Your first ESL job is gonna suck, but it is a rite of passage that must be done

Getting an ESL job is not difficult. Getting a good ESL job is nigh on impossible.

I have easily obtained two jobs in Thailand simply by having a college degree. My degree is not related to education in any capacity, but it is just a tick box on a list I guess. The first job I got was around 3 years ago and it was not a good job. While I was working there I was basically clueless as to how to approach teaching and mostly learned the skills I needed to do this job, while doing the job. Let's just say that I did it wrong a LOT before I finally got it right.

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It takes the right kind of attitude to teach English in a foreign country because honestly, I don't know very many people that can honestly say that they "like" doing it but it is also a really great way to live away from your own country for a few years and then rejoin society back in the west with plenty of stories to tell. I have been told by Western employers that this can actually help to make your resume stand out among the pack because it shows that you are the kind of person that can deal with adversity and the unknown.

Anyway, i am getting off track here.

In order to teach in most countries you need to have a degree in basically anything, and also an TEFL certificate is a nice touch. These can be acquired with online classes and cost around $100 to complete, or at least that was the case back when I did it years ago. I actually did learn some stuff from these classes because it is one thing to understand the grammar of English in a totally fluid manner, but it is very different to attempt to explain this to someone else. Before taking the TEFL I was kind of at a loss when trying to explain certain grammar nuances and even though we may not think it is the case, the hardest part about English is that our grammar rules so often change. One student I met who was quite advanced told me that the "hardest part about learning English is that there are so many exceptions to the rules."

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It has been phased out in Thailand through rather vigorous background checks but in the past it was quite simple to get a job with fake university diplomas. I only know one person right now that is operating with a fake degree and she had to pay quite a lot for this since the institution actually maintains a fake registrar that will also confirm your attendance to said university. While this is a bit devious on her part I also want to say this: She is likely one of the best teachers at our school and I suspect that the administration is aware that her degree is fake but covers for her because of her excellence.

I wouldn't recommend trying the fake degree route, because it will be quite embarrassing if you get caught. I don't believe it is considered criminal and honestly, the way that this country is experiencing a general problem with staff for foreigner positions, it wouldn't surprise me if they start to accept applicants who do not have college degrees. I wouldn't say that my degree in a business related field in any way qualifies me to teach English to 5th graders so I don't really understand the focus on it.

Now here comes the bad news: When you do get hired, your first job is almost certainly going to absolutely suck. The jobs that are offered to newbies are generally the "revolving door" schools whose positions are available constantly because they continually fail to provide a work environment that can actually be accomplished by anyone, let alone someone who has never done it before.

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These classrooms will be jam packed with students, will have very little in the way of materials for you to use and the students have probably been getting away with murder as far as their behavior is concerned and are very aware of the fact that they are going to have a new teacher every 6 months or so. My first job was chaos and more than half of my classroom time was spent just maintaining order, rather than teaching. I was young once too and a rather naughty kid, so I understand the ultimate objective of any student, quite possibly anywhere in the world, is to go absolutely bananas as often as possible.

The good news is that you will not be expected to stick with this job for very long as these schools are aware of the fact that basically everyone that comes there is simply using the school as a launchpad to other, better jobs. To me it would make more sense for them to provide a better work environment for the teachers and hang on to the ones that they get but I have never really encountered or even heard of a school that operates this way.

It gets easier later once you have some experience but this is a "trial by fire" that almost all ESL teachers are going to have to face if they want to get involved. Just realize that you are definitely not alone when you experience intense frustration in the classroom because this is likely the same scenario that every ESL teacher has faced at the beginning of their time.