Age Bias in TEFL Jobs: Is There an Upper Age Limit?

Is there an upper age limit for TESOL jobs?

Mature TEFL trainees often ask if there is an age bias in TESOL; especially whether there is an upper age limit when applying for TESOL jobs.  So, if you are a 50 + and looking to start a new career in TESOL, what are your job prospects?  Let’s take a look at the situation around the world. Then see our top employment tips for mature EFL teachers article for how to overcome age bias in the jobs market place.

The short version, region by region:

Is Europe good for mature TEFL teachers?

In most of Europe there is no official upper age limit, generally speaking, although individual schools may have their own bias. The exception is European summer camps for youngsters, where we have seen an upper age limit of 30 as it appears schools are specifically looking for ‘youthful’ teachers.

Within Europe, freelance teaching is common and in freelancing, no age bias exists. For example, retired ex-solicitor David Allan comments favourably about his experiences teaching English in France.

Mary Rose (aged 58), who has taught in Hungary, and now runs the Central European Teaching Program (CETP), placing teachers throughout the country and Romania, was surprised to experience some resistance to employing older teachers. She says:

"Although most of our school directors were willing to accept older teachers, to my surprise, some would only consider youngsters."

However, once in place, reluctant school directors can be won over. Mary says:

"This past year we convinced a reluctant school director to take an older woman as we really felt she was the best candidate for her school.  It’s since become a two-way love affair…they want her to stay for an additional year and she is strongly considering it."

Europe can certainly be accessible if you are older and looking for a possible career change.

What about the Americas?

In general, mature candidates can expect a positive response to applications. However, since few positions are advertised outside the region, you are likely to  have to travel to the central or southern American country to obtain work anyway, and age is likely to be less of an issue when you are able to make a face to face impression. You can find out more how to make a good first impression in our article on how to find a TEFL position overseas.

On our jobs board we regularly carry adverts for schools hiring across Latin America and as far as we know, there are no upper age limits. Good news for EFL teachers.

Is Asia more biased against mature teachers?

In Asia it is a mixed picture. In Japan, the JET scheme (recruiting for a language assistants for schools Japan-wide) has an unofficial upper age limit of 39, but if you are an older teacher already in Japan, the situation is likely to be very different.

One Chinese recruiter we know of has an upper age limit of 55 but in scouring the internet there appears to be no express upper age limit advertised. However Clif Davies, a Global English TESOL trainee and mature EFL teacher, writes that although he has obtained work in China, it wasn’t easy.

"China is very discriminating about age. Very often you will see adverts for women teachers under 35."

This seems surprising in a country that is crying out for EFL teachers and where demand outstrips supply. If you are heading this way, make sure you are aware of current visa regulations and see our blog on legalising your documents before you travel. The situation appears similar in Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea. So if you are headed in this direction, you are likely to meet with more resistance as an older applicant. But since TESOL is so fragmented, there are no absolutes and 51 year old Vaughn Buxton’s experience in Thailand was very positive. He says:

"I passed my TESOL Global English course on Thursday 11th in the afternoon, and on Friday 12th in the morning I rang headmaster from the meetings I had been to. I arranged an interview at 9.30am the same day and started work at 10.30am. I now teach 20 hours a week at the top primary school in Surin with a very good salary."

Like Vaughn, if you are a mature candidate, it helps to be already in the country you want to teach in and then be proactive. He offered to volunteer first and then maximised his contacts from there. Reading between the lines, once a school sees what you can offer, it seems they will be more likely to offer you a position. It may have also helped that he went to a rural location, outside of the more competitive larger cities. Read more from Vaughn here about teaching English in Thailand.

Interestingly, being older in Vietnam can be a positive advantage. Scott Shepherd says;

"Here they equate knowledge with age, so there is more respect shown to you because of this...(older people) are seen as more stable and likely to stay long term.  I would recommend coming to the country and then looking for a job, no matter what age, as you will have no problem getting employment. When we first came here we didn't have a job, but within a week we had 13 to choose from."

How can older teachers improve their chances?

The pattern in every story above is the same: age bias shows up in adverts and filters, and fades once an employer meets you. So put yourself where meetings happen. Being in-country, offering to volunteer or cover classes, and choosing less competitive locations all worked for the teachers quoted here. Freelance and online teaching sidestep third-party employers altogether.

Beyond that, the basics of a strong application matter even more when you suspect a school may hesitate over age. Keep your CV tight and relevant with our TEFL CV guide, prepare for the questions in our TEFL interview guide, and search widely - our jobs board and international boards such as tefl.com both carry roles with no stated age limit. If a move abroad is on the cards, the UK government’s working abroad guidance covers the practicalities of tax and residence. And if you are training later in life, our guide to TESOL courses for retirees and mature learners is written for exactly this situation.

For the full playbook - freelancing, specialising in business English, online teaching and making maturity a selling point - read our companion article: top employment tips for mature EFL teachers.

So does age bias exist in TEFL?

Clearly age discrimination does exist in TESOL, just as it does in society generally. However, is this bias more pronounced in TESOL than in other professions? Mature EFL teacher Patricia Harrison thinks it may be, commenting:

"TESOL does seem to have developed an ethos of being a young person's vocation."

However, we have heard enough success stories from our more mature TESOL trainees to know that with perseverance, creativity and persistence, it is possible to achieve an ambition to teach English overseas, regardless of certain obstacles.

Thanks to all the people who contributed to this discussion on our Global English TESOL Facebook pages. If you have something you’d like to add, please do so below.

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