Too Old To Be An EFL Teacher?

If you have wanted to be an EFL teacher, but just thought maybe you were too old, well here are some reasons you might want to reconsider.

•  Opportunity to Travel
  • Your 9-5 days are over and you have always wanted to travel, well teaching EFL is a great way to enjoy traveling while supplementing your income.  Best of all with demand for EFL teachers global, you can pretty much choose your teaching destination.
• Work Experience
  • In many locations, mature experienced EFL teachers are highly desired.  Most employers appreciate someone who can demonstrate professionalism, have maturity in the workplace and lots of real life experience.
• Family Experience
  • By far the biggest market in the EFL world is teaching children.  If you have raised a family you will have lots of experience working with children and this is a highly sought out skill in EFL teaching.

So what are you waiting for?  Select a great TEFL course, update your resume and start a new career as an EFL Teacher. 

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a job placement program in Peru and guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Attributes of a Great EFL Teacher

Great EFL teachers are patient at explaining things. Being comfortable with explaining content and context to students is an essential skill for teachers. Do you like to explain how things work, or how events occurred?   They have a sense of humor and use humor as part of their teaching methods. Humor, used properly, can be a powerful addition to any lesson. Can you integrate humor into lessons, explanations and stories to help your students learn? 

Great teachers like people. EFL student's age ranges from elementary, special education, secondary education, higher education to adults and retirees. Great EFL teachers have a temperament for students in all age ranges. 

Great teachers are inherently fair-minded. They assess students on the basis of performance, not on the students' personal qualities, background or culture. Can you measure students’ performance based on an evaluation criteria equally applied? 

Great teachers have common sense. They can size up a situation quickly and make an appropriate decision. There is no substitute for common sense. Can you be fair and communicate your decisions clearly?

Great teachers have a complete understanding of the EFL content they teach in sufficient depth to convey the information in meaningful ways to the students. Are you able to re-present information from several perspectives to help students grasp concepts? 

Great teachers set high expectations for their students and hold the students to those expectations. If you are thinking about becoming a teacher, can you set high expectations for yourself, and demand excellence not only of yourself, but your students as well? 

Great teachers are detail oriented. Teachers must be organized in their professional and teaching duties. EFL teachers cannot take things for granted. This applies to all organizational and instructional duties. 

Great teachers are good managers of time. Time is one of the most precious resources a teacher has. Good teachers have learned to use this resource wisely. Can you monitor your time and allocate to priorities and deadlines? 

Great teachers can lead or follow. EFL teachers have to shift from "sage on the stage to guide by the side". Sometimes, teachers must be members of teaching teams, committees, groups, councils, and task forces. It is important to have the temperament to function in these capacities. Are you comfortable being a leader or a follower as circumstances require? Can you be constructive with co-workers, team teachers, administrators, and parents? 

Great teachers learn to improve their teaching by teaching, by making mistakes, learning from them and improving. Can you be a fair critic of yourself? 

Great teachers know that they teach as much from their own actions and behavior as with the content they teach. Do a personal inventory of your own values, personality, preferences and goals. How has your past experience/education prepared you for teaching?

If you complete your TEFL course with TEFL Zorritos, you will be given all the guidance and confidence to be a great EFL teacher!  Also you will have a guaranteed job waiting for you when you have completed our course.  

What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a job placement program in Peru and guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today! 

TEFL - A Recession Proof Job

Despite the current economic crisis sweeping much of the world, there is still one job where the demand continues to increase, with no foreseeable end.  That job is TEFL - Teaching English as a Foreign Language.  In fact there are so many opportunities, that once you have completed an accredited TEFL certification course you can pretty much have your choice of where in the world you want to live and work as an EFL teacher.

If you choose the right TEFL provider, they can even do the legwork for you in regards to finding a teaching job for you when you complete your training.  In fact, the better schools can probably guarantee you employment upon graduation from their course.

In addition to your TEFL certification you will need a resume appropriate for the job you are seeking.  Again, the best TEFL schools will assist you with preparing your resume so it matches the country specific requirements where you want to teach.

Interviewing can be as simple as a brief discussion on Skype or could involve several meetings with different school management over a period of weeks, depending on where you want to work and the type of school where you will be interviewing.  Again, the best TEFL schools will help you prepare for your interview based on the school location where you are applying for a job.

Visa and work permit information about the country where you want to work is also important and can be tedious and complicated if you don't know the procedures.  Again, if you have chosen the right TEFL school they will be able to assist you with all aspects of visa, work permit and other documents to legally work in your chosen country.

Finally, but perhaps most important will be negotiating your contract with your new employer.  If you are not aware of the different cultural aspects of how this process you could end up on the short end of the salary/benefits stick, so to speak.  Again, if you have chosen your TEFL school wisely, they can review your contracts and help you negotiate a deal that is favorable for you.

So, if you are ready for a change, now is the time - get enrolled in a great TEFL school and start your new career as an EFL Teacher.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a job placement program in Peru and guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Too Old To Be An EFL Teacher?

If you have wanted to be an EFL teacher, but just thought maybe you were too old, well here are some reasons you might want to reconsider.

•  Opportunity to Travel
  • Your 9-5 days are over and you have always wanted to travel, well teaching EFL is a great way to enjoy traveling while supplementing your income.  Best of all with demand for EFL teachers global, you can pretty much choose your teaching destination.
• Work Experience
  • In many locations, mature experienced EFL teachers are highly desired.  Most employers appreciate someone who can demonstrate professionalism, have maturity in the workplace and lots of real life experience.
• Family Experience
  • By far the biggest market in the EFL world is teaching children.  If you have raised a family you will have lots of experience working with children and this is a highly sought out skill in EFL teaching.

So what are you waiting for?  Select a great TEFL course, update your resume and start a new career as an EFL Teacher. 

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a job placement program in Peru and guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Questions to Ask Before Registering For A TEFL Course

Before you spend your hard earned money on a TEFL course, do your research, check the schools accreditation, talk to graduates of the course and ask these 3 questions.

1. What is the length of the course?

If you have no previous EFL teaching experience, then you need an onsite course that is at least 120 hours.  In general the more hours the course offers, the better for you.   Also make sure the course include actual observed teaching practice. Hands on practice teaching of local students will be extremely valuable in your preparation to be a good teacher.  In fact most schools will not hire teachers with a TEFL certificate that does not include at least 6 hours of practice teaching, and they actually prefer if you have 10 or more hours of practice teaching.

2. Is your course accredited and by whom?

TEFL courses are not uniform in either content or quality.  Any person or institution can offer a TEFL training program without regulation or standardization.  Thus one of the best ways to know that you are enrolling in a respectable TEFL course is to check that the institution is externally validated by a reputable accrediting agency.

3. What is the maximum class size?

A course which I saw a video of recently seemed perfectly happy to show the trainer standing in front of a hundred people with a microphone for their one week “Advanced TEFL Certificate”. Reputable courses will have no more than 12 trainees on one course.  A course with too many students will result in some or all of the students "lost in the crowd" and you will not get the personalized attention you need to be a good teacher.  Make sure the TEFL course focuses on the needs of the students and is not just a TEFL mill that cares only about profits.

Of course this is not an exhaustive list of questions, so don't be shy if you have any questions, be sure and ask them.  The TEFL course you are considering should welcome your questions and should make it easy for you to contact them and should provide you with timely answers to your questions.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a job placement program in Peru and guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

TEFL - A Practical Approach

Teaching English as a foreign language is a job that encompasses a wide array of people and personalities; from the serious educator to the adventurous backpacker just looking to make a little money so they can continue their travels.  Regardless of your reasons for wanting to become an English teacher there are certain fundamental attributes which you will need to hone in order to be effective in your chosen career.  Realistically, if you can always strive to approach all of your classes with the utmost patience and ensure that your students are having fun while learning you can be a great success as a teacher, while enjoying a wonderful lifestyle.

A TEFL course can give you all the fundamentals that you need to succeed as an English teacher, but unfortunately it cannot give you patience or personality.  If you are the type of person easily frustrated, with little patience or tolerance you will find that teaching English will not be the job for you.  Both you and your students will be extremely unhappy and you will quickly find yourself on a plane back to your home country, wondering what you could possibly have been thinking of to even consider the idea of teaching English.

On the other hand, if you are a person of great patience and tolerance loves to experience new cultures and embraces the concept that both teaching and learning should be fun, then this will be a job that you will love and you will accumulate wonderful experiences and memories.

A TEFL course with a practical approach should prepare you for a real teaching job in the real world and not just bury you in an avalanche of facts, grammar rules and strict procedures. 

The TEFL course should develop not only your teaching skills, but also resume writing, interviewing and practical living advice for your chosen teaching destination.  This will ensure you enjoy all the aspects of your new home and work environment.  Your TEFL course should rely heavily on observed teaching practices and giving you the positive feedback and encouragement to ensure that you are confident for all aspects of the teaching experience.

A primary focus of a TEFL course is also to ensure that you have a good job and a job that you want and are interested in by the time you complete your course.  Training and learning can be fun, but the end goal is to make sure you have profitable employment in the city where you desire to live and work.

A TEFL course with a practical approach is very relaxed and personalized to ensure that each student gets exactly what they need to be successful.  

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a job placement program in Peru and guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Surviving Your TEFL Course

You have registered for your TEFL course and are excited about the adventures it’ll bring you. But remember to take it seriously, this is a time to concentrate on your studies and make sure you are prepared to start your EFL teaching career. So, to make sure you stick with it and realize your ambition of teaching overseas, here’s how to survive your TEFL course:

1) It won't be easy

TEFL certificates aren’t handed out like beads at Mardi Gras. You have to work for one, which is why employers value them. So, don’t expect to be able to breeze through your course just by showing up for classes a few hours each day.

2) Ask for help

If you get stuck on your course don’t give up, ask for help! Ask your teacher for assistance.  Remember your accredited TEFL course includes accredited and experienced TEFL trainers, whose sole purpose is to help you understand and to be able to execute the lessons that are presented to you.

3) Remember why you are taking the TEFL course

You signed up to experience other cultures, learn new things and live in amazing places. Your TEFL course will give you a ticket to all this, so keep at it!

4) Give it your best shot

You will make mistakes, but don't let that stop you from trying.  These mistakes are exactly how you learn to be a better teacher.  Pay attention, listen to what your teacher is telling you and do your best on every assignment and teaching practice.  Your hard work will pay off!

5) Take your teacher's comments to heart

Your trainers are there to help you and are highly-qualified experts who have taught all over the world. So, when they give you advice about something it’s worth listening to and acting on.

Finally, remember that over 90% of all TEFL students pass their courses, so if you put the hours in, it’s pretty certain that you’ll get that hard earned certificate at the end of the course.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a job placement program in Peru & guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Teaching English in Vietnam

Vietnam is one of the best places in Asia for teaching English. An interesting culture, stunning natural scenery and huge demand for English tuition make it one of the most popular destinations. Most jobs are in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and it is worth reading up on the different characteristics of the two cities in order to be able to focus on vacancies in your preferred location. Salaries are perhaps the best in the Mekong region and there is a lively expat scene in both main cities.

Salaries start at $1,200 USD per month and go up to $2,000 USD per month, sometimes a bit higher at international schools. Most jobs are found in the cities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Haiphong. Hiring schools prefer for you to have a degree, TEFL certification and over 1 year of teaching experience. If you do not have a degree but have over 5 years of teaching experience then it is still possible to obtain a work permit. There is a lot of work available, so if you are not getting enough hours from your full time employer you can always teach part time for a second school or language center.

Normally teachers arrive on a tourist visa and then convert it into a business visa with the help of their employer. Unlike neighbouring countries, you do not have to leave Vietnam and return on the new visa. However, a work permit also requires a health check and a criminal records check from your country of origin. If possible, obtain a criminal records check before arriving in Vietnam because it costs more and takes longer if you try to get one once you have arrived. The work permit is valid for 3 years and allows you annual business visas sponsored by your employer.

Transport, food and accommodation are all quite cheap in Vietnam but bear in mind that you will probably be charged more for many goods because you are a foreigner. Salary tax should be taken care of by your employer. Normally you should expect to receive your salary on a monthly basis.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better? Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food. Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost! And a job placement program in Peru and guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!​

Teaching English in the USA

There are innumerable slices of the American pie and the country’s most visited destinations, like New York and Florida, only go some way towards characterizing this world superpower. Covering 6 times zones, 50 states and all the major climate zones from tropical to polar, America feels like several countries rolled into one. The thrill of seeing such iconic imagery as New York yellow taxis and the Hollywood sign up close is matched by discovering parts of the country and its people that are among its best kept secrets.

• Lots of jobs IF you're able to work here
• Vast country with lots to see and do
• Huge variety of students
• Easy to get around
• Less of a culture shock

Things you might not know about Teaching English in the United States

• It is estimated that a quarter of all Americans have appeared on television!
• Tomatoes were once thought to be poisonous and were 'put on trial' in 1820’s New Jersey when a man had to eat a whole basket of tomatoes to prove they were safe!
• The middle name of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president, is simply 'S'! His parents couldn’t decide between Shippe and Solomon, so they plumped for the single letter!
• The original London Bridge actually stands over Lake Havasu in Arizona.

Summary

There is huge demand for TEFL teachers here, but the market is competitive and it's very difficult to get a visa

Main TEFL regions

All major cities - particularly New York, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Miami.

Types of teaching

ESL private language institutes: General English, Business English, TOEFL, ECCE

University language programs: General English, TOEFL, English for Specific Purposes

Migrant English programs: General English, TOEFL, English for Specific Purposes

Accommodation

You will usually have to organize your own apartment, which can be very expensive in the big cities. For example, a one-bedroom place in San Francisco will cost around $1000 per month!

Flight reimbursement

Not likely, as there are so many qualified American teachers to choose from.

Salary

$15-40 per hour. Newly qualified teachers shouldn’t accept less than US$18 per hour.

Taxes

Novice teachers will pay about 13% of their wages as tax, at the higher end of the salary range, it’ll be more like 17%.

Cost of living

The cost of living is high, but cheaper than much of Western Europe. A beer in a bar will cost about $5, a cheap fast food meal is about $3, while a loaf of bread is about $1.50.

Potential to save money

You’re unlikely to save any money unless you’re well-qualified and thus well-paid, or you’re able to get free accommodation (e.g. living at your parents’ house if you’re hail from the US)/

How much TEFL training is recommended?

As there is so much competition, you should get as much training as possible. TEFL Zorritos 120 Hour Onsite Course will provide you with the training you need to find a great job in the USA.

Common teaching conditions

A full-time position will involve about 25 contact hours per week. If you’re working for private language institutes, you’ll probably only be able to get part time hours, so you’ll have to work for multiple schools

Be aware…

Despite what you hear on the news, the USA is a safe place to visit. Just take the usual precautions when out late at night or on your own. Visas

How do I find work?

There are plenty of jobs advertised on the main TEFL job sites, as well as general job websites such as monster.com and postmeup.com.

Can I find work while in-country?

Absolutely. Obviously you can search via the internet, or you could simply look in the local Yellow Pages. There are more than 150 language institutes in New York alone!

What is the usual hiring process?

Simply send off your CV and if the school likes you, they’ll arrange an interview.

Is a work visa required to find paid work in?

Yes, but it is extremely difficult for teachers who are not citizens of the USA to find teaching work here.

Work visa requirements:

• Offer of job in a specialized area where there’s a lack of native workers (i.e. not English teaching!)

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better? Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food. Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost! And a job placement program in Peru and guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Teaching English in the Philippines

The Philippines is a collection of beautiful tropical islands where living costs are low. The only trouble is, the local people generally speak such excellent English that there is little demand for native English teachers. However, the growing Korean population in the Philippines seek tuition at language centres and if you have a relevant MA or PGCE (or equivalent) then you may find work at a university or International School.

If you have the above qualifications then you can expect a salary of from $1,000 USD to 2,500 USD per month. The best paid jobs are found primarily in Manila, Baguio and Cebu. Again, if you do not have at least a Masters Degree, TEFL certification and over 2 years of teaching experience, your chances of finding a paid English teaching job in the Philippines is very slim. Also be sure that your employer provides you with the correct and legal work permits. Working illegally in the Philippines will get you deported, fined and possible jail time.

Unless you are working at a university or International School it’s best to arrive in the Philippines on a tourist visa and then ask your employer to arrange a work permit. There are tight restrictions on this (unless you happen to be married to a local). Food, drink and transport are all cheap but accommodation prices vary dramatically depending on on your budget and location. Your employer is normally responsible for arranging the payment of your income tax. Salary will usually be paid on a monthly basis.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better? Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food. Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost! And a job placement program in Peru guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Teaching English in Taiwan

The island of Taiwan has long been known as a good place to teach English. The local people are friendly, there are lots of jobs, living costs are relatively low and the pay is good. It used to be very easy to find work but in recent years there has been more competition for jobs and a crackdown on teachers without suitable qualifications and experience. In addition, a low national birth rate means that the demand for English tuition is not likely to grow much further. However, Taiwan definitely remains one of the best choices in Asia.

Salaries start at $1,300 USD per month and go as high as $2,500 USD per month at some of the better international schools. Jobs are available nationwide in Taiwan, with salaries a little higher in bigger cities, but of course the cost of living will also be a little higher.

A Bachelor Degree and TEFL certificate plus 2 years of experience are required to get a good job. Typically accommodations are included as part of your benefits, so the ability to save some money is very possible in Taiwan. A Bachelor Degree or higher is absolutely required in Taiwan, so if you do not have a degree you should consider working in another country. Kindergartens and language schools hire all year round but July/August and January are the most common times of the year to begin a teaching job. Bear in mind that in recent months the authorities have been restricting native English teachers from teaching kindergarten age groups – this is in accordance with official regulations and may cause a considerable number of teachers to lose their jobs across the island.

The process by which you obtain an ‘Alien Residence Visa’ in Taiwan is relatively straightforward but it is advisable to try to arrange work before arriving in the country. The cost of accommodation, transport and food is low in Taiwan. Income tax is generally paid by the employer on your behalf. Usually you will be paid on a monthly basis.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better? Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food. Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost! And a job placement program in Peru and guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!

Teaching English in South Africa

English is one of South Africa’s main official languages and is the most commonly used language in public and commercial areas of life. All of which means that you’ll probably need a high level of TEFL certification and some previous experience if you want to teach English in South Africa.

Historically, South African TEFL employers used to hire people on the spot, but increasingly they have begun to widen the net and hire people through jobs boards and overseas recruitment agencies. There aren’t huge numbers of opportunities to teach English in South Africa, but there are a growing number of language institutes across the country, and while the majority of positions go to South Africans with native English skills there are opportunities for well qualified foreign TEFL teachers too.

Neither the wages nor the cost of living in South Africa is particularly high, so the average TEFL job salary of around 10,000 Rand (US$1,400) should allow you to live relatively comfortably. If you get involved teaching English as a volunteer, the school should be able to arrange your accommodation and cover the most basic living costs.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better? Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town at our beach-front outdoor training centre with great accommodations available, including delicious local food. Fully accredited 120 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 10 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost! And a job placement program in Peru and guaranteed lifetime job assistance waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don't wait, make your reservation today!​