Spotlight On The UK (Summer Camps)

It is common knowledge that many EFL/ESL teachers fare relatively better abroad than at home – there are definitely exceptions but many people quite accurately assert that wages are not particularly good for English language teachers in English speaking countries given the cost of living.

Still, many people who can work at summer schools in the UK do so. I haven’t worked at one, but as I understand it hordes of foreign students – typically middle school to college-aged – come for short-term periods to do intensive classes; teachers may work many many hours and go on excursions with students as chaperones or organize extra-curricular events as well. Schools very often provide accommodation for students and because of this may also offer accommodation for teachers.

While the wages may not be amazing given the number of hours worked, summer camps offer many people the opportunity to make a chunk of money in a short period that they can bring back to a lower-wage country. Find job ads galore at TEFL.com, and to a lesser extent Dave’s and ESL Job Feed. [Update – search TESall.com as well for “summer camps“]

The catch for many EFL teachers is that those from non-EU countries are very unlikely to get work authorization; there may be mechanisms in place, such as working holiday visas, for citizens of some countries like – (off the top of my head) Australia, New Zealand and perhaps Canada – to work legally for some period, but word at the Dave’s ESL Café UK Forum is that it is very difficult to find work without the proper authorization as there are a plethora of teachers from the UK available. If your from the US, don’t complain too loudly, it’s perhaps equally difficult for others to work and even just visit our country!