# EFL teacher in Melbourne



## tigris330

My partner and I have started the long road towards an Australian permanent visa (granted offshore) and if we're successful, we'd like to move to Melbourne. I am an EFL/ESL English teacher, so my question is this: 
Is work plentiful/ irregular/hard to get in this field (I'm asking because I am considering re-training) and what sort of rate per hour + number of hours per week does a teacher get?

Thanks for the help,

Denise


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## Dexter

Yes, there is work in - private colleges, unis and government tertiary education (TAFE). I suppose you should begin from checking out Department of Education and Training in the state that you are interested in.


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## tigris330

Dexter said:


> Yes, there is work in - private colleges, unis and government tertiary education (TAFE). I suppose you should begin from checking out Department of Education and Training in the state that you are interested in.


Hi Dexter,

Thanks for the answer, however you should know that I do not have an education degree, which I'm guessing is what you need to work in the sectors you mentioned. I have a B.A. in English, a Master in English literature and a TEFL certificate. I might be doing the CELTA later on next year.

What do you think?

Denise


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## Dexter

I think you should speak to Department of Education and Training. You don't always need to have education degree to work as a teacher. In many cases your ESL may be enough. College teachers often only have Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training but no education/teaching degree.


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## aussiegirl

Hi tigris,

I'm an ESL teacher and have taught both in Australia and overseas. There are a prethora of private ESL/ELICOS colleges in Australia and most of them advertise jobs in major papers as well as on job search sites such as SEEK (SEEK - Australia's no. 1 jobs, employment, career and recruitment site).

I think you would not have a problem finding at least casual or sub work, but full time/ permanent jobs are not so common in the ESL industry. I have found jobs by cold canvassing, so if you see any language schools that you're interested in, just go in with your resume and best suit and ask to see the Director of Studies, or person in charge of recruitment. Take a flick through the Yellow Pages or do a google search and you should find a whole list of potential places to visit.

As for pay, you can get $30 upwards per hour for casual teaching, as you don't get paid sick leave or holidays. If you get a Cert IV in Workplace Training and Assessment and work in a TAFE or for another government run college, you can get over $50 or $60 per hour, sometimes more if you work evenings.


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## tigris330

aussiegirl said:


> Hi tigris,
> 
> I'm an ESL teacher and have taught both in Australia and overseas. There are a prethora of private ESL/ELICOS colleges in Australia and most of them advertise jobs in major papers as well as on job search sites such as SEEK (SEEK - Australia's no. 1 jobs, employment, career and recruitment site).
> 
> I think you would not have a problem finding at least casual or sub work, but full time/ permanent jobs are not so common in the ESL industry. I have found jobs by cold canvassing, so if you see any language schools that you're interested in, just go in with your resume and best suit and ask to see the Director of Studies, or person in charge of recruitment. Take a flick through the Yellow Pages or do a google search and you should find a whole list of potential places to visit.
> 
> As for pay, you can get $30 upwards per hour for casual teaching, as you don't get paid sick leave or holidays. If you get a Cert IV in Workplace Training and Assessment and work in a TAFE or for another government run college, you can get over $50 or $60 per hour, sometimes more if you work evenings.


Hi aussie girl,

that's extremely useful. Do you suggest that I still do a CELTA course or just a Cert IV when I get to Australia? Google searches have yielded surprisingly little when it comes to what sort of qualifications one needs to work in this industry in Australia, so being able to communicate with someone who has worked there is great!

Denise


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## tigris330

Dexter said:


> I think you should speak to Department of Education and Training. You don't always need to have education degree to work as a teacher. In many cases your ESL may be enough. College teachers often only have Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training but no education/teaching degree.


Hi Dexter,

Thanks for the advice! It's really helpful.


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## aussiegirl

Hi again,

I'm glad I could be of help. I myself have a BA in Languages and Linguistics, a CELTA and have taught for over 11 years now. I think your TEFL course should be enough, but take a look at the NEAS site:

NEAS - Teachers in NEAS accredited ELT Centres

NEAS is a body that governs the standards that recognised ESL colleges must meet in order to get official recognition. It wouldn't hurt to do a CELTA, as it would be a good chance to update your skills, but you may not really need to. The job advertisements usually state what qualifications you need, and though most only require the minimom as dictated by NEAS, some ask for specific requirements above the basics.


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## tigris330

aussiegirl said:


> Hi again,
> 
> I'm glad I could be of help. I myself have a BA in Languages and Linguistics, a CELTA and have taught for over 11 years now. I think your TEFL course should be enough, but take a look at the NEAS site:
> 
> NEAS - Teachers in NEAS accredited ELT Centres
> 
> NEAS is a body that governs the standards that recognised ESL colleges must meet in order to get official recognition. It wouldn't hurt to do a CELTA, as it would be a good chance to update your skills, but you may not really need to. The job advertisements usually state what qualifications you need, and though most only require the minimom as dictated by NEAS, some ask for specific requirements above the basics.


Thanks for the futher information. According to the link you sent me, my TEFL certificate is not enough, and I'll have to do a CELTA. It's a pity that there seems to be no allowance for people with plenty of teaching experiences without this qualification.

Thanks again,

Denise


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