An ESL teaching job gives you international travel opportunities, cross-cultural training and immense job satisfaction. But before you decide to become an ESL teacher, you should also be aware of the issues involved. One of the biggest advantages of getting a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification is the opportunity to live and work abroad. Of course, there are challenges too. So what are the pros and cons of being an ESL teacher?

How Much Opportunity?

The ESL – EFL teaching and learning market is worth billions of USD. It is estimated that over 1 billion people learn English at any given time. People living in different parts of the world speak different languages. English is the only language that links them. The truth is that if you have a decent command over English, you can live and work in any part of the world. To put it simply, there is a huge demand for ESL teachers out there.

Pros and Cons

The ESL teaching field offers different levels of employment. You can be a volunteer giving local English classes. Or you can find employment in universities that offer accredited ESL programs. There are also plenty of job opportunities between these two extremes. Obviously the opportunities and required qualification for the different levels of employment vary considerably.

Getting Qualified

If you have decided that you want to be an ESL teacher, then you will have to get one or more ESL teaching qualification. There are different levels of qualification. If your objective is to teach English abroad for a few years, you will need a TEFL certificate. If you are keen on building a career in this field, you will have to get a Master’s Degree.