TEFL Job Types

There are many different ways of sourcing TEFL jobs. TEFL work falls into two main categories – paid and unpaid work. You can apply just as you would for any other job, before you travel, or once you’re abroad in your dream location. If you're short of time, you can also pay to have someone arrange a paid job for you. Away from paid TEFL jobs, you can also look into becoming a volunteer, and again you can do this either by applying for a position independently, or you can sign up to a scheme.

Option 1: Paying to be Placed in a TEFL Job
Option 2: Paid TEFL Work
Option 3: TEFL Volunteering
Option 4: Real Volunteering

1. Paying to be Placed in a TEFL Job

You can also pay money to be placed in a job – this takes away the hassle out fixing your own job, and means you have someone to come back to if it doesn’t work out. For example, i-to-i charges £400 to place you with a school in China, Thailand, Poland or South Korea (your choice) for 6-12 months. You can find a job without paying £400, it’s true, but if you’re short of time, or you want the guarantee of work, then this is another option. Please note you need a degree for all these posts.

To search for placements go to TEFL Job Placements >>

2. Paid TEFL Work

Paid work is never particularly well paid but, overseas, a brief rule of thumb is that full time TEFL work seems to cover your accommodation and general living costs, and leaves you some money free for the weekends. In countries where you are expected to work particularly long hours, or in locations where there is very little to do in the evenings, or where your remuneration package includes accommodation and/or meals, you should find you’re able to save up some money.

To search for paid TEFL work go to TEFL Classified Ads >>

3. TEFL Volunteering

There is also a burgeoning volunteering market, which, through a degree of commercialisation, has become much more accessible in recent years. A large number of volunteering organisations have set up on the basis that they charge you for your experience, in the way that you might pay for a holiday, but give you a justification for raising funds to pay for the experience. In return, the organisations provide you with an English teaching role in the (often exotic) location of your choice, they provide you with pre-departure and in-country support, and generally make sure you’re OK. Having local language skills help you enormously to integrate, and volunteers who had such skills report getting much more out of the experience.

To search volunteer placements combined with TEFL training and/or work, visit our Volunteers Abroad site >>

4. Real Volunteering

Organisations like VSO have shifted in their approach in recent years. They now tend to prefer qualified teachers who have been teaching for some time, as they look to their volunteers to be able to train local teachers in order that they can return to their own schools and improve teaching. Cactus supports ROLPA, an organisation that sends teachers out to projects in Tibet.

To find out more about contributing to these efforts go to Genuine Volunteering >>