Dear Teachasana:  I would love to travel and see more of the world and continue learning about people and cultures with the possibility of living overseas for a couple years. With this I was thinking it would be nice to be able to work a bit and make my travels a little more manageable budget wise and would love to know how to go about finding work teaching yoga overseas. Is it difficult if I’m not fluent in the official language of the country? Do I need to have any specific paperwork done beforehand? How do I approach the search for work? Any advice or tips in this quest would be awesome! -A Traveling YT

Dear A Traveling YT:

Kudos first of all on a brilliant idea and we hope you have wonderful success on your future journeys.  You have handed us a question that covers several topics so we will try to break each down individually and hopefully together they will answer what you have asked.

1.) Is it difficult if I am not fluent in the official language of the country?  This question is not one that can be answered in a broad fashion as it will vary from country to country.  Some locations may have a national language but also have many yogis that speak fluent English for example  (i.e. Japan).  Others however may be less international and require you to have some command of their native tongue.  Our suggestion is to reach out to studios in the location where you wish to teach and ask this specific question.  Be very clear about how extensive your knowledge of their language even if it is very minimal.

2.) Do I need to have any specific paperwork done beforehand?  Again this question is a bit to broad to answer definitively.  While there may be some countries that require both entry and work visas, others may not.  The best bet is to contact their embassy or your country’s to get a clear idea of requirements.  Additionally check with them and see if there are any time constraints to staying in the country (some only allow short visits) and any health requirements as well.  Make sure you have all the appropriate documentation and vaccinations before traveling.

3.) How do I do an appropriate search for the work? In this case you are fortunate we live in the digital age.  There are many yoga teacher work sites on line and also yoga studios have websites in all countries.  Do a google search for studios in the area you wish to visit.  If there is a particular style you wish to teach (i.e. Ashtanga, Iyengar, Anusara) visit their main websites as they often list teachers and studios in many countries.  Visit sites like Yoga Journal and I Heart My Yogi to connect with teachers in other countries.  Use your social media connections to let your fellow yoga teachers know you are looking for work.  Contact local studios offering your teaching services and workshop ideas.  Additional sources of employment might be resorts, yoga retreat vacation services and spas.

Traveling and teaching abroad sounds wonderful and can be rewarding both financially and culturally.

Have you worked and travelled abroad?  How did you find the teaching gigs and what advice do you have for other yoga teachers who wish to do this type of an adventure?