Things You Need to know about TEFL Certifications

“You become a TEFL teacher when your life has gone wrong.” – Alain de Botton, Philosopher
Thinking of teaching English abroad or in places of one’s preference? For globetrotters interested to also earn their living as the on demand ESL teacher, here are a few tips that one can consider before plunging into this profession
• Asian and European nations require a college degree: most Asian and European nations require their ESL aspirants to possess a college bachelor’s degree certificate along with a TEFL certificate. Hence possessing both the certificates will prove to be beneficial in the aspirants search for a job in these countries
• Get a TEFL certification: majority of schools and other educational institutes now require teaching English as a foreign language certificate; preferably TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) or TESOL (Teaching English to the Speakers of other Language) which acquaints the participants with the latest ESL teaching approaches and techniques
• Be flexible with an open mind – a prospective candidate may not get job in his or her preferred location but that does not mean that other opportunities from other places are not lucrative enough. Often it turns out to be the most memorable experiences of one’s life
• Thoroughly do the research: the ESL teaching enthusiast’s countries of preference must be based on thorough research as to which provides the best career prospective and opportunities, best salary in the industry, best places to travel, and other features
Life as a TEFL teacher will never be dull and monotonous. Staying and leading life away from one’s native country is itself full of new experiences to share with friends and family back home, travel and get to see some really incredible places, meet some wonderful people; enjoy the local delicious street foods, relax and spend the time without any thoughts.
The career paths that a TEFL holder may come across are:
• Teaching: A job in the teaching profession is the first and foremost job option that a TEFL graduate looks for. Jobs in non-English speaking countries look to employ TEFL graduates who are well aware of the latest teaching approaches and methodologies useful in the ESL teaching market. Get employed in various different education institutes on a contractual basis and get to stay in different places.
• Training: After a couple of years as a TEFL teacher and gaining some amount of experience the TEFL teacher can think of a career in training and development where they can be associated with a certified TEFL training institute and will be providing trainings to aspiring TEFL candidates who are looking to earn their TEFL certificate.
One can also with years of experience, start a TEFL institute for training and developing TEFL aspirants and make them competent enough to teach and travel with confidence around the world.
• Management position: A teacher with a TEFL certificate becomes well aware of the management skills required to smoothly manage and guide an educational institute. Thus a TEFL graduate is eligible for the position of an able academic manager and administrator as well and take his career to greater heights
• Writing and publishing: A TEFL graduate with his knowledge and expertise can also opt for a career in writing a course book on learning and teaching English as a foreign language. True it is that it requires a good amount of research on the subject, but all great work requires effort. It is indeed an achievement when one’s work is published and the reader and enthusiasts are benefitted from it.
• Start an NGO: Many TEFL graduates volunteer or may also open up their own NGOs where they teach the underprivileged children of that area and thus hep in their upliftment and society as a whole
Other than the above options, one can also think of a career as a translator in countries where English is not spoken that often. They have the choice of working for the government officials, besides the option to teach internationally in south Asian countries like China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and even India, Latin American countries and even in the gulf nations.