TEFL 101: The Beginners Guide to Teaching English Abroad
Why teach English abroad?
It is a great way for any native or fluent English speaker to get out and see the world, experience new things, and learn about different cultures. Especially for people who are dying to travel but dont have the money, it is a great way to get paid while you travel. And whats great is that English fluency is one of the most highly sought after skills in the world, but right now the demand for English teachers is far greater than the supply. So it is extremely easy to get a job abroad. It is so easy in fact, that with only a 100-hr and 50-hr online course under my belt, I was able to volunteer as an English teacher in Thailand for a week, and while I was there I met a permanent English teacher who was far less qualified than I, who was just taking the job as a small stop on his long-term travel route.
What is TEFL?
Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) is a certification that any fluent English speaker can get to become more qualified and improve their chances of getting hired as an English teacher abroad and increase their salary.
How do I get a TEFL certification?
You can easily get certified online, like I did. I earned my 100-hour TEFL certificate through TEFL online. The cost of the course is only $150, and it opens up a world of job opportunities for you, literally. I used tutor support, which costs a bit extra, though isnt really necessary. I was sent an email with the lessons I had to complete, then I would send them back to my tutor, who would send me the next set of lessons. The entire 100-hour course probably took me about 60 hours to complete on my own time. The site is great and offers specials every now and then, so I was also able to take a free 50-hour Younger Learner course after my main course.
After you complete your course you will receive some, but limited, job placement help. But there are things you can do to find a job on your own.
How do I find a job teaching English abroad?
The best site I have come across is Footprints Recruiting. It has a lot of jobs with schools that will pay to fly you to the country and house you, on top of paying your salary. It is for people with all levels of experience (providing you are fluent in English), so while you can get paid even with no teaching qualification, obviously your pay rate increases with the experience you have. You can search for jobs in places all over the world, from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia.
This is a great site for beginners too, and it will give you a lot of information about what to expect as an English teacher.
Read about My First Experience Teaching English Abroad (In Thailand)
