The idea of teaching English abroad as a tool to help extend your travels is nothing new. For years various guidebooks and travel gurus have lauded volunteer work for the warm and fuzzy feeling that helping others can give you, and shoestring travelers have long known that in the right location a job teaching English can generate enough cash to keep your trip funded. But I'd like to share with you the dirty little secret of volunteer work: the pay may be lousy, but the fringe benefits are fantastic.

To be sure,the greatest return that you'll get from any kind of volunteer work is the intangible emotional benefits of helping others. Whether it's through a temporary arrangement or a more formal program such as the Peace Corps, there is simply nothing which can rival the satisfaction that comes from seeing first-hand what a tremendous impact your work is having on the community you're helping. What may not have occurred to you is the phenomenal opportunity to enhance your travels through the contacts and good-will which your volunteerism will generate.

My own experiences with volunteering have mostly centered around teaching English, and that's what I'll address here, but the same or similar benefits can be gained from almost any kind of volunteer or charity work. Volunteer teaching does have one characteristic that sets it apart: it's extremely easy to fall into. While there is tremendous demand for teachers in almost every corner of the globe, developing countries have a special need for native English speakers, and often the schools in these areas could never afford to pay for these services. If you can find your way to such a school, they are almost always shocked and delighted to have such an invaluable resource show up on their doorstep. And (here’s the greedy, selfish part) they can add both a material and experiential richness to your travels that is might have been impossible to get otherwise.

1) Finding the schools.

The internet has an abundance of resources for would-be teachers, but the easiest method is to simply open up a map, find a local university, and present yourself. Something along the lines of "Hi, I'd like to volunteer to teach English. Can I do that here?" usually gets me a personal escort to the nearest language school in need of a native speaker.

2) Preparation  

This really depends on what part of the world you’re looking at visiting. In an area where you’re the only native English speaker for miles, you just have to be willing to talk to whoever will listen. In a developed nation, you’re far more likely to find a surplus of English speakers, and an expectation that you have an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) certificate. To become a certified EFL teacher, you must complete a course (available online or at a number of different on-site providers) approximately four weeks in length.

Whether or not you have formal training, you can do anything from talking about life in your native country to teaching a multi-week course with a detailed syllabus. Even if you have absolutely no teaching experience, don't worry-- just the fact that you're a native English speaker provides advanced students the opportunity to hear how you speak, and a chance to work on their accent. You may find that these students have a better grasp of English grammar than you, but growing up in a remote village hasn't given them the opportunity to develop their pronunciation.

3) The Rewards

Regardless of where you teach or how formal of a position you want, what you'll discover is that you've just made a dramatic impression on not only a group of students but their teachers as well. These are teachers who speak excellent English and teach language for a living-- in other words, your own private pool of language tutors. In addition, your new-found language coaches are likely to guide you on a truly in-depth experience of their country. Everyone's experience is different, but chances are that you'll be taken to restaurants and attractions which are far off the standard tourist path, get connected with the most knowledgeable local guides, or be invited into the homes of teachers and students to share a meal and get a better look at how they live. Remember that you distinguished yourself from the packs of tourists simply by volunteering, and your new friends are far more likely to be interested in helping you than in milking you for tips or kick-backs from local merchants. Of course the nature of volunteerism is such that you may or may not receive any of these benefits, and you certainly have no right to demand them, but it's far more common to find people whose generosity outstrips their means than people who accept your efforts without demonstrating their gratitude. 

Are you going to get rich from volunteering? No. But you may have a much more rewarding, immersive travel experience. And you'll be able to do it for far less than it would cost if you went through traditional travel channels.