Job Discussion Forums

[rebeccas6]

Hi, I'm an experienced EFL teacher (over six years, off and on), who's only ever taught in France and the UK. I have a CELTA teaching qualification and have an MA Hons.
I've now v recently moved to NYC (am Green Card holder so can work in the US freely) and am trying to get the lay of the land as far as teaching ESL or EFL is concerned.
Anyone with experience in teaching here in NYC -
1) Can you advise me as to typical working conditions,
2) and what are standard hourly pay rates for ESL or EFL teachers.
3) Also: is it much better to get onto teaching ESL at a university or college ESL program than teaching EFL at a regular language school - ie are you treated better, do you earn better etc
4) and finally, do any ESL or EFL jobs offer health insurance cover?
Look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Many thanks

[santi84]

I don't have experience with NYC but I do teach ESL in North America so I can offer some general advice if it applies.

In North America, it is always referred to as ESL, not EFL (even if it may be an L3 or L4 for some students!).

- Are you legal to work in the US?
- What are your qualifications? Jobs out here are quite tight, not only because of the economy but because there are so many native English speakers that above-average qualifications are no longer an asset, but a requirement to even start out!

1) Can you advise me as to typical working conditions

2) and what are standard hourly pay rates for ESL or EFL teachers.

3) Also: is it much better to get onto teaching ESL at a university or college ESL program than teaching EFL at a regular language school - ie are you treated better, do you earn better etc

- A university or college ESL program will almost certainly have a better wage, because you will be expected to have a related MA at a minimum (most will have more). I find language schools to pay poorly, as they only require a BA + TESL certification. In NYC, I can only imagine you would have to work an insane amount of hours per week to pay your bills.
Another option is programs run by the government for immigrants. Where I am (Vancouver), these jobs pay well (about $28/hr) but are very difficult to obtain (full-time even more difficult). However, it is a *very* rewarding job and the students are incredibly motivated.

4) and finally, do any ESL or EFL jobs offer health insurance cover?

- Sorry, I don't know.

[rebeccas6]

yes am legal to work in the US - have a Green Card.
In terms of qualifications I have an MA Hons and have the CELTA teaching qualification.
Thanks for your advice.
Do you know if there's a general government website for the gov program you mention?

[santi84]

Good question. Since you are already in NYC, I'd recommend calling your nearest "community services", as they usually have access to a list of those programs. NYC is so huge, maybe you can start here: http://www.ny.com/community/

[Justin Trullinger]

Other question- MA Hons in what area?

If it's education/langauge/linguistics/ESOL or somesuch, you're pretty well qualified for the US generally.

If not, then your only teaching qualification is that CELTA; in this case, you're nearer the bottom of the barrel- cert holders I know in NYC are working for hourly pay for outfits like EF, if they're working much at all.

[rebeccas6]

it's fine -it's an MA Hons in Language/Literature related
so hopefully i'm not near the bottom of the barrel!

"cert holders I know in NYC are working for hourly pay for outfits like EF, if they're working much at all."

Can u be more specific about hourly pay rates? and what's EF?

[Justin Trullinger]

EF is English First.

Can't be much more specific about hourly rates- I only know that people gripe about them. Haven't worked there myself.

Others who know the market better may be able to say more-

To my ear, without knowing specifically about your masters, it does sound like the cert market is most likely where you'll be. What is your degree, specifically?

If it's not in some way a teaching qual, it will probably move you into the better cert qualified teaching positions, but probably isn't sufficient for a community college or anything like that.


Best,
Justin

[spiral78]

it's fine -it's an MA Hons in Language/Literature related

I agree with Justin. If your MA isn't specifically in TESL/TEFL or applied linguistics, you will probably find yourself at the same level as a CELTA-qualified teacher.

I know the details of a few N. Am unis, and even MA in English isn't considered 'in the field.' Literature quals are something that many department heads have become allergic to - studying the literature in some language doesn't equip one to teach the language, and if this is your case, you've likely got some predecessors who didn't make a strong impression when it came to teaching language to adults.

The bottom line is that you will be competing on a tight job market, and most likely (NY is a desirable area) with US citizens with stronger and more directly related quals.

I'd be surprised if you landed anything like a contracted uni position, particularly one with benefits - it's not an impossibility, but I'd guess highly unlikely.

[rebeccas6]

thanks for the advice guys - always good to get the locals' point of view.

I forgot to mention that I've also had a year's experience as a Lecturer on an English degree program at a French university, so I assume this can might work a little bit in my favour?

I'm scared at how bad the regular ESL hourly rates are, for the language schools in NYC - anyone else got a more clearer idea of how bad it can be?!!!

[Justin Trullinger]

Present it as well as you can on your resume, and play up the university experience. (Resume=CV )

And remember to take me with a grain of salt; I haven't been to New York in a decade, haven't taught EFL there ever. But I agree the Spiral that "in the field" isn't going to apply to literature.

I've had one response from a NYC friend, earning around $20 an hour. Pretty good for here, but in New York, not great...


bst,
Justin

[scintillatestar]

I've just started as a substitute at a private language school, earning $20/hr. I also have a CELTA and M.A. Honours (not lit. related, though) and am a U.S. citizen. If you teach at a private school, you will generally start out as a sub. These next few months will be pretty slow. Student enrollment tends to decrease around this time of year, but may pick up again by late February. I might be eligible for benefits after one year, assuming that I start working consistent hours. I had about one year of teaching experience, but it was casual.

By contrast, I had about six job offers in Asia within a few weeks of completing the CELTA. All of these were staff positions with benefits, and well-paid for a first post-uni gig. There is a huge demand for English teachers in countries like China, Korea, and Vietnam - and not enough qualified teachers to
fill these positions.

Honestly, if I were not in a relationship, I would go abroad. However, it's not impossible to get work here, especially if you're flexible and open-minded.

[Piezy98]

I lived in NYC for nearly 9 years. I have a PGCE in English and communication and an MA in Media Studies from UK. Before you even apply for a teaching position for any subject you need to have your credentials evaluated by a recognized body. Trust me, there's too much bureaucracy here, then you have to take the NYC teacher credential test. If you only want to work in private language firm you will only be paid $20/hr. Most of these private schools will only offer part time as they have seasoned full time teachers.

Because of my background in Media Studies I was lucky to land a job in advertising and earned $85,000/yr then I did tutoring which paid $20/hr. on a part time basis. Then in March this year, after being in the ad industry for 9 years, I lost my job. I left NYC and took a TEFL course in Greece in August and now I am coming to China to teach at a university in Sichuan.

NYC is not a place to teach TEFL/ESL/EFL or whatever subjects unless you are credentialed. You need to go to a non English speaking country where your language knowledge will be highly appreciated and well received not mention the rich cultural experience you will gain.

[scintillatestar]

I definitely agree with the last poster. On many levels, it's an issue of supply and demand. You can actually make more US dollars abroad than in the US in many cases. If I worked 20 hours/week at $20/hr in NYC, I would make $20,800 before taxes. This also does not allot for any time off or benefits. You could make as much (or a bit more) at an entry level ESL job in most Asian or Middle Eastern countries. Your teaching hours would likely be similar (20-25 hours week). Also, the tax rate would likely be under 10% - if not 0%. It very high in NYC, because we pay federal, state, and city taxes. I've really started pushing my boyfriend to transfer within his firm to Beijing.

[anyway]

I've seen a lot of ESL and related jobs in NYC on the idealist.org website...

[Piezy98]

As mentioned earlier, you need to be credentialed to teach in the USA. And let me know if you find a full time ESL teaching job that pays more than $20 per hour in NYC with benefits.

Good Luck!