Coronavirus is one of the deadliest calamities that the world has faced ever. Traveling industries or jobs that require international travel have suffered a huge loss during the pandemic timeline. People who want to set a career by teaching English abroad have also become a victim of the pandemic.
Teaching English as foreign language courses (TEFL courses) have always given a boost in such a career but owing to the wretched condition of the global teaching market, people are not being able to move out of their countries much.
People who love traveling the world often want to establish a career in teaching English abroad. TEFL has always been one of the best way-outs that has helped them to work as English teachers in foreign. Well, the new normal has given the privilege to many people to teach online but many educational institutions feel a basic emptiness in this process.
Thus given the lockdown scenario, many nations prohibited the entry of teachers from other nations which rose the question that if TEFL would ever rise back. Teaching English online was a relief but as I said, it was not comfortable enough for everyone to accept this method. A face-to-face session always involves learning based on real-life problems which went missing in those online classes.
Effect of the pandemic
Due to the pandemic, academic institutions were not hiring teachers from abroad. The schools, colleges, language institutions, etc., were strictly closed, and hence, online education became their only mode of imparting knowledge. The global job market faced a huge blow.
In the United Kingdom, there were layoffs of teachers at a massive rate because the number of English language learners dropped down to a great extent. Schools in Spain were not closed for a long time even though Spain faced a very strict lockdown. In countries like Colombia, there is a huge scarcity of English tutors at the moment. It is because, during the pandemic, the hiring process was given a pause.
Countries in Southeast Asia like Vietnam has become a serious victim of covid-19. The condition was pathetic during the outbreak of the lethal virus and thus traveling to Vietnam was next to impossible. China has taken some decision that has caused trouble for people who wanted to establish a teaching career over there.
They have decided to use study materials procured and scripted in China and have set the entry restricted for foreign tutors as of now. Besides, they have banned certain online platforms where Chinese students used to learn English. Hence, TEFL jobs or TEFL career in China right now is definitely not a good idea.
Will teachers be able to move abroad in 2020?
Now, it is an important question. Given the global situation, some nations are healing where the condition is getter better with the passing days. Whereas, some are yet to recover. In some countries, the entry of tutors having TEFL certification is still prohibited. To find a job abroad as an English teacher, people will have to carefully go through relevant websites to fetch the most suitable location.
Many hiring consultancies are saying that teachers are willing to go to China for becoming English teachers in their public schools, private schools, language schools, etc. because the pay scale is pretty high. There are numerous amounts of English teachers who want to travel abroad in Asian countries, the Middle East, the United States, etc.
A lot of people are aiming for South Korea. South Korea is one of the hot destinations among the Southeast Asian countries as the availability of jobs is great over here. Besides, teachers enjoy classic perks while teaching English in South Korea. In the middle east, Oman is quite famous for hiring English teachers.
The cost of living in Oman is not that much cost-effective but then again, teachers receive a good salary package and perks. The major expenditure is on accommodations and transport but often the recruiters provide such amenities to the tutors. The level of covid transmission in Oman is from moderate to low these days and hence, teachers can easily plan to set up a teaching career over there by 2022.
Thailand, as usual, is ready to welcome English language teachers by 2022 while Vietnam is still recovering from the massic covid-19 havoc. Due to strict lockdown, the economic status of Vietnam is not affluent at this moment and thus the enrollment of students is not that flourishing. As a result, they are not recruiting teachers from other nations to teach the English language.
Among the European nations, Spain and Hungary are giving awesome opportunities to English language educators. The students of these countries prefer in-class learning methods and the condition of these countries concerning the outbreak of covid-19 is now stable.
However, Morocco is still not in the mood of recruiting teachers from outside. They are allowing the entry of people only from a few distinguished countries. Though the vaccination rate is good, the reports of new cases of Coronavirus in Morocco are still not low.
Thus, while planning to establish a career in teaching English abroad, you must be cautious enough to check the economic and health status of the countries. Of course, TEFL courses are also important! In some places, the condition is totally under control whereas some countries are still struggling daily with new cases of covid. Also, consider the new pattern of living costs and salary packages being provided by various countries because the pandemic has put an effect over here as well.