Many countries in Asia have experienced a tremendous economic growth in the past twenty years, which has led them to being economic giants. However, many of these countries lack the natural resources every country needs, which is why they are forced to turn to international trade in order to ensure continual success. Everything related to business, diplomacy, science, literature, mathematics, etc. is in English at the international level, which makes this language indispensable for the future of Asian countries.

Like many other students all over the world, many Asian students lack the ability of conversing in English although their school curriculum includes English grammar and vocabulary. English is a very important language to them for two reasons: it is an advantage in the fierce competition for a place in a prestigious university, either national or abroad, and it provides tremendous headway for future employment opportunities. This explains the numerous ESL jobs offered in countries such as Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, and so forth. Teaching English in Asia has turned into a multi-billion dollars industry because of these specific needs for trained professionals.

Native English speakers are generally preferred for the ESL jobs in Asia, be cause they are considered to be the most appropriate teachers for the conversational English that the Asians need to master, so that they can communicate easily with Western people. Those who wish to apply for one of the numerous ESL jobs in Asia should also know that no knowledge of the country's language is necessary, as English training is often performed in the direct method, which is speaking nothing but English in the class.

The largest offer of ESL jobs comes from Japan, where as many as ten million students study English for conversational purposes. This is the reason why the huge demand for English instructors is not addressed to professionals only. Amateurs can also apply for ESL jobs in Japan, or any country mentioned above, but once again native speakers of English are preferred. The demand for English teachers is huge and constant because many of these instructors make the ESL jobs a temporary occupation. Many of them only teach there for a year, or less, due to the fact that they have no training, qualification or experience and are always in the search for something new. Some of these foreign teachers of English enjoy their stay in Asia, and find the salary very attractive. Furthermore, they can increase their income with private tutoring, and some of the established private tutors are known to earn as much as $100 per hour.

These ESL jobs are both full time and part time, and most of the applicants are under the age of forty. The Asian students are of all ages and occupations, from preschool to college students and from housewives to business people.

Those who decide to teach in one of these Asian countries will sign a contract, whose terms vary according to location. Aside from the salary, which is well above the cost of living, teachers have numerous benefits such as health insurance, one month's pay as a bonus, transportation costs. The use of a car or accommodation, or both, may be provided by some schools.