TEFL Finding A TEFL Job
TEFL Job hunting tips from where to find TEFL language schools to how to choose a good one and where to look for jobs teaching English
Spotlight On Section: Table of Contents
If you’re interested in a particular country, look for a post on it here. Also find links to some regional overviews.
As much as I’d like to be an expert on every country in the world (and, okay, sometimes I pretend I am…), in fact I’m not. What I present in the “Spotlight On…” posts includes my general knowledge about that country, somewhat more specific ideas I’ve gathered either from personal experience, different forms of media, or the web, and links to sites which I think a potential EFL teacher would be …
Date: June 22nd, 2007 |
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Are ESL Job Sites To Blame For Unsavory Schools?
The topic of ESL or EFL job sites as the cause of the tefl world’s woes comes up every now and again. Should job sites take responsibility for screening job ads? Should they remove them if there are complaints? And are they responsible for the proliferation of “lemon” EFL jobs if they don’t?
Well, no, to the last one.
These are hard questions to answer – to the first one, given the global nature of EFL work, I think it would be impossible in practical terms to screen jobs well enough to make any difference, and if it could …
Date: June 18th, 2007 |
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Spotlight On India
Home to uniquely phrased signs in English and the best veg food in the world: India. I spent five months there and found the diversity in landscape, culture and language remarkable.
But teaching English? It’s fairly well-known that English is one of the official languages of India, and in fact in many cases is used as a medium of instruction in schools and universities….so who needs to learn it?
The current trend for companies from English-speaking countries to outsource labor for call centers means that there is a whole industry which frequently looks for accent or pronunciation training to standardize Indian English for the non-Indian ears of callers.
My informal perusing of the India forum at Dave’s ESL Café as well as of job ads for such positions in the past leads me to believe that employers sometimes - but not always - require potential teachers to have management, IT or call center experience (in addition to teaching experience). On the whole, the wages seem to be quite good given the cost of living in India, even in cities. Working hours probably vary – call center employees will often work odd hours to fit the common call periods of North American customers, and English language training may be geared around their schedules.
At the moment there are no listings for jobs in India at Dave’s or Tefl.com, but via a helpful post in Dave’s India forum, some links for India job sites are:
Date: June 8th, 2007 |
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Thoughts On A Job Post #10
I’ve omitted details so that this ad is not immediately identifiable. The purpose of this is to share the thoughts of an experienced teacher (me) - who’s found her own jobs before - on a random job ad. Of course you should investigate any opportunity you’re interested in thoroughly yourself - my comments and opinions are just that: comments and opinions! Note that I got ahead of myself and already posted Thoughts On A Job Post #11, so check that out too.
Kindergarten English Teacher
Qulifications required: NONE, experience with children preferrable but not necessary. Personality most important factor [Well, it’s a little startling to see “none” first and in all caps, though given the nature of the work, this does not strike me as unfair. I spotted a typo too.]
Salary TBD: $650-950/Month [I don’t know that this is excellent but it is probably in line with what most EFL jobs pay. But see my comments below on accommodation.]
Passport requirements: NONE, only that you are a native speaker of the local language [oops! I think they mean English].
We are a local kindergarten and require native English speakers to be in the classroom assisting on a full-time or part-time basis. [what is the difference in concrete terms?] No experience is required as you will follow the pre-established patterns of the kindergarten’s English program. [I’d ask for what this entails – it sounds like you are assisting a teacher, which would presumably be straightforward.]
Date: May 25th, 2007 |
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Spotlight On Kazakhstan
When was the last time you considered working in a –stan? I’m always intrigued when I see job ads for Kazakhstan. This is a surprisingly large country (well, it’s surprising to me) with what I presume to be a bustling capital city - yet I know next to nothing about it. I envision an awesome combination of Russian and Eastern/Islamic style of architecture and general design, which definitely appeals to me.
There is, of course, Borat, which I haven’t seen and probably won’t; not specifically for any “protest” reason, …
Date: May 21st, 2007 |
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Spotlight On Eritrea
Eritrea? Yes! Voluntary Service Overseas (see the TEFL Logue post on VSO) is a non-profit organization which coordinates the placement of volunteers with professional qualifications, including a large number of English teachers, and one of the countries in which there is a great need for English teachers in Eritrea.
Eritrea is a country without many natural resources, and as such, “human capital”, which is of course increased through education, is at the top of its list of priorities. VSO addresses a number of issues in Eritrea, including a general shortage of qualified teachers, the current-but-improving lack of capacity to train enough new teachers, and gender equality among teachers – and correspondingly, role models in education for girls – through its volunteers.
You can find out a great deal more about Eritrea and VSO’s work there on the VSO site, including a profile of the country, which includes links to accounts from past and present teachers there, such as Sandy Biggar.
Date: June 21st, 2007 |
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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"]
Date: June 9th, 2007 |
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Yet Another Look At Under The Table Jobs
Inquiring minds want to know about under the table jobs – so here are some common assumptions about under the table jobs and my take on them.
“Taxes aren’t paid.”
I think this depends on the situation. It seems to be a known fact that taxes are in fact often paid on the money earned by people working without the correct authorization in the US – and I think if it is an organized business paying, such as a school, abroad – it is often the same; the deductions made for pension, etc. just don’t go to the individual in question but to someone else. In the informal situation of, say, housecleaning or babysitting in the case of undocumented work in the US or one-to-one private lessons for an English teacher, it may be true that taxes are not paid.
“Under the table jobs are a good way to make cash over a short period.”
Date: May 30th, 2007 |
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New Bootsnall Job Site
The team at Bootsnall asked me to let you know about the latest cool development – it’s not a new Treasure Hunt Contest, but rather a job site. That’s right, in addition to travel jobs within the airline, hospitality and travel writing industries, you can start your EFL job search at Bootsnall by perusing some current ads for TEFL jobs. Or, if you’ve had enough of TEFL but still want a job that incorporates travel, you can peruse those airline, hotel and hostel jobs instead.
Keep in mind that the job site is …
Date: May 22nd, 2007 |
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Signs Of A Good School, Part 2
Finding a non-dodgy school ranks high on the agenda of many TEFL job seekers. But how can you know if a school is “okay” or not? There’s general research – seeing what schools in a region tend to offer – and talking to past teachers – as well as just plain common sense. (You can also read the TEFL Logue’s Signs Of A Good School Part 1.) And of course there are degrees of “okay-ness” ; schools will not all fall easily into the categories of “good” and “bad”, and how good or bad may even vary from year to year.
Here are a variety of things I might look for when first meeting or visiting a school:
Before the first visit, I’d put some thought into what information they offer - on their website, in their job ad, when first speaking to you. How do they present themselves?
Do they provide materials and resources – and not just the class book to teach from?
Do they describe opportunities for development, such as seminars or workshops, without being pressed by you to explain them?
Date: May 15th, 2007 |
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