Accredited online and on-campus courses from leading Australian universities, TAFEs and colleges
About TESOL
Average Salaries
TESOL workers may earn between $39,000 and $76,000 per year
Start a global career helping people connect with each other and set yourself on a path to success by studying a TESOL course.
Use your unique skills to help others achieve their goals and build your own rewarding career by studying a TESOL course, teaching English to speakers of other languages.
One of the world’s most widely-spoken and globalised languages, English is a goal for hundreds of thousands of potential students in countries all over the world. By studying a TESOL course, you’ll gain the experience, personal insights and skills required to help thousands people achieve their goals and unlock their potential.
Working in a school, university, language centre or private setting as a TESOL teacher, you’ll work closely with students to design and teach English language classes according to a set curriculum. You’ll connect established teaching theory and contemporary research with cultural and social context to ensure your lessons are appropriate and useful, and you’ll practise the real-world teaching skills developed during hours of practical assessment. As a TESOL teacher, you’ll be the link between your students’ existing knowledge of English and their dreams beyond language mastery – and a TESOL qualification will equip you with the complex abilities required to coach people along their paths.
You’ll also build in-demand skills for an exciting global profession by studying a TESOL course. You’ll gain an internationally recognised qualification and stand out professionally in a competitive global market.
You may study a TESOL course at a range of different levels, including as a certificate course or bachelor’s degree, as a graduate certificate or diploma course, or as a master’s degree. After completing a TESOL course, you’ll likely work as a TESOL teacher or tutor, either in Australia or overseas.
If you love working with people, are patient and empathetic, and are passionate about English and the people who want to learn it, consider studying a TESOL course.
What do tesol graduates do?
After completing a TESOL course, you’ll likely work as a TESOL teacher or tutor, and may perform tasks like:
- Assessing students’ existing knowledge of English, conducting initial tests and interviews, and grading students into classes;
- Assessing students’ difficulties with learning English;
- Designing, planning and preparing lessons, activities, exercises and games to assist with students’ learning of English concepts;
- Preparing English lessons according to a set curriculum, including teaching grammar, vocabulary, pedagogy and language context;
- Designing, producing and adapting teaching materials for students;
- Assisting with English learning in a classroom setting, including explaining concepts, answering student questions and conducting exercises;
- Assigning and correcting homework;
- Administering, marking and correcting tests;
- Analysing, recording and reporting progress to students and other teachers; and
- Contributing to curriculum development
Career Outcomes
Career Outcomes
You may work in Australia or overseas in a school, language institute, university, or private tutoring environment.
While a TESOL course qualifies you to teach English as a second language, it doesn’t qualify you to work as a teacher in a primary school or secondary school setting in Australia. If you’d like to pursue a career working as a teacher in the Australian school system, consider completing a teaching course, such as a Bachelor of Education or a Master of Education.
After completing a TESOL course, you’ll be qualified to work as a:
Is tesol right for you?
You’ll thrive in an English teaching environment if you:
- Are patient and empathetic
- Love working with people
- Want a global career
- Are energetic and motivated
- Love languages
- Are curious about people
- Enjoy problem-solving
- Enjoy learning
- Are organised and efficient
- Are a confident public speaker
- Enjoy planning
- Enjoy repetitive work
- Want a meaningful and rewarding career
Job opportunities
The Australian Government’s Job Outlook identifies the teaching English to speakers of other languages a small profession with limited job opportunities. Currently employing approximately 4,200 people, the profession is likely to contract slightly in the next few years, and is predicted to employ approximately 3,700 people by 2020.
However, the British Government’s equivalent Prospects states that the majority of English teaching roles exist outside of native English-speaking countries, identifying opportunities in Japan, China, east Asia, the Middle East, parts of eastern Europe, Spain, Italy and Germany. After completing your TESOL course, you may wish to seek employment in a country other than Australia.
Average Salaries
According to PayScale, a TESOL teacher can expect to earn on average between $39,000 per year and $76,000 per year, with an average annual salary of approximately $72,000. PayScale notes that earning capacity rises with experience; however, entry-level teachers can still expect to earn a competitive annual salary of approximately $66,000 per year.
PayScale notes that nearly 50 per cent of TESOL teachers have less than five years of professional experience, indicating that people tend to move on from this role into different professions as their careers progress.