Exploring Careers in ESL Teaching: From Classroom to Global Opportunities
If you are a current ESL teacher looking for a career change , you can put those skills to use in a teaching related career and potentially make a lot of money. Here are some good jobs for teachers, inspired by real-life common job hops I have seen my ESL teacher colleagues make to land a more fulfilling career.
Careers related to ESL teaching that you may want to consider
Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) can be a rewarding and fulfilling career, but it is also exhausting. No matter how much you loved teaching ESL initially, there comes a time when you just need a break. Many burnt out ESL teachers are just tired of the hustle and want to find an adjacent job to teaching that let’ them take a little breather. Here are some jobs English teachers can pursue.
Speech-language pathologist:
If you want to continue working within language, assessment, and one to one teaching, then pivoting to become a speech-language pathologist might be a good direction for your future career. I knew an awesome VIPKid teacher (back when they were big) in Bucharest who was a certified Speech-language pathologist and chose to teach online so she could explore the world while paying off her student loans.
ESL Program Coordinator
Program coordinators oversee and manage ESL programs in schools, universities, and language centers. This includes hiring and training teachers, developing curriculum, and coordinating program activities.
Intercultural Communication Specialist
Intercultural communication specialists work with individuals and organizations to bridge cultural and linguistic gaps. This can involve teaching English language skills, cultural awareness training, and developing strategies for effective communication in cross-cultural environments.
Professional Tour Guide
Consider searching for work in your city as a professional tour guide. As a teacher, you already like speaking to strangers and sharing your enthusiasm and knowledge with others.
Professional tour guides require similar skill sets: sharing knowledge in a memorable and interesting way, public speaking and engaging groups.
Study Abroad Advisor
Study abroad advisors help students find and apply for study abroad programs. This can include advising on program options, language requirements, and cultural considerations.
English Language Testing and Assessment Specialist:
Testing and assessment specialists develop and administer English language proficiency tests such as TOEFL, IELTS, and TOEIC. This career requires a strong understanding of English language assessment and evaluation.
My best friend’s sister is an IELTS proctor and she seems to love her job.
English Language Learner (ELL) Advocate:
ELL advocates work to ensure that English language learners have access to quality education and support services. This is a directly related career to teaching with all the same skill sets. This can involve working with schools, government agencies, and community organizations to develop policies and programs that support ELL students.
Marketing Professional
Some former ESL tutors pivot towards marketing after teaching because marketing as a very similar skill set as teaching. In both, you influence people and rely on your interpersonal skills.
Instructional Designer
Are you interested in course design? Teachers who enjoy creating material and lesson plans, might be interested in building course content or online course designing for schools. With more schools moving toward distance learning during the pandemic and now staying that way, there is a growing market for instructional designers for new online content.
I suggest learning how to make courses with Adobe Captivate, Storyline, or other course building tools.
Some basic experience with this software can get you in the door with recruiters looking for instructional designers.
Blogger
Yes, I know…I know. Blogging doesn’t quite scream ‘money maker,’ but I had to add it because there are actually lots of very lucrative blogs. If you love writing and connecting with people, then blogging is a viable option if you are willing to put in a year of hard work with low pay for that eventual pay off. It’s a slow grind, but if you add GoogleAdsense or Mediavine (when you start getting lots of viewers) to your site, you can start making a bit after a few months. I started this blog, didn’t I?!
If you go down this path, the most important thing is to stay motivated. I suggest jioning the reddit gruop JustStart. It is a reddit community about affiliate marketing, search engine optimization and related topics. Learn what works, what doesn’t and what’s new.
These are just a few of the many careers available in the field of ESL teaching.
Remember, if you want to bridge over to another career after being a TEFL instructor, focus moon your transferable skills.
when envisioning your new career path. As an ESL teacher, you have developed so many.
What are a teacher’s transferable skills?
When you interview for your post teaching career, be sure to point out your related skill sets that you will bring to your job.
- Communication: Ability to convey information effectively and listen carefully to others.
- Interpersonal Skills: Ability to work with different types of people, including students, parents, colleagues, and administrators.
- Problem Solving: Ability to assess problems and develop solutions.
- Organizational Skills: Ability to create lesson plans, manage time, and maintain records.
- Flexibility: Ability to adjust to changes in the classroom or curriculum.
- Critical Thinking: Ability to analyze data, assess student progress, and make decisions.
- Technology Skills: Ability to use technology to enhance instruction.
- Creativity: Ability to think outside the box and develop creative solutions to problems.
- Patience: Ability to remain calm and patient when dealing with challenging students or situations.
- Leadership: Ability to provide direction, guidance, and support to others.
Whether you’re interested in teaching in a traditional classroom setting or exploring global opportunities, there are many different career paths to pursue that are related to teaching. With the increasing demand for English language skills around the world, the field of ESL teaching offers many opportunities for personal and professional growth.
If this was helpful, maybe these posts will be helpful too.
