Eastern Europe

With the fall of the iron curtain a whole new TEFL area opened up – Eastern Europe. For those looking to get off the beaten track Eastern Europe might be the ideal place for your first TEFL teaching experience.

Some of the Eastern European countries have a well established TEFL industry. These countries include the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. These countries need a steady stream of qualified TEFL teachers and offer salaries that are often on a par with Western Europe.

Russia is another country worth looking at for TEFL teachers. There are numerous opportunities in the larger cities (Moscow and St. Petersburg) and for those who want to experience this vast country it might be worth exploring opportunities in Russia.

Other countries worth looking at are the Baltic states. These include Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

United Kingdom

Another big market that has a need for qualified TEFL teachers in the United Kingdom. The UK market can be divided into three sections:

• Private language schools

The teaching in this area is usually to students who want to learn English for business, study or travel and want to study it in a country where it is spoken. This area can sometimes be difficult for a newly qualified TEFL teacher to break into.

• Teaching new arrivals

Here teaching is to new arrivals in the UK who can't speak English. The target groups are usually immigrants or refugees and teachers are usually teaching 'survival' English. This kind of teaching is often in the state sector or done on a voluntary basis.

• Summer school

In summer the UK fills up with foreign students wanting to learn English. These courses tend to take place in private language schools and are usually aimed at the young learner and teenager segments of the market.

Schools are more than willing to offer positions to newly qualified TEFL teachers so they can be a great way of gaining some experience.

Posts offered are usually residential or non-residential. Residential meaning that you are supervising the students all the time and 'living in'. Summer teaching can either be full-time teaching or a mixture of teaching and supervision of activities or excursions.

North America

Another market that is divided into specific segments – here opportunities exist in private language schools teaching students who are paying or teaching recent immigrants to within the state sector or on a voluntary basis.

Getting a visa for a non-US or non-Canadian citizen can be very difficult – take this into consideration when applying for positions in this market.

South America

There is a huge demand for English teachers in South America. Some of the countries worth looking at in this area are Argentina, Brazil and Columbia. Opportunities exist in other South American countries but might be harder to find.

There is often a preference for North American English speakers in South America so check this out before you apply. At the same visa issues might make getting a job in this area difficult.

Australasia

Both Australia and New Zealand offer numerous opportunities for TEFL qualified teachers. If you are on a working holiday visa, then securing a position is particularly easy. Teaching is mostly to Asian students in private language schools.

Middle East

If you are looking to earn a lot of money and save, this is probably the area for you. As a newly qualified teacher securing a position might be challenging but is in no way impossible. Teaching takes place in private language schools, universities and in business.

Some of the key countries here are the Gulf States, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. There are opportunities in other countries but this need to be researched carefully. If you are thinking of taking up a position in the Middle East, make sure you do some research before you apply.

Africa

Most teaching in Africa is on a volunteer basis. If you are looking for paid employment, then look at the North African (Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia etc.) countries and South Africa. If you have the right qualifications and can secure a visa, then these countries are worth checking out.