Teaching is often seen as a profession with a big impact on mental health, and TEFL teaching is no different. Whilst it is recognised that, depending on the context, TEFL teaching can be more easy-going that working in a school in your own country, it still has its ups and downs. Coupled with the fact that you’re doing all of this in a new country and environment, it can lead to more concerning issues.

There are plenty of TEFL teachers that struggle with their mental health and plenty that even decide they might need to remove themselves from the TEFL context completely. It’s never something to be ashamed of to admit to this struggle and you might find that more and more people can relate to how you’re feeling and what you’re saying.

If you’ve already had some mental health concerns before moving abroad, then consider your options carefully. Sometimes moving abroad and teaching can breathe new life into you and improve your wellbeing dramatically, and sometimes it can make things worse. Consider what you feel you need to help you feel better and whether a TEFL job abroad will help you achieve this.

Factors of TEFL that can have an impact on your mental health

Culture Shock

Moving abroad is never easy. It’s a huge step to take in your life and a lot of TEFL teachers take this step alone. Even if you don’t venture too far from home, there is always an element of culture shock involved. This can be something as simple as eating at a different time to what you’ve grown up doing or even more extreme such as a completely different diet or outlook on life. Culture shock can be very challenging and we all at some point long for some home comforts.

Reverse culture shock can also become an issue. If you decide to visit family back home, you might find that you don’t feel like you fit in anymore or feel out of sync with what was once the culture you were so used to. This can also be a disconcerting feeling and lead to an internal conflict.

Isolation

Moving abroad and starting a new life can also be an isolating experience. You basically start off from scratch with your social life. It’s a simple thing to say that you need to go out and make friends but this isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Not everyone has that social drive in them or even wants to be surrounded by a big group of people. It takes time to build up a good network of friends you can trust.

New habits

Living in a new country can also lead to you picking up some new habits – these might be good or they might be worse for your mental and physical health. In countries where there is a bigger drinking culture or alcohol is cheap and easy to buy, it can be very tempting to become part of this, especially if you want to make friends and hang out with a group that is also doing this. It’s important to try and maintain a healthy lifestyle which will also help your mental health. Good habits can be picked up too of course such as taking up more exercise outdoors in a warmer climate.

Support

If you need support regarding any mental health issues, this can be quite challenging abroad. Some countries ‘just don’t get it’. Their thinking on mental health and its seriousness might not be the same as back home. This can make it harder for employers, colleagues and friends to understand your needs. It can be overwhelming to feel like people don’t understand how you’re feeling or how your daily life can be impacted by mental health.

Medication

Medication is dealt with differently in every country. Some cultures heavily rely on medication for mental health issues and make it easily available whilst, in some places, it can be harder to obtain. If you are already on some form of medication, ensure you get a few months’ supply so that you don’t have to worry about this when you’re abroad. If you decide to go a doctor regarding your mental health, think about whether medication is a route you want to go down or not and ask the doctor anything you’re unsure about.

Ways to help manage your mental health

Recognising a bad work environment

Whilst there are plenty of great work opportunities out there for TEFL teachers which can lead to rewarding adventures and careers, like any job, there are also schools and companies that don’t provide a good working environment. It’s not uncommon for TEFL teachers to feel underpaid, undervalued and overworked. If you get to the point where you feel that your mental health is literally crumbling due to the conditions in your job, ask yourself if it’s really worth it and think about a plan to make a change. This might not happen overnight but you can work towards changing schools or city to improve your general wellbeing.

Sharing

However you feel, you don’t need to feel it all alone. Reach out to family and friends, even those back home. If there’s a superior at work you feel comfortable talking to, try to set up a meeting to talk about what can be done to help your well-being at work.

There are also forums online where you can talk to others going through similar feelings to you. Take care with utilising these forums. Sometimes they can help a lot and sometimes they can make you feel worse and leave you exposed to comments from strangers on the internet which aren’t always kind.

Seeking professional help

There’s no shame in seeking any sort of help you need. Counselling can be a very effective way to open up and work through any issues you’re having, whilst also providing you with coping methods for the future. If your host country doesn’t provide efficient mental health services or there are language barriers that prevent you from accessing these, remember that online counselling is also a great option. There are many sites and apps that offer affordable services all over the world.

Set boundaries for time and tasks

Being a teacher can be very demanding and it’s often the case that you work additional hours other than teaching (lesson planning, report writing, exam marking etc). Sometimes you’re paid for this time and sometimes you’re not. Sometimes these tasks can consume you. Try to set clear boundaries to complete them – especially lesson planning. Taking an hour to plan a lesson that’s an hour long itself isn’t efficient.

Think about where you can reduce this time. Save previous plans to reuse the next academic year and this will go a long way. No one is telling you to phone in your job and prepare poor lessons, but they don’t always have to be full of additional activities that take you a long time to create. As a teacher, the more you save for future use (plans and report comments for example), the more time you can reduce, especially if you remain in the same place of work for the next academic year.

Remember to use your time off to switch off. Don’t look at work emails or messages in your free time. This will help you disconnect mentally and emotionally.  Your time is yours and it won’t help to be consumed by your work on your weekends.

Work together

Remember that you will most likely be working with a team of teachers with similar tasks and classes to you. Working together to plan classes can be very productive. Share plans and resources which will help save you all time in the long run.

Physical health

It’s quite simplistic to say that doing some sport will suddenly cure all of your mental health worries but it can help a lot towards making you feel better and physically heathier. It’s known that the endorphins released from exercise can help improve your mood and reduce anxiety and stress. Exercise can also help establish a regular routine. This is even more beneficial if you teach online and work from home. It’s good to set a time to go to the gym or for a run, or meet up with friends to play tennis or go to a yoga class.

Online teaching

It’s very easy to lose yourself in your schedule if you’re teaching online. It’s tempting to always open up more hours to get more classes and boost your salary. Online teaching is still tiring, even if you don’t leave your house. It requires focus, planning and staring at a screen for long periods. Think about whether you really need to open up more hours and what effect this will have on your well-being if you’re teaching from 9am-9pm.

Ensure you have a designated workspace where you can teach from. If you work from your sofa/bed (yes, some teachers do do this!), then you won’t have that separation of relax and work. Sit at a desk which you can leave and shut work out. You can also look at co-working spaces. Many have meeting rooms or booths for video calls/online lessons. It will also get you out of the house and establish a routine for you.

We are making more and more progress in the area of mental health in 2024 with less stigma and more help available than ever. There is still a way to go and many countries still need to catch up with the progress made in others. There will be more and more conversations about TEFL and mental health which will hopefully lead to more support and understanding of how tough it can be in today’s world. Remember you are not alone in feeling overwhelmed in this industry.