Is TEFL Worth It?

If you’ve investigated even a bit in the TEFL field, you’ve probably come across plenty of not-so-great realities: you may have try to sort out which employers are honest and which aren’t, you may have to work split shifts or with a dearth of resources, you might not get paid on time, and you might face some TEFL disorganization. There’s plenty of red tape to cut through.

Culture shock, communication difficulties and homesickness are a part of almost any experience abroad. If you make a mistake or otherwise mess up in class, you’re not in the privacy of your own office – you’re in front of a group of people.

Given all this, you might wonder why anyone would subject themselves to this job. My answer is: the pay off makes it worth the frustrations and challenges and hassles. And frankly, few jobs are perfect. I may not enjoy a lengthy commute to teach, or jaunting off to different locations in the city to hold in-company classes, but if I were working at home, I’d probably face similar if not the exact same challenges. At least with TEFL, you get to live abroad and interact with a variety of locals, a benefit that few other international jobs include.