Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
  • Cambodia
  • Australia
  • Travel
  • Teaching ESL
  • Move Abroad
  • Travel Insurance
Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
  • Cambodia
  • Australia
  • Travel
  • Teaching ESL
  • Move Abroad
  • Travel Insurance

teach abroad

    How to choose a TEFL course

    7 Tips On Choosing The Right TEFL Course

    by Nick & Raychel June 29, 2019

    After moving to Cambodia and starting our YouTube channel, our most frequently asked question was ‘How do you choose a TEFL course?’. Find our tips on choosing a TEFL course below.


    Prefer to watch instead of read? Find our YouTube video on getting your TEFL.


    1. Check the requirements for the country you are going to

    The first step in moving abroad is deciding where you want to go. Many countries such as China, South Korea and Japan require a four-year bachelor degree and a TEFL certificate in order to get a job teaching. When we were deciding to move abroad, we had to take this into consideration as neither of us had a four year university degree.

    A major factor in deciding to move to Cambodia was that Cambodia is a country that does not require a university degree in order to get a legal working visa for teachers. The next step was researching what type of TEFL was required to teach.

    CELTA is an international certificate program that is, by far, the best type of English teaching certificate besides obtaining a full teaching degree. If you go for the CELTA route, you will likely be safe to get an ESL teaching job in almost any country. 

    That said, a CELTA certificate is both the most expensive and the most intensive route to take. In most countries, you can get by on a 150 hour TEFL/TESOL certificate to teach English.

    Our advice? Decide where you need to go and do your research. 


    2. Choose an in-person course if possible

    While doing your research, you will find that many countries prefer that you do an in-person certificate program, rather than an online option. This is because in-person TEFL courses will give you the chance to try out your lesson plans in front of a real class. You will also be able to get feedback on your lessons and get great tips face-to-face.

    We did our TEFL course in a classroom and highly recommend doing the same for those reasons.


    3. Find a course that is accredited

    Don’t be fooled by the stamp of approval you may see some TEFL courses advertising. If a course is $10 and you obtain a “So-and-so Academy Accreditation”, think about what that means. In most cases, it doesn’t mean much.

    We chose a course that was supported by an accredited university in our city.

    Accredited courses should always offer a practicum and a teaching assessment. So, even if it is an online course, there should still be a practicum to pass with students.


    4. Be prepared to spend some money

    Let’s go back to the $10 courses again. If the price sounds too good to be true, it’s probably because it is. We were also tempted to buy the Groupon courses online, but really considered what we would get out of it.

    Remember, the end goal is to teach real students in a real classroom. You want to do a great job and make a real difference. It’s not just about the certificate. It’s about getting an education, learning new and valuable things and becoming the best teacher you possibly can.

    We are not telling you to buy a 5,000.00 course – but what we are saying is that if you find a course with great reviews and end results, don’t turn away from it because you may need to spend a couple hundred bucks. 

    If you are serious about teaching English abroad, you will need to invest. Trust us, it pays off.


    5. Choose a course with job placement guidance

    Good TEFL courses will offer you lifetime guidance on finding a job abroad. If the company doesn’t offer you this, then move along. There are many great companies out there that will assist you in your job hunt after completion.


    6. Read TEFL course reviews

    Read the reviews. Spot any red flags and check that the good reviews are coming from real accounts. Like anything you would buy online, you want to be sure that you are getting the best product.


    7. Once you’ve decided on a course, wait for offers or deals (if you can)

    A couple of weeks after we found our course, a promotion came up. If you recommended a friend, you would both save $100 off of the course. Since we did our TEFL course together, we saved $200.00 by waiting for this promotion.


    We learned some very valuable lessons in our course it made teaching a lot easier. We were prepared for the interviews, demos, and challenges we were about to face. Remember, you want to be a good teacher. So take your time and find the right course. 



    Thinking of moving to Cambodia? Find our blog How to move to Cambodia & teach English

    Wondering how much we made in Cambodia? Full breakdown here

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  • How to Move to Cambodia & Teach English

    by Nick & Raychel March 18, 2019

    Moving to Cambodia to teach English? Here’s EVERYTHING you need to know: from TEFLs, to locations, to cash, to contracts, to lesson plans, all in a step-by-step format to make your life easier.

  • 8 Tips You Need to Read BEFORE Moving to Phnom Penh

    by Nick & Raychel March 18, 2019

    Cambodia in retrospect: what we wish we had done differently.

  • 8 Things to Know Before MOVING to Cambodia

    by Nick & Raychel March 10, 2019

    Flights? Real estate? Jobs? Transport? Friends? Here’s our quick guide that will make your move to Cambodia a lot easier.

  • 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Teaching English Abroad

    by Nick & Raychel February 28, 2019

    *hint* It’s more than a gap year job.

  • Saving Money: Teaching & Living in Phnom Penh

    by Nick & Raychel February 19, 2019

    Can you save money while teaching in Cambodia? The short answer is yes. Find our tips & tricks here.

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Nick & Raychel
Nick & Raychel

In 2018, we sold everything we owned and moved to Cambodia to teach English.

Let’s make this clear: this journey didn’t start with money. This journey started with a desire to see the world and to do something different for a change.

We’re not going to fool you with photos of floating breakfasts and private jets. We know what it’s like to be on a budget. Although we like to take pretty pictures, we aren’t going to wake up at an ungodly hour to give you unachievable travel jealousy. We aren’t going to censor ourselves or lie to you.

What we are going to do is stay in cheap hostels, find ways to make money, give the advice that we would want to hear, and share our experiences with you honestly.

Are you in?

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GUIDE TO MARKETS | PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA (2018)

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ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL

About Us Hi! We’re Nick & Raychel, the Canadian travel couple behind the brand ‘Not Luxe’. Far before we were married (and on a mission to see the world), we were working…

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  • We’ve lived nomadically as full-time travellers for 5 years. This is how we save money & afford to travel.

•Travel slowly - spending 6+ months in many of our travel destinations 
•We don’t have a stationary home - we travel in our self-converted ambulance
•We fly on a budget (budget airfare guide in our story highlights)
•Offering our services as house/petsitters (also in our story highlights) 

Any questions? ⬇️ 

—

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

Tags: #notluxe  #camperlife #camperlifestyle #vanlifeproject #vanlifeculture #tinyhome #tinyliving #vanlifediaries #travelgram #livetoexplore #traveltips #budgettravel #cheaptravel #budgettraveltips #gapyear #travelblogger
  • What it’s like stealth parking in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
(Spoiler: it’s like stealth parking just like anywhere else.)

Nick and I spent our first 1.5 years of van life stealth parking in British Columbia. We got really used to finding parking spots where we wouldn’t be disturbed & given that we used to live in the city, we’re used to the sound of cars, sirens, and people passing by.

To us, stealth camping is just a part of van life & we absolutely love staying in an otherwise expensive area (like Cabo) for free.

Any questions about van life in Mexico? 

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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  • TWO MONTHS IN MEXICO >>> 

The other day we celebrated our two month anniversary in Baja and we honestly feel like it’s just beginning.

Nick and I have always been advocates for travelling slow, taking it in, and calling (almost) every place we travel home. I can say that after two months, we’re starting to get the hang of things.

Now that we’re planning our travels for the rest of the year, we have decided that we have more of Mexico to see (hello Mainland? 👀) before we gear up for our next international adventure.

What are your travel plans this year? And where would you like to see us go? ⬇️

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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  • Remember how in the last video our 3 day total was $0? Well, it’s looking a little different this time as this was a very expensive day while travelling in our van in Baja California Sur.

Would this be more or less than you’d expect for a pricey van life day?

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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  • What we ate in a day as a couple living in an ambulance in Mexico. 

Some days we cook all of our meals in the van, but on days where we’re in a bigger city (or an even bigger one like Cabo San Lucas), we like to switch it up. 

What looks the best to you? 🌱 

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 
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  • This is what an evening is like sleeping for free on a beach in Mexico.

Evenings usually consist of a few things:
✨ Finding a place to park using iOverlander
✨ Cleaning up our van to make it as cozy as possible
✨ Stretching our legs one last time before heading to bed
✨ Drinking wine & watching Survivor 

Evenings in a van aren’t that different than evenings in our old apartment, just a few adjustments help us feel right at home.

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

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