What you really need to know before you TEFL

The world of teaching English as a foreign language is incredibly exciting. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be such passionate advocates of it! We’ve been helping students become teachers since 2008, with hundreds and thousands of talented people turning from curious course buyers to fully-fledged TEFL teachers through our highly accredited, top-of-the-range courses.

From recent university graduates to career changers, the young and experienced alike, TEFL is for just about anyone. If you have the wherewithal and the enthusiasm to teach English, then you can do it. 

However, it’s important to go into this exciting career armed with as much information as possible. As rewarding and as brilliant as it is, TEFL isn’t something you can just wander into, and it’s not a job you can perform without talent, devotion and the wisdom of teachers who have been there, done it and seen it all.

So, then: here’s what you really need to know before you launch erstwhile into a TEFL career.

TEFL courses

What qualifications do you need to teach English as a foreign language?

In the past, an unregulated TEFL industry meant that anyone could turn up pretty much anywhere and “teach English” to varying standards. Then, the CELTA was the gold standard in TEFL qualifications - a course that you had to do in person, over a certain period, at a particular price point. 

Over the last couple of decades, things have changed. TEFL course providers - like ourselves - have made the path to being a high-quality English teacher more accessible. How? Through a range of different course options . The industry standard TEFL qualification these days is 120 hours . Employers recognise that a 120-hour certificate from a recognised employer with multiple sources of accreditation (more on that later) provides a solid educational basis for teaching English as a foreign language.

There are, of course, lots of options. You can still take the CELTA. Level 5 courses, which typically go deeper into methodology and theory, are a great option. When you’re considering a TEFL course, the most important factors are how the course fits around your lifestyle, and how it meets your goals.

Advanced TEFL courses

To bolster your CV, it’s worth taking a look at Advanced TEFL courses . These are designed to help you specialise in certain areas after you’ve completed an initial TEFL qualification and allow you to stand out in the job market.

If you’re interested in teaching young learners , for example, there’s an Advanced TEFL course for that. If you’re keen to work with corporate clients, a Business English qualification would suit you. Academic English can be a stumbling block for a lot of students - you can tutor them, with a qualification in English for Academic Purposes . 

Accreditation

Here’s something you really need to know before you TEFL - accreditation matters, and it matters a lot . Put simply, accreditation means that an external body has assessed a course and approved it. Respected authorities who accredit TEFL courses include DEAC and the BAC . 

Taking a TEFL course you’ve found for £50 on a discount website like Groupon might seem like an attractive, cost-effective option at first glance. However, if it’s not properly accredited, employers won’t respect it. When it comes to TEFL courses, you tend to get what you pay for.

You should be able to easily find details of a provider’s accreditation on their site and we’d recommend looking into the accrediting bodies listed (it’s been known for some TEFL providers to set up their own accrediting bodies and accredit themselves!). 

Getting a visa

No, it’s never the most exciting part of travelling and teaching English as a foreign language - unless you’re particularly enthusiastic about forms and bureaucracy - but visas are a part of life for TEFL teachers. The last thing any aspiring TEFL teacher should want is to travel to a country without the right paperwork and potentially end up in legal trouble, after all!

There are lots of great visa resources, from our country guides to expansive online visa-specific guides . Depending on where you come from, the guidance will be different for each country. Immigration laws are always subject to change, so make sure to read up-to-date, official sources. 

Each country has its own specific visa requirements. Some countries will require TEFL teachers to have certain qualifications, like a degree. Others will just need you to have a job offer from an institution. Be sure to know what each country requires from you before you start your application.

You’ll need to apply for a visa from your home country before heading out. Your nearest embassy or consulate should also be a regular port of call during the visa process. Don’t be afraid to ask questions - even ones you might think are silly or obvious! 

When you move abroad, employers will often assist with visas. This will either mean processing applications, helping to cover fees, providing administrative support, or another form of assistance. It isn’t always guaranteed, but it is common. 

The visa process can take time, so be sure to factor that in. Though the spirit of adventure and carpe diem insists that you should throw caution to the wind, pack a suitcase and board the first plane you see, visa protocol means you need to think about a move abroad months in advance. 

If you want to TEFL abroad as a family unit, or as a couple, it’s possible - but you will need to think about specific visas and how your significant others fit into the equation.

Flying solo v teaching programmes

Your initial TEFL experience depends largely on what kind of person you are, and the direction you take. For many, a teaching programme is the ideal start to TEFL life - whether it’s teaching outright or being a classroom assistant, it’s still a chance to live and work abroad, albeit as part of a programme. These programmes typically provide assistance and mentorship throughout, as well as a stipend, a group of like-minded aspiring teachers to bond with, accommodation and other significant advantages that make early TEFL life that bit easier.

Alternatively, you can go out and find TEFL job opportunities by yourself, and launch into your brand new career your way, earning a wage, finding a place to live, and facing all the exciting responsibilities of teacher life untethered. 

Ultimately, there are massive advantages, and challenges, to both. There’s no real right or wrong answer, it’s just about what works best for you as a TEFL teacher.

It’s about you

Before you go sprinting into a TEFL career, think about what your priorities are. Everyone has different goals. For some, it’ll be about visiting as many countries as they possibly can. For others, it’ll be all about earning potential, or social impact. Warm weather and a change of pace might be what some TEFL teachers are looking for. 

No two TEFL teachers are the exact same, and no two careers are going to be exactly alike. So here are some things to consider before you choose your first teaching destination.

Salaries

If you’re motivated to earn more than you have before, you want to build some savings, or have some particular financial goals in mind, it’s worth researching what you can expect to earn in certain locations. 

Be sure to look at how your potential salary contrasts against the cost of living. In some locations, salaries can look extremely high, but it might be a really expensive place to live. On the other hand, there are plenty of TEFL destinations where salaries might not look the most alluring, but when you take cost of living into account, you can live extremely well.

Some employers will also offer fringe benefits which will make your salary go a bit further. Perks like free accommodation, airfare or health insurance, for example, can make a decent salary look like an excellent one!

Adventure

Some people like buzzing cities with world-famous nightlife . Other people want to teach English where, in their spare time, they can look at ancient Mayan architecture . Everyone’s idea of an adventure is different - take time to consider what excites you, and what’s realistic as a TEFL location. 

Location

Where you live and work is of the utmost importance. Whether you’ve always dreamed of living and teaching somewhere in particular, or you’re craving a nomadic lifestyle, your location has to work for you.

If you want to teach then head to the beach? Make sure you don’t move somewhere landlocked, with no rivers. If you’ve been brushing up on your Spanish, don’t move to Portugal . We’re being silly, but the point remains - be clear about what you want, and find out where is best for you.

Clearly, research pays. If you’re looking to settle somewhere long-term, it’s a good idea to take a look at the local attractions and facilities, and get an idea of the way of life in a new location. If you have a family, it’s crucial to scope out good schools and work opportunities before heading out somewhere. 

Social impact

A lot of people get into TEFL teaching to make a social impact. Of course, English is the lingua franca of business , and many of the world’s elite educational institutions are English-speaking - so by teaching English, you can provide fantastic opportunities for people to find career progression, or fulfil their academic potential. Going even deeper, you can help build school infrastructure and even design English courses and curricula, depending on where you go. The impact you can make is potentially enormous.

Hear from TEFL teachers

It’s always useful to hear from people who’ve been where you are, right now. There are loads of TEFL teachers who are thriving in places they never expected to end up, who can tell you exactly what they did, what mistakes they made, what advice they got, and what amazing experiences they had along the way. 

Helpfully, we’ve compiled a lot of these stories. Our podcast, ‘I Taught English Abroad’ , has loads of amazing contributors, from rapping teachers to career changers, Cambodian music video stars to Spanish awards organisers, TikTok superstars and world explorers alike. 

If you prefer to read accounts of teachers thriving online and abroad, check out our Student Stories for countless tips, anecdotes and invaluable bits of advice about starting your TEFL journey.

Things that shouldn’t stop you from pursuing TEFL

I’m not a native speaker

As long as you’re fluent in English then there’s work for you out there. We’ve trained many non-native speakers who’ve gone on to find rewarding, lasting TEFL work. Some employers indeed have an unfortunate preference for native speakers, so it can mean that it takes a bit more perseverance when it comes to applying for jobs. Don’t let it put you off, though - the landscape is changing over time. 

Qualifications including an IELTS or TOEFL , or a degree from an English-speaking university, can help out if you’re not a native English speaker .

I don’t have a degree

While it’s true that there are a lot of countries out there that require a degree for visa reasons there are options for if you don’t have one! Europe (if you’re an EU citizen) and South America are your best bet, as well as Cambodia. If you’re under 30 then look into working holiday visas as it’s possible to teach in certain countries without a degree on this type of visa. We have some more information about TEFL without a degree here .

I think I’m too old

You’re never too old to TEFL ! You may find that there are age restrictions for certain countries or programmes, but there is work out there for all ages.

I don’t have any teaching experience

Most of our students have no prior teaching experience so there’s no need to worry about that. Every teacher has to start somewhere, after all, and countless TEFL talents find teaching jobs abroad without experience every day!

Want to get started in the exciting world of TEFL, but you’re not sure which course to take? Let us help you figure it out, with our TEFL course quiz !