What Makes a TEFL Job Good?

While many teachers believe that there are three main things (money, prestige, and lifestyle) that make a TEFL job good, there three topics can be broken down into many smaller topics. It should come to no surprise that the list here is the same as the one at how schools can motivate teachers. Many schools seem to want to give teachers as little as possible and wonder why teachers don't want to put a lot of effort into their jobs. They should look to Google. Consistently rated as the best place to work, Google knows that its employees are worth their weight in gold. Here are some benefits that top companies around the world often give their employees. 


Career (Money, Prestige, Lifestyle)

• Academic freedom
• Challenging work
• Possibility for advancement
• Prestigious school
• Stability
• Variety
• Well-developed curriculum and materials

Outside of Work (Money, Prestige, Lifestyle)

• Access to a shopping centre, gym, library, meeting rooms, etc.
• Car and petrol allowance
• Chance to learn the language  
• Club membership
• Dental insurance
• Flights home for you and your family once a year
• Free or subsidized childcare
• Free or heavily discounted international schooling for up to 2 (sometimes 3) children
• Furnished housing (or a housing and furniture allowance)
• Good expat community
• Livable city
• Long vacations 
• Medical/health insurance
• Shipping/baggage allowance
• Storage allowance
• Utilities allowance
• Work-life balance

Schedule (Lifestyle)

• How many days a week you teach
• Few meetings
• Few office hours / desk warming hours
• Little paperwork
• Number of teaching hours
• Possibility for overtime
• Possibility for outside work

Staff (Money, Prestige, Lifestyle)

• Helpful faculty and staff
• Honest management
• Ethical conduct
• Fair treatment / no favouritism 
• Getting paid on time
• Keeping promises
• No micromanagement
• Transparent evaluations

Students (Lifestyle)

• Small classes
• Student motivation
• Student age

Workplace (Money, Prestige, Lifestyle)

• Classes are not cancelled often or if they are, enough notice is given
• Computer (hard to believe that in this day and age some places don't give you a computer).
• Contract completion bonus
• Contract re-signing bonus
• Copyright laws are respected
• Great retirement package 
• High (tax-free if possible) salary
  
• Free gourmet meals
• Free gourmet coffee, teas, juices, etc
• Free snacks (Google states that employees should be within 150 feet of food)
• Language classes  
• On the job training
• Sports facilities: pool, bowling alley, table tennis, screen golf
• Stock options
• Teaching facilities 
• Your own office  
• Teaching interesting classes  
• Visa support
• Yearly bonus

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