This is a great option to earn some money whilst contributing your time and service to those of a different culture who really appreciate your help.

Many Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) opportunities are, however, only available to 21 year olds and up.

TEFL usually takes place in state schools, private language schools and on a one-to-one basis in non-English speaking countries.

TEFL can also take place in English speaking countries. This usually occurs when students come from abroad and enroll at language schools for short courses. This immersion style of learning is very popular with students as it is both educational and exciting.

There are numerous types of TEFL courses available, so choosing a course can be very confusing. At present there is no international organisation that accredits TEFL qualifications. In general, employers will accept most types of 4-week, 120 hour TEFL certificate. However, when employers are more selective, the preference is usually for the CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults) awarded by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), or the CertTESOL (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) awarded by Trinity College London. Both of these courses can be taken at centres throughout the world. Prices tend to differ from country to country.

An excellent place to start researching for South Africans is http://www.saet.co.za/tefl.aspx .

A website dedicated to TEFL is TEFL.com! Obvious maybe, but you will find useful advice on which TEFL course is relevant to your circumstances and desires, you can sign up for newsletters, and look at available jobs.

Select a country to find the available options concerning jobs teaching English as a foreign language:

UK and Europe USA and Canada

Australia and New Zealand Asia

Central and South America Rest of Africa