Most new English teachers start out teaching children as part of a school system, or a mix of children and adults at private English conversation schools, but experienced teachers with flexibility in their work schedules and valid work visas often move on to the lucrative world of freelancing in Business English abroad.
Most new English teachers start out teaching children as part of a school system, or a mix of children and adults at private English conversation schools, but experienced teachers with flexibility in their work schedules and valid work visas often move on to the lucrative world of freelancing in Business English abroad.
But what is Business English? To be sure, many adult students take English classes to support business activities and advance in their careers, but Business English classes offered by teacher-dispatch companies have several important differences that set them apart from the offerings of conversation schools. Jobs teaching Business English are often some of the most highly paid positions in the TEFL industry.
So… what do you need to teach Business English?
A TEFL Qualification
Most employers look for teachers with at least a 120-hour TEFL qualification, Global Language Training offers 120, 150 and 240 TEFL qualifications, so that part can be easily covered. If you are looking to find work teaching Business English, Global Language Training can offer you a Teaching Business English specialist qualification as well.As we’ve already mentioned, Teaching Business English can be a very lucrative area of TEFL, which means it’s often a competitive market. Because of this there’s even more reason to make your CV stand out with specialist training.
A degree
Realistically, there are very few Business English jobs out there that won’t require you to hold a degree. This is often a requirement because of visa restrictions (see our post about how to TEFL without a degree) but even when one isn’t necessary for a visa most employers will ask for one.Experience
It isn’t impossible to complete your TEFL training and immediately jump into a job teaching Business English, but it won’t be easy. Many employers will look for teachers who already have experience teaching adults – some may even ask for previous experience working within a business setting outside of teaching. You will find that most Business English teachers moved into it after a couple of years of experience teaching generally.As with all areas of TEFL, salaries depend on experience and many jobs teaching Business English go to teachers with experience. Everyone has to start somewhere, though!
How to teach Business English
It is a common misconception that teaching business English is more difficult than teaching English generally. Business English is a specific type of EFL teaching, just like English for Academic Purposes or English for Occupational Purposes. All these types of EFL teaching fall under the category of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). While it isn’t necessarily more difficult to teach it is important to understand how you would approach teaching English for a specific purpose, such as business.In essence, if you are interested in working in one the most lucrative areas of TEFL, take a look at our courses at www.globaltefl.uk.com and also check out our specialist Teaching Business English Course.
