EFL teacher Job Information | National Careers Service

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EFL teacher

Hours

Variable
Starting salary

£13,000 + per year

If you enjoy meeting people from different countries and cultures, and you want a teaching role, this job could be perfect for you. As an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher you could work in places like commercial language schools and language centres throughout the UK and overseas.

You will need an excellent standard of English, and some employers will expect you to have a degree.

To become an EFL teacher, you will need to have strong spoken and written communication skills. You will also need patience and a good sense of humour.

The work

As an EFL teacher, you would teach English to people whose first or main language is not English. Your students may need to learn English to:

help with their work
improve their conversational English
get into college or university in an English-speaking country
prepare for an exam.

Your work would include:

preparing and teaching language lessons and activities
producing learning resources
setting and marking tests and exercises
being involved in social and cultural activities, like sports, social events and trips to other towns and cities.

You could specialise in teaching English for particular areas, such as business.

Notes

TEFL – this stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

TESOL – this stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. This is often used to mean the same thing as TEFL. However, it is also used for teaching English to people whose first language is not English, but who are living in the UK.

ESOL teachers teach students a level of English that allows them to fit into everyday life.

Please see the skills for life teacher job profile for more information.

skills for life teacher

Hours

Your working hours will vary depending on your employer or the type of teaching you do. Some jobs involve evening and weekend work. As well as classroom teaching, you will spend time preparing lessons and materials.

You will be based in a classroom for most of the time, but in some jobs (particularly in summer schools) you may also be involved in outings and sporting or social activities.

Income

Full time teachers in commercial language schools in the UK can earn from £13,000 to around £18,000 a year. Earnings for experienced or senior teachers can be £24,000 or more a year.

Teachers on short-term or seasonal contracts are often paid by the hour or week.

Salaries in overseas language schools vary widely from country to country. Some offer incentives such as accommodation and the cost of return flights. You should check the cost of living in a country before judging the value of a salary.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

You will need an excellent standard of English, and some employers will expect you to have a degree. This does not need to be in any particular subject, but English, linguistics, modern foreign languages and education can be useful.

As a starting point, you could gain experience as a language assistant. See the Language Assistants page of the British Council website for details.

British Council - Language Assistants

You may not need a TEFL qualification for all teaching jobs. However, a qualification will:

give you the skills you need to teach effectively
improve your chances of finding work
make a difference to your pay.

The most commonly accepted minimum TEFL qualifications are:

CELTA (Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults)
CertTESOL (Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)

Both courses include observed teaching practice, and you can study full-time or part-time at centres all over the world. Distance learning courses are also available, but you will need to arrange your own teaching practice if you choose to study this way.

To be accepted on a course, you will usually need to be aged at least 18 (20 in some cases), and have at least two A levels or equivalent qualifications. See the University of Cambridge and Trinity College websites for details of courses and lists of course providers.

Training and development

When you have EFL teaching experience, you can develop your skills with further qualifications, including:

DELTA (Cambridge Diploma in Language Teaching to Adults)
LTCL Diploma TESOL (Trinity Licentiate Diploma in TESOL).

For these qualifications, you will usually need to have a TEFL certificate, and at least two years' EFL teaching experience.

You can also complete the following qualifications for working with children:

Cambridge CELTYL (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Young Learners)
Trinity College Cert TEYL (Teaching English to Young Learners)
SKOLA Trinity Young Learners Extension course (STYLE).

See the University of Cambridge and Trinity College websites for details.

You could also complete a Masters degree in TEFL or TESOL, for which you usually need a first degree. This could be useful if you want to move into management.

Skills and knowledge

To become an EFL teacher, you will need to have:

an excellent knowledge of English
strong spoken and written communication skills
good listening skills
confidence and a lively personality
patience and a good sense of humour
the ability to get on well with people of all ages, and from different backgrounds and cultures
the ability to adapt your teaching style to suit your students
creativity to plan lessons that are both practical and enjoyable.

More information

Trinity College London (Opens new window)
89 Albert Embankment
London
SE1 7TP
Tel: 020 7820 6100
www.trinitycollege.co.uk

University of Cambridge ESOL Exams (Opens new window)
1 Hills Road
Cambridge
CB1 2EU
www.cambridge-efl.org

British Council (Opens new window)
Bridgewater House
58 Whitworth St
Manchester
M1 6BB
Tel: 0161 957 7755
www.britishcouncil.org

International Association of Teachers of English as Foreign Language (IATEFL) (Opens new window)
www.iatefl.org

Opportunities

Most people who train as EFL teachers do this as a way of working and living abroad. You could be employed abroad by commercial language schools, government departments, voluntary organisations, multinational companies and the British Council. Many jobs are on fixed-term contracts of between nine months and two years.

You could also work in the UK in a commercial language school. The highest concentration of these is in London, the south coast of England, Oxford and Cambridge. Many offer short-term contracts, with most work available between Easter and autumn.

With experience, you may be able to progress to a management position in a commercial language school or a college. Other possibilities include private tuition, teacher training, opening a language school or writing EFL learning materials.

You may find the following links useful for vacancies and general reading (links open in new window):

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

Related industry information

Industry summary

The further education industry is part of the lifelong learning sector, represented by Lifelong Learning UK Sector Skills Council, which also includes: community learning and development; higher education; libraries, archives and information services; and work‐based learning. The sector as a whole currently employs over 1.2 million people in a range of educational institutions, as well as public and private sector organisations.

The further education industry includes staff involved in the delivery, support and management of learning who work in general further education (FE) colleges, tertiary colleges, sixth form colleges, independent specialist colleges, Scotland’s further education colleges and post‐16 learning in Northern Ireland and Wales.

Key facts:

There are 305,243 people working in further education, of which:
- 263,257 staff are in England
- 6,357 staff are in Northern Ireland
- 21, 604 are in Scotland
- 14, 025 are in Wales
A higher proportion of female staff is employed part‐time than male staff.
A further education lecturer usually works 37 hours a week, with around 25 hours spent teaching.

Jobs in the industry include: head of department, senior lecturer, team leader, curriculum leader, lecturer, teacher, trainer, learning support staff, assessor, internal verifier.

National and regional data

East Midlands – There are an estimated 22,087 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

9.9% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
8.2% of the workforce are teaching staff
60.8% of teaching staff work part‐time
Pay is the second lowest of all English regions.

East of England – There are an estimated 23,091 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

10.9% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
7.8% of the workforce are teaching staff
53.4% of teaching staff work part‐time

London – There are an estimated 34,406 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

33.2% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
14.8% of the workforce are teaching staff
59.7% of teaching staff work part‐time

North East – There are an estimated 15,488 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

3.3% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
5.1% of the workforce are teaching staff
49.6% of teaching staff work part‐time

North West – There are an estimated 43,001 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

6.4% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
16.1% of the workforce are teaching staff
56.2% of teaching staff work part‐time

South East – There are an estimated 37,189 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

8.8% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
14.5% of the workforce are teaching staff
57.8% of teaching staff work part‐time

South West – There are an estimated 27,539 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

9.9% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
10% of the workforce are teaching staff
68.2% of teaching staff work part‐time

West Midlands – There are an estimated 30,894 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

12.9% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
12.4% of the workforce are teaching staff
59.4% of teaching staff work part‐time

Yorkshire and the Humber – There are an estimated 29,562 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

6.7% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
11% of the workforce are teaching staff
58.9 % of teaching staff work part‐time

Northern Ireland – There are an estimated 6,357 people in the further education workforce: 2,142 staff work full‐time, 51% of them were male; and 3,465 staff work part‐time, 37% of them were female.

Scotland – There are an estimated 21,604 people in the further education workforce, of which: