Get Pesos!

In Making a Living Teaching English Part I, we talked about the overall TEFL market. In Making a Living Teaching English Part II, we talked about training opportunities in the TEFL World. I know it has been a while since Part II, but now it is time for Part III. In this part, I will give some ideas on finding an ideal position teaching English as Foreign Language, including freelance English teaching.

When it comes to finding a TEFL Job, you really have two choices. You can take a job with a school or institute or you can go it alone as a freelance teacher. Both have their advantages and both are better suited to some market conditions. I will start off with taking a job with a school or institute.

Teaching for an institute or school is a great way to get needed experience. You can hone and practice your skills as a teacher and get valuable feedback from not only the students but fellow teachers and management. If you took the the train yourself option for TEFL, this is really a must. You will never be a decent teacher without getting experience and it is not good to get this practice on private students that typifies the freelance TEFL teaching circuit.

Ok, so you want to go with a school or institute? Which is better? I would suggest that if you are interested in the stability of a regular job(visas, work permits, long term career) then I would suggest going with a school. A school usually means less hours, a steady schedule, and long vacations. An institute on the other hand prepares you for the freelance market. The institute wants happy students because happy students re-enroll and that means more money for the school. If you can succeed in an institute environment then you know you can succeed in the freelance market.

How do you find a great job? Well, first off, I would suggest finding a good jobs list and taking the time to see the job offers that flow over a period of a couple of weeks to a month. There are a lot of job lists out there, one of the most eclectic is the one at Great TEFL Jobs. Their TEFL Job List is updated every few days with some of the most interesting mix of jobs out there. Other places to check out in include Dave’s ESL Cafe. Don’t jump at the first offer you see out there, instead observe over a period of a few weeks before jumping at an offer. Pay attention to the going salaries and working conditions in the markets you are interested in. Take the time to visit TEFL forums like ESL Cafe to find out the situation on the ground in places you are interested in.

When it comes time to apply for jobs, apply for as many as you can. My suggestion is to write a killer introduction letter that highlights your experience, training or any other qualifications you think are pertinent. Attaching a photo is a good idea. Don’t attach the resume just yet, I usually put in the email that if they are interested, then I will happily forward a resume. Some will disagree with this approach, but it has proven highly successful. A well thought out introduction letter will contain the highlights of your resume and won’t bog down the employer with too many details too early on.

Once you get your initial responses(a the response rate will vary!), you will know which schools or institutes are serious. I suggest that you check them out with a blacklist site like TEFL School Reviews. If you don’t find anything, do a google search on the school’s name. This isn’t foolproof, but it is a great way to quickly find out if a school has a bad reputation or not. It is much better to catch these things before the contact goes on too long with the school.

Wanna go into the freelance teaching business? Your path is a bit different. My suggestion is to make arrangements to go to the place where you want to live. This takes a huge gamble. If you have a general idea of an area, you can just go and spend a week or so in each place as a tourist, but try to gauge demand for English, the number of other foreigners teaching, and importantly the number of mid-level professionals in the area. Also look at the competition. Maybe even try to find out the going local price for English at institutes. Once you have found your place, the real fun begins.

I suggest renting a decent place with the idea of having some classes in your apartment/house. You want to be settled before you even start teaching classes. Once you are settled, I suggest getting a mobile phone set up, getting business cards printed up, getting a nice suit, and getting a simple website up with information on your classes. You should think about making a rate sheet and a sample syllabus or two as well.

Once you have all needed information, you should start visiting restaurants and pubs frequented by your target demographic, the mid-level professionals. Hand out as many of your business cards as possible, leave them on bulletin boards, give them to casual acquaintances, anyone and everyone. Even if the person you give a card to is not interested in learning English, they might know someone who is.

Your goal is to get a few students and build on that base. If you teach your students professionally, they will tell others about your teaching and you will in turn get more students. With your target demographic, you will make a lot of connections in short order. You will even make some connections to break into the corporate teaching circuit. One foot in the door with a company can land you a contract paying very handsomely.

Will all of this happen overnight? No way. It will take 6 months to a year to develop a large enough base to fully support yourself in this profession, but you will be your own boss and you will make your own hours. Freelance or work for institutes and schools, it’s your choice. I am happy to answer any questions or comments, so feel free to ask away.