It may look like a strange career choice to some, notes Adam Simpson in his first article for the TUP website, but teaching English as a second or additional language opens the doors to living and working in a wide variety of places all around the world. For people with a desire to travel the world and experience other cultures, teaching English offers an exciting career alternative. If you are willing to leave their comfort zone and embark on a life teaching English, there are a few things you can do to make this a rewarding experience.
Take an introductory course
You’ll struggle to get started in teaching English as a second language if you haven’t taken an introductory course. A typical ”teaching English as a foreign language” (TEFL) course will offer you a comprehensive foundation in the basics of language teaching theory, as well as giving you practical ideas about how to put this philosophy into practice. Furthermore, an introductory course is more often than not a precondition for the better entry level jobs: without a basic qualification you could struggle to find the job that feels right for you.
Introductory language teaching courses come in many different shapes and sizes, from short, 20-hour classroom-based courses, to the more comprehensive 120-hour courses which generally offer a combination of online learning and practical experience. Basically, the more rigorous the language teaching training you do, the better chance you’ll have of landing the best TEFL jobs. The safest route to take is to take a four-week hands-on course. Remember: it’s possible to do such courses in your home country, or in the country you want to live in.
Research
After having gained your language teaching qualification, make sure that you don’t rush into applying for teaching jobs. At this point, it’s worth doing some research. A useful thing to do at this point is to join an online TEFL community to talk with people who are already language teachers. Doing this will enable you to decide if you want to go abroad to teach or whether you’d prefer teaching English in your home country.
At this point it’s also a good idea to investigate the different visa, government and job requirements to make sure that you’re actually able to live and teach in country you’ve set your heart on. This is a worldwide profession and every country has their own rules about foreign language teachers, so don’t get caught out.
Applying for jobs
After working out where you want to teach, the final step is to start applying. At this stage a laptop and internet access will be essential. There are three main routes you may wish to consider.
Your first option is to use a recruitment agency or job placement service. You’ll probably find that many of the major TEFL course providers offer a job placement service which will help you find work abroad. Generally, the employers will have an existing relationship with the course provider. An alternative is to search online for job agencies. One drawback to using such an agency is that you may not get as good a deal in terms of salary and working conditions as you could have if you’d applied direct to the employer.
An alternative to using an agency is to find work independently. This may require substantially more leg-work, but you’ll end up having more control about where you end up teaching and the job conditions. There are lots of online job sites where you can find current positions. Alternatively, if you’re already in the country you want to teach in, you can check out local English-language newspapers and magazines. You can also drop in on local language schools; more often than not they’re looking for new teachers.
A third option is to participate in volunteer teaching. Voluntary organizations are always looking for teachers and this is a good way to get started teaching English. Although you won’t receive a salary for such work, all your expenses are generally covered and you will be helping to build a fairer world. Also, you will escape your usual routine and experience a culture different from your own as part of a large international organization.
If you’re willing to commit to a little initial training, teaching English as a second language can prove to be an extremely rewarding career.
It’s a limited view that one introductory course will adequately prepare one to teach English. Some places will accept this, but they will nearly always be of lower quality and pay. TESOL certificates are a good way to get better introductory preparation for the classroom.