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

teachers

    Man looks at the beautiful Wat Phnom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

    5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Teaching English Abroad

    by Nick & Raychel February 28, 2019

    What I wish I knew before teaching English abroad



    1. It’s more than a gap year job

    I think this is the most common misconception about teaching English abroad – that it’s a way to travel, get a cool experience, and get away from home for a bit. Although these are all true, it is so much more than that. Being a teacher, in any capacity, is a lot of work – physically, mentally, and emotionally.

    The days are long and the weekends can be busy too – whether it be parent-teacher meetings, preparing for an event, curriculum meetings, writing exams, lesson planning, the list goes on…

    Becoming an ESL teacher is becoming a teacher. It is not simply a gap year experience.


    2. Children need consistency

    If a one year contract sounds too long for you, then maybe you should reconsider. There are too many teachers who are only trying to fund their travels for three months and then leave. This is so wrong on so many levels and we’ll tell you why.

    Children need consistency, and the classroom is a mess when they don’t have it. They will perform better when they have a solid teacher they can trust. No two teachers are the same, and kids will react differently to their tactics, rules, and even their tone of voice.

    Having a new teacher every 3 months would be very confusing for very obvious reasons. Of course, sometimes life gets in the way. That said, be prepared to commit.


    3. It gets real. Real quick.

    Teaching in another country is no joke. Cultural differences and language barriers can make working with the kids and the parents really difficult. There are different forms of discipline and different sets of values that come with each country.

    The truth is that you might not always agree with the parents and/or the faculty.

    That’s not to say you won’t get along with people, or that everybody will have a different way of thinking than you. Many parents will respect your values and put their complete trust in you. Others will not. You will need to accept and respect the differences, and sometimes you will need to stand for what you believe is right.

    In some countries, it’s not odd for families to involve the teacher in home problems. You may hear a lot of stories that are not for the faint of heart. Therefore, you must have thick skin, good morale and genuine compassion.


    4. It’s not as rewarding as you may think

    You’ll hear it a lot – “wow, that must be so rewarding”. Yes and no. Sometimes you can feel really underappreciated. There will be days where you will work long hours for little pay and feel completely unsupported. Sometimes the improvements are slow and ignored by others.

    Yes, teaching kids can be rewarding – but it doesn’t feel like it every day. You won’t end every single day smiling from ear to ear. Like any job, it has ups and downs.


    5. It will change your whole life

    It’s hard not to get attached to the students because they really can be so incredible. You will have a whole new outlook on the country you’re visiting and an amplified appreciation for their youth. It won’t be easy to leave. In fact, you may just want to stay forever.

    Teaching ESL is such an amazing job that we both have loved so much. If you’re up for the challenge, it could be a career that you fall in love with too.

     

    Want to teach English in Cambodia? Find our tips & tricks on our Youtube channel:

     

    Read more: How to Move to Cambodia & teach English
    Read more: Tips you NEED to read before moving to Phnom Penh

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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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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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Instagram

  • Every choice comes with sacrifice. We chose to use our money that we work for to travel, and we continue to make that choice every day.

But making that choice means we haven’t been able to do other things that another 30 year old couple would maybe do. We sold our car, all of our things, we don’t have a stable place to live, we haven’t started a family, we don’t own a home.

We work overtime to afford our travels, and we have very little money for anything else. 

And of course, we must acknowledge that we have huge amounts of privilege to even be able to make that choice. Our strong passports allow us to see much of the world, we were born into a country where our currency is valued worldwide, and we always have a friend or family member’s couch to crash on if we need it.

So this post is not meant to complain, rather show: everything comes with a sacrifice - and if you’re considering giving up your stable life for full-time travel, there may be some things you have to leave behind.

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

__

Tags: #notluxe #traveltips #budgettravel #cheaptravel #budgettraveltips  #girlslovetravel #travelgram #getoutstayout #livetoexplore #travelblogger #canadiancreator #vancouverblogger #vanlifesociety #vanlifediaries #traveldiaries
  • We’ve lived on 3 continents by travelling slow and working when we end up 🫶🏼

& somehow our travels brought us back to our home city for the summer this year for the first time in 6 YEARS! Damn.

But we’ve said it once and we’ll say it a trillion times, we will do almost a n y t h I n g in the name of travel.

Any questions?

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

__

Tags: #notluxe #traveltips #budgettravel #cheaptravel #budgettraveltips #gapyear #travelgirls #travelgirlsgo #girlslovetravel #travelgram #granolagirl#getoutstayout #livetoexplore #travelblogger #vanlifeculture #vanlifediaries #vanlifeideas #liveoutdoors #vanlifeliving #vanlife #homeiswhereyouparkit #tinyhome #canadiantravel #ohcanada #canadiancreators
  • If you want to live in a van in 2023/2024, here is our roadmap for getting started with van life. 

⇾ Embrace minimalism and downsize your possessions

⇾ Research different van options that fit your lifestyle and budget

⇾ Set a realistic budget for your van purchase or build

⇾ Plan your layout and storage needs

⇾ Learn about solar power and sustainability

⇾ Source materials and supplies for your build - you can learn on YouTube

⇾ Talk to insurance companies and classify your van as a motorhome

⇾ Download iOverlander and create a budget for your travels

⇾ Connect with the van life community and attend meetups

⇾ Hit the road and embrace the freedom of van life 

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

__

Tags: #notluxe  #vanlife #vanlifemovement  #vanlifegirl #tinyliving #vanconversion #vanconversionideas #vanbuild #camperlife #homeonwheels #vanlifers #vanlifecouple #travelcouple  #granolagirl #vandwellers #explorecanada #travelcanada #yvrcreators #canadiantravelbloggers #outdoorscreator
  • How much I spend in a day living *basically* rent-free in Vancouver 

As many of you know, we live in a van, but we also do housesitting with @trustedhousesitters 

Transit with a compass card is $2.50 which I use frequently - especially to visit my parents who also live in Vancouver 

This day we checked out To Live For Bakery @tolivefor.bakery which I highly, highly recommend to anyone who is cruising through the city and ends up on Nanaimo 

Also popped by @welksonmain for some N/A drinks from  @sobercarpenter & @getgruvi 

And our Trusted Housesitters membership is $11/mo totalling $0.38 for rent per day

& the one day total was $18.23 

Any questions?

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

Tags: #notluxe  #vanlifeculture  #traveldiaries #travelgram #livetoexplore #vanlifeculture #budgettravel #worktotravel #traveljobs #travelblogger #vandwelling #discovercanada #vancitylife #bcadventure #canadiancreator #vancouverfoodie #veganfoodie #outdoorsycreator #minimalism #housesitting
  • Things we would have never done if we had listened to ✨ fear ✨(and these are just a few)

• quit our jobs to teach English in Asia
• sold everything we owned (twice) 
• moved to a country we’d never been to before (twice)
• converted an old ambulance into a tiny home with no experience
• drove from Canada to Mexico in our van 
• met up with people from the internet and became best friends 

But mostly, taken a chance on ourselves.

We do our best to not let fear or the opinions of others lead the way. 

Do you have any to add?

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

__ 

Tags: #notluxe #vanlifecouples #tinyhome #vanlifers #vanlifevirals #vanlifedistrict #vanlifeideas #vanlifediaries #vanlifeideas #liveoutdoors #vanlifeliving #vanlife #homeiswhereyouparkit #travelgirlsgo #exploretocreate #travelcouple #traveltheworld#travelcreator #travelblogger #canadiantravel #ohcanada #canadiancreators
  • Is van life really cheaper than renting? Van life costs vs. monthly expenses living in an apartment.

Not to mention the average price in Vancouver now is $2,700 - so not sure where we’d find that $1,300 rental anymore.

Any questions about van life?

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

—

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