Schools that certify Canadians to teach English as a foreign language are hoping to benefit from the economic downturn as more workers look for job opportunities on the other side of the globe.
That trend is well underway in the United States where the severe recession has propelled twice as many students to enroll in some of those schools compared to the same time last year. Some schools have seen business double in the past six months.
Kimberly Cho, the director of enrollment at Teaching House in New York City, said enrollment has more than doubled from last year.
“We are definitely growing a lot, and we are not seeing it plateau,” she said.
Teaching House is one of the hundreds of businesses in North America that has classes with TESOL certification (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages). TESOL is one of the internationally-recognized credentials for teachers of English as a second language.
She said the average age of students is 30 but even retirees take the course. Since the downturn, she has had accountants and financial managers from Wall Street looking for a chance on new career in a foreign land.
“You are going to find way more of that in the next years,” she said.
Japan’s government-sponsored program JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) is also experiencing an increase in applicants, with 15 percent more U.S. applications this year than in 2008.
In Canada, where the effects of the global downturn have been less severe, the boon to schools offering courses in teaching English has been more subdued, said Andrea Dinan, director of marketing for International House in Toronto.
While business is good, there has not been a huge change since last year, though January and February were definitely up. March, however, was down, she said.
“I think the States has been hit harder,” she said.
But downturn or no, business is good for many schools offering TESOL and similar courses, largely because going overseas to teach English has become a rite of passage for this generation of graduates, much like backpacking through Europe was for a previous generation.
Dinan suspected student loans are sending grads overseas where they can save $700 to $1,000 a month.
“That’s a bare minimum, that is not working very hard,” she said.
In the Middle East, where pay can reach $40,000 a year and all expenses including travel and accommodation are covered, students can save almost everything they earn, she noted.
There are comparable salaries to be had in Asia, she said. But although the job market is less competitive there, living expenses can be higher.
While there are always horror stories of English teachers getting duped by employers into working for less than promised in some far flung village (China is the worst for this, some say) most teachers say they have enjoyed their experience.
Erin Marshall, 31, spent four years teaching in Korea from 2004 to 2008 and said one of her favourite things about her time there, besides getting “a good little savings” was having Asia at her fingertips.
“It’s the only time a gal could pop over to Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam etc., for a week, which was done on a regular basis.”
Some countries, most notably Korea, are working hard to entice Canadians to come teach. Until June 10, the Korean government is accepting undergraduates with two years experience under their belt to teach on government scholarship and make about $1,700 a month for 15 teaching hours a week.
Korea has become one of the most popular teaching destinations in the world. The Spanish government is offering a similar program to that of Korea.
