7 Tips on How to Become a TEFL Teacher and Work Abroad ...

The first steps in learning how to become a TEFL teacher involve getting the appropriate qualifications. This can be achieved in various ways, from weekend and part-time courses to studying full-time. There other various qualifications available and at the moment there is no universally accepted standard. If you want to work abroad, it is worth researching the qualifications needed to be a TEFL teacher in countries that interest you.

One of the steps to become a TEFL teacher is to make sure that you are capable of managing a classroom and the students within the classroom environment. You will need to know how to assess students’ progress, the best way to teach to a whole class and which sorts of resources can be used within the classroom. Ensure the course you choose covers these areas.

One of the ways of becoming a TEFL teacher who is able to teach abroad is to get a Trinity certification or a CELTA (Certificate for English Language Teaching to Adults). These are administered by Cambridge University and Trinity College (London), and are two of the most respected qualifications for this sector of work. The courses can be expensive, but if you really want to see the world with TEFL teaching, they are really the only way forward.

Of course, one of the steps to becoming a TEFL teacher is to make sure that you finish college. Most European countries, along with Thailand and Japan, will require TEFL teachers to have a college degree. Your major doesn’t have to be in a language or relate to teaching, but teaching visas are rarely granted to anyone without a Bachelor’s Degree.

A key part of how to become a TEFL teacher is to make sure that you have some practical classroom teaching experience. Get a job over the summer working with kids in community centres or volunteer during the school year; anything that puts what you have learnt into practice will be enough. You can even work with adults at local libraries or on adult learning courses. Any experience that shows you have learnt something relevant to teaching is going to be an advantage.

Use online resources to search for jobs around the world. If you can’t find something which you are interested in, see if you are looking broadly enough; from Russia to China, France to Brazil, there is a high demand for teachers who can speak English. Don’t narrow your choices – the idea of becoming a TEFL teacher to travel is to have new experiences. Countries you may never have thought of are full of experiences.

There are opportunities whereby you can set yourself up as a private TEFL teacher without any qualifications. There are no specific routes into this and it’s a case of being creative. One such method for example, is to go abroad as an au pair and teach English part-time either to connections you make or by finding local opportunities.

Although you may have found that the steps to become a TEFL teacher are not simple, I can guarantee it is worth it. Whether you want to teach domestically or internationally, sharing the gift of the English language is something which is invaluable and fun. Where would be your choice?

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