UK work?

[u/Ready_Training_6039]

I've taught EFL abroad for the best part of 10yrs but have recently moved back to the UK. I've tried my hand in a new field but I feel like I'm wasting several years of experience and a masters in TESOL by not sticking to teaching.

Is there much of a job market for private EFL teaching in the UK? What's the salary range like?

I had a go at public teaching and got halfway through a PGCE. Never again.

Edit: Not including summer schools. I've done 8/9 contracts with one in London over the years. I do miss it, but it's time to gain stability.

[u/Soc-Minh]

There's summer schools but for the majority of the year, the schools looking for teachers and paying reasonably are few and far between. I had a go in schools too and in the end became a HGV driver. TEFL looks less and less like a career now and more of a way to fund overseas travel and self discovery etc.

[u/htrix]

The EFL industry in the U.K. is in a dire state. Language schools have been going bust left, right and centre since Brexit and Covid, including several long-standing major players. The industry is very much on its last legs. You’ve got the MA though, and that gives you an advantage- maybe go for teacher training or curriculum design if you can.

[u/Bottom-Bherp3912 → u/htrix]

This is surprising, especially considering how many foreigners are moving to the UK.

[u/Rioting-Flamingo]

EAP has been hit hard by the higher education crisis. ESOL is backbreaking work but there are still openings. Expect that to shrink if we elect Reform. EFL schools were hit hard by Brexit and COVID and nevwr rallied. EAL work in schools is possible but I know less about that

[u/BMC2019]

I've taught EFL abroad for the best part of 10yrs but have recently moved back to the UK. I've tried my hand in a new field but I feel like I'm wasting several years of experience and a masters in TESOL by not sticking to teaching.

Have you considered teaching in prisons? That's what I've been doing since I moved back to the UK almost six years ago. I teach Functional Skills English and Maths.

[u/Flat-Atmosphere-4303]

My mate got a with Oxford University Press in designing EFL books, pays alright. Maybe you could look in that area?

[u/k_795]

I'm mostly going to echo what others have already said - look into summer schools, private language centres, some ESOL programs with local councils / colleges / universities, etc. But honestly opportunities with these are shrinking (combination of Brexit and the general anti-immigration sentiment putting off a lot of international students from moving here, plus less funding for these programs too). Most of these jobs pay barely above minimum wage and job security isn't guaranteed.

You could also look into online ESL teaching (generally low pay, but with your experience and connections from overseas you could find private students who pay better direct), or curriculum development / textbook writing / exam marking work (check publishers' and exam boards' job sites). These can be good ways to earn better income or progress in your career, if you play things right (although be prepared to start on minimum wage).

But yeah, realistically if you want good pay in the education sector, your best bet is to do a PGCE and get a state school teaching job. Salaries for qualified teachers are pretty good, career progression is steady, and the pension is decent. You said "never again" to this - any particular reason why? I've had bad experiences in some schools in the past, but am now working in a wonderful school which suits me much better. Several of my PGCE classmates went on to teach in private or SEN schools, again with generally positive things to say.

[u/Sure-Background8402]

Lots of colleges in big cities teach ESOL for adults. They usually require a CELTA but a masters in TESOL should be sufficient

Source: I had an admin job at an English college 3-4 years and ESOL students (mostly refugees and asylum seekers) were one of the biggest cohorts.

[u/PennywisePiperV]

Yes and no, someone beat me to it, there's the summer school programs but other than that the options are a little limited. You could do what I know some of my friends have done and that's to teach Functional Skills English at a tertiary college or something but even that's a bit of a stretch. As another commentor mentioned.....maybe reskill? I'm 31 now and got a lovely Thai lady with a child on the way, definitely going back to the UK but in a new industry, TEFL is ok for travel but that's about it and where it stops......don't be the 40+ year old drunkard teaching happy clappy monkey for sod all each month chasing the dragon, know when to call it quits.