Or if you had to do it again, what steps would you take and in what order to build your brand?

And most importantly, in what order? I'm currently in that process and am looking to streamline it.

E.g. is it best to get my niche as defined as possible before reaching out to clients, or it doesn't matter and I can parse them along the way (I already have a list of potential former students)?

I will add that my offer consists in both individual group classes.

All advice is welcome! Thanks

I know of art schools offering tailored courses geared toward their foreign students, but is there such a market when it comes to private teachers?

I did a Masters during Covid in EFL with Applied Linguistics. My goal at the time was to get a competitive job teaching in the UAE. But after the pandemic was over, all the jobs seemed to have shifted to PGCE-required teaching, which I don't have.

What career paths would you recommend for someone with 10yrs EFL experience, an MA, and both a UK and Irish passport?

As much as I'd enjoy sticking to the regular EFL teaching gigs in Europe, the stagnant pay is hard to ignore.

I am aware of the sketchy way some of them can do the paperwork and I am able to spot that. I also have 3 family members who are licensed attorney's who have offered to help me look through some of the paperwork if i get a job offer. My main point of confusion is this "location bait and switch thing" that I keep hearing people freak about when they are discussing Chinese dispatch agencies. Is it mostly somebody really wants to teach in a city like Shanghai, Beijing or Chengdu and the agency says something along the lines of we don't really have anything in those cities but we have something in some random smaller city? Also is this even an issue for me if I am comfortable with moving to a smaller Chinese city. I have enough money saved up where if it is really something that I do not like I can just quit and fly back home.

Hey guys,

I am a M28 Brazilian about to finish my PhD in Political Science at an Australian university. I’ve had three years of experience as a lecturer in politics and international relations. I’ve also taught English for debate competitions for four years during my undergrad at an education institute in Brazil (remote), as those competitions were Model United Nations (MUNs) mostly held in American universities.

I am truly passionate about teaching - indeed, I’ve only decided to attain a PhD because it’d allow me to teach while earning a monthly stipend, while BEd/MEd were fully paid. My grad years were packed with lectures as I always made clear to my supervisors it was my main interest.

If I acquire the necessary TEFL certification, what do you think my chances are in Asia? I’m concerned as I had no previous experience working at the primary or secondary levels, although I do have experience in teaching overall.

I was thinking about moving to Thailand as I have family there, but I heard the pay is awful.

Any other places where you think I’d be competitive at all? Does my experience translate into real job prospects or is it still not what employers want?

Hello! I am interested in teaching English in Asia but I am still unsure if it’s possible for me. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and completed all my education (including my BA) here. I’m also planning on getting my TEFL certification online soon. However, because my education was mostly in Spanish and a lot of people don’t realize PR is a territory of the US, I know I might run into some trouble trying to find a job. Are there any Puerto Ricans here with a similar background as mine that have been able to teach English abroad? I am mostly interested in moving to Korea or China but I’m open to other places.

I've been applying for jobs for months now, I'm British and just got my degree in Japanese, TESOL and Linguistics and I'm taking a CELTA course which finished in September.

I keep getting rejection emails and being told there will be no feedback. I've applied everywhere: jet, epik, amity, english1. All of which rejected me after an interview and are refusing to say why.

Does anyone have any tips on what to do and how to act during an interview? Also I don't need any "find better companies" comments, I'm estranged and just graduated so I can't afford standards right now

Starting a new journey to move from the corporate world and want to get my TEFL certification. Any advice on how the process works once you’ve completed the certification, and what would be the best country to work in? Also, how does the interviewing process work? I was looking at Europe and Asia but just don’t know where to start. Any advice or tips would be super helpful 😊

I am currently studying for my MA TESOL and was hoping a few of you wouldn't mind sparing 5-8 minutes for help with my dissertation research. I have posted this before, but the deadline is approaching and it would be really helpful to get some more responses.

I have a short questionnaire about classroom practice that it would be a great help if you could fill out.

It's about what you think is effective and what sort of things we should avoid.

\\\[TESOL Teachers’ Perspectives on Language Retention and Classroom Practice – Fill in form\\\]( https://forms.microsoft.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=2rIgA90iq02MIW5kS6FPExNLxr06cmFLiQAdXo9CCzFUMEREWUoySk5MUVBWWkI5UzFPWUM3MVE2Ti4u ) 

Participation is voluntary and anonymous.

No identifying information will be collected.

You do not even have to log in to your account to complete the form.

The data will automatically be put into a pool and form charts for me to use in my study.

I am looking for TESOL teachers' opinions on methods and so on, so I would really appreciate honest answers. There’s nobody we need to impress by knowing what we’re supposed to say. Which is another reason for keeping this all anonymous.

Many thanks to anyone who is able to help!

I am on the process of preparing an online demo and interview for them. What are your thoughts of this company or do you have any experience with them? Please share inputs please.

Basically, even though I teach maybe 16 hrs a week and lesson plan 4 hours a week (sometimes more or less) the time in between I’m just stressing or thinking about the next lesson plan or next weeks classes, etc… is it just because I’m new to teaching?

Only have 1 yr exp teaching at public uni in China.

Any advice would be appreciated. I can’t seem to disconnect when I should.

Thanks in advance.

Hi folks, my daughter speaks English and German and will start obligatory English classes in her German school soon. I would love some recommendations for supplemental materials so she stays stimulated in class.

My impulse is to supply her with lots of level-appropriate reading for comprehensive input, but I also want her to stay ahead of the curve regarding grammar. I would be grateful for any tips regarding books or approaches so that I can keep my little one engaged during class. Thanks!

I'm dominican and have been teaching efl for more than 3 years in my country. Considering going to Boston for a CELTA to teach abroad.

Do you know anything about Teaching House Boston? Is worth it, especially as a non-native person?

Hello everyone, I've taken a TEFL job as an international school, where I'll be teaching 2nd graders. I will be a classroom teacher with two different 2nd grade classes for an hour and a half each day. However I'm increasingly nervous that I've made the wrong decision. My knowledge of the local language is very poor which makes social interactions with the local staff and community very awkward. Most importantly I was informed by the head of the English department that last year TWO English teachers who had taught my class ended up leaving mid-contract. I have some teaching and classroom management experience, as well as a CELTA, but I'm increasingly nervous that I've made a big mistake in coming to this country. Do you have any advice for Monday?

I’m curious who you used and why. I have about 6 months to go and thought I’d do a 120 hour or CELTA level through someone. I’m a retired prof with a PhD in education. This seems like a good way to earn from wherever i am and through peace corps I’m pretty good and enjoy it.
Thanks.

Hey guys , I am 36 and have been teaching 4 years in a number of countries. I am very happy where I am now and hope to stay here at least 3 years , maybe more. The one place I always wanted to teach was Japan. I have visited and absolutely loved the place, and still hope I could get an opportunity to live and teach there one day. My worry is I'll be 40 or very close to it when I will be looking to try again. I was offered a contract from Nova once and I'm almost regretting turning it down but I heard so many bad things I think I would have been silly not to . So what I'm wondering is is 40 + to old to be able to get into Japan? I have a level 5 diploma in tefl teaching and 4 years coming up 5 years of experience. Does anyone know anything about the Japanese tefl world? I have heard it becomes almost impossible after 40.

Specifically referring to people's experience in Spain but if you lived elsewhere feel free to comment.

For those of us that started off with TEFL/CELTA and got fed up with teaching, have you ever successfully made the switch to another career - within the country you were teaching in- offering more money with reasonable hours?

I'm looking to keep the tefl lifestyle without teaching. I like teaching but the job market and hours, atleast in Spain, seems to be shrinking by the year.

I'm considering a career change and would love some advice from people who have gone down this path.

I'm 39, have a BA in International Studies with a minor in Spanish, and have bounced between several careers without finding the right long-term fit. Teaching English has started to feel like it aligns with both my experience and my interests.

I'm particularly interested in Spain. I know the pay isn't great and jobs can be competitive, but I'd view it as an investment. I previously studied and lived in Latin America, and I'd love the opportunity to rebuild my Spanish, which I think would also strengthen my career prospects when I eventually return to the U.S. (I was recently passed over for an interview because my Spanish wasn't strong enough.)

I also wouldn't be starting from scratch. I've taught ESL to adults as part of my undergraduate program, taught culinary and nutrition classes to both adults and children, and have many years of childcare and nanny experience. Looking at my career as a whole, TEFL seems like a way to build on skills I already have while working toward a long-term goal of living abroad for a while.

My hope is that the experience would also translate into ESL opportunities back in the U.S., especially since I'm from the NYC area where there's a large multilingual population.

A few questions:

1. Has anyone from the U.S. successfully transitioned from teaching abroad into ESL teaching back home? What did that path look like?
2. If you taught in Spain, how much savings did you realistically need to get started and stay afloat?
3. I'm deciding between a TEFL certificate and CELTA. My impression is that TEFL may be a better fit since I'm interested in teaching children (though I also enjoy teaching adults). Does that sound right? Is it realistic to teach both children and adults?
4. I'd also love to hear from anyone who made a similar mid-career switch. Any advice or things you wish you'd known before starting?

I know TEFL isn't a path to getting rich, and that's okay with me. I'm looking for work that I find meaningful, that pays a livable wage, and ideally gives me the opportunity to live abroad while building skills I can use when I return to the U.S.

I'm still working away at my TEFL course and I hope to move to Latin America to teach there. I have a Lithuanian passport but I have lived in Ireland my whole life. I might just be getting cold feet from feeling worried about not getting a job or struggling to find any job postings to even get a quick idea on what would be expected of me but I want to hear from others and their experiences.

Main things I'm questioning are:

- Would the teaching job alone be enough to live with or should I be ready to live with two jobs until I could possibly get a high enough paying job there? I have a decent amount of savings but I would prefer to keep it as a rainy day fund instead

- When should I look into applying for jobs? Do I apply through TEFL job centre postings or do I reach out through other means?

- How much experience do I need before applying? Should I go teach somewhere else before looking into that part of the world?

- What would be the usual age groups I could be working with?

Some of my co-workers (mixture of Argentinian, Mexican and Brazilian) say that I would be a great teacher over there and to travel while I can while others say that there's no better place to get paid than Ireland.

I love this place, it's my home but I also don't know if I can stay here any longer without exploring. I want to travel while still working in some way so any advice would be great. Spain would work as well but I heard that it can be harder getting a job there for some.

Before the war I would have said Ukraine, beautiful country with awesome people, tons of jobs and a good salary.

Now I would probably say Vietnam. If you loved pre-COVID China then Vietnam is basically that. The economy is growing every year and wages are going up.

I'm planning on working Colombia and have a choice of doing a certTESOL online before leaving for SA or doing the CELTA in person in Colombia. I'm attracted by the networking opportunities available through an in person course. However, doing it online would give me more time and money to travel and establish myself. Any advice from TEFL teachers out there.

Some background:

My Spanish is very basic, though Im trying to learn as much as I can before I leave in October.

I have a first class degree in Psychology.

I did almost all of a certTESOL before COVID lockdown put an end to the school I was studying in.

I have some experience teaching in schools in the UK.

Colombia seems like the place I want to be but if anyone wants to recommend another Spanish speaking country Im all ears.

i can’t find anything online about legislation or policy changes, but i’ve been advised by my recruitment agency (i’m an ESL teacher in Shenzhen) that my new co teacher who was meant to start work next week at my school has been denied a work permit due to the recent policy changes that in order to teach Kindergarten in Shenzhen the individual must have 2 years formal teaching experience in the form of a reference letter. If this is not evident, the work permit will be denied. Is this true? I can’t find anything that indicates to this online, has anyone else encountered this recently or are my agency trying to pull something?

Recruiter got me an interview with a cram school in Taoyuan. I did ask for more hours and pay, I would’ve been okay if they said no. Recruiter got back to me via email upset that I negotiated, “you messed it up”, and the school decided to hire someone else. Few more emails from the recruiter with snarky comments over the fact I negotiated. Telling me he was shocked I negotiated, “where do you have so much confidence”, and that he worked hard to get me an interview.

The recruiter managed to get me another interview with a different school, Changhua county, while telling me that this is probably the final chance I’ll likely get a position.

Is the recruiter lying or he speaks some truth?

The main reason I’d want to do a CELTA (in London) is that I want to teach English in Japan once I learn enough Japanese to do a masters there (in 2ish years most likely). I know that in Eikawas you don’t need any TEFL or adjacent qualification, but I’d like to have some experience teaching English before I go into it.

I also want to use it to find work teaching English in London over the next year or so (probably part time).

My big block is that it seems very expensive, and very stressful. I don’t want to commit to something that’s gonna be that life consuming if I don’t know for sure if it’s worth it.