TEFL as a permanent career

LaVidaLoca

Is it possible? And if so how does one go about it?

Ive done it for 2 years or so in the past (in Ireland) and enjoyed it, so I went on to do a HDip. Ed., assuming I'd need to do it to become a 'serious' teacher.

I decided not to pursue a career in secondary teaching as a result of my Dip experience, but I do still basically enjoy teaching. But I stayed away from TEFL cause of the wages.

Are there any routes to more permanent, well paid TEFL than the 250-300 Euro a week stuff I see around me in Dublin?

petethebrick

You could teach for the VEC in the short term. I'm still a student so I only do it part time but a lot of people I know have gotten enough classes to pursue it full time. The pay is the standard part time teachers rate i.e about 40eur ph so if you can teach say 15 classes per week it would work out ok financially. It would help if you'd be willing to teach basic literacy, maths etc as well as regular TEFL as you'll get more classes. Wouldn't consider it as a long term career as not much security but def good for getting more experience etc

Dalas

I work with quite a few teachers who are qualified to teach TEFL. There are lost of language schools looking for teachers and the hours range from early morning right up to 10 in the evening. If you wanted to you could teach almost all day. I dont think you'd find it a problem to make the money you are looking for the problem is more that to be a good TEFL teacher you need a lot of energy so doing a lot of hours per week can be exhausting and difficult to maintain. Best of luck with whatever you decide!

LaVidaLoca

of forming a union for TEFL teachers?

Its crazy that with a semi-full weeks TEFL (i.e. 20 hours class time), you earn about the same amount of money as a guy in a petrol station on minimum wage who doesnt even have a leaving cert.

KevinDublin

My tuppence worth:

It is possible to make a career out of TEFL, but you have to be very motivated and ready to put alot of time into is. You'll never be rich but it will be rewarding. You'll need to add alot of strings to your bow, get involved with teaching exam classes, ESP (English for Specific purposes), exectuive English course etc...

They'd be the next step up from "regular" TEFL teaching. You could also get involved in Teacher Training (teaching teachers to teach).

There is a big difference between what schools will pay for a short term TEFL teacher, working because they're in between jobs vs a career TEFL teacher.

LurkingLady

Hard to say.
Depends what you want really.

I've got a CELTA myself but I got it mostly so that I can emigrate to Poland and work as a TEFL teacher there (the money is great by the Polish standards, especially for the native English speakers)

In Ireland, your best bet, if you want good money and good hours, is to work with language support in either secondary or primary schools. You get paid standard teacher's rates, so you can live quite comfortably.
Other than that, there's plenty of language schools but it's the usual 15-25 euro an hour.

Would you consider emigrating and working for a year or two abroad, anyway?

KevinDublin

LurkingLady wrote: »

Hard to say.
Other than that, there's plenty of language schools but it's the usual 15-25 euro an hour.

Would you consider emigrating and working for a year or two abroad, anyway?

I'd agree with that, but no way should any TEFL teacher work in Ireland for less than 17 euros an hour. Be very warey of schools offering those kind of low rates. They are probably charging the student very small amounts and so are likely to be visa factories!

born2bwild

i've worked in efl and esl for a long time - i did the hdip last year and now i'm working in post primary doing mostly esl (I also do some mainstream classes and adult classes). I've got a contract that pays me over the summer. My salary at the minute is just under 40,000. i'm much better off now than when i was being shat upon by the tefl fat cats to the tune of 20 eu per hour. I love esl - but I'm realistic enough to see that its only merit is that it gives you a passport to a job overseas. If you want to stay in Irelanddo a H Dip. (PGDE)

LaVidaLoca

I've got a Hdip. But I would really quite literally work in McDonalds than darken the door of a secondary school again.

born2bwild

Why? Because of your experiences as a student or teacher? Paradise it ain't one way or the next...but would you like fries with that?

LaVidaLoca

Ive never hated doing anything as much as I hated shouting at classes full of teenagers.

Whereas TEFL I quite enjoy.

JaneHudson

Absolutely. It's a completely different situation when the people you are teaching have paid their own hard-earned cash to attend your class.

born2bwild

Yeah EFL/ESL is really teaching - as opposed to crowd control - you have to develop all the time or you're sunk. In my opinion a year in the deep end in EFL makes you a better teacher than a year doing the HDip. But but but...you're forever having to deal with the chancers and downright rip off merchants in EFL management. If EFL teachers were unionised things might be different. The likes of the TUI or ASTI wouldn't go near the great unwashed of the tefl world though. Teachers and teacher unions are very good at protecting their turf and that includes drawing the line at the edge of the pale. For all the wrong reasons, private sector teachers of EFL (and public sector Classroom Assistants) are 'beyond' it. Still, the thing to do is organise. Or you could just take the 'easy' way out (join them rather than beat them and get a a couple of hundred thousand euro behind you, start exploiting teachers and students like mental.)

aibby

I am also a secondary school teacher, but hated it. I want to go back and do a TEFL course, but dont know which school to apply for? I am worried I wont get a job in TEFL after paying lot of money to do a TEFL course.

KevinDublin

Hi Abbie,

I wouldn't worry about it too much... If you are looking towards TEFL as a career, you will find a job.

There are alot of TEFL teachers out there that are not TEFL teachers, they are only teaching for a while to earn a cupla quid until they finish their masters or get a job in graphic design or get discovered as an actor etc. TEFL teachers that are interested in getting into it as a career are few and far between and so a valuable asset to any school.

You also be surprised at how fast you climb the TEFL ladder, if you are committed to it.

Which TEFL cert to to? Any of the ACELS accredited ones. IH and Annalivia seems to have the best reputation at the moment.