If you like the thought of teaching English, then you’ll also love the opportunities and flexibility TESOL can bring. While private language schools worldwide are the employment staple in the industry, there are a whole host of other possibilities.
We caught up with our intrepid TESOL graduates to discover some of the other popular English teaching options. Take a look at the five different career paths they have chosen below.
What can you do with a TESOL certification?
Here are the five paths at a glance - then read on for the detail, including the pros, cons and the course our graduates took for each:
| Path | Best if you want… | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Business English tutor | Adult students, 1-1 work, higher hourly rates | Less guaranteed work at the start; last-minute cancellations |
| Mainstream school overseas | A stable 10–12 month contract, decent pay | Not available in every location |
| Freelance teacher | Your own timetable, rates and mini-business | You need to be in-country; slow to start |
| Online English teacher | Teaching from home, flexible hours | Some big platforms pay modest hourly rates |
| Homestay teacher | Well-paid immersive teaching in your own home | Needs a nice home in an appealing location, plus patience |
1) Business English tutor/trainer
A well-trodden path for many Global English TESOL graduates and ideal if classes teaching classes of kids does not appeal. Our graduates teach business all over the world but especially in the business teaching hot spots of Germany, France, Sweden, UAE and Japan. You may be employed by one company but it is more likely that you will work for a variety of schools on a contractual basis.
Pros: ideal for those who want to teach adults, often 1-1 and earn more per hour.
Cons: less guaranteed work to start. Make sure your cancellation policy is water-tight as busy adults can cancel last minute.
Suggested course: TESOL Master course with Business specialism
Case Study: Nick Ponter, Germany
2) Teacher/assistant in a mainstream school overseas
If you work for a language school, it is likely to be for a commercial business. However, our graduates have been employed in mainstream schools as teachers/assistants in the state sector at schools in Japan, Hungary, S. Korea, Thailand and Hong Kong.
Pros: generally a 10 month or 1 year stable contract and quite well paid.
Cons: not available in every location so do your research.
Suggested course: TESOL Master course or TESOL Premier Plus course with Young Learner specialism
Case study: Erin Levant, Hong Kong
3) Freelance English teacher
Our graduates are setting their own timetables and earning by teaching 1-1. One of the biggest issues is finding students and so leafleting shops, libraries, offering free trial lessons are all ways our entrepreneurial students have made this work. Find out more about how they are earning their livings in Spain, France, Germany, Finland and the UK.
Pros: you set your times, rates and can build a small business of your own
Cons: you need to be in-country. Can be slow to start.
Suggested course: TESOL Premier Plus course
Case studies: David Allan in France, Kathleen in the UK
4) Online English teacher
How would you like to teach and earn to students worldwide from the comfort of your living room? That’s what technology and a TESOL certificate has now made possible. From marking Japanese scripts to teaching live over the net 1-1 or 1-6, there are some big international organisations in the online market keen to recruit teachers.
Pros: you can often choose your timetable, and fit this teaching around your lifestyle/another job and usually there is minimal preparation time needed.
Cons: some of the bigger companies do not pay well per hour.
Suggested course: TESOL Premier course with Teaching English Online specialism
Case study: Lea Hook, teaching English online
5) Homestay teacher
You host, cater and teach English in your own home. These programmes are particularly popular in English speaking countries as students come over and immerse themselves in English life, culture and conversation.
Pros: well paid and you can choose your own timetable
Cons: you will need a nice home in a popular or scenic location and plenty of patience and time to devote to your guest
Suggested course: TESOL Professional course
Case study: Lesley Vernon, homestay English teacher UK
How do you choose the right TESOL path for you?
Start with lifestyle, not job titles. If you want to travel, the mainstream-school and language-school routes give you structure and a visa; if you need to stay put, online and homestay teaching bring the students to you; and if you are building a second career, business English and freelancing reward the professional experience you already have. Browse the roles currently advertised on our TEFL jobs board and on international boards such as tefl.com to see what each sector actually asks for, and use our travel-teach guides to compare destinations. If you are moving abroad from the UK, the government’s working abroad guidance is worth a read before you commit.
Whichever path you pick, the application basics are the same: a tight, relevant CV (see our TEFL CV guide) and confident interview technique (see TEFL interviews: what to expect).
What other doors can a TESOL open?
Our graduates have also written English language books, started their own language schools, taught in universities, taught English for special purposes; for particular exams or medical English, taught in summer schools, volunteered worldwide or have used EFL teaching to supplement another job abroad! For more graduate stories along these lines, see our companion post on great TESOL career options.
Frequently asked questions
How can you use a TESOL certification?
The five most popular routes among our graduates are business English training, teaching or assisting in mainstream schools overseas, freelance 1-1 teaching, online English teaching and homestay teaching. Beyond those, graduates have written course books, opened language schools, taught in universities and specialised in exam or medical English.
Do I need a degree for these routes?
Not for the TESOL certificate itself. Some countries require a degree for a work visa - common for mainstream school posts in parts of Asia - but freelance teaching, online teaching, homestay hosting and much of the European business English market have no degree requirement. Check visa rules for your target country.
Do I need teaching experience first?
No - every graduate featured here started somewhere. Language schools and online platforms regularly take newly certified teachers, and freelancers build up through trial lessons and word of mouth. A specialism (business English, young learners or teaching online) helps a new CV stand out from day one.
Which TESOL course level should I choose?
It depends on the path: our graduates typically took the Master/Professional level with a business specialism for corporate training, the Premier Plus level for school and freelance work, and the Premier course with the Teaching English Online specialism for online teaching. All are accredited and studied online.
Whatever teaching path you are thinking of, chances are one of our TESOL graduates has already been there. Chat to us about your teaching ambitions and see how we can help you realise them.