The 5 best destinations to teach English and do yoga

TEFL teaching isn’t too unlike yoga, you know. You have to be flexible – ready to change up your lesson plan when something goes wrong. You have to be knowledgeable – those gerunds and past participle clauses don’t sort themselves, just like downward dogs don’t get done without plenty of effort. That’s probably where the similarities end. However, there’s no reason you can’t head off to teach somewhere that’ll feed your exercise habit while letting you work in the classroom. That’s what this guide is all about, offering tips on 5 of the best destinations to teach English and do yoga…

Thailand

We’ll have you know that Thailand’s not just Full Moon Parties and bucket cocktails. There’s plenty of respectable living that goes on in the Land of Smiles. In fact, Koh Phangan – otherwise known for its lunar blowouts – has become an established yogi hub in recent years. You’ll need to look to the north shore of the island, near Mae Haad beach, where studios and eco camps abound. An alternative is to head to north Thailand. We do lots of our Thailand TEFL internships there, up between the peaceful temples of Chiang Mai. Yogis can spend their time off from the classroom escaping to retreats in the hills by Pai and Mae Hong Son. Meditation in the mountains on the Burmese border, anyone?

India

It should hardly come as a surprise that India commands a top spot on our list of the best destinations to teach English and do yoga. It’s considered to be the birthplace of the discipline and has thousands of years of history and heritage in the spiritual arts. There are some hotspots that you’ll want to have on the radar. They include the meditation hub of Rishikesh in the foothills of the Himalaya and the hippy enclave of south Goa, where there are oodles of yoga and eco hotels. Teaching in India isn’t as widespread as, say, Thailand, but you can expect to earn around $1,000 USD/month if you bag a job that requires a college degree and a 120-hour TEFL certificate.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is the ecotourism hub of Central America. It’s hard not to love the government’s dedication to environmentalism and sustainability – they don’t even have an army because they say the money is better spent on saving the rainforest. More countries like that please! That sort of outlook has helped a nascent yoga industry flourish. There are oodles of yoga and surf camps on the way to Tamarindo and Santa Teresa, but also places in the forests by Arenal and Monteverde. You can visit all of those and more if you choose to TEFL in CR this year…

Sri Lanka

Like India, Sri Lanka has a long and ancient tradition of yoga and meditation, brought by its connection with the Hindu and Buddhist faiths of the subcontinent. Recent years have also seen the country embrace a new wave of yoga tourism. There are some pretty darn luxurious meditation retreats that do week-long packages in the Central Highlands. There are others that combine yoga instruction with surfing on the south-west coast or in Arugam Bay. That could be the perfect welcome to a teaching job in the so-called Teardrop of India, don’t you think?

Teach online

Teaching online…that’s no destination, you say. But that’s the point. Being an online English teacher means you’ll have the freedom to plan travels to wherever you want, whenever you want. You could plot a course across the globe that takes in all of the amazing destinations to teach English and do yoga that are listed above. You’ll need to pay attention to a couple of things. They include getting somewhere quiet to work and a decent internet connection. Work as an online teacher typically requires a college degree and at least a 120-hour TEFL course. We’ve also developed a 140-hour Master Course that’s specifically for bagging digital jobs.

There are lots more destinations to teach English and do yoga. If you can think of any, or, better yet, have been to any that we haven’t included, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. We’ve also got lots of information on all sorts of TEFL destinations if you want to delve deeper.