Teaching English in the UK

Country info and advice - UK

The following comments are from teachers who have taught, or are currently teaching, in UK. If you are a teacher and have some advice to share, please add it here.

SMRT on 28 November 2007

quote EFL in the UK usually pays less than McDonalds. You are better off abroad!

Tara on 27 January 2009

quote London is wonderful, it is a vibrant and exciting place to live. My words of advice are these. First, unless you WANT to supply teach, make sure that you have a contract for a specific job before you agree to go. Also, do research and get advice about which company to go through. My experience living there was amazing, my experience working there was awful.

I did not get a specific job before going because the company told me that they liked for the teachers to supply in a school before accepting a job, that is a crock, there are many companies who do not offer supply contracts because they CAN find you a position for full time. I only got 2-3 days a week, the company was small which I thought meant that it would be more catered to individual needs, but they were disorganized and, while the initial set up (of a bank account and they put us in one of their houses that they rent out) was great, in the long run we had to go back to Canada 6 months earlier than planned after they gave us (6 of us) 2 weeks to get out of the house because they were "no longer going to be renting it to teachers." So it was either find an apartment in London on 3 days a week salary, or go home. Do your research and go with a company that has guarantees about work. Finding a company that offers housing is great, but at least make sure that they will help you to find suitable housing before you go. I recommend teaching there (although it is a challenge in some ways, myself and several other Canadian teachers found the kids much less respectful than in Canada for instance) but make sure you DO YOUR HOMEWORK before you go!! Cheers!

Anonymous on 12 May 2010

quote I agree with SMRT, even now in 2010 language schools in the UK offer 10-12 pounds / hour for teaching (for qualified e.g. CELTA and experienced teachers!). That is ridiculous as I know people who do cleaning for this money. I mean, shouldn't our profession and commitment be appreciated and valued a little more? Living in the UK is fun though if/when you can earn a living. I would recommend summer schools as they usually come with free accommodation and full board and lots of mischievous but lovely kids, that is rewarding indeed. :-)