TEFL Jobs and Opportunities

Teaching English to Young Learners

In many parts of the world, parents see a good knowledge of English as one of the most important aspects of their children’s education. Young learners are usually classed as kids between six and 12. There are opportunities to teach young learners in all of the major TEFL destinations.

Teaching young learners can be a good introduction to TEFL, as your students will have a lower level of English knowledge. It is also considered to be one of the most rewarding age groups to teach. Our specialist TEFL certificate in Teaching Young Learners should come in handy if you fancy teaching youngsters.

Teaching Business English

An increasing number of employers around the world are demanding that their executives and top level management have excellent English skills, so they can network and clinch deals with international clients. This has led to an increased demand for TEFL teachers with some training in Teaching Business English.

Due to the market’s reliance on medium to large-scale business, many business English opportunities are found in larger cities. The real growth market for business English are the stronger economies of Asia, such as China and South Korea, and the key players in the European Union.

Private Tutoring

Teaching English privately, usually on a one-to-one basis, can be both profitable and flexible. It can be an excellent way to supplement the salary from your TEFL job and some people even manage to make private TEFL tutoring their main source of income.

There are challenges and rewards to being a private TEFL tutor. You’ll usually need to find your own students. Teaching one student for an hour can be challenging as there is little scope to ‘relax’ as you would in a normal class while your students do group work. However, if private tutoring suits you, it can be both personally and professionally rewarding. Training to Teach English one-to-one is available here

Teaching English in Schools

There are two main types of schools you could teach in:

State schools
Because these schools are run by the local authorities, they offer a reliable and (hopefully!) well organised teaching environment. You’ll have the chance to teach kids aged anything from four to 18. The wages are normally pretty competitive and there’s little chance of getting ripped off.

Private language institutes
Most major cities across Europe, Latin America and Asia have a number of private language schools. When working for private schools you’ll need to do a little research to make sure you find a reputable school. The top private schools offer great benefits: a stable income, a regular working week, a long-term contract and, in many cases, slightly higher salary than in state schools.

Teaching English in Universities

TEFL jobs in universities are considered by many to be among the best English teaching jobs available. The working conditions are good, the wages are a little higher than in private and state schools, and the students are well educated and usually already have a decent level of English.

In many countries, university jobs are reserved for people with higher degrees (MA/MSc), higher-level TEFL certificates or DELTAs and teaching experience. But it’s worth checking the local job sites and newspapers once you arrive in-country.

Teaching English for Specific Purposes

Teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is often divided into EAP (English for Academic Purposes) and EOP (English for Occupational Purposes). ESP is further divided up into business English, professional English (e.g. teaching English to doctors and lawyers) and vocational English (e.g. teaching English for tourism, nursing and specific industries)

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) usually revolves around teaching students to use English in order to study. It’s a branch of TEFL that has grown in recent years due to the number of students taking on higher-level studies in English.

Conversational English

Conversational English focuses on spoken English rather than teaching written English and grammar. Asia is perhaps the biggest market for this type of TEFL teaching. Teaching conversational English is a great way to get started in TEFL, as you don’t need lots of previous experience and if you can speak English, you can teach conversational English.

Volunteer Teaching

If making a difference in the world is more important to you than making cold hard cash, volunteer teaching is a great choice. NGOs, charities and locally run teaching projects operate in developing countries worldwide. Volunteer teaching is also a good way to build up your resume and improve your TEFL employment prospects.