Good day all.

I feel like this might be an overly talked about subject on these discussion boards, but I'd like some information. I've scanned through some links here and on other sites but haven't found things about my specific situation, so anyone who is willing to help or point me in the right direction is greatly appreciated.

First, I'm a 22 year old male, US citizen living in South Florida. I do not hold a degree, which I understand limits my options in just about all of Europe as well as China/Japan/South Korea/Thailand/Taiwan being off limits. Places I'm more interested in information about are in South America, Indonesia, as well as any other country you are aware of that is open to non-degree holding teachers. I also understand pay is considerable less in these countries, but I'm not looking to save money. I just want to earn a wage where I can be comfortable where I live and have enough to see the natural sites of the area, with occassional night life if the area permits.

I'm at the stage where I am trying to figure out what certification I should pursue. I know online courses are not helpful in obtaining qualifications or even a job, it seems they are moreso for people already in the field to learn additional skills. Is this correct?

CELTA and TESLO from what I've gathered seem to be the best, and in my situation of not having a degree would be the only options for me if I wished to obtain legal work. I also want to make sure I'm properly prepare to teach the students, as I do feel they deserve a fair shake. All the advice I get is that I should take one of these certification courses overseas, can somebody give me the benefits to this? I'd prefer to do it in the states, but I'm unable to find those quality of courses here, especially somewhere close to home (as I said, I live in South Florida) where I can get the certification and then go over seas because as I said, I'm not sure if I'd want to fly somewhere, then come back to America, then fly again to my new place of employment. The only plus I can see is if where you get your certification, they will find you certain placement without you having to fly back to my home country. Or would that be impossible considering visa laws? But can someone point me in the right direction to find areas in the United States to take this class?

I want to make sure that if I do get the certification, even without a degree, I will be able to find a job somewhere that fits what I previously said I'm looking for.

I also want to be properly prepared when it comes to money. I know I should put aside $2,000 for the class itself, but what about upon arrival? I understand some countries, especially the ones I'm interested in, sometimes can take up to 6 weeks to receive your first paycheck. Including cost of getting there and providing for myself until I start getting paid regularly (at least by those countries standards), how much should expect to have?

I realize this turned into a long post, but I hope some of you stayed with me and can help. I'm very interested in doing this, I just want to make sure I take the proper steps to ensue as little trouble as possible. Thanks again guys, your help is greatly apprecaited.