TEFL blog » Jobs, schools & career

Want to know if TEFL is for you?  The CareerSteer website has developed a test to see if you could teach English as a Foreign Language.  Answer six questions and you’ll be presented with an integrated report detailing exactly why you are or are not ready for a career in TEFL.

Have a go and tell us what you think with a comment below…

If you’re new to job hunting in TEFL, it’s not always easy to know which job advertisements are worth pursuing, and which you should leave alone.

To help you with this, have a look at Katie’s Thoughts on a Job Post over at the TEFL Logue.

Katie has randomly chosen 6 job posts so far and dissected them for their real meaning, reading between the lines to show you what you could really expect if you took that job. A very valuable resource.

The Korea Times reported last week that teachers are being refused jobs in private language schools in Korea because of their skin colour.

An American college graduate of mixed-race was, according to the article, told by a potential employer “I’m sorry but we only want white people. We want a native speaker that parents approve of”. The article highlights the similar case of a black American teacher who was told by 10 schools that he could not be hired because he was not white.

The owner of one English language school is quoted as saying that the parents are to blame, because they only want their children to be taught by white native speakers. The American teacher mentioned above says that “not only are [the parents and directors] racist, but they lie about it, deny it…”

According to the article, there is no legislation to protect against this discrimination, which means that skin colour often takes precedence over qualifications or experience when it comes to hiring teachers.

So, have you taught in Korea? Is this article a true reflection of the situation, or do you think it exaggerates the problem? Post a comment below…

Here’s a story which should serve as a warning to all of us about the importance of reading the contract before accepting a job. Jamie Doom writes about an ESL teacher who agrees to help out at an “important cultural exchange celebration” only to find that she has signed up for a kickboxing tournament…

Hopefully noone reading this has experienced a “misunderstanding” of such magnitude, but although this story is, (I hope!) fictional, it does highlight an important issue. It is all too common to see stories and forum posts on the web from teachers who have arrived at their new school, only to find that things are not quite what they expected, with “extra” duties or financial costs that they weren’t aware of when they signed up.

Sometimes, no matter how careful you are and how many questions you ask before accepting a job, this is unavoidable - sadly, there are a number of schools across the world who seek to exploit and deceive. Disreputable businesses exist as much in TEFL as in any other industry.

But you can certainly minimize the chances of being caught out, by thoroughly researching the school that offers you a job. Talk to other teachers at the school (if the employer has nothing to hide, they sould have no problem giving you contact details for one or two of their current teachers), join TEFL forums, do a search for the name of the school on the internet…

Here are some things which should set alarm bells ringing:

• Are they willing to offer you a job without speaking to you first?
• Are they unprepared to put you in contact with current teachers?
• Are they expecting you to accept a job offer without seeing a contract?
• Are they asking you to send them money?

Above all, read the contract carefully and ask the employer about anything which is unclear. A reputable employer should be only too happy to answer any questions you may have.

For a more detailed guide to finding your first TEFL job and what you should look for in a contract, have a look at our Introduction to TEFL.

Ever wondered where your career in teaching English as a Foreign Language can lead? Have a look at Bruce Hope’s story. Bruce went to Japan in 2002 with the intention of watching the World Cup and teaching for a year. Now, four years on, he is married, and working as foreign human resources manager and trainer for a worldwide chain of English language schools…

If you’re thinking about teaching in Korea, the E2 teaching visa can be difficult to get your head around. These guidelines, scanned by a teacher working in Korea, may help. Remember to check with the Korean embassy or Korean immigration before making any decision based on these guidelines.

Here’s a question from one of our visitors, Ingris:

What is it like to work for Berlitz, and how much does a Berlitz teacher earn in a month?

If anyone can help with this question, please post a comment below.

Help reduce culture shock!

If you’ve ever experienced the culture shock of moving to another country, you will know that some good advice from other teachers about living and working there can be invaluable.

We’re looking for teachers who have been living and working in a country for a while to write some advice based on their experience. Things like finding work, working conditions, finding accommodation, cost of living, customs and basic survival tips.

If you’d like to help other teachers by sharing your experience, whether it’s a few paragraphs or just a few lines, please click here

At any school, teachers come and teachers go. That’s the nature of the TEFL world. But if you’ve lost touch with an old teaching friend, you’re not sure if they’re in Barcelona or Beijing, Seoul or San Francisco, all is not lost! Have a look at our school lists - find them and let them find you.