TEFL - Employed by a School Vs Teaching Private Lessons

The two main ways of making money by teachingteaching privately on a tourist visa is illegal and in many
English overseas is either to be employed by a schoolit's illegal to teach privately without your employer's
or by teaching private lessons. Schools are often ablepermission. Despite this many people do so as it is
to arrange a work visa for you meaning you can stayfairly hard to prove you are teaching privately and
longer in the country without having to leave or go onprivate English lessons don't usually get raided!
a visa run (leaving the country and re-entering therebyMost who teach privately start teaching with a school
renewing your "tourist" visa), they also provide someand pick up a few private lessons slowly to begin with
stability in regards to income coming in and many willand through referrals and word of mouth
provide accommodation for you. Most that do not willrecommendation build up a network. Sometimes it is
help you find accommodation that you need locally.more profitable to then stop working with the school
Some although not all also offer training before youand just teach privately although you do then have to
start and some even have lesson plans already setthink about your visa situation. In an ideal world many
out.would try and convince the sponsoring school to let
Private lessons can generally make you more money,them work just a day or half a day maybe even for
but can't provide you with things like a work visa,free in return for the work visa while teaching privately
stable income or accommodation. In most countriesthe rest of the time.