Careers after teaching EFL? Former TEFLers?

Question

I'm pushing 30 years old. I recently received TEFL certification and have a BA. I probably won't do this as a 20 or 30 year career. Although I'm serious about it and want to be a good teacher while I AM teaching, I'm hoping that I will be able to use this experience to further my career in a different field later. Does anyone have advice on what fields or employers might see my English teaching positively?

Answer 1

Hi!
Firstly, contrary to what people say, there is a lot of scope for progression within EFL - you can go on to become DoS (Director of Studies), Accommodation Manager etc within a large language school. You didn't really say what other fields you're interested in, but if sales is one of them, there are a lot of sales-y jobs in EFL too, eg. Account management (dealing with international companies to sell them your courses, mainly Business English) or co-ordinating the international agents, if your school is in an English-speaking country.
Another field you could easily progress into is recruitment: in the UK, there are a lot of English language courses desgined specifically for the unemployed and if you teach on them , you get trained up in all aspects of job-search and recruitment and it's easy to progress there.
If all of the above is too sales-oriented for you, your experience will also be appreciated in any customer-service environment as, as a teacher, you get to deal with lots of different people. I know someone who went on from EFL into retail management.

Hope it helps

Answer 2

You CAN'T make a "career" out of EFL without further qualifications. A TEFL certificate is merely an entry-level qualification designed to open entry-level doors. Teachers with only a BA and TEFL certificate (like myself) can earn a decent living, but can't afford to BUY property or save for retirement. To actually earn a decent living in EFL you need more education. The DELTA opens doors in terms of EFL training and DoS positions, while an MA in TESOL would open doors in higher education.

I taught EFL overseas for two years. I LOVED the time that I spent in the classroom, but I wasn't happy with the pay. I constantly worried about my future and how I would be able to someday own a home and retire if I was living paycheque-to-paycheque on a working visa in a foreign country. I then came home to Canada and briefly taught ESL at a community college (short-term contract with no possibility of permanent employment, as I didn't have an MA) before enrolling in a two-year B.Ed program to obtain K-12 teaching certification. My EFL experience is HIGHLY regarded in this program, as I live in an area with an increasingly diverse population. The starting salary for teachers in my area (with a BA and BEd) is $51,500 CAD per annum. Compare that to the EUR 11,000 I was making teaching EFL in Italy, and it's pretty obvious which wins out.

I highly suggest that you DO teach some EFL overseas and enjoy every minute of the experience, but also think long and hard about how you're going to provide for yourself thirty years down the road. See the website below for great information (the forums are fantastic).

Answer 3

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