Hello all! I would like to teach english in China/Korea/Japan. I know these are hotspots for english teachers, but I also know that some teachers end up breaking their contracts, either because they were planning on bouncing around anyway or simply because it turns out they do not actually like teaching! I am a first time teacher, and have never lived in any of those three countries but have always been fascinated with all three culturues and just looking for a complete change in life. That said, I would feel sorry breaking a teaching contract if having commmitted to a year. But seeing as I'm sure there must be open posts from people who have broken their contracts, how do I find these jobs or shorter term positions in general? Is it necessary to sign a 1 year (most of the postings I'm seeing online through recruiters or EPIK/JET seem to be 1 year). Thanks!

I'm wondering if anyone else is currently preparing for the Delta Module 1 exam in June, and would be interested in forming some kind of study group?

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These are the two primary countries I am considering doing my tefl program in. I was wondering how job outlook, pay, expectations, programs, how everything compares to each other. I have a bachelors degree in public health and Spanish, I’ve lived in Costa Rica before (interning and studying) and visited Mexico (love their expat culture). I speak Spanish too! I’m also considering getting a masters in tesol to perhaps get employment with a university later on if I really enjoy teaching English. Let me know what you guys think?!

I teach at a holiday school where we have foreign teenage students who stay for a week. This means adapting to many different levels quickly, and the past week I have had very high level students aged 16 who have scored B1+ on their entrance exam. I was instructed to use my business English lessons to challenge them.

The feedback has been extreme - half said they’ve loved my lessons and I’m their favourite, the other half said they were bored stiff. No inbetween. The feedback on the older male teachers was 100% positive.

I look at my lesson plans and see lots of STT, games, role plays, quizzes, and mostly I’m just confused. I’m the only teacher who uses audio, video, technology to my advantage. I’m the youngest teacher there and work hard to vary my lessons and keep them relevant and fun, as well as building up a good rapport. Are there any tips to achieve a better result with the students when they’re so high level and have demanded intense lessons to reflect this?

I'm CELTA qualified, but out of practice, currently living in central Lisbon. I'm a native speaker with full rights to work etc.

Does anyone have any recommendations for schools in Lisbon where I could teach English a few hours a week? I wouldn't be able to work full-time, but could do evenings.

Alternatively, any sites that people have found useful?

Hey everyone! Just curious as to what happens after you do contracts in TEFL. What are the career possibilities/progressions like? I know you can build up a great resume doing multiple contracts, but is it possible to branch into anything else? It's definitely something I'd love to do, I'm just considering all my options and taking a look ahead, I guess. Thanks in advance!

Hey all,

Recently travelled and entertaining the idea of teaching overseas - particularly Southern Europe or South America. Currently have near five years experience teaching English here in Australia. I would be keen to continue in an high school/international school or even a tertiary college.

What are some popular TEFL/CELTA courses people have done and what are some popular agencies to go through? As I work full time and live 2 hours from the CBD I was hoping for an online one course.

Cheers!

Hi there everyone, I would like your opinion on the matter that follows - today I had an interview for an ESL position at a local school in Macau, and the 'interviewer' ( he was a non native English teacher) started asking some questions related to Math, where he gave me some Math problems to solve. Is this something normal in China/Macau/HK? I have been to other interviews here and where I am from, and I have never had anything like it.

I couldn't solve any of the Math problems (which were secondary level problems), but I think that's beyond the point. I studied and dedicated my professional life in acquiring skills to become an English teacher. But now I do wonder if I actually need to study some Math...

Hi all

I’m currently doing my grammar module and working through the noun unit. So far got 100% on both quizzes, first time.

Now I did the quiz on abstract nouns and failed with a 50%. I looked through my answers and I still stand by them. I’ve even googled them and Google agrees with me.

Even the quiz seems to agree with me as it has now labelled the nouns by what they are (I.e idea, concept, feeling etc.) and these match the definition the course itself gave of abstract nouns. One of the nouns it is saying I was wrong about is belief, which is literally in the definition of abstract noun the course provided. Another was an example the course gave itself previously but is saying I’m wrong about.

It’s making me feel really annoyed and kinda stupid because surely I’m just missing something right?

They’re all true false and I can see my previous answer so I could easily just change it and get 100% but I don’t want to without knowing if I’m actually right or not.

Has anyone else had this trouble with TEFL.org? Am I misunderstanding what it’s asking and how to answer correctly? I don’t see how I would be because the question is “is the word an abstract noun” and I’m clicking “true”, as in it is an abstract noun. Am I just wrong about these certain nouns?

Here are the nouns it’s telling me are not abstract: Belief Luck Education Trust Beauty (this one I’m actually unsure about, I didn’t realise how philosophical I could get over nouns 😅)

Thanks if you’ve read all this 😅

I have an interview for a summer TEFL position in a further education college. This would be great for my CV! What sort of questions can I expect from the interview? It's 20 mins long if this helps

Hello sub,

I am someone interested in teaching English. Some background: I am from the United States, in my early thirties, and have studied Spanish seriously for almost five years and I can handle things pretty well. I enjoy the language learning process, and I am familiar with using a multitude of approaches and media to this end.

I have some travel experience, having been to Argentina few times, the last time being a month-long vacation mainly in CABA (Buenos Aires). I loved and I am seriously considering returning, but I am also open to traveling to other locales as well. I have been allowed to sit in on a few TEFL class sessions, in-person and online, with someone that I know well and I really enjoyed the experiences. I have also participated in language exchange and mutual teaching on the mobile apps Hellotalk and Tandem for almost five years, and I really enjoy helping people out and learning in turn.

I have a bachelor's degree in business administration, and my professional experience was first in building material retail sales, then almost ten years in aerospace parts repair, and now I am in insurance adjusting, which is not for me.

I feel that I have something to give to the world utilizing my language skills, patience, the pleasure I take in teaching language topics, and desire to build cultural bridges. All of my language partners, in-person contacts as well as digital, repeatedly tell me that I have a gift for this.

From my research I have gleaned that I should acquire the CELTA certification. Is there a way I should prepare for this? Are there advantages to getting this done abroad? I know there is a program for it at a university in a neighboring state.

Also, with respect to your own TEFL journey, is there anything you wish you had known or that you think would be beneficial to know? What can I best do to prepare for this endeavor?

Thank you for your time.

Hi all, just wondering if I would be insane to do this or whether there are people out there who have done similar ? I'm about to turn 30, male from the UK. I'm a qualified lawyer with a few years practice. But I'm finding life sort of ... Boring? I've got the itch to travel and have been considering TEFL for a while.

Has anyone been in a similar boat? Most posts I've seen are for those who have maybe just left school or university. Am I too old for this? I'm thinking there might not be a better time as I haven't got a house yet (still living with parents)

I'm also a little bit concerned if my race might hold me back too as I've read this can be a barrier for some TEFL jobs. I'm of Indian descent but born and raised here in England.

Thanks in advance!

For context, I am Indian. I have a bachelor's degree with honors in History, a CertTESOL, and will be finishing my DipTESOL by December, both from Trinity College London. I also have 2 years of experience teaching in a high school and an additional year preparing students for IELTS. I want to work in the UK but am aware that might be difficult with the passport I hold. I would, however, like to know what avenues are open to me in the UK . And what other countries/teaching programs should I look into that'll pay me fairly well? And should I look into any other/higher qualifications to improve my chances of landing a good job in the UK? All advice and suggestions are appreciated.

Hii My boyfriend and I want to go teach abroad in 2025. We will be starting our TEFL course soon. I am a South African citizen, however; he is from Namibia with permanent residency in South Africa. He has a Namibian Passport and it will not be possible for him to obtain a South African passport.

He has a Masters degree and did all of his studies in English.

Will his Namibian Passport be a problem when having to secure a job?

Hi there, I'm looking to get a working visa to Beijing to be closer to my partner. I have a UK bachelor degree and I'm doing an online TEFL course. Any advice of what jobs I can apply for, a quick look online reveals that most require a masters degree.

Thanks for all advice.

As title says, looking to see if anyone has/had experience with said program. Tried searching online and couldn’t find much info..

I know how hard it would be to find work in the European market as an American/non-EU citizen, but my sister and her French husband are moving back there soon and I kinda wanted to try and find work within the EU for that reason.

If I pursued a CertTESOL or CELTA certification, applied for a student visa thru language courses at a local uni wherever I wanted to teach, and, say, found housing through being an au pair to get around how little I can work with a student visa, what are my chances for actually pulling all this off?

I wanted to post on a Higher Education sub, but couldn't find an active one.

I have a Bachelors in Spanish and Linguistics. I then did a TEFL course in Latin America and have been here teaching English for over a year now.

I have met someone and we are going to get married and I will apply for residency next year. Once I have residency it will open the doors to a lot of other jobs.

I want to do an Online Masters Degree. But I am not sure what to pursue.

I was thinking one of the following feilds: TESOL / Linguistics / Education / Teaching / Translation Studies

I really do enjoy teaching EFL but mostly Adults and Teens rather than young children. I've also started teaching mostly online which I enjoy but there's not much money to be made...

My Spanish is not perfect or but I am getting fairly fluent and also continuing to take classes as well. The

Thanks for any ideas or advice!

Hi everyone,

I'm soon going on maternity leave and want to use the time for professional development. Can anyone recommend good certificates for teaching Business English? Any experiences or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks!!

What should I be expecting/asking for as a fresh graduate in entry level positions in english schools? I have a BA and a Trinity CertTESOL but only sporadic experience (a few months in one school, a few months volunteering at community groups). i know italy is notoriously difficult to survive in for bottom rung ESL positions. I do have EU citizenship

Haven’t been able to find much information/posts about teaching in Sri Lanka here except from some really old ones. So, does anyone here have experience in teaching there? Is it difficult to find a job now? And as far as I understand, a BA degree is not necessary to be able to work, is this correct?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Hi all. I'm about to start teaching some English courses at a tutorial center in Hong Kong. In my materials, I try my best to be as original as possible, but some exercises here and there I found from the internet. As long as I state where I got the exercise from like "Source: URL," is it ok to use? Could I get in trouble for using online resources? What if I adapted them and changed up a few words?

Thanks in advance!

I only applied yesterday and have an interview tomorrow so I’m feeling quite unprepared. If you have interviewed with Korvia, or similar agencies, what kind of questions do they ask?

My friends are teachers and they wish to transition into an ESL Educator. This is for the beginners. Ranging from topics to methods, which sites do you all usually refer?

Came across them on Dave's ESL Cafe, just wanted to know if anyone else has ever taught through this program before. They have a lot of programs so it looks cool, but I feel like if I go through them I'd make less than just finding a school in a given country

https://www.liveabroad10x.com/program-area

I just finished my MA program and was interested in teaching English in Thailand. The general tone of this subreddit seems to indicate that teaching English in Thailand is no longer very feasible.

Should I just rethink this?

Which countries are the best in your opinion? I was thinking of applying for contracts in China, Japan, and Korea, but what's your two-cents on how stable and safe all the countries are? I love them all, but my parents are expressing a lot of concern over their political state (and the overal political climate of the world right now, given coronavirus and several other things happening in Asia at the moment). Is teaching English as a second language a good idea right now? Why or why not? I'd love to do it, I'm just trying my best to think things through as carefully as possible before I commit to going overseas, as it's a huge decision. Was there anything you wish you knew about tefl before going in? Thanks in advance!

Hi, I am about 48 and have been working in IT for close to 20 years. I want to move travel while working and I feel teaching English abroad is the best option. Anyone moved to that life later in life or in a similar situation.

Also, I grew up outside of USA, but speak native level english. Will that reduce my chances of getting a job?

TIA.

Hello. I'll start with my background so you get an idea of what I might need. I am almost 50. I have an undergraduate degree (English) and a recently attained 120-hour TEFL certificate. My spouse's work takes us around the world every 4-5 years and my teaching experience is comprised of tutoring on Cambly, which is essentially conversation practice for most of my students.

I would like to further my education in order to have employment opportunities as a real English teacher. What should I study to be qualified to teach English in a school? Should I look for an online teaching credential program? A Masters program in TESOL? An online MAT (Master of Arts?) ...What do most schools (e.g. international schools) want English teachers to have?

Again, I am not in the US and in 1-2 years we will move to another country--most likely another developing country (as though not all are developing). This time when we go, I would like to be able to get a job. Thank you.