Finished Your TEFL Course? Now Do Your Own Marketing!
| This article is about the steps you should take when | me to some internet sites that are purely devoted to | |||
| you've completed your TEFL programme. If you've | English teachers who can advertise their skills online. | |||
| studied at a good TEFL school, they will have set up | You post your advert, along with your contact details, | |||
| you up with some interviews through teaching | anything you can offer in particular (eg. business | |||
| academies. You also will have had some inputs about | English/teaching kids/sports English) and wait for | |||
| interview etiquette and some methods you can adopt | people who want teachers to contact you. There are | |||
| after you've finished studying. | so many opportunities out there and the internet should | |||
| It's a jungle out there | never be underestimated. | |||
| However, it's not all down to your TEFL school. | Stick it on the board | |||
| There's only one way to really get a head start in the | Here in Madrid (and I'm sure its similar elsewhere) the | |||
| jungle that is teaching English as a foreign language | city is rife with adverts with tear off slips of paper. The | |||
| and that is to take some big steps of your own. There | process is simple. Write your advert (ie. the fact that | |||
| are so many other English teachers out there that you | you're an English teacher, how much you charge per | |||
| have to get yourself noticed. The more innovative you | hour, contact details etc) and underneath create tear | |||
| are, the greatest chance of success you'll have. | off slips of paper with your number and name on. If | |||
| "Do you take cards?" | interested, people can tear these off and get in | |||
| There is nothing shameful about marketing yourself. | contact. Stick these up around your favourite bars, | |||
| Make some business cards. I made my own business | pubs, internet cafes and wait for your phone to ring. | |||
| cards the night before the last day as a TEFL student. | Word of mouth | |||
| Why? Because everywhere I went, whether it be a | The fact that you teach English for a living means that | |||
| bar, library, bookshop or internet cafe, someone | you'll be very popular. Everyone knows someone who | |||
| somewhere had put up there English teaching business | wants to learn English. If you teach children, tell their | |||
| cards. I made mine in MS Word, quickly designed a | parents that you're available to teach their friends. | |||
| logo that suggested I have full command of the English | You'll soon have a long line of people interested in | |||
| language even in my sleep (I opted for a rolled up | hearing more. Tell people you have to deal with daily | |||
| piece of parchment) and put my email address and | that you teach English. Mention it at the bank, at the | |||
| native telephone number on it. Simple as that. Print | supermarket, everywhere! You'll be surprised just how | |||
| them off, cut them out, cover them in sticky back | many people there are who will want to know more! | |||
| plastic and hand them out. Stick them through post | There is nothing more influential than word of mouth | |||
| boxes in apartment blocks. There's always someone | information. If you're a good teacher, your students will | |||
| who wants to learn English.... | tell their friends and family. | |||
| Techno-phobes beware | You'll notice one thing about all the above tips. They | |||
| If you're not big on technology then beware of my | are either completely free or cost very little. It takes | |||
| next tip. The internet is an absolute lifesaver when it | very little to get noticed, you've just got to know how | |||
| comes to finding work. I studied for my TEFL | to do it and be pro-active. | |||
| certificate in Madrid and my TEFL school introduced |
Victoria Galloway - Graduate of TtMadrid and English teacher - www.ttmadrid.com