hired on contracts that typically last two years Research has indicated that teaching experiences abroad contribute positively to the intercultural development of teachers (Savva, 2013). TESOL Certification Many teaching positions overseas are for teachers of English and can involve teaching to all ages, including both children and adults. Programs are organized by individual schools, national governments (such as the JET Programme in Japan and English Opens Doors in Chile). The University of Missouri-Saint Louis, like many schools, have required their education majors to either pick TESOL or special education to major in for more specificity. This university, in particular, wants teachers to be more well rounded for future employers. Some programs require teaching credentials and/or TESOL certification. Thousands of people every year choose to do a short course in TESOL or TEFL, and while there is some dispute about the claimed usefulness of brief courses (TEFL, TESOL, etc.) in becoming an effective teacher, after this short course, most employers in almost every country accept that the teacher has qualified and is able to teach English. There are jobs in almost every country for teachers who have done these short TEFL or TESOL courses, and most countries like Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, and especially China struggle to find teacher to fill teaching positions. Many English language schools and companies in China, in recent years, have moved to a strategy more adaptive to this market pressure, and have started employing thousands of teachers around the globe to teach through online teaching, giving quick rise to the new industry of online teachers. See also List of international schools International school International volunteering References Teaching English-language education