Teaching English Abroad As A Newly Qualified Teacher

15th September 2021

Did you know the international school sector continues to grow on average about 6% yearly? Thus, the demand for qualified and certified ESL teachers is also progressively growing. Earning recognised qualifications will support you to kick start your ESL teaching career internationally with TEFL certification.

Where Can you Teach As An NQT?

Several teachers want to teach the subjects as well as the levels they are trained to teach. This is the best English teaching career move in the long term. While a lot of countries require ESL teachers to have at least 2 years of post-qualification experience in an international school setting but a number of huge opportunities exist for less experienced or NQT teachers too. There are several schools overseas where you can teach during your induction period.

Countries like South Korea, Western Europe, and the Middle East are all very competitive and prefer candidates who can bring something extra. Being an NQT, will simply put you one step ahead of the competition. Eventually, teaching English as a foreign language is a smart move of gaining appropriate experience for your CV.

Places For Newly Qualified Teachers

You will see various ESL - type jobs that will hire people as long as they have a bachelor’s degree with a basic TEFL/TESOL certification. Countries that are more flexible and would consider newly qualified teachers and teachers with 1 years’ experience include:
 

• Kuwait
• United Arab Emirates
• Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi
• Thailand
• Cambodia
• Indonesia
• Japan
• Nepal
• Taiwan
• Vietnam

At present, the majority of companies worldwide requiring English teachers to have at least a 120-hour TEFL qualification. The good news is you can get your TEFL qualification completely online or combine online and classroom study.

After acquiring the TEFL qualification, the next step is deciding where you want to teach. One more significant factor to consider when selecting your destination is visa requirements. Several countries need TEFL teachers to have a bachelor’s degree. Thus, it’s very important to research the requirements to make sure you’re eligible.

If you have no prior teaching experience then highlight your different transferable skills as well as any relevant experience that would be helpful for the role. Highlight your industry-specific experience or any experience about living abroad and so on.

It’s also important to stay alert and safe when applying for TEFL jobs, so make sure to read TEFL scams, etc. Additionally, some countries may have aged caps where they have a cut-off point so, you need to be aware of such aspects.

There is a common delusion that international schools don’t want to employ newly qualified teachers as they lack experience. The fact is numerous international schools are very open to taking on new teachers as the NQT teachers are the updated ones generally. The more flexible you are the better for you.

Volunteering to teaching English as a Foreign Language in global classrooms is yet another good option if you do want to gain some experience beforehand. This is a great way to enhance your TEFL employability, it will also boost your confidence in the classroom. Teaching English online is also another great way to build up some confidence and experience teaching English.

As the competition gets harder employers will look for ESL teachers that show interest in their own career to grow. If you’re truly passionate about traveling and experiencing various cultures, then teaching English abroad is a great way to do that.

Get yourself TEFL certified with Online TEFL Course in Singapore program. Make sure your CV is up to date, apply for different vacancies listed on TEFL jobs sites, send your CV proactively to language schools.  Because you have nothing to lose by giving it a try!