Getting started/certified
You will be an English Teacher. There’s a lot of acronyms (ESL, TESOL, TEFL, CELTA, etc) regarding certifications and whatnot, but all of them involve teaching English to non-native speakers. The demand for English (teachers) continues to grow throughout the world, and the qualifications necessary to teach at the majority of schools is just possessing college diploma and being a native English speaker. Bonus points if you are white and have blond hair. You don’t need to know other languages besides English, though that certainly is useful. Getting certification might help you get a job, but is by no means necessary. Unless you find a cool program taught in a foreign country, I’d say save your money. I remember walking down Khao San Road several years ago, seeing fake TESOL certificates and thinking how that was probably a smarter option than what I did. The TESOL program I went to wasn’t bad or anything, it just gave me a piece of paper and not actual teaching experience. You’ll be fine with just a diploma and your smarts, it’s not that difficult of a job.
Finding work
If you live in any city that is a popular travel destination for foreigners, it almost certainly will have a large amount of ESL schools (I describe them as “vacation language schools”) that will have a rotating population of students throughout the year. There will be large schools like Kaplan and Berlitz that might have over 100 students, and smaller schools with only 10 or 20 students. They generally start paying around $20/hr, though you can easily make double that with a good gig. Don’t expect 40 hours a week though, “full-time” teachers will usually top out around 25-30 hours.
Getting hired
Again, assuming that you have a degree and are a native English speaker, you are at least qualified for substitute work at virtually any ESL school. Bang out a resume that emphasizes experience with traveling, foreign languages/cultures, and any/all teaching you have done. If you literally have none, just make up some shit, like you volunteered in college helping Mexican high schoolers prep for the SAT, or did some kind of exchange program in Korea when you were in junior high school.
Wear a nice collared shirt, pop into the school and ask for the hiring manager. Hand them your resume and stress that you’re looking for substitute work to begin with. This is important, as every ESL school needs quality substitutes on hand. And good substitutes quickly get offered more hours when enrollment increases and/or other teachers bounce.
This is a very transient profession. That can’t be stressed enough. What that equates to is a lot of flakey/unreliable/short-term only teachers, and the turnover rate at all schools is quite high. It’s a transition job for most, before they go abroad, enter grad school, etc. Accordingly, the academic coordinator (or whoever hires) is primarily concerned that you’ll show up on time every day. Do your best to demonstrate that you are dependable, and willing to substitute/be flexible at a moment’s notice.
When asked about your teaching style/approach, say something to the extent of “I use a communicative approach that incorporates a lot of group work/discussion/conversation. I try to give all the students plenty of opportunities to communicate with other and have a fun time doing it.” Basically, you should convey that you can make classes enjoyable, which makes the students (customers) happy. These schools are businesses above anything else, and showing that you understand that is important. This isn’t anything noble like teaching special-ed or disadvantaged kids, it’s just entertaining 4-15 people for a few hours with some grammar and other academic stuff mixed in.
Your co-workers and school environment
By and large, ESL schools are very female-oriented and lacking a strong male presence. Roughly half the male teachers/admin I worked with were gay, and probably another quarter were grizzled old burnouts. There are some cool guys here and there, but definitely not many red-pill dudes.
Most of the girls are your generic SWPL fare, in their 20s or 30s with some study abroad/travel experience. Generally a little nerdier/artsy-er and not former high school cheerleaders. A lot of feminist-leaning, strong and independent (but not really) grrlpower types with liberal arts degrees and hopes for something bigger. There have been cute girls at most of the schools I’ve worked at as well, so it’s not all bad.
The teacher’s room/lounge will serve as a locker room of sorts, where the hens will gossip about everything school-related. It’s best to stay out the fray and maintain a cool, friendly, but slightly aloof demeanor. By virtue of being one of the few straight, normal teachers that work there, you will get shit tested early and often as several of the girls will be sizing you up as a potential sex partner. Laying back and giving pithy one-liners will allow you to remain in favor with the majority of your co-workers without seeming shy/weird/antisocial.
Be very aware that most of the female teachers (basically the uggos) find it “creepy and gross” when male teachers get with students, especially when the desirable male students have no interest in said female teachers. They are bitter spinsters in training, so proceed with extreme caution with anything female student-related. You are being watched.
Your classes and students
Think back to learning English grammar in the 3rd grade, when you were bored to tears and chucking erasers at your buddies while the teacher droned on about some subject-predicate bullshit. Your ESL class should be the exact opposite. It needs to be fun, with a lot of conversation and interaction between students. Even in grammar exercises, always have them work in groups of 2, 3 or 4. Keep mixing them around, changing up activities, and maintain a high energy level in the classroom. At first, a standard class of 3 hours might seem long to fill up with stuff to do, but it will fly by once you get the hang of it.
As a reasonably attractive, straight male in a leadership/power position, you WILL attract a lot of female students. Just like American girls dream of going abroad and getting dogged out by some swarthy Italian or Spanish guy, many foreign girls also fantasize about/are open to a romantic relationship with an American guy. Even several years ago, when I had a mediocre physique and style, I got a lot of attention from cute girls of many different nationalities.
Discretion is everything when it comes to banging students. Be the fun, cool, laid-back, sociable teacher who often engages with your class(es) in activities outside the classroom. Organize trips to museums, ballgames, anything to show off your knowledge of the city and command a further leadership role. There will be school-sponsored dance parties and events with alcohol to promote hooking up, just make sure it’s in the bag and you both can keep a secret (though stuff eventually leaks out). Even better, if you have a cool place, throw parties there for considerable DHV points and the cuties will come.
Other good points about teaching ESL
Getting new friends/experiences/networks
Outside of traveling abroad, teaching ESL is probably the best way to meet foreigners and learn about new cultures. Eating lamb by hand out of a tin foil pan and smoking shisha with Saudi guys, going surfing and blazing up with German and Dutch dudes, those were some of the great experiences I had. You’ll have a worldwide network of contacts whenever you travel, so it pays dividends both in the present and future.
Developing leadership, vocal presence, and communicative skills
Have mentioned this several times already, and it bears repeating. Teaching requires that you are able to direct a class, and that can be challenging with beginner level students, among others. To avoid miscommunication and/or confusion, you’ll need to learn how to communicate in a very clear and simple manner. Projecting your voice and speaking very slowly translates well to embodying a strong and calm alpha presence. And for those who aren't naturally comfortable speaking in front of groups, teaching will forge you into someone who can command a room.
Becoming a skilled conversationalist
Building on the first point, you will be in constant situations of extended one-to-one conversation. At a place I worked early on in Japan, every night I had to grind through six straight 55 minute sessions of conversation, with no books or materials to use. This is hard to do, especially with shy/reluctant speakers. And it gives you the ability to talk to anyone. You learn to key in on threads and elicit description and thought from the other party. My comfort game with girls is much better than it used it be, and a lot of this stems from the work I've put in teaching.
Learning to improvise and show grace under pressure
Depending on the teaching situation you find yourself in, there will be some natural amount of unpredictabilty and disorder. Last second changes to classes, copier doesn’t work, etc. No matter how well you plan, shit happens and you have to react accordingly. Alpha traits of maintaining composure and not getting flustered/rattled in difficult spots are valuable here.
Teaching outside of the US
Eventually of course you’ll want to live and work abroad, and really, you can just as easily skip working in the US and find teaching jobs abroad from the start. I’m only qualified to give advice on Japan, so feel free to PM me with any questions. In general, the Middle East offers the most money, Latin America the cheapest living, and Asia a balance of pretty good money/standard of living.
Best of luck if you set out towards teaching ESL. It’s easily doable and a great way to spend a portion of your 20s/30s.
You will be an English Teacher. There’s a lot of acronyms (ESL, TESOL, TEFL, CELTA, etc) regarding certifications and whatnot, but all of them involve teaching English to non-native speakers. The demand for English (teachers) continues to grow throughout the world, and the qualifications necessary to teach at the majority of schools is just possessing college diploma and being a native English speaker. Bonus points if you are white and have blond hair. You don’t need to know other languages besides English, though that certainly is useful. Getting certification might help you get a job, but is by no means necessary. Unless you find a cool program taught in a foreign country, I’d say save your money. I remember walking down Khao San Road several years ago, seeing fake TESOL certificates and thinking how that was probably a smarter option than what I did. The TESOL program I went to wasn’t bad or anything, it just gave me a piece of paper and not actual teaching experience. You’ll be fine with just a diploma and your smarts, it’s not that difficult of a job.
Finding work
If you live in any city that is a popular travel destination for foreigners, it almost certainly will have a large amount of ESL schools (I describe them as “vacation language schools”) that will have a rotating population of students throughout the year. There will be large schools like Kaplan and Berlitz that might have over 100 students, and smaller schools with only 10 or 20 students. They generally start paying around $20/hr, though you can easily make double that with a good gig. Don’t expect 40 hours a week though, “full-time” teachers will usually top out around 25-30 hours.
Getting hired
Again, assuming that you have a degree and are a native English speaker, you are at least qualified for substitute work at virtually any ESL school. Bang out a resume that emphasizes experience with traveling, foreign languages/cultures, and any/all teaching you have done. If you literally have none, just make up some shit, like you volunteered in college helping Mexican high schoolers prep for the SAT, or did some kind of exchange program in Korea when you were in junior high school.
Wear a nice collared shirt, pop into the school and ask for the hiring manager. Hand them your resume and stress that you’re looking for substitute work to begin with. This is important, as every ESL school needs quality substitutes on hand. And good substitutes quickly get offered more hours when enrollment increases and/or other teachers bounce.
This is a very transient profession. That can’t be stressed enough. What that equates to is a lot of flakey/unreliable/short-term only teachers, and the turnover rate at all schools is quite high. It’s a transition job for most, before they go abroad, enter grad school, etc. Accordingly, the academic coordinator (or whoever hires) is primarily concerned that you’ll show up on time every day. Do your best to demonstrate that you are dependable, and willing to substitute/be flexible at a moment’s notice.
When asked about your teaching style/approach, say something to the extent of “I use a communicative approach that incorporates a lot of group work/discussion/conversation. I try to give all the students plenty of opportunities to communicate with other and have a fun time doing it.” Basically, you should convey that you can make classes enjoyable, which makes the students (customers) happy. These schools are businesses above anything else, and showing that you understand that is important. This isn’t anything noble like teaching special-ed or disadvantaged kids, it’s just entertaining 4-15 people for a few hours with some grammar and other academic stuff mixed in.
Your co-workers and school environment
By and large, ESL schools are very female-oriented and lacking a strong male presence. Roughly half the male teachers/admin I worked with were gay, and probably another quarter were grizzled old burnouts. There are some cool guys here and there, but definitely not many red-pill dudes.
Most of the girls are your generic SWPL fare, in their 20s or 30s with some study abroad/travel experience. Generally a little nerdier/artsy-er and not former high school cheerleaders. A lot of feminist-leaning, strong and independent (but not really) grrlpower types with liberal arts degrees and hopes for something bigger. There have been cute girls at most of the schools I’ve worked at as well, so it’s not all bad.
The teacher’s room/lounge will serve as a locker room of sorts, where the hens will gossip about everything school-related. It’s best to stay out the fray and maintain a cool, friendly, but slightly aloof demeanor. By virtue of being one of the few straight, normal teachers that work there, you will get shit tested early and often as several of the girls will be sizing you up as a potential sex partner. Laying back and giving pithy one-liners will allow you to remain in favor with the majority of your co-workers without seeming shy/weird/antisocial.
Be very aware that most of the female teachers (basically the uggos) find it “creepy and gross” when male teachers get with students, especially when the desirable male students have no interest in said female teachers. They are bitter spinsters in training, so proceed with extreme caution with anything female student-related. You are being watched.
Your classes and students
Think back to learning English grammar in the 3rd grade, when you were bored to tears and chucking erasers at your buddies while the teacher droned on about some subject-predicate bullshit. Your ESL class should be the exact opposite. It needs to be fun, with a lot of conversation and interaction between students. Even in grammar exercises, always have them work in groups of 2, 3 or 4. Keep mixing them around, changing up activities, and maintain a high energy level in the classroom. At first, a standard class of 3 hours might seem long to fill up with stuff to do, but it will fly by once you get the hang of it.
As a reasonably attractive, straight male in a leadership/power position, you WILL attract a lot of female students. Just like American girls dream of going abroad and getting dogged out by some swarthy Italian or Spanish guy, many foreign girls also fantasize about/are open to a romantic relationship with an American guy. Even several years ago, when I had a mediocre physique and style, I got a lot of attention from cute girls of many different nationalities.
Discretion is everything when it comes to banging students. Be the fun, cool, laid-back, sociable teacher who often engages with your class(es) in activities outside the classroom. Organize trips to museums, ballgames, anything to show off your knowledge of the city and command a further leadership role. There will be school-sponsored dance parties and events with alcohol to promote hooking up, just make sure it’s in the bag and you both can keep a secret (though stuff eventually leaks out). Even better, if you have a cool place, throw parties there for considerable DHV points and the cuties will come.
Other good points about teaching ESL
Getting new friends/experiences/networks
Outside of traveling abroad, teaching ESL is probably the best way to meet foreigners and learn about new cultures. Eating lamb by hand out of a tin foil pan and smoking shisha with Saudi guys, going surfing and blazing up with German and Dutch dudes, those were some of the great experiences I had. You’ll have a worldwide network of contacts whenever you travel, so it pays dividends both in the present and future.
Developing leadership, vocal presence, and communicative skills
Have mentioned this several times already, and it bears repeating. Teaching requires that you are able to direct a class, and that can be challenging with beginner level students, among others. To avoid miscommunication and/or confusion, you’ll need to learn how to communicate in a very clear and simple manner. Projecting your voice and speaking very slowly translates well to embodying a strong and calm alpha presence. And for those who aren't naturally comfortable speaking in front of groups, teaching will forge you into someone who can command a room.
Becoming a skilled conversationalist
Building on the first point, you will be in constant situations of extended one-to-one conversation. At a place I worked early on in Japan, every night I had to grind through six straight 55 minute sessions of conversation, with no books or materials to use. This is hard to do, especially with shy/reluctant speakers. And it gives you the ability to talk to anyone. You learn to key in on threads and elicit description and thought from the other party. My comfort game with girls is much better than it used it be, and a lot of this stems from the work I've put in teaching.
Learning to improvise and show grace under pressure
Depending on the teaching situation you find yourself in, there will be some natural amount of unpredictabilty and disorder. Last second changes to classes, copier doesn’t work, etc. No matter how well you plan, shit happens and you have to react accordingly. Alpha traits of maintaining composure and not getting flustered/rattled in difficult spots are valuable here.
Teaching outside of the US
Eventually of course you’ll want to live and work abroad, and really, you can just as easily skip working in the US and find teaching jobs abroad from the start. I’m only qualified to give advice on Japan, so feel free to PM me with any questions. In general, the Middle East offers the most money, Latin America the cheapest living, and Asia a balance of pretty good money/standard of living.
Best of luck if you set out towards teaching ESL. It’s easily doable and a great way to spend a portion of your 20s/30s.