Teaching English in Africa is a challenging but fun way to travel internationally but it does have its hurdles. One of the first challenges with working in Africa is finding housing in BURKINA FASO. It will always be different from your home country in the west. Finding a place to stay is your first challenge and hopefully your employer will have housing set up for you in BURKINA FASO. If not, then find out how the locals locate and rent affordable housing in the capitol city Ouagadougou.
Usually, the first thing they will do is direct you to the Africa English language website to look in the rental advertisements. This year there are approximately 80,000 internet users in BURKINA FASO. This is a growth in internet use of 700.0 % from the year 2000 until the present. Today, believe it or not, 0.5 % of the population is on the internet in BURKINA FASO of all places. So the chances of you finding a good real estate website are high. This is ok if you by chance are working for a large BURKINA FASO company that is paying you a nice salary paid in Euros or Dollars. This does happen of course but it is rare.
This will give you an idea about rent but also ask about utilities, but especially about wireless access. The percentage of the population of BURKINA FASO that uses the internet is 0.5 % so if you look at apartments with your laptop on you will find out which apartment has the free wireless access.
Usually, one of the BURKINA FASO English teaching staff can help you look in the BURKINA FASO paper for a place. Learning English online is very common around the world and your colleges at work will be able to translate for you. Some teachers continue to learn English by even taking downloadable lessons that include ESL word games with native speakers for teachers.
How are things heated or cooled in BURKINA FASO? How much does the teacher pay? What does it cost to get the utilities turned on? How much is internet access? Are there electricity outages? What about the water situation? Does it ever get cut off, if so, for how long? Some countries use propane cylinders instead of a line directly into the house. How much do the cylinders cost to buy and refill. Do they deliver them or do you have to carry it? They are heavy when full.
If you are short on money and or want to learn the ropes from a local then ask about being a roommate/flat mate with a local teacher. Be for warned that this can be challenging for the most experienced of expats. If you have the money then renting your own place does give you privacy and sanctuary from the stresses of being a foreigner. Deposits are normal expenses that you need to be prepared to pay upfront. In some countries the entire year’s rent is paid on signing of the contract. If this is the case and you are not able to pay that much then try and room with another ESL teacher. There are also youth hostels, small hotels or occasionally the school has a guest house that has single rooms. This is not a great situation to be in but until you get enough for your own place or a roommate then many a new teacher made due until then.
Furnishings can be as expensive as you can afford in Ouagadougou. Your local friends will expect you to buy new since you are the “rich” foreigner but don’t feel obligated. Even thought Ouagadougou has everything you do at home don’t do it. There will usually be some market that sells used household goods. Most everything you need will be found there from the stove to pots and pans. Do bring your own bedding from home. An eye mask and ear plugs are also a good investment. Traffic noise can be very loud even lasting until late in the evening. Bring a battery powered alarm clock but beyond the clock or battery powered appliances don’t bring electrical appliances with you if they are 110 volts. Keep those to a minimum until you arrive in country.
In Africa everyone else uses 220 volt electricity so your hairdryer is useless. Even if it does have a converter on it, the dryer will burn up very fast. A lap top with back up batteries is crucial to writing lesson plans and keeping your sanity. Do not show them your lap top but find good websites for them and send the students to the local internet café. The percentage of the population of BURKINA FASO that uses the internet is 0.5 % so you can be assured your students know how to access the internet. Your laptop won’t get damaged and jealousy issues with locals will be lessened if they don’t see such an expensive appliance. There are also many online resources for ESL teachers living abroad and learning English online is fun for your students. The more you can live like a local and act like a local, when appropriate of course, the better time you will have while living in your new country.
George W. Bellas MA has his Masters in TESL with 18 years experience. He has been a Fulbright Scholar to Turkey, where he did ESL video materials development and in-service teacher training. He is the creator of English4All, a free website fro learning English as a Second Language. He is also the Managing Director of Global Span TV an ESL educational services charity.
