ESL Careers

The fateful day has arrived. YOU return your dog-eared copies of Cutting Edge to Ludmila, clear out your locker, and then head off into the sunset, wondering 'Is there life after BKC?' Yes there is! EFL is a very flexible market, easy to get into and easy to drift out of, but there are definitely opportunities to forge a career.

Teaching

Young learners in Krakow? ESP in Dubai? Business English in Chiang-Mai? The demand for English teaching overseas remains insatiable and with a qualification and experience you can work pretty much where you want. Most people chose a job based on destination, perhaps to get a new language, but it's worth joining an established school like Bell, IH, or the British Council. In Spring the IH internal transfer system begins. You will find details of IH teaching and senior vacancies posted in Borovitskaya and Tverskaya. If you are interested the next step is to contact Recruitment who will talk you through the paper work.

You might tire of teaching abroad and want to work in your home country. The situation is easier for US citizens because there is more immigration to the USA and consequently more ESL work around. In the UK. EFL teaching is very seasonal, mainly in the Summer, and it is based around London, Oxbridge and seaside towns. Your chances of finding a permanent EFL position in your home town are slim. If you want to teach in higher education you will definitely need an MA. If you want to teach in a British state school a PGCE is required.

More Qualifications

The logical next step is the Diploma. The British Council recognizes the UCLES DELTA and Trinity Licentiate Diploma as full teaching qualifications. A Diploma combines theory and practice. The UCLES DELTA is run in Moscow so contact Teacher Training at Tverskaya if you are interested. There are also a plethora of MAs covering areas like Applied Linguistics, CALL, Young Learners and Materials Design. MAs are generally more theoretical than Diplomas, and they rarely incorporate teaching practice.

Management

Obviously, a combination of experience and qualifications make you eligible for management posts. Senior Teacher and ADOS positions are good transitions into DOS positions. As far as management qualifications go, MAs may include a management component. There is also the IH Diploma in ELT Management, a distance-learning course that has a case study approach.

Teacher Training

There is no direct route into teacher training and no specific qualifications. Most DOSes get involved as they do observations and take part in seminars. The most formalized end of the teacher training spectrum is teaching on courses such as the CELTA. The assumption that a good teacher will make a good trainer is simplistic; as a new teacher trainer you will find yourself on a long learning curve.

Materials Writing

We've probably all fancied we can write the alternative to Headway . Actually, coursebook writing is the most ambitious type of materials design and publishers commission coursebook projects to established authors. A more realistic first step is a worksheet for a teaching magazine like English Teaching Professional or a book review for EL Gazette. In any case publishers are stingy so very few people can make a living from materials writing, unless that is you do come up with the next Headway.

Something Different

For many people, EFL is just something interesting to do for a year or three. After that, it might be chartered accountancy or engineering. However, you will have new skills which may be transferable. For example, if you have enjoyed teaching children you may want to do a PGCE in primary education; if you are interested in pronunciation you might consider training in speech therapy. Whatever you do, just remember that working for an international organization in Moscow will provide a talking point at most interviews.

Career Development Tips

• Choose well-known schools - like IH affiliates - rather than cowboys.
• Avoid bitty CVs : six months in Bangkok, two months travelling, eight months in Moscow, three months...).
• Get a range of experience of different levels, age-groups and teaching contexts (exams, business, etc).
• After two years experience think about doing the DELTA.
• Keep a portfolio of observation notes, students' work, materials you have created, etc. to show potential employers.
• Be flexible in terms of where you will and won't work. Don't accept a nightmare job in the place of your dreams.

Useful Contacts

There are three EFL organizations that have plenty of information about the world of EFL, including jobs. They are IATEFL (www.iatefl.org), TESOL (www.tesol.org) and BIELT (www.bielt.org). I also recommend the IH website (www.ihworld.com). The Guardian Weekly (www.jobsunlimited.co.uk) and Times Educational Supplement (www.jobs.tes.co.uk) have EFL jobs advertised on Tuesdays and Fridays respectively.

Wayne