Training to teach TEFL/TESOL

[Swearwolf]

I'm currently on maternity leave and desperate not to go back to my job. I've worked in academic publishing for a decade, it's hard to get a new job within the industry and I ended up after my last maternity leave in a role I'm not wild about for a manager who has made my working life miserable. So I'm hoping for a change when I go back.

I have a languages degree and did two TESOL modules in my final year, which would have counted towards the Cambridge cert if I'd taken it further at the time. I also live near-ish to a city with plenty of international students and language schools.

So I'm wondering about getting into language teaching, but have no idea how to go about it. Would I have to travel somewhere to take the course? What are my chances of getting a job afterwards - are they very hard to come by/competitive?

Tell me everything!

Google Celta and your location and it will tell you where your nearest one is.

Sorry posted too soon. When I did mine I called the school first and asked questions about employment afterwards etc. They were really good and also gave us contact details for all the local schools at the end of the course.

Thanks, that's really helpful. So are you teaching now? How do you find it?

Government are directing funding towards ESOL, especially in the post -19 sector. You might want to approach your local fe college or adult education providers.

It's unlikely you will get work really. Unfortunately the huge numbers of immigrants don't translate into huge numbers of learners because most families send only one person to learn English formally. The tech in my area has drastically cut down on the hours of English teaching it is offering and tesol Dr diplomas are two a penny.

I'm not saying you won't get a job but most people taking TESOL won't go on to her a full time job in the UK.

I think work will pick up as ESOL is mandatory if someone without good English tries to claim JSA and it is required for the Citizenship test. It won't be steady and guaranteed though. You could also ask your local Job Centre plus who their provider is as it will be contracted out.

Don't count on it...I would find out who is hiring and what the applicant/job ratio is like. Most of my friends ended up going overseas.

My cousin did a tefl course in glasgow online and has spent the last three years teaching in thailand getting promotion adter promotion, there is a high demand for tefl teaxhers but you have to be prepared to work hard for it! Best of luck.!

My husband retrained about 3 years ago and works in his local college, where he trained. It's fantastic because he only works 'school' hours plus 2 evenings a week. He's on a variable hours contract so he picks up extra bits of work for cover e.g. holiday and sickness as we live very close to the college. He really enjoys the work. He approached a couple of language schools too who were interested but the job at the local adult education college makes it so easy for childcare.

Thanks everyone, so a bit of a mix of experience then, and pretty uncertain as to whether there would be a job afterwards.

Sherry, that's what I was hoping, the thought of holiday childcare for two is horrendous!

I think as some of you have said, it's worth speaking to some providers first to see what the market is like in our area, but possibly not worth taking the course after all.

A lot of people with TESOL diplomas also have a first qualification in languages or teaching, so are fluent in another language and have a PGCE in the bag, plus a thousand hours or so of teaching abroad.

I asked my husband for you Swearwolf about his ESOL class. There were about 12 in the group; about half planned to go abroad and teach; one was a teacher and wanted an extra string to her bow. 3 wanted to go into full-time ESOL. Of those 3, he and another one both work at the local college (where they studied). We're in a London suburb. He's not full-time - most days he works 10am-2.30pm at the college; plus he does two evenings; plus he has class prep work to do outside of those hours. He had no teaching experience - though he knew he enjoyed teaching because he was previously a driving school instructor. He has good languages (French & German) but that wasn't necessary for the course. He rarely has people in his class whose language he knows - lots of Eastern Europeans, Indian, some African.