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Returning to the UK
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elliot_spencer



Joined: 26 Feb 2007
Posts: 495

PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2015 5:01 pm    Post subject: Returning to the UK Reply with quote

Hi everyone. I've been overseas teaching for the past 8 years, straight out of uni!

Recently I've been thinking about moving back to the UK (London) and was wondering if anyone else made the move back after such a long time away. Also what job opportunities are there or would one need to retrain? I don't fancy getting into debt to do a PGCE and dont fancy working in a state school. I should add that I have a BA (hons) TESOL&ETESOL&European Studies and a CELTA and Delta. I am also an IELTS examiner. I guess language schools pay the same as a job temping, is that correct? Is there a lot of yr round work?

Thanks
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Gamajorba



Joined: 03 May 2015
Posts: 357

PostPosted: Wed May 27, 2015 12:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Returning to the UK Reply with quote

I have personally found it very difficult to find EFL teaching work in the UK. I did my CELTA with at least 3 people who had already done an undergraduate, a masters AND a PGCE, 2 of which had 5 years experience EACH prior teaching experience, and even they found it difficult to get jobs.

If you're lucky, you could get some summer school jobs. I recently just got an offer from one in Liverpool as it so happens, but somehow I think I blagged my way into that one...! Most jobs appear to be either freelance or very minimal hours.
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CANDLES



Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 605
Location: Wandering aimlessly.....

PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2015 7:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ditto that! At the moment only summer jobs available, but even before that finding any teaching job was difficult.

Not sure what to do next or how to break out of this circle.
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Gamajorba



Joined: 03 May 2015
Posts: 357

PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2015 8:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just keep trying, just keep trying, just keep trying... Wink
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CANDLES



Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 605
Location: Wandering aimlessly.....

PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2015 8:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gets Very monotonous!
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roywebcafe



Joined: 13 Jan 2006
Posts: 259

PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 1:31 pm    Post subject: Re: Returning to the UK Reply with quote

You may have to use Job seekers allowance for a time. By the time you find something in EFL you may have become rusty at teaching. Also to work as an ESOL Tutor in the FE sector you will need QTS and have to apply though Govt council websites that have a habit of ignoring EFL teachers who have worked overseas and in summer schools mainly. That's what i have discovered on returning to the UK. I live in Birmingham where the job situation is worse but at least the cost of living is lower. I am looking at alternative careers in the UK and leaving EFL for going abroad and summer schools.

Good luck.



elliot_spencer wrote:
Hi everyone. I've been overseas teaching for the past 8 years, straight out of uni!

Recently I've been thinking about moving back to the UK (London) and was wondering if anyone else made the move back after such a long time away. Also what job opportunities are there or would one need to retrain? I don't fancy getting into debt to do a PGCE and dont fancy working in a state school. I should add that I have a BA (hons) TESOL&ETESOL&European Studies and a CELTA and Delta. I am also an IELTS examiner. I guess language schools pay the same as a job temping, is that correct? Is there a lot of yr round work?

Thanks
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Nicky_McG



Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Posts: 190

PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 3:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I came back in 2008 and stayed for two years while doing my LLM. I got work initially in Edinburgh for 15 hours a week and then left that to go to work at the uni for the summer (20 pounds an hour with a massive amount of admin) and then went to work for a chain school. This was my favourite one but I honestly never earned more than 800 in a month (and that was a very good month) on a zero-hours contract.

A few months before leaving for France I got a job as a teacher trainer doing weekend TEFL course. This worked out at a few hundred quid a weekend and is definitely worth a look. I'd already decided to head to France by then but I definitely would have kept going with that if I'd stayed.


Personally, I wouldn't bother with EFL in the UK. I'm not saying don't do it but if you're looking for a career I'd think of something else. Easier said than done I know!
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currentaffairs



Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828

PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 6:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe further down the line you could get involved in teacher training. I think you should make use of your Delta which is an excellent qualification and not that many teachers have it (better than a lot of generic MA in TESOL programs in my book).

You could apply to universities and try to teach on ESOL/EAP programs. A lot of work would be in the summer or on a part-time basis, though.

I think if you did come to the UK you would have to do a lot of part-time work to make ends meet. This might not necessarily be a bad thing, especially if you were studying and trying to become a teacher trainer, for example. I did my MA in the UK whilst teaching as a supply teacher for two years.

Also, it might be worth applying to a few private secondary schools in the UK. Many of them want experience and subject knowledge rather than just certification and they do employ people without a PGCE (although I don't know how frequently).
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Dedicated



Joined: 18 May 2007
Posts: 972
Location: UK

PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 7:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nicky McG,

If you have completed an LLM, as well as a Delta, there are UK university openings in teaching legal writing skills.

Check out jobs.ac.uk or BALEAP websites or send your CV directly to university Law faculties.
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Nicky_McG



Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Posts: 190

PostPosted: Sat Jul 25, 2015 9:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dedicated wrote:
Nicky McG,

If you have completed an LLM, as well as a Delta, there are UK university openings in teaching legal writing skills.

Check out jobs.ac.uk or BALEAP websites or send your CV directly to university Law faculties.


Hi,

I don't actually have a DELTA (only CELTA) and am currently doing legal English in France. Thanks for the info though!
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Dedicated



Joined: 18 May 2007
Posts: 972
Location: UK

PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 4:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nicky McG,

I have PMd you.
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sprightly



Joined: 07 May 2003
Posts: 136
Location: England

PostPosted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 4:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i'm going to disagree. there are loads of full time esl jobs going in the UK. the sector, despite the home office's best efforts, is exploding.

before you look at wages, keep in mind that in the uk, the median income for a family is about 18K/yr. for a family. if you have a job managing a smaller premier inn, you would be earning about 19K/yr. i was working full time as an ESL teacher a couple of years ago, for about 28K/yr. in my area of the UK, that was one of the highest salaries available for an esl teacher outside the state system. i found the atmosphere stressful (not my immediate department, but the organisation as a whole) so i quit. i now freelance and on top of my online students i work for 3 different schools, on call. i am usually turning down one of them at any time. my next plan is to pick up about 8 private, in person students as the pay rates for those is better than online teaching. (between 15 and 30 quid/hr, depending where you are and what you're teaching). for the past 6 months, i have cleared 1000 every month after tax.

if you have ANY academic experience, pitch yourself to independent schools. they don't require the pgce but you may lose out if the other candidates have one. (most of my managers have never rated the pgce for esl teaching, but they have to argue with other senior members of staff who like that piece of paper.) independent schools are taking in record numbers of foreign students at a-level, and quite a few don't even bother marketing to the uk anymore.

some a-level state colleges may take you as well, because they have the freedom to not require pgces.

your ielts quals will make you very very popular, plus you could work for the local ielts centre. the home office now has 5 official ielts testing centres for visa purposes, so it might be worth researching how to get hired on to the government teat.

if you are willing to do boarding duties, you'll be more employable plus you'll save money. you will lose your social life, haha, but the vacation time is usually pretty good, and a lot of these teachers work a summer school so you are effectively getting two salaries.

several schools only put their vacancies on their websites, but there's no harm in sending applications cold--just make sure that you tailor your cover letter to show that you've done your research.

i personally wouldn't go to london. it's expensive for living and there's a glut of teachers. where i am, ESL teachers can easily get 20/classroom hr , but in london it's more like 10. !!

there will be a drop in your standard of living,likely. i found it hard to take, that i could no longer work 20 hrs a week and still bank half my salary, but that's the trade off, isn't it?
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Nicky_McG



Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Posts: 190

PostPosted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Smiley,

I don't want to be disrespectful but clearing 1000 a month is not going to go far in the UK (I realise you're not talking about London) especially if you have a family. You could make that money in a more secure (though probably fairly boring) clerical position. I've managed to buy a decent house in France and have some goodish job security. I'm not rich, but I'm not scraping around for money like I sometimes was in Edinburgh.

Of course there is work in the UK (you sound like you're doing well) but is it worth it? I don't think it is compared to more money and, for some, a better lifestyle (and also, if it's important to you, a bit more respect) in a lot of European countries.

So I suppose the question you have to ask is whether teaching ESL is so important to you that you'd be happy to earn the same money as a relatively unskilled worker would? I know what my answer would be.
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sprightly



Joined: 07 May 2003
Posts: 136
Location: England

PostPosted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 8:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

who is smiley?

Nicky_McG wrote:

Hi Smiley,

Of course there is work in the UK (you sound like you're doing well) but is it worth it? I don't think it is compared to more money and, for some, a better lifestyle (and also, if it's important to you, a bit more respect) in a lot of European countries.

So I suppose the question you have to ask is whether teaching ESL is so important to you that you'd be happy to earn the same money as a relatively unskilled worker would? I know what my answer would be.


this is the question. a lot of these 'can i return to the uk' posts are met with 'no, you'll die in poverty!!' which is obviously not true. ESL teachers in the UK cannot, will never, match the standard of living for those in other countries. this is not the fault of the uk. it's a case of ESL supply and demand. are people prepared to take a slight drop in living standards in order to be back 'home' (i'm not british).

it's also very important to keep in mind what salaries are in the uk. this is a chart from 2014 which shows that even clearing about 1k/month (my minimum projection for this year), my gross salary means i'd still be nearly in the fifth decile of single adults. if i had a partner earning the same wage, we'd be comfortably in the 7th decile. that's the reality of british income levels.

when i was working full time at an independent school, i was nearly in the 8th decile.

cost wise, were i renting a room in a shared house in my city, i'd be looking at 400/mth, so nearly 50% of my salary. but still, 600/mth is enough to live well and still save, providing you don't smoke or go to the pub daily.

esl teachers, unless they can break into the state schools, will not get the incomes school teachers can achieve, but partly that is our lack of union-led collective bargaining power.

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/mar/25/uk-incomes-how-salary-compare

[img]http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Money/Pix/gallery/2014/3/25/1395752138824/income-figures-treasury-009.jpg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=ccb9591560209a5a9b7889034fa309c0[/img]
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CANDLES



Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 605
Location: Wandering aimlessly.....

PostPosted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 2:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I live in London, but as I said before on a previous thread, it is VERY difficult to get an ESL/ESOL job here. I haven't been lucky, perhaps others have. Good job I don't have to worry about money otherwise I would've been in deep trouble.
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