Visa requirements vary from country to country and often one of the basic requirements to getting a working visa is having a college degree. That's not to say that if you don't have a degree, you can't teach English. There are places out there that don't require a degree, such as China or Mexico, South East Asia, Latin America. You might also want to consider looking at Work Holiday Visa Schemes. Your best bet is to narrow down your country choice and start doing a bit of research. Try looking at this post for teaching options.

People without degree usually fall into two categories, younger teachers and more mature teachers. The more mature teachers often have an easier out. If you can claim life experience, such as 10 or 15 years in a certain field, government officials might be willing to let bend the rules so that you can teach English. However, if you're fresh out of high school or have recently left college without finishing, you'll find that you'll have fewer options. You'll have to find countries that don't require degree or those where you can casually work on a tourist visa.

Other than fulfilling visa requirements, degrees often give you the extra push to get a better job, salary or position.

If you're only planning on teaching English for a couple of years or if you're planning on living in country with a low cost of living for the rest of your career, then you might not need a degree. That being said, if you plan to make teaching English your career and would like to be able to save for retirement, sooner or later, you will probably need a higher qualification. Distance study and courses for mature students are making it easier for everyone to get a college education.

Sharon de Hinojosa (naturegirl321) has lived and worked (mainly teaching English) in the US, Scotland, Spain, the Czech Republic, China, Korea, and Peru. As well as teaching short-term in Venezuela and Taiwan.

She has created The LA Job List http://www.thelajoblist.blogspot.com which lists schools, institutes and universities in 19 Latin American countries which offer English teaching positions.

Since living in Peru since August 2006, she wrote The Ultimate Peru List http://www.theultimateperulist.blogspot.com With 60 pages it's a comprehensive guide for those living in or moving to Peru.