Teaching English in Africa… for money

In the last blog entry, I tried to tackle the monumental task of providing an overview of ESL in Africa. I got as far as volunteer work. I’ll level with you: I’ve never been to Africa and have certainly never taught English there. But I’m quite keen to find out as much as I can about the subject.

This blog continues with an overview of paid teaching positions, but again I’d like to request any teachers who are working or who have experience of TEFL in Africa to get in touch with us using the comment box below. Ta!

Paid TEFL jobs

If you don’t want to give up your earning potential and would rather make enough money to at least live independently (you hedonist – how do you sleep at night?), then you might want to look at paid teaching positions in Africa.

Finding salaried positions in Africa is a decidedly challenging task. If you confine your search to some of the “richer” countries, such as Morocco and Egypt, then paid TEFL jobs can sometimes be found on the usual sites (Dave’s ESL Café etc.). Paid work in the heart of Africa, however, is not as readily available.

Universities and international schools

Maybe the internet is the problem. Maybe there are TEFL jobs out there, but they are not showing up online. If you can narrow your search down to the country you want to teach in, then a smart move is to start by looking at the universities and international schools for that country (follow the links for directories of schools in Africa).

The BC

The British Council is an ever-useful source of information. They have centers in countries across the continent . British Council schools have courses in a variety of subjects, but most notably in English. Vacancies can be found on their website, or you can contact centers directly. It has to be said, however, that although courses and school are plentiful, vacancies with the BC seem to be few and far between.

English in South Africa

The EFL industry in SA is still trying to find its feet in many ways. Reports from the frontline indicate that the kind of network of teachers that leads to development programs and conferences that exists in most other area in the TEFL world does not exist there. Teaching materials are not as readily available as they are in countries where TEFL is well established.

Having said that, there are many opportunities in South Africa (compared to other parts of Africa) for English teachers. These jobs involve teaching students from a variety of countries who have come specifically to study English.

Indeed, there is something of a recent phenomenon of students traveling from all over the world to study English in Africa (attracted by the opportunity to live in such a fascinating place as well the lower tuition fees, no doubt). India has seen a similar kind of influx of English students from diverse countries.

Useful links

SAET – useful site for English teachers in South Africa

ELT Africa – some interesting blog pieces on Africa

The British Council – schools across Africa

Finding information on teaching in Africa has been a demanding task. Apologies if any of the information on this page is incorrect. It would be great to hear from some teachers who are working in Africa, either as volunteers or as paid employees, or from past teachers. Please leave a comment below!