What school leavers should know is that they do have more options.
While most parents are eager to get their matriculating children straight out of high school and into a tertiary education institution, there’s another post-high-school option available that may never have been considered before.
Teaching English as a Foreign Language, better known as TEFL, is a serious option for school leavers with a good command of the English language to consider.
English, as the most widely spoken second language in the world, and is also one that is in demand to be taught at a number of institutions globally.
Nadia Ismail is just one of the go-getting young 20-something’s who spent one year in Thailand teaching English to the locals using her TEFL certification.
“What’s nice about TEFL is that it’s universal, so you can go anywhere in the world. You get different certifications like TEFL, which is teaching conversational English, but you also get TESL, Teaching English as a Second Language which is sort of like how we learned Afrikaans or Zulu at school, or you can get EFL, which is English as a Foreign Language. ”
Becoming TEFL certified starts with finding a reputable institution that will train you to teach English to others. Some of these institutions operate from South Africa where you can have your two-week induction course and complete the required 120 hours of teaching before becoming certified in your home town.
Alternatively, you could, like Ismail, find a company such as OVC which will organise your TEFL induction in the country of your choice, after which you can work, live and travel on the salary you earn.
She warns potential teachers, however, that there are bogus companies out there who will give you a TEFL certificate fraudulently, so it is imperative that you do some thorough research to find the right company.
“Another nice thing about these courses is that you can do them online or at an institution and you can go anywhere in the world,” Ismael added, but also warned school leavers of companies that will hire you without an induction period.
“The induction is so important because you get to meet people and build a base of people that you can depend on while you’re there. Without that, you get placed in a country where you then have to immerse yourself in a new culture and language.”
Currently, she is using her certification to teach foreigners in South Africa, but plans to take her skills back overseas.
Consider teaching English and maybe get the chance to see the world.
