The TEFL Times

By Chris Soames

With UK unemployment at a 12 year high, widespread redundancies and thousands of graduates lining up to collect degree certificates that by no means guarantee a job, the opportunities offered by teaching English as a foreign language are becoming increasingly attractive.

While TEFL was once seen as a niche area only for linguistics experts, the recent explosion in the number of TEFL teachers and TEFL vacancies has proved that it has much wider appeal, and can offer people an escape route from the jobs crunch in the UK.

At present there are around 20,000 vacancies for TEFL jobs posted on the internet each month, proof of the massive demand for English teachers across the world – everywhere from China and South Korea to Ecuador and Japan.

It is also much easier (and cheaper) than most people think to gain a TEFL qualification which will open the door to these opportunities. TEFL specialists i-to-i enable fluent English speakers the chance to qualify as TEFL teachers online for as little as £175 and also offer practical weekend courses. These run on a flexible timescale and tutees can get TEFL qualified in just two days, or study for longer at a pace that suits them, with online courses ranging from 40 to 100 hours.

Once qualified, taking the plunge and going abroad to teach offers an incredible number of benefits. Though many TEFL places are voluntary, an increasing number are paid, meaning it is possible to use teaching as a way of funding a career break or gap year in exotic locations around the world. Those who teach also find themselves welcomed and integrated into the local community, rather than just being treated as passing tourists, offering travelers a unique chance to gain an insight into a totally different way of life.

For graduates struggling to get their feet on the first step of the career ladder, teaching can provide valuable experience, boosting leadership and communication skills, as well as showing potential employers at home a spark of initiative and the ability to seek out opportunities.

Finally, those who choose to make a career of teaching abroad can find that moving overseas opens the door to a better quality of life. Daniel Deacon, who completed an i-to-i TEFL course and taught English in Seoul, said: “It was very daunting at first, but I remembered what I had learned in my TEFL course and after a few weeks it became so much fun that I hardly felt like I was working at all. It felt as though I was getting paid to have a great time. In addition to that, I got to meet hundreds of new friends and see fantastic places all over the country.”

So, with so many benefits to teaching abroad it’s no wonder that the number of people deciding to escape the UK and take advantage of the opportunities offered abroad is skyrocketing!

To teach English abroad is the perfect opportunity for any English speaker to explore the world. A TEFL qualification is your ticket for the journey of your life.

About the author

Chris Soames thinks that teaching English abroad is the perfect opportunity for any English speaker to explore the world. Whether you’re a trained teacher or a complete beginner, he says, a TEFL qualification is your ticket for the journey of your life.