In this article, Greg Askew explains how the 250-hour TESOL Diploma helped him obtain more lucrative positions in the United Arab Emirates. Mr. Askew started as an ADEC teacher in 2010 and began a more lucrative position with ADVETI in 2013. In the summer of 2014, Greg became a certified IELTS examiner, which he does once a month as he continues working full-time with ADVETI.
Get Professional TESOL Training to Pursue Better Jobs in the United Arab Emirates
Most licensed K-12 teachers may have the qualifications necessary for employment in a company like the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC); however, they may find opportunities elsewhere scant without any background in TESOL. Companies like ADEC often hire educators with degrees and teaching certificates in traditional English studies, even when they lack training in working with ELLs (English Language Learners). Though they got the job, this can be a liability for everyday teaching and career advancement opportunities.
TESOL training can improve your classroom practice, helping you make your curriculum more accessible to a broader range of learners. To this end, the 250-hour TESOL Diploma can be transformative, as it provides a clear, well-structured framework for developing lessons that support holistic language learning, and ELLs in the UAE need teachers sensitive to the importance of building lessons around sound ESL approaches.
The Communicative Approach is one such method within the larger TESOL methodology that gels well with best practices in traditional English instruction yet enhances these practices with deliberate ESL-specific strategies. Task-based Learning is another method that works well with advanced ESL students eager to practice their English language skills with fun activities.
Pursue Career Advancement Opportunities
The tertiary, technical, and military institutes require accredited TESOL / TEFL certification. These organizations offer the most highly sought-after jobs in the UAE, and the time and money invested in the TESOL Diploma with OnTESOL will yield dividends aplenty! You will see an increase in your basic monthly salary and have access to benefits, such as an education allowance, not found with other companies.
ADVETI runs secondary and post-secondary vocational training institutes, which can be found throughout the country, not just Abu Dhabi. They offer higher wages and a set housing allowance that you can spend at your discretion. This company also provides an education allowance. I now earn a higher salary and don’t have to pay for my daughter’s education. Access to positions like this is possible if you have a background in TESOL.
For non-native speakers of English in the UAE—whether local or expat, student or professional—access to the best universities, training programs, and employment opportunities is frequently contingent on achieving a sufficient level in one of the main English language proficiency exams. For most students and professionals in the UAE, that exam is the IELTS. With so many in the UAE taking the IELTS annually, there is a need for certified IELTS examiners. However, not everyone qualifies; the IELTS examiner training requires a minimum certificate-level background in ESL instruction.
Despite being a certified secondary teacher with a Masters in English Literature and ten years of experience in the classroom, my 250-hour TESOL Diploma was key to meeting the professional requirements for being accepted as an IELTS examiner. Once a certified IELTS examiner, you will have an added boost to your professional credentials, the ability to earn extra money, and the possibility to travel with all expenses paid for when there is a shortage of examiners elsewhere in the region. Like TESOL jobs globally, such opportunities will only continue to grow.
