A friend of mine is a school teacher, she works 40 hours a week making lesson plans, writing reports and spends the rest in class with the kids. She often intimates that her job is more demanding than that of a TEFL teacher. Why does this bother me? Because ‘real teachers’, at least where I live, get a lot more recognition than us lowly TEFL educators. Some of the benefits afforded to them that we do not enjoy include; timetabled planning and marking time, academic holidays, classroom support and a very reasonable 5pm clock out time. However, the thing that perhaps bothers me the most is the disparity between pay. Class teachers get quite a lot more at the end of the month than any TEFL teacher could reasonably expect.
Anyway, aside from my rant, what is the point of this post? Well, given that we find it harder to make ends meet, often having to work the weekends in order to balance the books, how can we earn extra money to have some fun with at the end of the month?
Here is my guide to making a few more pennies 🙂
Get Qualified
Lots of TEFL teachers have done online courses and have lots of experience in the classroom. But the best jobs in the industry, and the ones that pay the most, usually demand a higher level of qualification. A university degree or a CELTA qualification being the most commonly requested. However, look at the requirements for the job that you’re interested in, there are lots of good companies that will consider you with other studies. Once you have a clear picture of the career you would like to pursue, look at the qualifications needed to get you there. Don’t put it off!
Private Classes
As a general rule, private tutoring will pay more than an official institution will. If you are willing to move around a little bit, there will always be people that want your services to help them or their children pass an exam, or simply improve their English. Depending on where you are in the world, you could earn a lot of dough!
On the other hand, working for somebody in a recognised institution will give you some degree of job security and a solid paycheck. So I would consider combining both options for a healthy bank account balance.
Translation
If you’re working abroad and have picked up the local lingo, translation is always a great option! Even doing one or two per month can boost your income considerably and it doesn’t have to be that time consuming once you have a little experience. Consider posting an ad online or simply looking for clients locally. Good translations are highly sought after and very well paid, especially for uncommon languages.
Babysitting
While normal babysitters might not expect to make a living from looking after other people’s kids, there’s quite a profit to be made from English babysitting! Parents are often likely to pay more for someone who will watch their sprogs for a few hours and speak to them in English! These things often work by word of mouth, getting one happy client on your side might well lead to other parents giving you a call. A nice little money maker from a few hours of work!
Any more money makers to add to this list? Let me know in the comments!
TEFL Planet 