oaks3

February 24, 2001

Finding a TESOL job

Finding a job teaching English is not very hard, as these positions are in demand all over the world, including America. Anyone can do it, too, depending on the where one goes and how desperate the country is for English teachers.

The various job descriptions can be very prestigious, from a PhD in Linguistics requirement for teaching in Taiwan to not even being “necessary to be a native speaker for this program” if you want to go to Nepal. Most places require a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in some program. There is something out there for everyone. Of course, the pay corresponds with the experience. Someone going to Nepal can expect to pay “minimal cost for their food and room in Nepal. Nepalese school are very poor so they can not afford” a salary for teachers. This would be more of getting experience, rather than trying to “get rich.”

Not that anyone’s trying to get rich, anyway. If you are lucky enough to find a job in Chicago, the pay starts at $15.00 an hour.   In China it’s $314 a month, working 20 hours a week (but you get to live on campus).   In Sicily, Italy, however, it’s not so bad, bringing in almost $1000 per month, working 26 hours a week. That’s about $10 an hour.   Unfortunately, though, even with a Ph.D., no one usually makes an inordinate amount of money. If you want to have the highest chances, get an education in TESOL or linguistics or English, work somewhere cheap for at least two years to get experience, and don’t try to work outside of the United States. If you are forced to leave the U.S., be sure and work in Europe, where salary is a lot higher than, say, South America.

The time commitment can be as little as one month and as long as two years, with renewal an option, depending on the program. Application processes generally include a resume and copy of the degree. A few more selective ones also ask for a personal essay/letter and letters of recommendation. Some places pay for housing; others pay for the airfare. Some have a costly application fee as well as a program cost. Again, things usually get cheaper and the salary bigger with experience. The application process can be lengthy, taking as long as a month to get the employer if going out of the country. Some companies want to meet in person and interview applicants; others conduct phone interviews while others require no interview at all. Depending on how big of a hurry the potential employer is, the decision might be made shortly after the application is received (or resume emailed, as that is much faster).

Even as an undergrad student, there are opportunities available to us. Less well-known and prestigious schools will take “recent graduates, university undergrads or retirees,” if the situation calls for it. They might not get the well-qualified applicants, but they get the teacher they needed so desperately. A program like this can be appealing because it is for “one year, one month, or several months” – which means we could go during spring term, fall semester, or for an entire year. We could continue our education in the greatest respect – on-the-job training. Such a job would be considered more of an internship, but it would provide a TESOL major with the much-needed experience in order to get a better job after graduation.

Surprisingly, many of the companies that say “BA/BS required” are actually quite flexible when contacted. I contacted a company called Alliances Abroad, which places people in various countries (for a fee) around the world, teaching English at different levels. They had three requirements: “1) Good Command of the English language, 2) Bachelor's degree in any discipline, and 3) enjoy teaching children, learning about other cultures and living abroad.”   A quick email showed, however, that they are willing to take anyone with any experience, and not necessarily teaching. All I had to do was tell them that I’m an English major, and they told me I qualified. (They usually place people in poorer, third-world countries, though, where the demand for English teachers is substantially higher than the supply.) Such things should be kept in mind when looking for a TESOL job.

How do we know if we can trust these places? Well, obviously we cannot know ourselves unless we actually take on the job and try it. However, we can research. It’s hard to find out about a job offer in another country, but if the company has a website, it’s a good sign. If in doubt, ask for a reference. The best choice would be someone who has taught there previously, but it can also be another company that works with them, or a school that they send teachers to. Some placement agencies work for one school only, but others (such as Alliances Abroad) are big, American-based agencies that help schools in other countries.

Thanks to the internet, TESOL jobs, including qualifications and application procedures, are easy to locate. All it takes is some knowledge of the English language, and the more the better. More than that, though, it takes someone who wants to teach English. There is not a lot of money in it; the only motivating factor is desire and dedication. If you have those qualifications, you can get the job.