Job Discussion Forums

[Perilla]

I'm curious about how many TEFLers have managed to switch to another line of work, or at least have branched out so that they're doing something else besides TEFLing.

I spent about 10 years as a TEFLer before finding a job as an English editor, and (indirectly) I know of quite a few others who found work in some form of editing or writing work. I also know of quite a few who went into some kind of IT-related work, often with an educational or TEFL-related angle. I also know of a few who tried to break away but ended up returning to the EFL classroom.

How many leave TEFL? What do they do? How many return? Answers gratefully received ...

ps. Obviously, I'm referring to people who've been in TEFL a few years at least.

[naturegirl321]

I've known people who get into TEFL training, or examining. I'd like to do that in a couple years, trying to get qualified at the moment. Also trying to get into writing, but that's a tough field.

[Mrs Smith]

Perilla, how did you get into the editing work? I have been looking at a change out of TEFL but not having much luck and now looking like I will be continuing with it. I don't dislike TEFL but I wanted to return to live in the UK and have found that trying to live on a TEFLer's wage in London is a bit of a struggle! x

[Trinley]

I've been poring over this question lately, and one conclusion I've come to is that asking current ESL teachers about not teaching ESL doesn't turn up much.

Googling "what to do after TEFL" gave me more insights than Dave's has so far. I've gathered that most people who don't do any sort of retraining may get into other ESL related work, like editing text books. Some become teacher trainers, some interpreters. I know a girl who started teaching in China and ended up doing movie subtitles. Obviously, her Chinese was on point.

I think the people with the most interesting info are no longer using these forums, since they are no longer ESL teachers. Most of them probably had to retrain and/or go to grad school to move away from TEFL. This may not be a helpful answer, but I wanted to get updates on this thread nonetheless.

[Teacher in Rome]

Trinley: I don't think it's always necessary to retrain or go on to grad school to do something different. Many of us move into different fields without doing this. The secret is knowing which of your skills / experiences are useful to a different employer / role / sector; and then articulating these clearly so the employer can see the value you bring.

I know that certain paths are closed to me without vocational qualifications, but many others are not. For instance, I've worked in marketing, sales and publicity (all within different areas of publishing) and I currently earn money writing content for websites (in different sectors). Getting work this way isn't because I've got lots of contacts, either. It helps if you can build a reputation in a particular field, then come to the notice of potential employers that way. I can safely say that I have not had to go out and look for paying work in a long time - but I've worked hard to build a reputation in the fields I'm interested in.

[sparks]

I'm leaving TEFL after nine years and planning on getting into the sociology field. In the The States I'm planning to apply for Therapeutic Staff Support positions. There are lots of ads for after school tutoring in reading and maths as well. For me it seems like a good place to start, not being sure I want to jump into becoming a public school teacher. I like the idea of sort of teaching but not having to deal with curricula and lesson plans. Not completely different from teaching TEFL but enough so that I hope to get the break I need and the chance to rethink what I'm doing.

[Trinley]

True, Teacher in Rome. Not every profession calls for formal training. But informal training, at least. I have some ideas of what I'd like to transition into, but it seems like my ESL background doesn't help me much there. In my case, I need technical training.

[Perilla]

[ShadowCat17]

I'm fluent in Portuguese, so I do Portuguese-to-English translation on the side. It pays better per hour than teaching, but the workflow (and thus the income) varies - some months I can make $1000, others it's a grand total of $12. If I were to try to translate full-time, I'd have to dedicate some time and effort to building up a strong base of regular clients.

[demitrescou]

On this note, anyone have any idea how realistic ones chances are of getting some sort of practical IT experience whilst teaching English in Korea?

The market for entry-level IT roles is really grim here in UK at the moment (although plenty available for IT professionals), so thinking about the possibility of continuing to teach whilst getting some IT experience abroad. I assume the language barrier would be a massive barrier though.

[gaijinalways]

I think it would depend on what experience and/or degree you have. I can't speak for Korea, but in Japan for example, I know a few people who have worked in IT and taught simultaneously. Another friend of mine who worked for Merrill Lynch in Tokyo started with CUHK in Hong Kong. While there, he took several MS certificate classes, and later got the job with the Lynch (he's now moved on to Barclay's in Singapore).

Demitrescou, Do you have an undergraduate degree in information management or computer science? You might need at least that or a hell of a hacking background (as in writing your own programs, etc.) to get a start.

[eurobound]

[Isla Guapa]

A good translator needs an in-depth knowledge of the languages involved, in particular of the written forms of these languages. In addition, you need to be an excellent writer in the language you'll be translating into, in your case, English. Some tips from a Spanish to English translator in Mexico with no formal training in translating, though I have spent years studying Spanish formally and informally and have lived in Mexico since 2007.

[ShadowCat17]

[eurobound]