Are There Any Recession Proof Careers?

!±8± Are There Any Recession Proof Careers?

To those who have become accustomed to the daily doom and gloom that we read about in the newspapers and hear on the news about recession, job losses and collapsing industries etc, it will be surprising to hear that there is one industry that is still expanding on a global basis and actually shows no sign of slowing down.

Teaching English as a Foreign Language or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages -TEFL/TESOL has now become a massive industry employing tens of thousands of teachers across the globe. With globalisation and changing work patterns having a good level of English has become not just an advantage to have, but a must have in order to complete effectively in the job market and workplace.

More and more people of all ages are attending English classes or even studying English online. Some just need to acquire a good level of spoken English while others need specialist forms of English such as business English in order to further their careers. The bottom line is whether in Poland, Russia, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand , Vietnam, etc., more and more people are studying English and the demand for teachers has never been greater

With the demand for teachers greater than the available supply TEFL/TESOL can in many ways be seen as a recession proof career. While schools and companies would generally prefer to employ a native speaker the demand for teachers is such that non- native speakers are often taken on as well in order to meet the demand.

Although salaries may not compare to those of city bank workers the pay can be good according to the chosen location and there are often many fringe benefits on offer such as free or subsidised accommodation, free health care , etc. Sometimes the package will include a settlement allowance and even an airfare home once a year.

It is no longer the case that the normal TEFL teacher is a young graduate just seeking a year or two in the sun before settling back into a real job. Nowadays, men and women of all ages and backgrounds are taking up the opportunities and challenges of this new profession.

Many new entrants have already tried a previous career and have either become disillusioned with what might have been a dull and routine work life or may have been made redundant and wanted a second chance. Unlike many professions a long and lengthy training is not necessary to become a TEFL/TESOL trainer.

Most begin with a Certificate in TEFL that requires around 120 hours of study. These are very practical in nature and provide all the skills required to be an effective and confident teacher of English. This can be followed or combined by a range of other courses that can provide training in teaching business English or working with young learners and teenagers. Those who wish to move into others areas of the profession such as management or teacher training may then at some stage take a Diploma course that is of a higher level.

Two popular courses are The Certificate in TEFL 120 hour program and The Diploma in TESOL which is at level five. The best are ASET approved programs which means that on completion of the program the student receives a second certificate from ASET in addition to the one issued by the teaching school.

And some teaching schools offer a job placement facility at the end of the TEFL course.