How to Find a Job Teaching English

How to Find a Job Teaching English? As you guys may know, before I was a blogger, I was an English teacher in both South Korea and Thailand.

I dreamed of traveling the world after I finished my university degree but I, like a lot of you guys, had no money. So if I wanted to travel I had to work! Lots of people flood to Australia or New Zealand on a working holiday visa, something I would do a few years later, but I wanted more of an adventure. For sure, working in Australia is fun but it’s not exactly pushing your comfort zones – a similar culture, with similar people, similar jobs.

A great place for a new life, but not the place to feel like you’re truly traveling! That left me with only one viable option, teaching English overseas. But How to Find a Job Teaching English? It’s not so hard, I promise!

The TEFL Industry

What is a TEFL course huh? Now just because English is your native language, unfortunately, that doesn’t automatically qualify you to teach English in the vast majority of countries. Ideally, you’ll have a bachelor’s degree (3 or 4 years), whether as a domestic or international student, but don’t fret too much if you don’t have that, it’s not a legal requirement in every country. Secondly, more countries prefer you to have some level of English teaching diploma – a TEFL. So if you’re wondering How to Find a Job Teaching English, then getting your TEFL should be your first port of call.

There is a million and 1 type of TEFLs these days. Both legitimate and otherwise. If you’re not keen to fork out $1500+ plus for a month long course in person, then an online option is best, and the best online TEFL is run through a company called i-to-i (you can check out their TEFL courses here). Steer clear of new TEFLs, of TEFLs you’ve never heard about, you want one with a solid reputation so that when you’re applying for jobs, the school recognises your qualification.

So your TEFL is now newly minted, you’ve passed,  you need to know How to Find a Job Teaching English, so what’s next?

FINDING A TEFL JOB:

Read on to find out How to Find a Job Teaching English. Depending on whether you have a degree or not, the world is your oyster. Finding jobs has never been easier, so check out these resources to make that search A LOT easier:

1.  TEFL.com

Started in 1997, TEFL.com is one of the longest established and most popular English teaching job websites.

It is one of the world’s biggest real-time ESL job boards. So, it offers a really extensive selection of English teaching jobs.

Many of the site’s job postings are for location-based positions. But, it also posts a plethora of online teaching opportunities.

Visit the job seeker’s section of the site to search for current openings. Where it says “Type of Position” on the job search form, select the option “online” from the drop down menu.  This brings up a list of English language teaching jobs that are based online, rather than location-based.

The site updates its job database daily – so make sure you check back for new opportunities.

2.  Dave’s ESL Café

Dave’s ESL Café is another long established ESL teaching job board. This popular website was launched in 1995, by Dave Sperling – hence the name of the site – a traveler and multimedia consultant.

Now, the website is one of the most popular resources for English teaching jobs. It connects students and teachers from around the world.

The site has three main jobs boards:

• International Job Board
• Korean Job Board
• China Job Board

You can find online ESL teaching jobs on all of these boards. The only downside is, there’s no way to filter job listings on the boards to display online-only jobs.

Tip: An easy way to find them is to click CTRL + F and then in the search bar of your browser, type “online” and hit enter. This will highlight any use of that word on the page.

You can also post your resume to the site. Potential employers can view it and consider it for any positions they may have open in the future.

3.  ESL Jobs

Another great place to find jobs as an English language teacher is ESL Jobs. This job board posts new jobs every day – so there are always new opportunities available.

While this job board does offer a smaller selection compared to the previous sites, it’s still worth checking out.

Most of the jobs on the site are location-based. But, there are online jobs posted occasionally.

ESL Jobs has a section just for online jobs – this is a really handy, time-saving feature. So, check out the online jobs page for opportunities.

You can set up job alerts for the types of jobs that you’re interested in. And, these alerts are automatically sent to you.  This is one of the best features of the site.

4.  ESL Jobs World

ESL Jobs World is another excellent resource for ESL teaching jobs. And, it’s really easy to use!

Essentially, all you need to do is upload a copy of your resume to the site’s database. This shows your availability to employers.

And, when it comes to applying for jobs, you already have your resume ready. So, applying for positions on the site’s job boards is a really quick process.

ESL Jobs World posts a lot of location-based positions. But, it also offers quite a good selection of online ESL teaching opportunities. It even has a section just for online positions.

So, upload your resume, and check out the online jobs sections – you might find an opportunity that suits your needs.

You can also create personalized email alerts – these notify you about job opportunities that fit your criteria.

5.  Teachlingo

Teachlingo is a website that offers ESL/TEFL jobs. So, if you’re looking for English language jobs online, it’s a great resource.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Create a Profile: Your profile needs to include your experience and requirements, as well as a professional looking photo of yourself.
• Upload a CV: This makes applying to jobs easier and shows potential employees your experience, skills and qualifications.
• Create a Video: Create and display an introduction video if you want to increase the number of offers you get.

After you have completed the steps above, you can start searching for jobs that fit your requirements.

The website allows you to filter and sort the results to those that best suit your needs – rather than just offering you a big list of jobs to sort through, as many other jobs boards do.

What’s best about Teachlingo is how quick and easy it is to apply for a job. You can apply to an open position with just a single click.

Recruiters receive your application, as well as your profile and CV, instantly.

And, potential employers can also use filters to search for teachers on the site that could be a match for the job openings they have.

So, if your profile and CV are uploaded to the site and you match an employer’s requirements, then they can send you a job offer straight to your inbox.

6.  TESOL International Association

TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) International Association is a professional organization for teachers of English as a second or foreign language.

And, it also features a job board that lists ESL teaching jobs.

Often, these jobs are location-based. But, you can also find online positions too. So, add this site to your list of resources and check back for opportunities.

7.  ESL Employment

ESL Employment is a website that lists jobs and career opportunities for English language teachers.

The website has a section just for online English teaching jobs. And, it’s updated quite frequently. So, make sure you check back every now and then for new opportunities.

8. Jooble

Jooble is an international job search website used daily by millions of people in 71 countries. Here you may check jobs for TEFL teacher.

NOTES:

Remember to try to find people who have taught at the school you’ve chosen to work for. While the vast majority of schools are amazing, there are some cowboys out there!