TEFL Internships vs Fully Paid TEFL Jobs
TEFL internships are not a great way to start your teaching career. TEFL institutes charge up to $1,900 for a poorly paid TEFL internship that provides very little value to a teacher’s resume. Schools in East Asia are desperate for TEFL teachers and many will even reimburse your plane ticket! When comparing OnTESOL’s free TEFL job placement assistance with TEFL internships, you can see that you can earn up to three time as much working at a reputable language school.
More importantly, OnTESOL only works with world-renowned programs that will provide you with experience that is valuable anywhere in the world. You could grow within the organization, move to a country where teaching experience is required and wages are higher, or even teach immersion programs at home.
How Does OnTESOL’s Paid TEFL Jobs Compare with TEFL Internships?
Salary: 30,000 Baht/month
Placement: Free job placement
Salary: 30,000 Baht/month
Placement: Free job placement
Salary: Not Advertised
Placement fee: $1,499
Salary: 16,000 Baht / month
Placement fee: $2,399.00 (Includes $700 TEFL course, so you would be paying $1,700 to be placed in a TEFL job that pays half the minimum wage teachers earn in China)
Salary: 7,000 – 9,000 RMB/month plus accommodation, airfare reimbursement, and other benefits.
Placement is free!
Salary: 2,000 RMB / month plus free accommodation and other benefits.
Placement is free.
Salary: Not Advertised
Placement fee: $1799
Salary: 2,000RMB
Placement fee: $1,679.30 (Includes $700 TEFL course, so they charge you about $900 for a poorly paid TEFL job).
Salary: USD1500 – USD2000/ month plus airfare, paid holidays, and other benefits.
Placement is free!
Salary: US$700 plus accommodation and other benefits.
Placement fee: 799 GBP
Salary: Not Advertised
Placement fee: $1799
Salary: US$700 plus accommodation and other benefits.
Placement fee: $1,679.30 (Includes $700 TEFL course, so they charge you about $900 for a poorly paid TEFL job).
It is true that there aren’t any recruitment agencies operating in Latin America. This is because schools are generally small and cannot afford recruitment fees. In response, some of the course providers mentioned above are taking advantage of this situation and charging teachers hefty fees for TEFL internships in Latin America. We did some research and found that these TEFL internships give teachers an allowance between of $120 to $300 per month, which is ridiculous considering that real TEFL jobs in these countries pay between $700 to $1,200/month, depending on the number of hours you teach.
The placement fee that these TEFL internships charge is enough to cover two months of rent in Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica, or Colombia. The best way to start your career is to go on your own when the hiring season starts, live at a hostel for a couple of weeks until you get a nice apartment, and find yourself a real TEFL job that pays an honest salary.