OK, so you’ve done all the hard work and you’ve completed your TEFL course (BIG well done by the way). Now… what happens next? Well, first of all, the door to a new and exciting world has just opened for you – now you just have to decide where you fancy spending the next 6-12 months. Whether it be teaching in Thailand or lesson planning in Lima – it is entirely up to you (I chose to teach English in China). As soon as you have finished your TEFL course you can start looking for jobs, with there being two main options: applying for jobs online (in which case, check out the i-to-i jobs board!), or in-country.
When it comes to choosing the best job/location, there are many different factors to decide upon. For example, many recruitment companies will offer the following:
Free flights
A lot of schools/recruitment agencies (especially in Asia) offer free flights, well flight reimbursements at the end of your contract. You will usually get your returns flights reimbursed if you stay for a 12 month contract, whereas if you only stay for 6 months, you will usually only get one of your flights reimbursed, but still – quite a good deal.
Free accommodation
A lot of schools/recruitment agencies offer free accommodation as part of the package. If this isn’t the case, then usually the teacher will receive a higher rate of pay to cover the accommodation expenditure.
Free food
Depending on whether you like the local cuisine of the country/city/town where you will be living, this could be a contributing factor, as many school provide the teacher with a free breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Language lessons
It is well known for many schools to offer up to two hours of language lessons to teachers per week, if you are interested in picking up the local lingo, then this may be an important factor for you.
Completion bonus
To make sure that the teacher honours their contract, schools sometimes add in a completion bonus, to be received by the teacher when they finish their teaching.
Pay/wage
Depending on what this whole adventure that you’re about to embark on is all about; the rate of pay that a teacher receives could be a massive contributing factor. Now that you have your ‘ever so impressive’ i-to-i TEFL qualification, you will be in a very good position to apply for well-paid jobs.
Support
Will there be support tutors to help you settle into the area and the new school and the new way of life?
Airport Pickups
Possibly the most important of the lot. The last thing you want is to be standing in the middle of an airport, trying to flag down a taxi to take you to an unknown location. Instead of pupils, I think I just saw dollar signs in the taxi drivers eyes.
My advice would be to try and get as many of these added extras as possible. I know it may sound a bit blasé to ask for these kind of things when you haven’t even stepped foot inside a classroom yet, but remember, you’re the one with this AMAZING new skill that is going to teach and enlighten a whole new generation of students.
