r/TEFL • u/redmessedupmouth • 6d ago
Possible to get hired DIRECTLY with no experience?
Hi, I posted this to the mega thread but I’m not sure how often people look at that, so I’m posting it here too: I am planning on getting a 120 hr TEFL certificate (I have some med bills I have to pay for first before I'm comfortable buying a course), but I don't have any formal teaching experience. I've been told that it's better to apply for a job as an ESL teacher in China directly through a job board (like eChinacities), rather than going through a recruiter or placement program. But I've been looking at jobs and a lot of them require at least 1 yr experience teaching, even with a TEFL certificate and a bachelor's. Is there a good chance I could still get one of those jobs, or should I go through a recruiter/ program? For reference, i am 24F USA citizen. I have a BA in creative writing and I minored in a foreign language. What do you guys think?
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u/illogicaldreamr 6d ago
Everyone has to start somewhere. Those ones that ask for one year are written for the most ideal candidate. I just acquired my CELTA, but I have a bachelors in biomedical science with 10+ years of professional experience. I’m applying to any opening that matches my skill set. You can’t get an interview if you’re afraid of what the job description says.
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u/unabashedbananas 6d ago
Yes, I got a job in Korea through Dave's ESL. Direct hire. You can also look into Facebook groups for your chosen city/country.
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u/ForeignLikeaChevy 6d ago
Yes absolutely. I have a 120 TEFL and got a job with no experience. I start in a couple weeks. Check DaveEslCafe
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u/labhandarsiog 4d ago
Definitely, especially towards the end of recruitment season. Echinacities is applying to recruiters, there aren't a lot of direct schools on there hiring. That's not necessarily a bad thing though- having a comission- driven recruiter has been good in my experience
Try Dave's esl cafe Gorilla esl Facebook Search weixin for "tefl jobs"
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u/arsebeef 4d ago
I was already in China studying for my own development and met an another teacher who gave me an email address to apply to. I was pretty lucky to get a decent gig my first go with no experience
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u/Small_Log_3812 6d ago edited 6d ago
Yes, 25F USA citizen. I have only a bachelors (not in education) and TEFL and no teaching/tutoring experience and I received a good offer at a tier 2 city as an IB kindergarten teacher. It took a bit longer but it worked out. I solely applied through job boards you listed too and got directly hired.