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TESOL, which stands for Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages, is a general term in the field of teaching that includes both TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language). One can pursue Certificate IV in TESOL online.

The field of teaching English involves much more than teachers presenting topics in grammar before groups of students. Though this is an option either abroad or in one’s own country, English teaching opens doors to jobs such as teaching employees for the workplace, for companies, as freelancers, or for training other English teachers.

Following is a list of opportunities for those with TESOL certification:

Teach online for a company

Love the idea of teaching English in your pyjamas at home? Then teaching the subject to online students will appeal to one. Teaching online for a company is the ticket to a steady income stream, a fixed schedule, and guaranteed bookings from students.

When you teach online for a company, most students will be teenagers and kids taking classes on weekends, school holidays, and after school hours. Most students will be from countries in Asia like China. The number of online companies teaching English online to adults is also rising in Latin America.

The eligibility for this job is a TESOL certification (at least 120 hours), a bachelor’s degree, near-native proficiency in English, and teaching experience. But these vary from one company to another.

Online classes can be creative and fun. There is no fixed schedule since the teacher sets her own availability. Classes are booked in one hour or 25-to-30-minute blocks, based on the company, and one can decide on the breaks.

Many of the online tutoring companies demand commitment to a few numbers of weekly teaching hours, but some companies don’t even demand this.

Teach online as a freelancer

If one dislikes bosses and fancy beginning one’s own English tutoring business, working as an independent teacher is the best bet.

Two kinds of jobs exist for such individuals:

  • Advertise on online teaching marketplaces:

Potential students will contact independent tutors via online marketplaces for English tutoring. All one needs to do is just set up one’s profile, set one’s own rates and schedules, and advertise one’s services to the numerous students searching on such platforms. Such marketplaces earn a fee for marketing one’s work and for handling financial transactions.

  • Setting up one’s own business as an entrepreneur

This is good for those who wish to launch their own tutoring venture rather than work for a company. But one must be prepared to handle everything from curriculum, work hours, financial arrangements, and marketing the business.

Many like this opportunity to freelance as one can market one’s skills and proficiencies like knowledge of multiple languages. A TESOL certification is the best bet to start the venture. One has complete freedom about when, what, and where to teach and the rates to be charged.

Teach in a classroom

Even if one desires to teach students face to face, there are plenty of opportunities out there. For qualifying for such positions, the minimum need may be to invest in a 120-hour TESOL certification. Such a versatile credential prepares one for the classroom and substantially enhances one’s job prospects, whether you desire to teach the language at home or abroad.

Choices for classroom instruction include:

  • Institutes for the English Language

Such institutes are in plenty all around the world. Many expats find this their first job setting. One can work in 2 ways: teach students who arrive at the institute for classes or teach students in different locations across the city. Both may involve sporadic hours as students may be taking classes out of school hours or out of work hours in the case of adults.

  • International schools

Several TESOL qualified teachers teach in such institutions, especially in Asian countries like South Korea and Thailand. Such jobs are well-liked as they provide traditional working hours like 9 to 5 and have set contracts for a year.

  • Private tutoring

One-to-one tutoring is a highly flexible mode of teaching students. This can be arranged as per options like full-time or part-time work and locations as exotic as coffee shops. One can make much money by catering to niches like preparing students for TOEFL or IELTS exams.

  • Colleges and Universities

There is much competition for such prestigious teaching positions in institutions of higher learning, particularly in China and the UAE. But colleges and universities mandate master’s qualification in TESOL. Those with experience are preferred, even without TESOL.

Volunteer teacher

This is an opportunity to experience new cultures and make connections of a lifetime. Volunteer programs for teaching English can also help in honing skills like leadership and problem-solving.

Teacher trainer

In this role, one will be responsible for using one’s experience and expertise to help make high-quality ESL teachers and render them ready to face classrooms. Besides training, one will be doing work of teacher evaluation and developing programs for teacher development.

In sum, these are some of the kinds of English teaching opportunities that will be available to you when you complete Certificate IV in TESOL online.