As per the recent changes, the UK passport holders who want to teach English as a foreign language in Europe, they have to know the updates before and after Brexit. Now, you may ask what has Brexit meant for the TEFL sector in Europe in 2021? How will Brexit affect TEFL educators? We will explain all the necessary details about what does Brexit mean for teaching English in Europe!
On 31st January 2020, the UK left the EU…means the UK is officially now out of Europe. From January 1st 2021, the UK has become an independent third country. After the update, for UK teachers, teaching English in Europe will no longer be as relaxed or straightforward as earlier. However, the Brexit is not going to distress the role of English in the EU and the language is still the global language of business and trade. English is still the major language of communication within the region for both the citizens of different European countries and citizens of the EU along with the tourists.
Brexit is not going to disturb the TEFL industry on the whole in the UK. After the shift-period, the UK citizens will still be able to work in the Europe. However, they will have to apply for a working visa, the same as various other nationalities. Nevertheless, if you someone who is already teaching English in the EU and have been staying there for a few years, then you can apply for the nationality or residency in that particular country. This is to safeguard that you don’t lose your right to work in that specific country and this process will depend on which country you are in at present.
According to the Brexit, any European teacher who is going to the UK will need a working visa to teach. Also, these UK visas will be presented on a points-based system. However, it is still uncertain what this points-based system process will be exactly like, thus, you need to keep an eye on the updates for more info. Briefly, the UK is now being measured as a “third country”, which means if you have a British passport and are applying for a job in European countries then you will be treated just like any other applicant from outside the EU.
Brexit perhaps has some implications for the non-British teachers. This is uncertain. For example, if an employer is less-interested to go through all the necessary paperwork involved in hiring a British educator, then they may choose to put an emphasis on hiring candidates who have EU nationality. This could benefit the non-native English teachers from other EU countries as well. Also, companies or organizations may now be much more open to hiring non-UK teachers, as well as those from other English-speaking nations too.
This means if you’re from the USA, India, Australia, South Africa, etc. (to give just 4 examples), you may find it laid-back to work in the UK in the upcoming days. The schools and companies will have the liberty to employ the people whom they feel are the best for their requirements. Internationally accredited TEFL/TESOL certified teachers from numerous countries around the world will get more chances.
Although, it is hard to speculate on how this might change the TEFL market of the UK but we can see that the demand for the companies from outside of the Europe wishing for setting up a business here. Now, all the European countries need UK citizens to acquire a visa in order to grab a paid job and stay, yet the procedure may slightly differ from country to country. Obtaining a work visa requires –
A job offer
After the changes, you can expect to pay a processing fee along with the money spent on legalising the required documents
You also may be required to have a certain sum of money in your bank account to verify that you can support yourself for a definite period of time
However, for the voluntary ESL teaching positions, you may not need a work visa, but it’s probable that you would need another sort of visa, therefore, make sure to check with the appropriate government. Also, there are some countries, particularly in Spain you can teach English on a student visa.
Consider taking internationally accredited TEFL/TESOL courses as these will provide every opportunity to build up your career, whether that’s in-person or online. Also, the better your CV/Resume looks the easier it will be to lock a job.
Last but not the least, make sure you follow trusted sources like gov.uk.
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