Nice isn't it? Doesn't this make you want to teach abroad?
A common hook used by TEFL course providers is imagery from Thailand. If you are in the market for a TEFL course you should have seen an image like this by now.
If not you soon will. But before you get excited about this...
You'll probably only spend less than 1 or 2% of your time abroad in a place like this. Although this imagery is used to hook you it has little to do with where you'll actually be spending most of your time.
Teaching English abroad is not a vacation. Most teachers in Asia do not end up anywhere near a place like this. These places are reserved for a vacation. If you are like most teachers you might take a vacation at the end of your contract.
There are 52 weeks in a year. So let's say you take a vacation for one week. That's less than 1% of your time.
There are jobs where you can get a couple months of vacation a year, however these jobs are usually reserved for experienced teachers.
You are more likely to be living in a place like this
Most of the jobs in Asia are in big cities. No, you don't have to work in one if you don't want, but that's where most of the jobs are. This is a pic of Beijing. Beijing has some of the worst pollution in Asia, but it's not only in the big cities. It can happen in the smaller cities too.
You are probably going to be spending a sizable amount of your time awake (hopefully) in a classroom.
There are jobs out there working less which I have done, but most teachers work anywhere from 6-8 hours a day 5 days a week. If that is you then you will be spending 25-33% of your time abroad at work...
And not on a beach in Thailand.
This is another hook that is commonly seen especially on sites like Groupon. They want you to feel like you are getting a deal so they make big claims like above or offer "sales" that are almost always going on.
If a course is worth $400 why would they realistically sell it for $5?
If you are lucky...
Many online courses are primarily text based. This means that much of what you "learn" will go in one ear and out the other.
ESLinsider's courses are built with practical how-to videos not boring lecture videos. These have been viewed millions of times. These videos mean that you are way more likely to remember what you learn and enjoy the process.
You are more likely to learn by being shown something versus by being told or reading about it. Learn more about the power of visuals in TEFL.
Matilda is a student in Korea. You can meet her and others inside.
There are 2 reasons why you might want to take a TEFL course.
- To get a qualification.
- To learn how to teach.
Many people are only focused on reason 1 - the short term, but if you want a better experience abroad focus on #2.