Volunteering overseas versus working to earn more travel money

James from Orlando wrote to pose this question:

"I might have a chance to teach English in Spain. I will not be paid, but I will only have to work 10-15 hours per week in exchange for housing with a host family. The problem is I don’t think I will have enough money to go anywhere else after the 2-3 months are up. Any advice from the pro?"

This is what I told him:

"Volunteering as an English teacher is a great way to get to know a country and a culture. Paid or not, it’s a superb vagabonding option. Hence, I think you could teach for 3 months in Spain, and come home with a great cross-cultural travel experience, even though you stayed in one place the whole time. Indeed, people who come home with a rich experience of one place have often accomplished something more significant than those people who try to jam a dozen countries into the same amount of time.

"That said, however, you do have travel options beyond your initial teaching experience in Spain. One option would be to work in the United States and save up as much money as possible – a travel “nest egg”, if you will – to use once your volunteering in Spain has finished. You might also be able to find an under-the-table side-job in Spain, such as bartending or construction labor or IT work (just don’t expect these to pay well). The best option, however, may well be to get certified as an ESL/EFL teacher. That way, you can put your Spain volunteer teaching experience on your resume, then move on to find paying teaching jobs in eastern Europe, the Middle East, east Asia, or South America. I’ve known English teachers who’ve mixed work and travel in such a way that they’ve been “on the road” for over ten years!

"For more information on teaching overseas (including certification), or overseas work in general, check out the Resources listings in Vagabonding, or subscribe to Transitions Abroad magazine."