Chapter 3: Examining Courses, Qualifications and Jobs 45
By the way, you should ask about holidays and seasonal closures because in
some countries the schools close for three months a year during the summer
in which case you’ll need to save up or find another form of income.
Finding Work
The most common way to find a TEFL job in any country is by using http://www.
tefl.com. This excellent website has various search options and a facil-
ity for entering an online CV so that you can respond to jobs adverts in an
instant.
TEFL.com advertises dozens of summer school jobs from March onwards.
This is a good way to get your first teaching job in EFL. Summer schools
employ teachers with a range of experience and qualifications for a few weeks
or even three months at a time. You may have to move away for a while but
most offer subsidised accommodation.
Even if you haven’t got your teaching qualification yet, you can apply for a
job as an activity leader or a similar non-teaching role. This gives you experi-
ence in being around groups of foreign language students and puts you in
contact with people in the industry.
Another option is to use the contacts of your TEFL course provider.
Employers very often have close links with schools and colleges in the UK or
other English speaking countries. Ask your tutor about job vacancies early on
in your course and you may just get a head start on your classmates.
Two newspapers in the UK advertise TEFL positions regularly: one is The
Times Educational Supplement which comes out on Fridays and the other is
The Guardian, which publishes an extensive Education section on Tuesdays.
Some larger chains of language schools have job opportunities worldwide.
Keep in mind that the academic year starts in September, so start sending
these organisations your CV in the summer. Apply in March and April for
summer jobs. In most cases you write to the director of studies and include a
brief covering letter.
I have seen too many CVs wind up in the bin because of poor grammar and
spelling. So check and double check before you send yours off because if your
English is poor, you don’t stand a chance of getting a job teaching English. And
try to make your CV as relevant as possible by emphasising experiences where
you travelled, learned a foreign language, taught someone or managed people.
