The Hardest Parts of TEFL Teaching - And What to Do About Them

Life as a TEFL teacher has a lot of appeal — the chance to experience new cultures, connect with people across the world, and maybe even reinvent yourself along the way. The internet is full of dreamy photos: street food adventures in Bangkok, coastal weekends in Spain, online teachers sipping coffee in mountain-view cafés.

But behind every filtered photo is a real person adjusting to a new life, managing uncertainty, and sometimes just trying to figure out where the hell the post office is. Teaching English abroad or online can absolutely be one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do — but it also comes with real challenges that few people talk about upfront.

Let’s talk about those.

Homesickness and Emotional Adjustment

It doesn’t matter how independent you are or how ready you felt when you booked your flight — homesickness has a sneaky way of creeping in. It might hit you the first week or lie dormant for months before suddenly showing up on a rainy day with no decent coffee in sight.

At its core, homesickness is less about missing a specific place and more about the loss of familiarity. Your daily rhythms are gone. The faces, the language, the food — even how people cross the street — it’s all different. It’s a shift in identity, and that emotional wobble is completely normal.

How to Handle It

• Build a routine that includes regular calls home, meals at consistent times, and small rituals that anchor your day.
• Recreate comforting habits: maybe it’s a Sunday pancake breakfast, a daily walk, or rewatching your favorite sitcom.
• Push yourself to explore, even if you don’t feel like it. Take a language class, join a local club, or just wander through a new neighborhood.
• Write it out. Journaling or vlogging helps you process emotions, document growth, and reflect on how far you’ve come.

Bureaucracy, Paperwork, and Visa Stress

If TEFL has a villain, it’s paperwork. The lead-up to your move often feels like a full-time job: criminal background checks, degree notarizations, health screenings, visa appointments. And that’s just the beginning. Even once you arrive, there are contracts to review, local registrations to complete, and sometimes baffling housing procedures to navigate.

Different countries come with wildly different systems. Getting a visa in Vietnam might mean showing up in person and smiling at the right official. In Spain, it might involve chasing paperwork between three different government offices. In the UAE, the process is smoother — if you can stomach the mountain of documents required upfront.

How to Handle It

• Break it down into phases: what needs doing before departure, what happens on arrival, and what’s ongoing. Use checklists.
• Ask for help — employers and recruiters are often more experienced than you think, and many provide templates or step-by-step guides.
• Join local expat or TEFL groups — they’re often the best source of up-to-date hacks, translated forms, and morale boosts.
• Keep perspective. Bureaucracy is part of the deal, not a red flag. Stay calm and treat it like admin, not an existential crisis.

Language Barriers in the Classroom

One of the most intimidating moments as a new TEFL teacher is staring at a room full of students who don’t speak a word of English — and realizing they’re looking to you to lead.

You’ll face blank stares, unexpected outbursts, and plenty of “huh?” moments, especially at beginner levels. Online, this gets amplified — laggy Wi-Fi or muffled audio makes even simple instructions confusing. And when you don’t speak the students’ native language, managing behavior or explaining a task can feel like trying to mime your way through quantum physics.

How to Handle It

• Use Total Physical Response (TPR) — hand gestures, facial expressions, and movement go a long way in making your meaning clear.
• Learn 20–30 key phrases in your students’ language: basic commands, praise words, and emergency vocabulary can smooth over early hurdles.
• Stick to simple, consistent English — repeat core instructions the same way every time (“Open your book. Page 10.”).
• Practice graded language: simplify without sounding patronizing. Think, “Where do you live?” not “May I inquire as to your current residence?”

Cultural Differences and Miscommunications

You’ll hear it all the time: “Just be open-minded.” But the real challenge of cultural adjustment isn’t about accepting big differences — it’s about noticing the subtle, invisible ones. Things like eye contact, how directly people speak, what’s considered rude or respectful, or whether your students are even allowed to speak up in class.

Timekeeping might be more relaxed. Gift-giving might carry unspoken meaning. In some places, students won’t meet your eye — not out of disinterest, but out of respect. Gender expectations can shift your classroom dynamics in ways you didn’t see coming. What feels like a warm joke to you might land as disrespect somewhere else.

And here’s the kicker: even among expats in the same country, experiences vary wildly depending on region, school type, and social circles. There’s no universal “right way” — only what’s right where you are.

How to Handle It

• Read up before you go, but remember books and YouTube can only prepare you so much. Keep learning through real interactions.
• Ask local colleagues for insights — most are happy to help if you approach with humility.
• Drop assumptions. If something confuses you, it’s probably just a different logic, not a broken one.
• Stay curious, not judgmental. You’re not just teaching culture — you’re living in someone else’s.

Adapting to New Teaching Styles

You finish your TEFL course full of theory and ideal lesson plans… then you walk into your first real class and everything goes sideways. Your students are either too quiet or bouncing off the walls, your beautifully prepped game flops, and you realize you only have one whiteboard marker and no printer access.

This isn’t failure — it’s the normal adjustment phase. Different schools and countries have different expectations. In some, rote learning is the norm. In others, kids have never done pair work before. And if you’re teaching online, “real world” might mean unstable Wi-Fi, late students, and Zoom fatigue.

How to Handle It

• Give yourself a month to observe and adjust. You’re not expected to be perfect out the gate.
• Stockpile flexible activities you can adapt for different levels and class sizes.
• Borrow strategies from colleagues, observe lessons when you can, and remix what works.
• Focus on rapport, not textbook perfection — students learn best when they trust and enjoy the teacher.

Managing Your Energy and Avoiding Burnout

TEFL can be exhilarating… and exhausting. Especially when you’re the only foreign teacher in a town, or teaching online for hours with no one but your laptop for company. The emotional effort of teaching — staying upbeat, handling confusion, motivating students — adds up fast. And when you’re far from home or juggling freelancing gigs, burnout can creep in quietly.

There’s also the prep work. Without structured support, you may find yourself designing lessons late at night, especially in your first months. It’s a recipe for burnout if you don’t set some boundaries early.

How to Handle It

• Be honest about your limits — don’t agree to teach 30+ hours a week if you know you’ll crash.
• Batch your prep: reuse materials, rotate themes, and simplify where possible.
• Protect your recharge time. That could mean a weekly hike, a night with no screens, or quiet time at a local café.
• Stay connected. A WhatsApp group with other teachers, a local meetup, or even online forums can remind you you’re not alone.

Money Worries and Budgeting Abroad

Let’s be real — the TEFL lifestyle isn’t always financially smooth, especially at the start. First jobs might pay modestly, especially in countries like Vietnam, Mexico, or Spain. Some employers are slow with paperwork or salary disbursements. And if you're teaching online, your income might fluctuate week to week depending on student bookings, cancellations, or platform policies.

Then there are the upfront costs. Flights, housing deposits, visa fees, health checks — they all hit before your first paycheck. Even the TEFL course itself (though often essential) can feel like a hurdle when you're just starting out.

How to Handle It

• Go where your money stretches further: countries like Thailand, Vietnam, or Spain offer great lifestyle value, especially if housing is provided.
• Build a financial buffer before departure — even $1,000–$2,000 can make the difference between stress and breathing room.
• Diversify your income: pick up tutoring gigs, teach online part-time, or offer services like editing, photography, or even social media help locally.
• Track spending in both local and home currency — this helps you adjust without surprise, and makes saving easier.

Career Uncertainty and Lack of Long-Term Planning

“What’s next?” It’s the question that creeps in during slow months or when your family asks why you’re still “just teaching English.” It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking TEFL isn’t a “real” career — especially when your friends back home are getting promoted, buying houses, or climbing corporate ladders.

But here’s the truth: TEFL can absolutely be long-term, if you want it to be. And even if it’s not your forever job, it builds incredible skills and opens unexpected doors — from higher ed and NGOs to online business and training roles.

How to Handle It

• Teach with intention: develop a niche (e.g., IELTS prep, business English), gather testimonials, and refine your style.
• Document your journey: create a simple portfolio with lesson samples, student feedback, and photos — this helps for future job applications or career shifts.
• Invest in yourself: consider an MA TESOL, PGCE, or even short courses in ed-tech or content design.
• See the bigger picture: you’re gaining global awareness, cross-cultural competence, and teaching expertise — all hugely valuable across industries.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Let the Hard Parts Scare You

The challenges of TEFL are real — but they’re not roadblocks. They’re part of the path.

You’ll feel lost sometimes. You’ll question yourself. You’ll face miscommunication, tired days, and moments of doubt. But you’ll also gain clarity, courage, and the kind of self-growth that only comes from stepping far outside your comfort zone.

The hard parts? They fade. But the growth, stories, and connections? They stay with you.

So if you’re feeling nervous — that’s okay. Just know you’re not alone. And know that for every TEFL teacher who’s ever struggled, there’s one who came out the other side stronger, wiser, and ready for more.