| Most North American ESL English language schools | | | | at the stages most teachers go through. The start can |
| are marketing organizations. They like to sell their ESL | | | | be wonderful or ugly. It depends on your preparation. |
| school as the best (in everything) to the international | | | | Many successful career ESL teachers tutored while |
| language students. The English schools like to present | | | | they finished their university and teacher education |
| themselves as established, well organized, professional, | | | | programs. As a tutor you can really learn how to help |
| with highly qualified and experienced teachers, proven | | | | a student. You can see their struggles and provide the |
| curriculums, lots of resources, a history of happy | | | | solutions. The next step is the classroom. The leap |
| students. | | | | from one student to 15 is major and requires all the |
| If you want to teach ESL in the competitive private | | | | theory and methodology necessary to operate as a |
| school industry then you have to realize that as an | | | | classroom professional. You have to do this in person. |
| ESL teacher you are part of a packaged commodity. | | | | Get the practicum supervision and corrections |
| Remember that most ESL schools pay for advertizing, | | | | necessary to teach ESL professionally. |
| marketing, salesmen, agents, flashy brochures and | | | | Experience can be gained in North America as a |
| have to travel to expensive international student | | | | community volunteer, operating your own classes, |
| education fairs to recruit students. ESL schools pay | | | | team teaching classes, teacher observations, or |
| out from 25 to 50% of the tuition they receive just to | | | | tutoring. Travelling internationally where experience is |
| get ESL students in the door. | | | | not required can be exciting and educational - however |
| For most ESL teachers to get a job in North America | | | | one has to consider the dramatic life-style changes |
| you have to have a combination of personal qualities, | | | | and risks which accompany these opportunities. |
| education and teaching experience. The ESL schools | | | | After two years of mistakes and corrections, |
| that try to cover 10 levels, 15 electives, activities, and | | | | continuing education, workshops, professional |
| self-directed programs are usually over-stretching their | | | | exchanges, brainstorming, team teaching, collaboration, |
| teaching staffs because of budget restrictions created | | | | students calling you wonderful, others not so happy - |
| by the huge marketing expenses. Many schools are on | | | | then many of the higher paying professional |
| low-margin, high-volume operations programs and | | | | organizations consider you job-ready. Career ESL |
| cannot afford to make hiring mistakes. | | | | teaching in North America is not easy and not available |
| To be a successful career ESL teacher you can look | | | | overnight with most professional organizations. |