Recent world events have many of us longing for a change in our working lives. Your industry may have been damaged by the pandemic, or you may be inundated and wishing for a way to lighten your workload. If you have ever thought about getting your teaching certification, now may be the best time to further your training and pivot your career path.
Make a Difference in Your Community
If you don't have your Bachelor's Degree, you can still get your undergrad certification in ESL online, which may allow you to move into the classroom and train to teach English as a second language. Once you are in the classroom, you can continue to take classes online and in the summer to finish your degree.
Take the time to check the requirements to teach in your state before signing up for any online class. You may need to take the Praxis exam for your licensure. Preparing for this is its own course. You want to have the time to study for the Praxis as well as further your ESL training.
Move to a New State
Many are ready for a fresh start. Because you can study for your ESL teacher training online, it may work to move to a cheaper region of the United States while you complete your training before launching your new career. As you check out programs that will allow you to finish your Bachelor's online for less, make sure you study up on the reciprocity options between states that will allow you to move once you complete your degree and go for your certification.
Do your homework before committing to a training program, a Bachelor's program, or a particular region. You want to have your teaching license in place before you move to your new area. If you're struggling to get your licensure approved in a particular state, it could delay your hiring and make your next relocation that much harder.
Move to a New Country
Once you have your certification, you may also be interested in teaching English overseas. There are several points to check before you pack your bags.
- These programs may be short-term. Depending on where you are in life, setting out to teach in Spain or China for a two-year stint may be interesting, but if you're ready to find a partner and start a family, short-term jobs may not be the best choice to support a growing family.
- Getting hired by a foreign government will take time. The competition for many of these jobs can be fierce. If you need income immediately, you may not be able to wait for one of these jobs to come up.
- You'll still have the hassles of daily living. If you've ever had a problem with a landlord, figuring out how to get past this conflict in another language takes on new dimensions. It could be very exciting, but you will need to do some legwork. While learning a country’s native language will definitely aid you in moving there, it is only half the struggle. When moving to a new country, there are new customs, mannerisms, and cultures to learn as well.
Make ESL Teaching Your Encore Career
If you are considering phasing out of full-time work, getting your ESL certification and teaching part-time could improve your retirement or partial retirement in several ways.
- Learning: Learning as you age is a wonderful way to support brain health. New neural connections are still possible and these exercises can benefit you for years.
- Time: Depending on your current education level, you can get your ESL training completed in a short amount of time.
- Income: You can defer taking Social Security and boost your future income.
- Social Skills: You can stay connected with people and avoid the dangers of isolation on your brain, body, and spirit.
You Can Go Mobile
In addition to classroom work, you can teach English online to children all over the world. These settings can be either one on one or with a group. Depending on the time that you have to commit to training right now, you can start your tutoring with little to no training and build your skills.
Many of these teaching programs will take a while to get you on board. Your income will be sporadic and it will take time to build up a clientele. However, if you're not sure about teaching as a career change or a second career, these in-person tutoring programs can allow you to build skills, increase your confidence and earn a bit of money as you learn.
You Can Work With Adults
You may love the idea of teaching but dread the idea of facing an entire classroom of children. With ESL training, you can move into the world of tutoring. One on one, an ESL tutor can work from home, and home can be anywhere you choose to make it with the right technology.
You may also be interested in teaching but not necessarily drawn to working with children. Your ESL teaching skills can also be put to work training adults who need to be comfortably fluent in English to work on the international stage. If you have experience in a particular industry, you may be able to help your students learn both conversational English and the jargon necessary for their industry. This conversational training may be corporate or one on one, depending on your client's needs.
Grow With Your Industry
Training in TESOL, or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, is an industry that is poised to grow. It's estimated that 10% of children in today's public schools are not native speakers of English. With skills as an instructor and a second language in your skillset, you can build a career that will not only support you and your family until you're ready to retire, but you can take your training on the road and move to part-time, one on one tutoring with children under 12, or adult conversational training.
The world is getting smaller. As an ESL teacher, you can make the United States a kinder and more welcoming place to new students. This training can help you move from classroom to boardroom to office to home. In every step, your cognitive skills can grow as you guide the current and next generations.
