 Hi everybody. Hello and good morning or good evening wherever you are right now. I'm in South Korea It's 10 a.m. Friday, and so good morning Yeah, I'm back here again today, my name is Linda from ITTT If you've been here before hi and if this is your first time watching thanks so much for tuning in and taking the time We really really appreciate it Um, yeah, so if any if at any time during this live session today You have any questions feel free to drop your comments in the comment section from whichever platform you're watching from So we are streaming live on facebook and on youtube at the same time If you can see me if you can hear me just leave a high into the comment box That would be really highly appreciated so that I know that everything is working well And um, yeah for the first couple minutes, let's just have a chat and let's wait for a couple of people to join in for our topic today I mean you probably already saw it in the title, but today's topic Are the best countries for solo women to teach english abroad So if you're a woman and you're thinking about teaching english abroad, but you're not quite sure You know where you should go in terms of you know safety or any of those issues this live would be perfect for you um and so yeah Also, please don't forget to like and subscribe to ittt on facebook on youtube instagram, you know twitter wherever you want We'd highly appreciate it. We always Share and advertise our life sessions. We go live twice a week Me on fridays or thursdays depending on when you're watching this or where you're watching from And i'm my colleague lisa on tuesdays and she's a non-native english speaker from russia um and So you always get sort of both perspectives. That's what I really like about our lives because um You get like a native speakers perspective and a non-native speakers perspective. So that's really really cool Um, so yeah, you don't want to miss these like I said, we go live twice a week And also we always turn our live sessions into podcast episodes. That's why I have this fancy mic in front of me um, so if you're um If you're into podcasts Or if you're just downloaded this episode and you're listening to my voice. Thanks so much for downloading We really appreciated we actually just hit 1000 podcast downloads We're so excited about that because um, yeah, we never really thought about starting a podcast But then just kind of we just kind of uh, you know started and it's become very successful in just a matter of months So thanks so much for that um Also, there is a oh this one There is a special offer Yeah here right here this qr code I never get this right because it's mirrored. It's so strange. Anyway the qr code there um, you can scan it at any time Throughout this live and you get 30% off any teflur t-cell course from it t t t I also have a discount url for you if you don't want to scan it if you're a mobile you can't scan it or You know, whatever I am also going to share that so don't worry. You're going to get your 30% off no matter what um Let me see is there anything else? Uh Oh, hi Hi quen thanks so much for tuning in and juliana some familiar faces. That's great I love this community, you know like week after week we have New faces, but we also have faces or names that I see every week week after week after week So I love your dedication and your support. It means so much Thank you so much Hello See one combo. I hope I pronounce this right samuel. Thank you so much for tuning in That's great All right, keep me Oh, you've been looking for answers sure So anytime throughout this life feel free to throw your questions at me There's also a q&a section at the end. There's always if you've been here before you know the drill um I always prepare sort of like a visual like presentation That goes along with what i'm saying and But you can still ask your questions at any time And then there's also time at the end after I've finished with my presentation part Like a q&a session where you can also ask questions. So keep them coming. I love engaging with you guys You know, um, I always also learn so much from our lives because if you guys we're engaging we're sharing information I think that's what it's all about especially as us girls. We need to stick together Um, and we need to help each other out Hi tiana. Thanks so much for joining again. Great cool That's so awesome So, yeah, um, I'm super excited to talk about today's topic. Um, the best countries for solo women to teach english abroad um You know, and also i'm gonna throw some useful tips in there if you're you know, um A solo woman and you want to uh go abroad to teach english by yourself Um, I've done that, you know, I've lived in Well, I was born and raised in germany and then I moved To china that was my first time going abroad by myself. I was I think I was 19 Um, I went to china. I didn't know anybody there. Um, I just took the leap And then I also moved to california by myself And then actually back to china a second time also by myself to a different place in new city And then I came to south korea Also sort of by myself, but I already knew someone there But um, yeah, so I hope I'll be able to offer some insight into you know Um, not even just teaching abroad, but also just traveling abroad solo Um, you know, if you want to start there, um, I think that's also a great way to just kind of start Your journey, I guess, you know Before you take the leap and move, you know, somewhere new you could um, just go on a solo trip So, um, that's also very exciting. I still I'm married, but I love solo travel Um, it's just so freeing Um, you can do what you want, you know, it's the ultimate for me It's the ultimate like feeling of freedom when you go and travel solo. So, um, yeah So we're gonna talk about all that. Let me put my sleeves back and get ready for this Um, hi ermah Good to see you again, too I love that we have like this community of people that I see every week week after week after week. Thank you so much We have Lillia. Hi Where are you tuning in from? awesome Excuse me. Huyen. Huyen, is that how you say your name? I hope I'm right Um, hope that I can gain more from your live stream. I'm going to decide to learn TESOL Very cool. Very cool. Yeah, that's also one question. I always ask At the beginning of my lives, you know, who's doing a TEFL course right now who's already certified who's not, you know, taking a course yet um Who's thinking about it, et cetera, et cetera So also let me know where you are in your TEFL journey So that then I can better answer your questions Hi, Giuliano Giuliano says I almost forgot to watch your video today. My name is Giuliano and I believe it's important to bring up this topic pretty important Thank you. And also thanks for being here as a man. I think, you know, that's also important that Uh, because women's issues are men's issues are human issues, right? So thanks so much for being here as a man and also listening to um, you know, this topic That's very very important. So thank you so much for that. That's really awesome Okay Yeah, and maybe starting off, um with a question You know, have you traveled or moved abroad solo before any of you guys watching? Um, or are you completely new to solo travel solo moving abroad? What's your take on it? What maybe are some of your concerns? Um, you know, something like that. I would be really interested in knowing more about that So that I can tailor the session to you guys's needs Christina, hi What a great topic definitely want to know about this great to see you great to see you again I remember you watched before too. Thanks so much for tuning in again And tiana says I know which one I want to take. It's the business course one. Oh cool. Yeah So you want to take the um The business certification business English great. Yeah, I also have that so that's one of the specializations But you do need to get the full 120 hour course before that though Because the business one and the teaching English to young learners one those all build upon the standard 120 hour course So those always go hand in hand But we do have course bundles Course bundles that um Sort of that's include that one. So the um master package would be the 120 hour course plus The business English course plus the young learners course. So that would be good for you Okay Tiana says I've never been outside the u.s. Sadly, but it created the travel bug in me. Yeah, awesome That's really really great. Yeah um, definitely, you know traveling abroad is such a great thing and I highly recommend it to anyone like I love travel um, and it just You know, it's so cliche, but it like really Uh changes you, you know, you grow as a person you get a lot of different perspectives. Um, so I definitely recommend that All right. Samuel says I'm aiming at grabbing bachelor's teffel. Is it available? So our courses are not we offer certification level courses Um, so we have teffel and t-sol certificates. We also have a t-sol diploma course um Online courses in class courses combined. I highly recommend you checking out teffel course net There you can see all the different course formats Um, and then you can pick and choose, you know, which one suits you best All right, gwendoline says yes, I've moved around with family before but moved to the us by myself for school I loved it and I think going somewhere alone is an incredibly enriching experience that I hope everyone can try at least once I completely agree. Yes totally cool Yeah, moving to a different place is, you know, an exciting but also daunting adventure So you need to do a lot of research before you go I Katie is it Katie I hope I'm saying it right Katie. Hi, Linda. I'm new, but I've watched a couple of your videos I have lived in chile and vanu vanuatu before Cool, that's a really cool place. I don't even know I'm pronouncing correctly, but I've heard about it It's like is it in the carapian or It's a tropical place. I know that much. I that's so cool. How did you end up there? That's exciting Okay, tiana, I completely agree and it will help you learn more about yourself. Yes, totally Okay, cool. So Now I know a little bit more about you guys and what your background is and what you're dealing with so I'm going to add my presentation And then we can start, you know, getting into the topic but keep your questions coming and your comments coming You know, let's have a discussion. I just want this to be casual and you know It's useful and helpful to you guys as possible And I also have my tea here because There's some issues with my throat again anyway We're dealing with this Who else things that this week went by super fast? Is it just me? Okay, Katie says you pronounced it correctly Your name or the place or both One word to his next to australia. Okay. I went there as a peace corps trainee for two months. Oh, wow. That's so cool Very very cool And then stemiel says any idea of traveling to cambodia as an esl teacher So sadly i've not been to cambodia yet. It's very high up on my list But they do have a high demand for esl teachers um, so, you know, they're looking for teachers esl teachers and I do also think that they're one of those places that um You know accept teachers without a degree and also teachers Who are non native english speakers, but teffel certified so cambodia is a great place For esl teaching for sure Okay, both. Okay, i'm glad cool Okay, so let me um add my presentation now I'm going to be a little bit smaller. I hope you can still see me here over here Um, yeah so the best countries to teach english abroad for solo women and It's always kind of hard phrasing it to not sound like weird, but um So basically the best countries to teach english abroad or to travel to Or to travel to if you're a woman and you're going alone That's the gist of it Oh, we have somebody else joining christie. Hey, i'm christie and i've taught english in china Recently i returned to my home country cool. Where in china did you teach? I also taught in china before That's really cool Gwendolyn i volunteered as an esl teacher in cambodia in high school I think there's a lot of opportunity there in such a beautiful country too. Thanks so much for sharing that So sam y'all maybe you and gwendolyn can connect and um, you know find out more about teaching cambodia together That'd be cool. Maybe gwendolyn can short share her um contacts if you still have them that'd be cool All right So as always I do a brief introduction about myself. So, um, my name is linda dunesmore I may travel writer and content creator under the name linda goes east because I Move to china and then later to south korea. So from i'm originally from germany Born and raised in germany, but i am half german and half american. So my dad is american. My mom is german And um, yeah, you can find my personal stuff at linda goes east.com I write a lot about also solo travel. Um, I travel a lot around asia a lot solo and On social media you can find me at linda goes east And yeah, like I said, I'm based in south korea. Um, it's currently my sixth year um Yeah time goes by so fast, but yeah six years in south korea and um, I'm just waiting to I mean we all are for the borders to open up again so that I can travel more around asia. I just love asia Um, I don't know what it is. It just um, I don't know makes me happy being in asia And I just love the different vibrant cultures here Um, you know, and uh, I want to see more of it So yeah on the other side, I am also a teflon t-sol marketing professional at itt Where we're watching the live from today International teflon t-sol training you can find us at teflacourse.net and on instagram at international tefl training And um, I've said that before but we're really trying to grow our instagram So head to instagram and look for international tefl training and please give us a follow Um, so that would be really great And yeah itt is a leading teflon t-sol course provider worldwide for people who want to go abroad to teach english I think that's it and i'm just going to mention that again. You see this um qr code in your upper right hand corner So at any time during the live, uh, depending on what you're where you're watching this from on what device You can scan this qr code and then you'll be led to the application page of our website And if you apply through this page through the qr code you get 30 off Any teflor t-sol course and um, I'm also going to share let me just throw that in there right now I'm going to share the url as well because some people can't scan the code um, so I just pasted the um discount link into the comment box Excuse me, so you can copy that and then uh, it's the same thing you'll be led to the application page And from there you can apply and then get 30 off all right I hope I'll make it until the end of the session, but I'll think we'll get there All right yeah That's that And then again So the best countries for teaching english abroad as a solo woman basically So and a couple you guys said some of you have never traveled outside of your country, but um Some other people said they already moved abroad to different countries before so maybe you could also share your experience You know how it was for you and maybe later Also some resources that maybe you used before you moved abroad so that you can help out Those ladies that are still about to move abroad. So that'd be really cool. I am also going to be sharing some You know really great facebook groups that you should join If you're a woman and you're planning on moving or traveling solo so definitely Watch until the end because I think the groups are really the most helpful thing Um, there is one group that's basically has it basically has a million members on facebook So wherever you want to move to there's probably going to be like At least I don't know a hundred people already living there. So Yeah, watch out for that So let's get right into it So the first thing I just want to say about this whole topic is that even though we say like yeah Moving abroad or traveling solo you are not alone You are never alone Especially when it comes to traveling or if it comes to moving abroad as well Actually around 60 of all english teachers are women English teachers abroad are women. So um, that's obviously a high percentage. So wherever you're moving to and uh for teaching There's already going to be you know a very tight-knit expert community With like-minded people that you can connect to So even though, you know, maybe your parents are going to be like, oh, you know, it's dangerous You don't know anybody there like or you're thinking this to yourself, right? Um, you know, it's it's uh It's daunting moving abroad when you don't know anybody But just know that you're not alone. It's Probably likely going to be a huge city where you're moving to so there's already going to be people there That you can connect with So like I said around 60 of all english teachers abroad are women So you already have a network there And then there's also typically every large city has like an expat community, right? Or if it's a smaller country like the country as a whole they have an expat community There's always foreigners. There's always people from your country going to be there as well So um, you can connect with them, but I think the key is finding out how to find them and how to connect with them So most of the time You know, if you're working for a school, if it's a bigger school There's also going to be other foreign teachers already there that you can already connect with or You know in the vicinity There's always um facebook groups or you know groups and other social media platforms That where you can reach out to people. So I just want to throw that out there Um, just the first thing I want to say is like you are not alone Okay, and then Yeah, so basically those are the two groups that I want to mention Um, the two groups that I think that you should join on facebook Um, you know that will help you as a solo female traveler or solo female teacher So this group right here Yeah, so this group almost has 80 000 members and I'm also a member here I'm a member of both groups So they're really great and I actually went live with one of the girls one of the members from this group before And yeah, it's just a very very cool group Um solo female travel travelers It's the first facebook group for women who travel solo and they really offer They do regular lives as well and they invite guests other girls who travel abroad and share like their stories So this is a really great group that you should definitely join And also so is girls love travel. It's very similar So this doesn't only focus on solo, but it's also a lot of solo stuff and like I said that one Has 1.1 million members. So a lot of members. So those are on facebook You just type in girls love travel and then the groups will pop up on facebook And then you can click on the join button Same as solo female travelers. You can type that into facebook In the search bar And then it's going to pop up and you can join they might ask you like a couple of questions Like have you traveled solo before or like where do you want to go or something like that? They might ask you that but um, you could definitely join that So those are just two things I want to mention Right of the bat you can you can look it up and then join And then ask also ask your questions That's the great thing about those groups that you can ask questions And then I mean this one group has a million people in there. So a million girls So they can get back to you and I'm sure there's somebody who has been through the exact same shoes as you so Definitely join those and get as much research as possible Before you embark on your journey And actually They also so both of them I think have a clubhouse Group as well If you are on clubhouse, you can also find them there and I listened in on a couple of their talks It's very interesting. They recently the girls love travel group. They recently did a clubhouse session about um Safety travel safety and they had like six different girls With you know travel experience all over the world. One was like in europe one was backpacking through latin america One was in asia lots of different things and they were sharing like their safety tips So that was also very interesting and um, so I highly recommend that because um, you know You can never get enough information About solo travel and about safety as a woman traveling alone either Okay All right, and so I pulled up some or I looked for some statistics and this is the safe cities index 2019. This is the most current one um, basically the safest cities For the safest cities in the world and they categorized it they Put it into those four categories. So there's digital security health security infrastructure security and personal security and they put the link down here. They have a really um big infographic Right here. So if you are interested and you want to check that out It has even more information on there But those are basically the um top five cities the safest cities And I think what's most interesting is definitely the personal security Because I I didn't even know what what's like digital security is. So I looked it up. So that's basically like hacking Cyber like phishing and things like that. So I mean, that's definitely a concern But I think my my personal biggest concern would be like personal security and maybe health security so, um For personal security as you can see the top five cities So those are not countries, but the cities are singapore Copenhagen, hong kong, tokyo and wellington So a lot of asian cities in there Even though a lot of people think like asia. Oh asia is like scary. It's not safe. Um, yeah, so Actually asian cities are incredibly safe As you can see and the health security cities are ozaka, tokyo, sol, amsterdam and stockholm also the top three are in asia so, um, yeah don't be Don't be scared of traveling solo to asia Um, you know, it's not as scary as some people might, you know, make it sound like Yeah, so this is a safe cities index. I'm also Yeah, juliana said wow, I did not recognize that singapore is the one Right, so I've personally been to singapore Um, and it's incredibly safe. Yeah Um, it's very very good It's very clean and also what I really liked about singapore was like the multicultural Vibe so you have really it's a melting pot You have people from all over asia all over the world too in singapore And they have very very strict rules actually in laws in terms of like Like litter if you litter like you can get imprisoned I think and they don't have chewing gum at all They don't sell chewing gum because they don't want people to spit it out and like leave gum everywhere. So like it's a very neat place In all aspects of the word. So yeah, singapore right there Okay, now i'm gonna look now we're gonna look at different regions and country specific But I just wanted to throw out there the safe cities index So you can check those official like statistics out Like safe cities. Economist.com. There's also I think different safe indexes from like unisaf, uniscoe Those kinds of organizations. So you can also look out for that All right So let's get into it. Let's look at teaching english in asia as a single woman And so that's personally what where I fit in I went to asia. I went to asia solo by myself And I never really had any issues. I've been to let me see I've been to all of those countries listed here and I was always fine So the lowest crime rates in the region So the lowest crime rates in asia are in hong kong in china in singapore in japan and in south korea Those countries have the lowest crime rates in asia And then also other popular options in asia include thailand vietnam and malaysia So I know when gwendolin you're from are you you're from malaysia? Are you taught in malaysia? Can you maybe talk a little bit or let us know about that? Um, I've been to malaysia. I've been to koala lumpur and like the surrounding areas and I always felt very safe Um, it was a beautiful place very friendly people and most of the people also speak english very well So that was also really great. Um, I also traveled solo to thailand before which was great. I never had any problems Same with hong kong China I lived in china for a year and a half. I never had any issues. Of course, there's like So I also want to say and this is a disclaimer like No place obviously is a hundred percent safe, right? So, um, even though those have the lowest crime rates, it doesn't mean they don't have any crime Right, I just want to throw that out there and make sure we all are on the same page um There's crime happening everywhere and just as like the same as back home You always need to be aware of your surroundings Obviously, you need to travel smart whether you're a man or a woman or whoever You need to just always pay attention to your surroundings and just act smart Right. So, um, just want to say that um And also it doesn't mean that like the the other countries like thailand vietnam and lasia that they are not safe Or that if you go there, you're gonna get mugged or something. That's also not what i'm saying Um at the same time also if you go to you know, if you go to singapore Something also could happen like obviously no place is a hundred percent safe. Um, but Those those places have the lowest crime rates. So those are statistics. Those are facts Okay That's just what I want to throw out there And um, yeah, also south korea. I mean i've been living in south korea for almost six years now I also find it very safe Um, especially recently i've seen a lot of tig talks where they you know It's like 3 a.m. 4 a.m. In the morning and people are just going out in their Adidas slippers and going to the convenience store and it's fine, you know and people from like Europe or um, the u.s. They are like mind boggled about it. So All right, we have an answer from gwendolin great She says yes, i'm from malaysia malaysia isn't as safe as say japan and singapore But i'd say definitely safer than an american fret row That's awesome. Yeah, so um Definitely, I agree. Yeah, so thanks for your input um Has anybody else been to asia before traveled solo there or not even solo if it was with somebody It's fine too. Um, and how have you felt there? What country have you been to that you feel safe or did you not feel safe that something happened to you? so I definitely have a story um from china when I lived in china and We were out in like a downtown area me and my friend actually and we were just walking and it was very crowded A lot of people and nothing happened to us, but like there was a couple in front of us um, so a guy and a girl and she was wearing like a backpack um and There were like two guys walking behind them and we saw one guy tried to open the backpack and like pickpocket something out of her backpack We saw like he tried a couple of times To get something out of her backpack and so we were like, oh my god. No, we have to tell her So we like went up and we were like, hey, this guy's trying to like pickpocket you and he was like, no no, I didn't not i'm not and um They were like all things and then they just left like the guys with the girl with the backpack and then We were like, oh no, like now the guys who tried to pickpocket them because we saw them kind of Leaving the area and going back to a group of more people. So we're like, oh no Now they're grouping up and we were just two girls. So we were kind of worried So we just took like two separate cars two separate taxis and we went back home We were scared at that point, but yeah, so That's another thing just be smart, you know, and um, yeah Gwendolyn says my top advice is to ask local women which areas are the most and least safe With every city in the world, there are always places that are better or worse for women It's like Linda said us girls have got to stick together. Yes, that's some great advice I mean, like you said every city, you know, there's a place where you Shouldn't go like even not just as a woman, but there's just a place you shouldn't go right with like crime And things like that. So there's some shady areas in every city. Definitely agree and you don't want to go there So that's where I think those facebook groups come in very handy You can ask, you know, hey, i'm gonna travel to this and this and this place What's an area where I should avoid or I know that in Bangkok, um Or no, it was It was Hong Kong. I think I have a friend in Hong Kong and I Visited Hong Kong and I asked her like, oh, what's like a good place to stay at? um And she said, oh, yeah, this area this area this area and I'm like, oh, what about I think it's called chungking mansion Um, I think that's Hong Kong. I might I might be confused, but I said, oh, what what about this area? I keep seeing like really cheap hostels and hotels in this area like how's this area and she like she's like No, don't go there. Like that's very dangerous. That's why the hostels are so cheap There's a lot of like pickpocketing and like crime going on in that area So please please don't go there like stay in this area pay a little bit more, but like you're fine So definitely reach out, you know to people who are in that place where you want to go to and get some advice Hey Vidya Vidya says hey linda here after a long time. Japan is a safe place for sure Yes, I agree. Japan is very safe and the locals are also very very polite very friendly and Actually, it's part of their culture to Like they wouldn't pickpocket anybody or they wouldn't do anything like up like in the open They have this thing like lose face So if like they were committing a crime and other people would obviously see them committing a crime That would be like the worst for them. Like their reputation would all be gone. They would lose face So that's like the worst thing for a japanese person. So that's why they usually don't do anything like that They might do like other shady stuff like in the dark, but not like in the public mug you or like do anything like that um Yeah, and also south korea. Um, that's Very fun always here like a lot of people go to cafes coffee shops like starbucks or like other little coffee shops for Like work or studying. So they would bring like all their stuff They would bring their phones. They would bring their books They would bring their laptops and they would be be there and work all day and um Alone Sometimes in a group but mostly alone and i've done it before I went to a coffee place And I just worked on my laptop alone and then at some point I mean you've got to do what you got to do you have to get up you have to go to the bathroom So then you just get up they leave all their stuff on the table Go to the bathroom and come back and everything's still there like nobody would touch your stuff in south korea And I think that's true for japan as well Um, I don't know about singapore. I feel like maybe in singapore 2 Not sure But that's what it's like in south korea like you can leave your stuff You can leave your phone your your laptop On the table in starbucks go to the bathroom and come back and it'll still be there So that's what makes south korea also very safe. Of course, there's some other issues It's not a hundred percent safe Um, but yeah, I really appreciate that and I really like that about korea Plus there's like cameras everywhere. So people also are, you know, kind of refrain from doing stuff like that So, yeah Christy says I felt really safe while I was in china No one harassed me on the streets But there can can be a lot of other crimes in the esl industry when it comes to switching schools And getting permits documents on time, etc. For example bribery forgery and so on Just got to be really cautious with recruiting agents and some schools. Yes, that's actually a really good point um And it's true especially for china I think and probably other countries too, but I've also experienced that for sure um in china with like, um, you know faking documents and stuff like that and the school would be like, oh, no It's fine. You're fine. You're fine. But then if somebody checks Like it's on you you're screwed and you're you get deported, right? I mean the school also has to pay a fine. But like There's you know, a lot of people coming in and out of china so they could get teachers all the time, I guess Um, so that's how that stuff can happen Um, but yeah, and also what I want to mention, you notice these little stars behind some of the countries here like Hong Kong So those are the places just a little bit of taffle info that have these um teaching programs Available so those are great places. Um, those are safe places for us to go and um, they have teaching teacher placement programs So hong kong has the net scheme And I know a couple of you guys you've seen the live about those. I have a special live about government Government run teacher placement programs Um, I did that a couple weeks ago so you can go back and check it out in the playlist Um, I highly recommend it So hong kong has the net scheme which you can apply to and then get placed into schools in hong kong So does japan. It's called the jet program in japan and south korea also has a program Actually two programs called um epic And the talk program So just a little bit of um extra info for you guys Especially for first time, you know, if you don't know anybody in that country It's easiest to just apply to um to the program and they get placed there You also get a lot of assistance typically from those programs They have staff who take care of you from the moment that you set foot Unlike the ground from the airplane They pick you up. Um, they you know, give you an orientation. They give you, you know, a lot of info So that's also something a great safe way to transition into a new place Okay, are we good with asia? Um Can we move on to the next region or are there any more questions about asia specifically? Let me know I know a lot of you guys are specifically interested in teaching in an asian country so And yeah, as you can see kambodia is not on the list. So I don't know what their crime rate Is um, I did not find kambodia on like a safe Safe list um But also I know uh Many people who also women who have traveled to kambodia by themselves solo and they you know, nothing happened to them So like I said, it doesn't mean that if a country is not mentioned here, you're gonna You're gonna something bad is going to happen if you go. That's not what that means either so Yeah, but maybe as a first time, you know, if it's your first time traveling solo or first time like going abroad Maybe pick one of the countries with the lowest crime rates first so that you know, you can kind of You know, you can get experience in solo travel and then you can sort of move on to maybe some Countries that are considered less safe. Um, that's what I would do So, yeah Okay, then I'm moving on to The Middle East So teaching English in the Middle East as a single woman Um can be of course a very tricky region for a woman to move to So it's not everybody cup everybody's cup of tea For sure I think definitely what I hear um the best place to go there is definitely like dubai So, um, I know a lot of um I've heard of a lot of uh women who are you know, who've lived in dubai and they loved it Dubai I have never been sadly. It's high up on my list. I really want to go to dubai um Who said like dubai is really great. It's this modern like place. It's very international So it's actually more than 80 of the people living in dubai are all expats. So that's Very like a lot 80 of people living in dubai are expats So that's crazy to me. I'm really curious to go one day and check it out So if any one of you has been let me know what you think of dubai Um, I think it sounds very intriguing Um, but yeah, so the region can be a little bit difficult, of course for women But the Middle East is also the region with the highest salaries for esl teachers So you kind of you know have to think about it Um, you know, you could do it for a year. Um, maybe you could you you would feel better You know knowing that you make a lot of money, but you might have to um Deal with a lot of different things like a very different culture regarding women in the area Um, but yeah, if anybody has been has experienced with the region do let me know. I would be really really interested Um, but yes, actually the UAE the united arab emirates are among the top 20 countries with the lowest crime rate in the world so And like I said, I actually met this korean girl here in my city who um She was a flight attendant for emirates and she lived in dubai and she really liked it And um, I've heard from a lot of other girls who live in dubai I think most of them do live in dubai and they really really like it there. Um, so Yeah, that could be a good option I see, uh Gwen Cambodia would be safer in numbers. You can still go alone, but make friends there. Okay. Have you been to Cambodia, gundaline? um yeah, so Definitely, I I agree with you there and like I said, that's also where those facebook groups come in very very handy So you can reach out to people on there and um make friends and um, yeah All right Next location we have europe so teaching english in europe as a single woman The lowest crime rates in the region can be found in finland in portugal in spain in switzerland and in iceland so, um I've been to spain and to switzerland and um, yeah, I mean I felt really safe. However with like countries a lot of european countries pickpocketing is a very big problem, especially in touristy areas um, you know, like paris rome melan like those areas so pickpocketing is a big issue. I've heard from Tons and tons of people that they've you know, I had their phone stolen their camera stolen their wallet stolen things like that Yeah, so um juliana asked how about france um, yeah, so I think pickpocketing is a problem in france and um, I think overall at the moment they have a lot of Issues with terrorism So that's why I did not include it in there and it's also not included in the lowest crime rates in the region on the list so, yeah But I mean I know so many people who live in paris and like I said you need to take this obviously as a As a piece of information and then do with that information what you will right like I said If I don't name a country it doesn't mean that that's You know that something's going to happen if you go there. I've been to france a couple of times um, and it was fine. I never had any issues, but um, so You know This is these are the facts. That's the crime rate statistics that i'm going to present to you So take that plus um information from people who are there who've been there who live there who are from there and then Make your own informed Decision whether or not you're going there or not so And like I said, you are not alone You are not alone All right gwendoline says yes I went during high school a lot of southeast asia is like this even if a region is a little less safe Women are safer in numbers. Yeah for sure. I mean you're always safer as a group As opposed to when you're traveling alone. That's for sure Okay cool and so Excuse me You see the stars here. So I just want to mention um for spain They have the cultural ambassadors program That's a really good program that um, I think targets specifically to um, us americans and canadians So you can apply to that program because it's usually more difficult for us citizens and canadians um, so anybody out without a eu passport basically to get a visa Um in europe, right? It's it tends to be a little bit more difficult So spain has introduced this cultural ambassadors program that allows people You know from canada and the us to be placed into schools in spain So that's a great way to get into spain And also that's something that I recently learned about portugal Apparently portugal is a new sort of digital nomad wonderland. They have this special new visa for Non-eu citizens. It's apparently really easy to get For people to come to portugal and work there. So um, if that's something that interests you check it out You can just google portugal digital nomad visa or something like that and then something would come up But um, that's another good option Very popular at the moment as I hear from a lot of girls And digital nomads who apparently love it there It's a great way to set foot into europe for sure All right, then yeah finland I mean all of those nor northern european countries are considered very safe in general But um, it might be a little bit more difficult to get a job there. They also have very tight restrictions um, so what we always kind of recommend is um the check republic um as a good place to start teaching english in europe because of those visa regulations, so in the check republic they don't have as um strict and tight regulations So it's easier to get a visa there And then once you're based there, you can, you know travel to other places Hello, hello teacher. Good morning. I'm hikmat from afghanistan. Oh cool. You just missed the um Middle eastern part that would be so cool to know your perspective Um, should we go back? Let's ask hikmat Because i'm really curious. I was talking about teaching english in the middle east And maybe you can give us some insight that would be really interesting because i've never really i've been to um Egypt that was the only place in like that area unfortunately and then only i changed planes there um, but we were specifically talking about the united arab emirates as being uh, a very Safe place. It has one of the lowest crime rates in the world And especially dubai is a popular place Because um 80 of the population in dubai are expats, so that makes it very interesting and it's apparently also to be Regarded a very safe place for women So hikmat what about other countries in the region? What would you say? Are some safe places for female teachers from abroad to travel to or to go to to teach english? Could you give some insight? That would be really awesome. I'm gonna wait a couple minutes There's always a delay between me talking and then you guys hearing it. I think it's about 20 seconds so, um Yeah, but hikmat let us know I think a lot of us girls are very curious about specifically that region Okay, moses. I guess afghanistan is asia. Yeah, so I mean the middle east is technically asia, right or um, well um Because egypt's also on there. So egypt is africa, but um, the middle east is not so much a geogra like it's not so much a um It's a culturally right the like they share a same similar culture So it's not so much a continent. It's just a region So yes, some countries in the middle east are asia for sure So, yeah, I see your point, but um, I just wanted to separate that because culturally they're very different, right? Asian like east asian southeast asian culture is very different from middle eastern culture So I separated those Okay I don't know if hikmat is gonna, um, give us an answer. Maybe he's typing. So let's wait a little bit longer But thanks moses for the input. I um, I see what you mean and um, I agree Okay, well, um, I'm just gonna move on then from here and if hikmat does give us an answer I'm gonna show it to you guys Okay So you talked about you're up. What else is left? Yes Latin america Teaching english in latin america is a single woman So lowest crime rates in the region are in argentina in chile in costa rica and in peru So those are considered Safe those have the lowest crime rates in the region um Yeah, and also, you notice the little star at chile um, so they also have a um teacher placement program Which is called the um english opens doors program in chile However, because of covet right now, um, it's suspended temporarily So I'm thinking that hopefully next year they will resume that Because I think it's the only program in that region of that sort So that'd be really a shame if they wouldn't continue it But um, yeah, does anybody of you have experience in latin america? I know that Hold on Uh, where is irma irma? Do you have some input aren't you in latin america or am I remembering that wrong? Or hold on Okay Hackman says I come now. I'm so sorry about the subject No, you're good. You're good. We were just thinking because you are from that region So maybe you know something you have some valuable input for us um But it's okay. It's okay Yeah, it's all good So if anybody's been to latin america and would like to share a story or some feedback that would be really great Um, I know that you know, there's definitely a lot of horror stories. Unfortunately coming from latin america So I think a lot of people are kind of scared from Oh Scared from going there. Oh irma says I'm from the philippines. Oh, I'm sorry. Then I'm kind of confused that Sorry Okay So, yeah, that's also definitely a place that I would really really love to go to latin america But then also maybe not solo um I don't know. Yeah, I I don't have much experience with latin america So if anybody has I would really appreciate some input, but um, yeah So the lowest crime rates in the region as said are argentina chili and costa rica and I hear costa rica is really A great place a lot of people go there a lot of like backpackers and digital nomads as well um And there is a high demand for english teachers in all of those countries So I think the best way to if you're interested in teaching english in latin america I would definitely Go to probably chili or costa rica first So chili if you can go through the english open stores program Because then you already have a network of people, you know people from the program who will help you Um or costa rica because it seems to have a very very big expat community I've also heard from a lot of people that Buenos Aires is very very, um That a lot of people visit Buenos Aires and I think also some people that I know have been there and they went solo So that's really cool And of like peru is my Personal favorite. I would so love to go to peru It's high on my bucket list. So I'm really hoping to be able to go soon And guendaline says I would love to go to latin america solo, especially costa rica Okay solo great. Okay. Do you have any concerns about going there solo? um What are your thoughts? katie katie didn't you say weren't you in latin america before wait i'm trying to find your comment Chile you've lived in chile. Could you talk about chile a little bit? Yeah, I've lived in chile for a year as a rotary International exchange student when I was in high school. So how was it being in chile? Did you feel safe there? Were there some issues? Could you tell us a little bit about that? I think that'd be really interesting For other people including me like I want to go to latin america That's like one of those Like that because I've mostly traveled in like europe um and um asia Latin america is just one of those places that are still like Like mystic there's something mystic about them and I really want to go about those countries Okay, anyway, I hope that katie could share some um of her some of her insight when she was living in chile About how safe she felt there and if there were any safety issues or anything like that that'd be really interesting Oh, can you post links? I'm sorry. I ignored that question yeah, so um Oh, hold on. I'm gonna if you google english open stores program Chile So then you can see they're Here they're official website and I'm gonna just post that into the comment section now So you can check that out later Well, I think yeah, it's still suspended at the moment. Yeah They the website says due to the current global pandemic the volunteer initiative is suspended until further notice So um, but there's also an email address listed and they have a mailing list So you could contact them if you're interested in the program and then You know have them add you to the mailing list and then when the program is available again you'll get an email But um, it seems like since you're interested in positions in chile that you enjoyed your time in chile And you want to go back so I guess that's a good sign Okay While we're waiting for an answer from katie um Oh, those are okay. I want to go over a couple of useful tips um For solo travel and solo moving abroad So I just want to mention those two groups again that you can find on facebook That's girls love travel with 1.1 million members And solo female travelers with almost 80 000 members. So those two groups are really really great Um that you can join and if you're traveling abroad or also teaching um, like I said, I did a live with one of the girls from the solo female travelers group before About um teaching abroad. So that was really fun and they're super fun girls and um, you can post your questions there You can connect with people there. They also as you can see here It might be a little small, but they have guides. They also do lives They do watch parties. Um, they um, yeah do all kinds of different things You can also find like you can connect with people who offer, you know, they're you They offer like a room in their house. For example, um, stuff like that couch surfing Things like that. That's where those groups really come in and then, um, yeah So another great tip what I would recommend is getting in touch with the embassy in the country you're interested in And asking questions about safety issues and quality of life So for example, if you want to go to chile, you could contact the um embassy of chile in your home country And they usually have a plethora of information available to you So that's another great resource And speaking of chile, we have an answer from katie or a comment So katie says very safe chile is a very friendly country Especially when you make an effort to learn and speak the language and travel in smaller towns You do have to be aware and cautious of your surroundings in bigger cities It is more common for robbery in the cities like santiago and concepción But it's not in any scarier unsafe compared to other big cities Yes And I think that's also my point for doing this live today I think that a lot of people are just a lot of girls women are scared Of making the move making the leap taking the leap, you know to travel Solo go abroad solo because of all those horror stories that they hear. So, um That's just one thing, you know, it's not it's typically not any less safe compared to other big cities So It's just always, you know on the news we see all those horrible reports always Not saying that, you know all play like it's it's it's a wonderland everywhere. It's also not what I'm saying But we always have to be cautious and aware of our surroundings, you know, no matter where we go So don't let that fear Hold you back from traveling solo or moving abroad to different country Okay, then another tip I have for you are bloggers So bloggers can provide useful insight into what's it really like living in a certain country They also usually have a contact me Email address or of course, of course, um social media that you can ask them stuff at and usually most of them are very helpful You know and very, um, you know, they love answering your questions So yeah reach out to bloggers or influencers. Um, well or instagramers or whatever Living in those places and just send them a message And then also my personal tip start learning the local language before you leave your home country Also, as katie just mentioned in her comment about chile um Knowing some spanish and chile is really helpful and that goes for every country, you know Being able to speak the local language, even if it's just a little bit really goes a long way and also in terms of safety Right. So if you are able to say like fire fire or something Right in the local language it would You know, it goes a long way it could save your life. So, um, definitely, you know buy a little they have like these small like travel language courses or something So, um, those are very helpful And then also, um clubhouse Just want to mention that I am on clubhouse if anyone of you is on clubhouse That's another great, um new platform to make connections. They also have a bunch of different groups um clubs and rooms on there, uh about traveling solo about different countries specifically and if you're actually interested after this live in about 30 minutes i'm doing a, um A clubhouse talk with some other girls from south korea expat girls in south korea and we are doing a clubhouse um talk on there If you're interested in that i'm going to share the link to it if you have clubhouse and you want to listen and join the conversation about living in south korea you can um You can join if you like so In just in 30 minutes about 30 minutes. That's gonna happen. I'm excited about that and Yes, so now q and a is open 30 off again scan this link um, and i'm just gonna Paste the coupon link again into the comment section And then you can keep your questions coming We can do another couple of minutes together and then i'm gonna sign off And then maybe I see or hear you on clubhouse. That would be really great Check that out. So I just put the join clubhouse the event link into the comment box and also our 30 off link in the comment box But same as on all my social media you can find me on clubhouse at linda goes east Um, so feel free to reach out Gwendolyn says thank you for today. Thank you guys for being here again um, I hope it was um kind of helpful and useful obviously I don't have First hand knowledge what it's like to travel or live in all of those places because I'm mostly I mean i'm familiar with europe the u.s and asia So I wasn't able to give a lot of information first hand insight about you know middle east or latin america unfortunately, but um I think that You know this this is a community and we had some great input from people who were in those places I think that's very helpful And um, that's what I really like about our lives, you know, it's it's a It's a community and we all share our personal insight, especially gwendolyn. You shared a lot. So thank you for that katie lots of great input Oh ermma made a comment about I used to do research read and watch videos about living in thailand So things like that, you know Share because like I said in the beginning, you know us women girls. We need to stick together um So Yeah Oh, and juliana said I really want to travel by myself But I studied abroad with a friendly group in france for about five weeks in 2013 Oh cool. Okay Yeah, so I mean I hope that you take the information too hard. I think especially the two facebook groups are really going to be helpful Um, you can make some great connections on there. Um, I hope to see you on there I'm also in those groups and I'm you know, like to share my experience and I like to ask other people as well all right Yes So christie asks will the discount be available after this live? My sister can't sign up right now, but she's interested in getting started with her 120 hour tefl core Awesome. I love that your sister is also joining the tefl fam over here Great. So yes this The discount url will be available the whole weekend through up until monday. So you can sign up Whenever you have time You can also scan this qr code. You can watch the replay scan the code Make sure you copy if you can't use the qr code copy the url from the comment section Or here i'm gonna show it to you guys so you can also take a screenshot So it's tefl core.net slash apply slash question mark cu Equals facebook live minus linda Okay, maybe a little complicated, but um, yeah, you'll find it in the comment section Um, and you can sign up anywhere up until monday to get 30 off Mom would say how can I apply with this link? I just shared you can apply and you can get 30 off Up until monday You can learn tesol and tefl and all that good stuff Okay, this link. Hold on. I'm gonna share it again here You can find it in the comment box if you scroll through you'll find it Um on youtube as well Make sure you look into the comment section And you'll find it there Christina says some great tips and very interesting I'm wondering whether to travel solo or with someone and this is very helpful and encouraging. Thank you. I'm glad Thank you so much. That means a lot to me um, yeah Great so definitely join join those facebook groups if you haven't yet. I think those are really great I know I know I keep repeating myself, but I think they're really great Okay, christie says perfect. Thank you so much Thanks to all of you as well. I know there's a lot of familiar faces I love seeing you every week again again again and a lot of new faces as well and um, yeah so like I said scan the code get 30 off or the 30 off url look for the look for it in the comment section And um, yeah, I hope to see you guys again. Thanks so much You can always watch the replay if you missed the beginning of today's live and I'll see you again next week Uh with another exciting topic. Hopefully so, yeah Thank you so much. Have a wonderful day night evening morning wherever you are Stay safe and I'll talk to you next time. Thanks so much Bye