Introduction - working as an ESL teacher in India

India isn't normally at the top of many people's list of places to teach English. Although outsiders may assume that English is spoken widely, in part thanks to India's rapidly growing IT indistry, this is in fact untrue. The country, a beautiful place to visit with a rich and hugely varied culture, lifestyle and scenery, is hampered by an inefficient education system. A report by the British Council in recent years suggested that India was in real danger of being 'left behind' because of a severe shortage of good quality English tuition.

The ESL market in India is limited because the majority of schools can't afford to hire native-speaker English teachers. Most ESL teaching jobs in India are found in the private sector. India is not a rich country, so despite a shortage of good teachers, those who arrive are not paid very well, even in the private sector.

A large number of ESL teaches head towards Mumbai, India’s largest and most cosmopolitan city. There are quite a few international schools in the city and finding work isn't too difficult. As an additional benefit, it's relatively easy to rent furnished apartments at a reasonable cost.

Volunteer ESL Teachers

Looking further afield, there are huge numbers of volunteer projects offering English teaching jobs in India, and a basic internet search will reveal pages and pages of results. In most cases, the times the schools or organizations behind the project provide accommodation. In addition to native English speakers, non-native teachers are also also hired. TEFL certification is not so important, though they will help you in a search for a better paid ESL job. Whilst English teaching jobs in India might not be financially profitable, the teaching exposure and experience you can gain is priceless.

Qualifications, visas and salaries

Qualifications are not always important, though some schools will insist on a degree and TEFL certification and on the whole, qualified teachers will find it easier to find work. Teachers travelling to India will require an employment visa. Information relating to the visa application process can be found on the Indian Embassy website for your country and applications can normally be made online. Salaries are impossible to generalise over, ranging from zero to $12000 a year!

Living in India

Life in India, for the average European or North American national will take a little getting used to. It you are open-minded and enjoy meeting and dealing with people from different cultures, India is a fascination teaching destination.