What are my
chances of landing
a good job teaching English?
Is it possible for a "newbie"
to land a "good" TEFL job?
Believe or not, your chances are quite good. While you
will hear a lot of bad news on the TEFL discussion
boards on the Internet, the odds are that your first job
will be a good one. You can greatly increase your
chance of a happy start in the EFL business by following
the suggestions on this website on finding and vetting
your first - and every - job.
Does it mean that the
author of this page has never had a bad job in this
industry? No! But it is quite possible to learn from
the mistakes of others, follow advice on this website
and hedge your bets.
But
the discussion boards are full of dissatisfied teachers,
aren't they?
Yes
and no. Happy teachers are more likely to be out living
their lives in their new country. When people are quite
unhappy, we know that they tend to seek an outlet for
their unhappiness and the Internet is a great place to
vent their feelings. And many will want to warn you of
their mistakes and problems. Don't ignore these people.
It is always wise to keep your eyes and ears open to
potential problems and difficult employers. But do take
it all with a grain of salt.
Conversely, don't always
believe all the wonderful stories you hear either. I
have read many posts on discussion boards where the
writer claimed working conditions and wages that I KNEW
had to be false. In those cases I had worked in the
same country and sometimes for the same employer.
Overall though, the Internet is a great place to gather
information for your new career.
I'm
worried!
You
probably should be. But in your home country you were
probably also worried about potential employers and
problems that came with new jobs. Working overseas is
no different, except that you do need to be a little
more careful as the consequences of failing can be more
difficult to overcome.
I'm worried every time I change
jobs - but I was back home too. Plan carefully, do your
research, keep some money in reserve, and always keep a
"Plan B" in your back pocket. Sometimes even a "Plan C"
is a good idea.
Don't worry too much
I
am a financial conservative. Let me do some of the
worrying for you and help you increase the chances of
your success with this website.
