegally, but you do not have a valid
visa to legally be in that country either.
 In other cases, such as Argentina, you canrenew your tourist
visa or get a new one before your original visa expires (example
day 85 of your 90 day visa), often by leaving and re-entering the
country.
 You will be paid cash “under the table.” (You and the
company do not file taxes.)
 You won’t sign a legal, binding contract.
 You won’t receive benefits like national medical insurance.

4. Why don't schools offer me a work visa in some countries?
 The government in each country will maintain different policies
regarding issuing work visas to foreign English teachers - some make it
difficult or impossible; others make it a routine process. For political or
economic reasons, many countries (including the U.S.) make it difficult
for foreigners to live and work legally in that country. Many
governments simply don't have a policy of processing work visas for
foreign English teachers, or they make it extremely difficult, expensive
and/or time-consuming.
In other countries there is a clear process that foreign English teachers
can follow to gain a work permit or a work visa. Example: Jakarta an
ASEAN country offers work visas to Americans for teaching English,
and while it can be time-consuming, the process is pretty straight
forward. In Spain (another EU country) the government has not
implemented a process by which foreign, non-EU English teachers can
get a work visa unless they are employed directly through a government
program. Yet, thousands of Americans and other foreignersteachg
English in Southeast Asia every year with no work visa without incident.
Both are ASEAN nations but each maintains different policies and
processes when it comes to visas for English teachers.
 Money and Time: In some countries like Argentina it may take 6 to 12
months to get a visa processed and the cost of processing a work visa
may equal 3-6 months' worth of wages. In addition the process may
include an incredible amount of paperwork and bureaucracy.
Argentinian schools just are not going to pay that type of money nor can
they wait that long for a work visa when the teacher may be gone in 6
months anyway.
If a school had an easy and affordable way to help you get a work visa
they would. In light of that, it's common in high demand countries to just
work under the table.

5. But if it’s illegal, why are so many people teaching
English abroad “under the table” and why do schools
hire them?
 Thousands of schools worldwide are in high need of
qualified (TEFL-certified) teachers. Many schools prefer
to hire Americans or Canadians because demand for
North American dialects is extremely high.
The bottom line is English language schools are in
business to make money, the American dialect is what
students want to pay for and the schools want to hire
Americans and other foreign English teachers regardless
of work permits.
 Americans and others teach English “under the table”
because schools will hire them and pay them enough to
make a decent living wage that enables them to pay their
rent, cover their living expenses and to enjoy life in the
country where they teach.
 Risk to both the school employing the teacher and the
teacher is very low. Thousands of Americans and other
foreigners teach English abroad in dozens of countries
without a work visa, and only a minute percentage ever
get in any trouble over it; the same goes for the schools
hiring them.

6.  Schools would not hire American English teachers under the
table in places like KL Malaysia, Bangkok Thailand, Jakarta
Indonesia, etc. if it presented a serious threat to the viability of
their business. Authorities in these countries just aren’t spending
their time looking for American English teachers; they are far
more concerned with actual criminals and illegal immigration
from Africa and the former Soviet republics.
 It is important to note that in many countries, a very high
percentage of the economy generally is “underground” and not
legally sanctioned by the government. According the New York
Times for example, approximately 20% of ASEAN countries
entire economy is completely unregulated, so it’s not just
English teachers who are technically working illegally.
 In many countries where Americans teach English “under the
table,” native English speakers are almost never asked to
produce a visa to authorities once they have arrived in that
country. They are living there just like any other tourist going
about their daily life.
 Schools do not pay taxes or into national benefit funds (social
security, health care etc.) for teachers that are not legally “on the
books.” This means it can be 40%-50% cheaper to hire English
teachers “under the table” rather than “on the books.”

7. The big question: Will I get in trouble and what happens if I
get caught teaching English abroad without a work visa?
 If schools and teachers routinely got in trouble with
authorities for employing and working under the table, then
nobody would do it. In truth, only a minuscule percentage of
English teachers working in nations like Spain, Italy, and
Argentina ever get into any trouble at all, but in most countries
teaching English without a work visa is illegal and there can be
consequences. Westhill Consulting Career & Employment based
in Australia gives fair warning that if you are caught in an
ASEAN country, normally you will have to pay for your own
plane fare home. There is no freebies in ASEAN.
 Penalties vary from country to country. Typically, somebody
who is caught by authorities overstaying their tourist visa and/or
working without a work visa or work permit may be subject to
modest fines and/or deportation. In some cases they may be
banned from re-entering that country for a period of time. This is
a warning to be taken seriously.
In a nutshell, if you are caught they will probably put you on a
flight back to your home country right away and just get rid of
you (they aren't looking to pay money to put you in jail, just get
you out of the country). The language school may have to pay a
fine. For some schools this is just the price of business that they
are willing to pay in order to have qualified teachers that their
students want. What if I only want to teach in a country legally
with a work visa or work permit – is this possible and if so
where?

8. TEFL-certified English teachers can get work visas
and teach English completely legally in many
countries around the world. It is typical for
Americans to receive work visas to teach English in
many countries around the globe, including:
 Asia - China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan,
Vietnam,Thailand and Indonesia, to name a few.
 Europe - Russia, Turkey, Germany, and Czech
Republicare major European nations where most
English teachers obtain work visas. American
English teachers participating in government
teaching programs in France, Spain and the Republic
of Georgia also receive work visas and in many
European nations, including France, Spain and Italy,
those on student visas also have a right to work.

9. Canadians, and often Australians and New Zealanderswho meet
certain criteria can get working holiday visasfor many European
nations that allow them to work as English teachers as well.
Citizens of the U.K. and Ireland are not required to obtain any
work visa as they have automatic working privileges throughout
the European Union, though they may need to fill out residency
and tax forms.
 Please review International TEFL Academy’s Working
Holiday Visa Chart to learn more about where it may be
possible for you to receive a working holiday visa to teach
English abroad.
 Latin America - The vast majority of Americans teaching
English in Latin America do so with no work visa, but inChile
and Mexico a high percentage of English teachers do receive
visas, and in Costa Rica, foreign English teachers can receive a
tax number and permission to earn income even though they are
in the country on a tourist visa.
 The Middle East – Receiving a work visa is the norm for
English teachers in Persian Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, the
U.A.E, andQatar, while in other Arab countries like Egypt,
Jordan and Morocco, most teachers do receive work visas, but
some teachers work “under the table” as well.

10. The key is to conduct your research and to
consider carefully your options and know your
options.
Contact International TEFL Academy to speak
to a trained advisor about all matters relating to
teaching English abroad, including visas and
work permits for teaching English abroad.