Contracts

You've got the job now it's time to look at contracts. Remember contracts for countries outside of Western Europe will be valid for the jurisdictions they apply. Rights (for example holidays) won't necessarily be the same as back home. Make sure you read the small print before signing any contract.

Important things to look for in a contract are:

Number of hours – how many hours are you required to teach? Anything more than 25-30 for a newly qualified TEFL teacher is probably going to be too much. The number of hours you are expected to teach and to be present in the school needs to be clearly stated.

Payment – how are you paid? By the hour, monthly, every two weeks etc. You'll need to know this so that you can plan how much money you need to bring with you. Are you being paid in cash or into a bank account? Do you have deductions like tax, medical insurance and other deductions to take off the salary on offer?

Work – if you are paid by the hour, you might find that there are times in the year where there is less work than usual. This might mean you are going to be short of money in these periods.

Probation/Notice – is there a probation period? How long is it? What does this entail for you and your employer? If there is a notice period specified, how long is it?

Holidays – are there paid holidays included in the contract? Are national holidays and bank holidays counted in your leave entitlement or are they extra?

Accommodation – is it included in the contract? If it is, can you choose to take it or leave it? It may be that the accommodation offered in the contract is overpriced and not that great, how easy is it for you to get out of the contract with the school and find alternative accommodation.

TEFL Around the World

Once you've got your TEFL teaching certificate the world is yours! Where are you going to go? Here we look at some of the main destinations for TEFL teachers. You'll find an overview of the different areas, detailed country information and our schools directory:

Asia probably has the largest amount of TEFL vacancies so finding a teaching position won't be difficult. You might choose Japan, South Korea or Taiwan if you want to earn more money and save while you are teaching. If you are looking for culture and beaches, then maybe Thailand, Vietnam or Indonesia might be more to your liking. You won't make much money in the those three countries but you will have a great teaching experience! China offers a lot of teaching opportunities for those who want to see this vast country.

Other countries where teaching positions are available include India, Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

Work in Asia can be found in different types of schools including international schools, private language schools and in the state school systems of the various countries. Term times in international schools tend to copy those in the west. Term times in state schools follow local patterns (May-September and November-March in Thailand for example). Private language schools usually hire year round but tend to be busier during state school breaks.

Western Europe

The TEFL teaching market in Western Europe is well developed and for those who want to travel but stay close to home, Western Europe might be an ideal choice.

Contracts might not always be yearly (9 months being an average) and tend to start in September. Pay across Europe tends to be in the 750-1100 Euros per month range.

The southern European countries of Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain have well-developed TEFL teaching industries and there are usually plenty of vacancies for TEFL qualified teachers. France and Germany are countries that also have well developed TEFL industries. In these countries specialization is often sought (especially in Germany). If you have experience teaching business or technical English, Germany might be the place for you.

In all the Western European countries it is sometimes difficult to secure long-term contracts.