| Teachers who are looking to move their teaching | | | | lessons don't just appear out of thin air, teachers need |
| career overseas have two options, teach at an | | | | to prepare their lessons and organise resources. When |
| international school or teach at a private language | | | | you first start out teaching EFL you may spend as |
| school. I've done both and I think that teaching at an | | | | much time preparing for a lesson as you actually do |
| international school is the best option. I'd like to share 5 | | | | teaching it. I remember when I began, this was the |
| reasons why I think this is true. | | | | case on a good day, sometimes I'd spend a lot more |
| Reason #1 - disposable income | | | | time agonising over what I was going to do in the |
| When I taught at private language schools, it was a | | | | lesson than I actually spent in the classroom with my |
| luxury to buy paperbacks, and to have my legs | | | | students. Of course, this is not true now, when I am |
| waxed. I had to think about where I was spending my | | | | teaching in a well resourced language school, I am able |
| salary because I simply didn't have enough money to | | | | to plan a lesson much more quickly than when I |
| spend on non-essential items. Not if I wanted to go on | | | | started out. |
| any vacations or have any time off over the summer. | | | | One thing that TEFL teachers need to know is that |
| Now that I teach at an international school, I am able to | | | | while your contract says you must teach 20-35 hours |
| spend my teaching salary as I choose, and still have | | | | a week, in reality this will mean they are working |
| money left at the end of the month to save. I'm not | | | | (between lesson preparation, teaching and marking) |
| talking about saving for the summer holidays, or for a | | | | 50+ hours a week. And the pay for all your extra time |
| rainy day. I can save money just to have it in the bank. | | | | spent planning the lessons is 'included' in your hourly |
| I'm now able to save towards a deposit on a house, | | | | teaching rate. I can tell you, teachers become very |
| and contribute to a pension scheme. | | | | efficient in planning their lessons quickly! |
| Reason #2 - regular paid vacations | | | | Teachers working overseas in international schools are |
| When you are an EFL teacher, you will usually sign a | | | | employed as full-time teachers who teach a required |
| contract for an academic year (9 months) or a | | | | number of contact hours. But overseas teachers are |
| calendar year. Generally your contract will include a | | | | employed for the whole teaching day, and so their |
| few weeks holiday, but you will be expected to work | | | | planning time is included in their salaries. I've taught in |
| a larger proportion of your contract's length than if you | | | | regular high schools in addition to international schools, |
| were teaching at an international school. | | | | and I have considerably more non-contact time in |
| At an international school, your teaching contract will be | | | | which to prepare my lessons when I teach abroad at |
| signed for a period of 12 months. Of which you will be | | | | international schools than when I've taught locally at |
| expected to teach around 200 days. The rest of the | | | | state schools. |
| year the school will be closed and you will be able to | | | | Reason #5 - professional development opportunities |
| go on vacations. | | | | I have a number of qualifications in EFL teaching. I have |
| I spent 4 years working in the TEFL sector of the | | | | two Cambridge certificates and a Diploma in Second |
| teaching profession, and I worked each summer | | | | Language Teaching as well. I paid for all of the courses |
| teaching residential summer school courses. Since I've | | | | out of my teaching salary, when I didn't have a lot to |
| been teaching at international schools, I have been able | | | | spare. I sought professional development opportunities |
| to take each summer off and travel. I also travel during | | | | to make me a better teacher, and the schools I've |
| the school year as there is only two months in the | | | | worked for have directly benefited from my efforts. |
| year when I do not get at least a three day weekend. | | | | But not one of the private language schools I've taught |
| Reason #3 - normal teaching contact hours | | | | for in the past have ever helped me pay for my |
| Private language schools that specialise in TEFL are | | | | professional development. |
| 'cram schools'. The students mostly attend their English | | | | Most international schools have a pool of money set |
| lessons around their other school or job commitments. | | | | aside for the professional development of their |
| This means that your working hours will be crazy. At | | | | teaching staff. At my current school, there is a budget |
| my first language school my working day was any | | | | set per teacher annually. I went to a summit in |
| hours I was given between 10am and 10pm. I was | | | | Singapore this year, funded by the school. I've used a |
| lucky because the manager of the branch at which I | | | | number of the techniques I learnt at the summit in my |
| taught was very considerate of her teachers. Not all | | | | classes since I've been back. |
| the EFL teachers working for the same company | | | | In conclusion |
| were so well treated. | | | | I've taught overseas at both international schools and |
| At another school I taught at, each week I had days | | | | private language schools since I began my international |
| when I worked a split shift. I would be teaching my first | | | | teaching career, and I am happier and feel more |
| lesson at half past seven in the morning, have a few | | | | valued now that I am teaching in an international school. |
| hours off in the middle of the day, then I would have to | | | | I found that many private language schools were run |
| be back at work and teaching for another 4-5 hours in | | | | by people solely interested in their profit margin, and |
| the evening and finish the day at 9:30pm. | | | | the quality of language education offered was hardly a |
| International schools operate regular school hours. If | | | | consideration to them. |
| you are teaching at a school that starts early in the | | | | I now teach at a school where I'm treated like a |
| morning, then you will be done with your working day in | | | | teaching professional, the students' education is the top |
| the early afternoon. | | | | priority of teachers and management alike, and I get |
| Reason #4 - planning time is 'included' | | | | regular vacations to satisfy my hunger for travel and |
| TEFL teachers are employed for contact hours. This is | | | | new experiences. |
| the time you spend in front of students. However, | | | | |