| fessions in the world have such a unified online job | | | | working day, there are 2 long mornings off between |
| market. Schools now see the Internet as the first place | | | | Monday-Friday’. How long can a morning be to |
| to advertise, while a great many teachers look for | | | | compensate for a whole lost weekend day? Even if |
| jobs, and are hired online. In this article we look frankly | | | | you wake up at 07:00 you still have to go to work in |
| at online TEFL/ESL job adverts, trying to cast out the | | | | five hours! |
| TEFL job horrors and discover those TEFL gems that | | | | Some teachers swear by overtime, while others |
| do exist. To do this we need all our wits, a decent | | | | swear at it. Some companies tend to outline their |
| working knowledge of the global TEFL market and a | | | | requirements for overtime on their adverts. This is |
| strong dose of realism. What we have here is a list of | | | | beneficial as they can always say they told you so if |
| clauses taken from a variety of online job descriptions | | | | you complain about having to do overtime. For |
| which we are going to interpret. All of the following | | | | example; [there is] the opportunity to teach extra |
| quotes were taken from November 2009 postings on | | | | hours to increase quarterly bonuses’. Be wary |
| the job forums at TEFL.com/Dave’s ESL | | | | this isn’t the school inviting itself to offload more |
| Café (International Job board), and ESL Base. | | | | classes on to you. It also isn’t clear how these |
| 1. Salary and money | | | | classes are paid. As a bonus? |
| One of the most disappointing aspects of the TEFL | | | | 4. Accommodation and local living |
| ESL job search is the lack of information available | | | | The golden rule when looking at the accommodation |
| about salaries. Unfortunately, not disclosing the salary is | | | | or local quality of life issues in job adverts is to be very |
| the norm, and not the exception. Instead, many schools | | | | wary. The classic TEFL/ESL recruiting trick is to |
| opt for bland statements which don’t help an | | | | compensate a contract with poor terms and conditions |
| aspiring job applicant. Most prevalent is competitive | | | | by highlighting all the beautiful temples, beaches, and |
| local salary’. Competitive with what? Local | | | | historic old town that a country has. These beaches |
| teachers? Few Western teachers would be able to | | | | seem less beautiful, nevertheless, if you can’t |
| live comfortably on a local teacher salary in Russia for | | | | get time off to visit them or your apartment is an hour |
| example, especially being a foreigner. Some jobs have | | | | away from the historic centre. If I want tourist advice |
| the audacity to state salary allows for comfortable | | | | on a country I will go to their ministry of tourism |
| middle class lifestyle’. It is unlikely a language | | | | website, NOT the language school hoping to employ |
| school has conducted research into what constitutes a | | | | me. This is just an underhand trick to disguise their poor |
| middle class salary, nor do they even bother to define | | | | working environments. |
| what middle class really means in the context of the | | | | If a school provides housing, shared |
| named country. A less common advertised condition is | | | | accommodation provided for teachers’ is the |
| this: Salaries are generally above the average paid | | | | norm. Schools seldom say more than this, meaning |
| by other private language schools in the areas | | | | your quality of life depends largely on the quality of |
| concerned’. Ultimately, it is irrelevant what other | | | | your house mate, the quality of the apartment and the |
| schools pay, and only reveals that this particular school | | | | location of it. It is advisable to get as much info on this |
| is involved in a race to the bottom, by only just paying | | | | as you can before you depart so you are in a |
| more than what they think their competitors do. Bad | | | | stronger position vis-a-vis the school. If possible, find out |
| form. If schools expect quality language professionals, | | | | if the school offers money in lieu of the apartment if |
| they need to advertise high salaries in full, allowing | | | | you want to find your own. This will give you an idea |
| teachers to make their own informed decisions. | | | | of how much your apartment is really worth as a part |
| The entirety of TEFL salaries do not rest altogether on | | | | of your salary. |
| a main basic payment. Either because salaries are low | | | | 5. Teaching children |
| or it’s just the way the market operates, | | | | So important a good school is if you are teaching |
| schools tend to offer a plethora of financial and | | | | children that we wrote out this entire section of pitfalls |
| non-financial benefits. As we’re dealing with | | | | and things to go for. First the dangers to watch out for: |
| money, let’s look at the very common | | | | bed time duties for teachers’ ranks as just |
| contract completion payment’. For reasons | | | | about the worst thing that you could get as a TEFL |
| unbeknown to most, the majority of schools offer a | | | | ESL teacher of young learners, closely followed by |
| contract completion bonus - usually one that | | | | this: must enjoy teaching children classes’. In |
| accumulates monthly - to teachers who stick out an | | | | no other job would an employer remark that the |
| entire contract. Such payments’ start around | | | | employee must enjoy his/her work’! While, |
| $50 a month and tend not to be higher than $100. | | | | obviously their intention is to hire someone who has a |
| Nevertheless, wouldn't you prefer to have such money | | | | genuine ability to motivate children, this remark smacks |
| incorporated into your basic salary, allowing you the | | | | of a school that doesn’t want to support |
| luxury to resign should the job not be to your liking? | | | | teachers with behaviour management. |
| 2. Perks to get you to sign | | | | The better schools should provide you with hard facts |
| A company car is a perk. A coffee machine is a perk. | | | | when it comes to kids’ classes. Take for |
| Visa and work permits organised’ is clearly | | | | example; Classes are limited to 2-4 |
| not a perk, because if the company doesn’t do | | | | students’, learners consist mainly of children |
| this, they won’t be able to hire any teachers. | | | | between the ages of 3-14’, and learners |
| Watch out for schools that sound off similar so-called | | | | consist mainly of children between the ages of |
| perks’, which actually offer little substance | | | | 3-14’. All these clearly sign post what lies ahead, |
| and are meaningless. Take for example: A salary | | | | so if you do like children, you know what you are |
| increase of 10% is paid to teachers signing for a | | | | getting, and if you don’t, you can get the hell out. |
| second year contract’. This sounds generous, | | | | 6. Final warning signs |
| but like the aforementioned visa carrot, it offers | | | | By now, we have worked our way through a number |
| nothing. The particular job in question was for a | | | | of stipulations in TEFL/ESL contracts that are cause |
| monthly wage of Chinese CNY 6000 (around EUR | | | | for concern for English teachers. In this final section, |
| 600). Few other professions would offer appalling | | | | we bring together a nebulous array of worrisome |
| salary increases of only EUR60 a month. Stinginess. | | | | devils that seem to plague job adverts and should be |
| One perk which does make a real difference to | | | | regarded as warning signs to prospective teachers. If |
| teachers looking to relocate to another country is | | | | you are applying through look out for how many |
| airflight allowance’. However, watch the | | | | vacancies there are available. A dual digit limitation |
| wording. In this example, it seems unlikely that the | | | | means that the maximum number of vacancies a |
| school will pay all of your return flight. I much prefer | | | | school can advertise is 99. 99 vacancies |
| paid return airfare’, although all too often | | | | available’ is bothersome because it indicates |
| teachers must wait a whole contract or half before | | | | that the school has a high turnover of staff. Why |
| they see their money again. For teachers from | | | | would people want to leave a job if they were |
| Australia and New Zealand, ensure your school pays | | | | satisfied? It is most likely that they are not. On other |
| your entire airfare as many schools are happy to hire | | | | websites the alarm bell is DOS, ADOS and EFL |
| antipodeans, but don’t want to pay for your | | | | Teachers required’. What has happened to their |
| whole airfare. | | | | existing staff if they are hiring so many new people? |
| For a job that involves going abroad, the idea of | | | | One can only worry. |
| holidays sounds a bit unnecessary. However, | | | | I have been in two minds whether or not to add no |
| everyone needs time off work, and it is sad to see | | | | teaching experience necessary’, as all of us |
| teachers disillusioned because they haven’t had | | | | have had to start our TEFL/ESL career somewhere. |
| the opportunity to explore their new country of | | | | However, even teachers who are newly qualified with |
| residence. The number of holiday days per year varies | | | | CELTA/CertTESOL have some teaching experience |
| enormously. When looking at job adverts, it’s all | | | | and therefore can do better than the large chains |
| about the most amount of paid days you can get. | | | | which seek wholly inexperienced teachers. If you do |
| Ignore nonsense like: Teachers will have about | | | | have experience, do not touch such places. In TEFL |
| twenty-five days unpaid holidays per year.’ Few | | | | ESL, every year of experience adds dollars to your |
| other professions sink this low to try and state that all | | | | pay check, get this rewarded by looking for |
| holidays have to be unpaid. One step better is: 20 | | | | incremental increases in job adverts. |
| days paid holidays (for 12 month contract)’. Still, | | | | Finally, let us finish this roller-coaster ride through the |
| this amounts to less than three weeks in an entire | | | | archives of TEFL/ESL job classifieds by looking at the |
| year of holiday! People outside of TEFL/ESL laugh at | | | | most prevalent statement throughout; The cost of |
| this and no-one should sign a contract offering such | | | | living is low’. Please ask yourself when |
| minimal time off. | | | | considering a job to who?’ The cost of living |
| 3. Working hours | | | | is not low to everyone in Europe or the US, so it |
| From my research, bar far the most common amount | | | | won’t be in a TEFL destination. More often than |
| of hours which schools offered on a full time contract | | | | not, this statement is used to justify a weak salary. |
| was 24-25 hours teaching hours a week. Bare in mind | | | | Naturally, a salary is only as good as how expensive a |
| that some schools consider these hours as | | | | country is, but just remember if a school feels the |
| academic’ (45 minutes), and therefore the | | | | need to mention it, you are probably being taken for a |
| actual teaching load is smaller. Planning and preparation | | | | ride. |
| time obviously comprises the rest of your weekly | | | | To sum up, when you look at a TEFL/ESL job advert |
| hours (10-15 hours). Schools rarely stipulate how long | | | | again, use these tips and hints to make sure you are |
| this must be though. However, having 25 hours | | | | getting the good deal you deserve, as once you have |
| teaching a week may not be as simple as it seems as | | | | arrived in your new country of employment it is very |
| in the next example of poor practice: Saturday is a | | | | hard to akter terms and conditions. |