TEFL as non native, research towards teaching abroad

Help, tips and advice in teaching English

Moderator: Joe

Dorminator
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: 11 Mar 2016, 15:28
Status: Other

TEFL as non native, research towards teaching abroad

Unread post by Dorminator »

Hi,
I hope this is the right place to post this at.

I won't bore you with too many details.
I am 20 years old serving a mandatory army service at where i grew up and will be out in about nine months. i am trying to figure my path after this long period of time and have encountered ads online about teaching English as a foreign language abroad.
I thought this could be a chance to travel and live abroad for a while, strengthen my english even further and learn a second foreign language.
At all of the programs i found the candidate has to be native of the English language and show a passport of an English speaking country.
So i fear that although i believe i have a great level of english and ability to use it , i might miss this opportunity.

Note i don't have any education past highschool and would consider this a sort of a gap year.
Do you think this could be a bad move if I'm not going to be moving towards teaching in the future? Is it too complicated for me to achieve?

Please answer sincerely,
Thanks in advance,
Dor
Briona
Top Contributor
Posts: 199
Joined: 29 Jul 2009, 20:33
Status: Teacher

Re: TEFL as non native, research towards teaching abroad

Unread post by Briona »

Hi there,

I'll be honest here. At this moment in time, given your age and qualifications (or lack thereof), you stand no chance whatsoever of finding work teaching English abroad.

You haven't said where you're from or where you'd like to work, but if you need a visa, you're going to need to invest in a degree. No degree = no work visa. That said, regardless of your qualifications, some countries, e.g., Japan and South Korea, will not issue work visas to non-native English-speakers. Another consideration is that some employers have a minimum age requirement, which tends to be around 25.

If you are serious about wanting to teach English, even for a short time, you are going to have to invest in some qualifications, starting with a degree, which can be in any subject. This should be followed up with some kind of TEFL qualification. Research your preferred country's/countries' requirements before choosing.

I apologise if this isn't what you want to hear, but I think it better to be honest with people.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Briona
Experience teaching in Vietnam, Portugal, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Qatar
Dorminator
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: 11 Mar 2016, 15:28
Status: Other

Re: TEFL as non native, research towards teaching abroad

Unread post by Dorminator »

Hi Briona,

Thanks for your quick and honest reply,

Indeed I've hoped for better options but i understand the requirements and the reality of things.
I am planning on studying for a degree regardless of this situation but if this case requires me to have a degree for teaching besides a TEFL even for a short term then i have to reconsider this since what i was looking for was a profitable sort of gap year that could help and inspire others as well.

Thanks again for the information,
Who knows, someday in the future i might just visit here again :)
Farewell
User avatar
Lucy
Top Contributor
Posts: 658
Joined: 13 Jan 2004, 15:09
Status: Teacher Trainer

Re: TEFL as non native, research towards teaching abroad

Unread post by Lucy »

Hi Dorminator,

I agree with Briona. Your chances of getting a job are very slim: you don't have a degree, you're not native speaker and you don't have a teaching qualification.

If you think teaching might be for you, you could read books about teaching, search websites and do some volunteer work in your own country to find out if it really suits you.

Good luck,

Lucy
Post Reply