TEFL / TESL Teacher Job Description

What is the job description of a TEFL / TESL Teacher? What are the duties and responsibilities of a TEFL / TESL Teacher? What does a TEFL / TESL Teacher do?

Job description of a TEFL / TESL Teacher

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) involves helping language classes to get to grips with English in a country where it is not a main language. In English-speaking countries it is known as Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). There are a lot of acronyms in this industry. These include: EAL, EAP, EFL, EIL, ELF, ELT, ESL, ESOL, ESP, TEFL, TESL and TESOL.

Teachers in this sector may work in schools, higher education institutions, and commercial language schools or work as free lance teachers visiting student´s homes. Their students may be of all ages and have different English levels.

This TEFL / TESL Teacher job description example includes the list of most important TEFL / TESL Teacher duties and responsibilities as shown below. It can be modified to fit the specific TEFL / TESL Teacher profile you're trying to fill as a recruiter or job seeker.

TEFL / TESL Teacher Duties and Responsibilities

TEFL / TESL Teacher job description should contain a variety of functions and roles including:

  • Organising courses
  • Organising and running specialist courses
  • Encouraging and engaging students to speak in English.
  • Motivating students and using humor to induce a pleasant learning environment.
  • Maximizing students’ talk time through oral tests and presentations
  • Planning, preparing and delivering lessons
  • Helping pupils improve their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills via individual and group sessions
  • Checking and assessing pupils’ work
  • Preparing teaching materials

TEFL / TESL Teacher Requirements / Skills / Qualifications

TEFL / TESL Teacher job description should include these common skills and qualifications:

  • A Bachelor's degree in English, Linguistics is preferable.
  • TEFL Certification.
  • Excellent command of the English language.
  • Neutral English accent.
  • Having interest in language.
  • Being adaptable and patient.
  • Having good organisational skills.
  • Being able to clearly explain ideas.
  • Having excellent written and spoken communication skills.
  • Being a good listener.
  • Having interpersonal abilities.
  • Being creative.
  • Being able to deal with student from different backgrounds.
  • Being able to work under pressure.

As a hiring manager, recruiting an ideal TEFL / TESL Teacher starts with crafting a good job description. Use this TEFL / TESL Teacher job description template to save yourself time and help you attract the most qualified candidates. Feel free to revise it to meet your specific needs.

Job seekers interviewing for the role of a TEFL / TESL Teacher may also reference it in preparation for the interview.