Comments on: 5 Essential Online Resources for Finding ESL Jobs

By: PJ

PJ — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:32:33 +0000

I’m really surprised that TESOL.ORG was not on this list. It is a professional site with great resources and job postings for ESL instructors.

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By: Ana

Ana — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:05:37 +0000

David, I understand where you’re coming from, but I still think it’s a great resource for those of us without advanced degrees. Many of us have no choice but to stick with the eikaiwa realm.

And Sarah, I stand by what I say about TEFL’s typical shelf life. No way did I say it wasn’t a proper career. Many careers have what they consider natural shelf lives. Try working in Los Angeles. For all the industries that actually exist there, it’s basically a company town if you work in any branch of the entertainment and journalism industries there as I did. I assure you, I did excellently but having reached the wrong side of 50 no way would I be welcome today.

It’s the same in TEFL, especially abroad where age discrimination is perfectly legal and photos are required for every job (the newest craze: full-body photos to insure you’re not fat). There are whole countries whose visa rules shut out anyone over 55. That’s an official shelf life if I ever heard of one.

Schools that do want seasoned pros generally mean people in their 30s or mid-40s. Once you’re past that, you’re overseasoned — so to speak.

That wasn’t the topic of this thread, so, sorry. I was just responding. I still think Dave’s is a good resource for everyone. David, if you know of a better resource for the “better” jobs, I’m sure many out there would love to know about it.

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By: David V.

David V. — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:32:24 +0000

Dave’s ESL Cafe is an absolute joke. If you want a dead end job working for a crooked language school earning borderline poverty wages, look no further.

Furthermore, the job discussion forum is heavily censored to prevent anyone actually discussing the jobs so that Dave can profit from the cowboy schools that use his website to recruit.

Visit Dave’s ESL Cafe at your peril.

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By: faisal

faisal — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:02:09 +0000

Hi, thanks for the article it has been helpful in my search, which is still in its initial stages however atleast i know that im on the right track.

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By: Sara Miclot

Sara Miclot — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:30:40 +0000

Thanks, that was a great post. I was actually just surfing the web for job opportunities and stumbled upon your site. I’m easily distracted. Maybe that’s why I’m unemployed. I’ll be sure to check out more of your site.

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By: Sarah Menkedick

Sarah Menkedick — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:14:59 +0000

Hi Ana,

The article is a simple overview of resources, so it’s not meant to touch on all of the issues affecting the ESL world at the moment.

Also, I disagree about ESL having a “shelf life.” The most experienced – and well paid – teachers I know are in their late thirties and forties. Teaching is their career and they do not think of it as something to fill the time between travels or as an interesting detour on their career path. By no means is ESL/EFL the domain of twenty-somethings; unless you’re referring to the kinds of jobs many people just starting out in the industry take at poorly paid language schools. The more competitive jobs actually require teachers that are older with much more experience and possibly an advanced degree in linguistics/teaching. I know international schools as well are made up of teachers of all ages.

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By: Ana

Ana — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:33:09 +0000

Great resources. Dave’s is at the top, of course. I found 2 out of my 3 Japan jobs on it. But the article doesn’t mention one of the most important concerns today — the economy. It has affected the TEFL industry and although jobs are still widely available, there are many more applicants due to economic refugees. You also mention nothing about age issues. TEFL as an industry has a natural shelf life. Keep that in mind and know that, for most, a time will come when you must consider settling down again.

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By: Alaina

Alaina — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:53:57 +0000

Thanks for the links!… I must say that I love that you included my university’s website. I used it to find my current (and first) ESL teaching job and sent it along to some friends who are looking, too. So helpful! I’m quite nervous of running into scams, so I was really glad my school had such a good website.

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By: Hal Amen

Hal Amen — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:26:28 +0000

Ah, Dave’s. Easy to kill an hour reading rants on their forums too.

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By: joshua johnson

joshua johnson — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:26:56 +0000

I went into ‘Nam with no idea i would be there for 6 months teaching…no TEFL, no nothin. My biggest resource was my imagination and Daves ESL cafe!
But after a little while I was making up my lesson plan on the fly, listening to led zeppelin and watching episodes of sienfeld to improve our English…

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