🗺️ Traveling teacher

Also known as the TEFL nomad, the most common path for TEFL graduates is to travel around the world while teaching. Many teachers will spend a year or two in each country, indulging themselves in language and culture as they go.

This can be a great option to set yourself up with a new career path, to build up some savings, or just to see some of the world after completing university/college.

While this lifestyle can be a lot of fun, you should keep in mind that you’ll still have responsibilities as a teacher and will need to ensure that you provide valuable lessons for your students.

🏢 Expat teacher

Once you discover teaching English overseas it can be hard to give it up. Many teachers find a country which they truly feel comfortable in, and choose to call it home for good. Such teachers are often known as “expats” or “ex-pats” (short for “expatriates”).

This can be an incredibly rewarding lifestyle as you’ll start to develop a deeper understanding of your new home, learn the local language, and adjust to life overseas.

As you gain experience, it can also be possible to find jobs at reputable schools or even universities, bringing new challenges to your work as you get to focus on more academic teaching.

🏠 Homeland teacher

It might surprise you to hear, but it could also be possible to find ESL teaching positions in your home country. This means that you could potentially start a new career without needing to travel overseas.

If you live in a country that doesn’t already speak English as its native language, there should be lots of local students learning English either at school or through private language classes.

If you live in a country that already speaks English as a native language then don’t worry – there could still be lots of opportunities close to home. Foreign ex-pats, overseas students, and even refugees can arrive in countries such as the UK, Ireland, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa with limited English skills. English language classes are a great way to help them better assimilate to the local environment, and improve their communication with the locals.

💻 Online English tutor

Teaching English via the internet has become incredibly popular over the past 5 years. Thanks to increasingly widespread internet access, it’s now possible to teach children and adults from around the world without needing to leave your home.

Most online teaching positions just require you to be fluent in English, have a computer with a webcam/microphone, and to have a stable internet connection.

Online teaching is something that we’ll look at in the final module of the course.

👨‍🏫 Private English tutor

If you aren’t a fan of online teaching then a great side job could be to teach English as a private tutor.

Many teachers start private tutoring to earn some extra money, and eventually spin it into a full-time job of its own. Private tutoring can offer great flexibility, allowing you to choose your own hours (within reason), and earn a great rate of pay – in some regions you can earn up to $20-$30 per hour!

You’ll also be able to experience what it’s like to teach on a 1-on-1 basis instead of having to split your attention among a class full of students.

👔 Non-teaching career

Another great advantage of teaching English overseas is that many foreign companies have a demand for people with strong English skills.

This is especially important for companies that target native-speaking customers, or those that want to give off an international image. It’s common to hear of people transitioning from teaching English to copy-writing, journalism, marketing, sales, or other positions.