Pretoria - The ongoing lockdown has seen a global increase in the demand for online English teachers, and with the addition of another two weeks of lockdown, unemployment levels in South Africa could push past 50%, according to experts.
In South Africa, 370 000 jobs are at risk, according to the SA Reserve Bank’s latest Monetary Policy Review. Teaching English online could be the solution for South Africans who nd themselves struggling to make ends meet, said the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Academy.
TEFL director Tom Gibbons said many companies that match up teachers with students do not have enough teachers to cope with current demand.
“There are currently thousands of online teaching jobs available to South Africans, listed on the internet. It’s just a matter of getting qualified and nding a way to teach online that suits you,” Gibbons said.
He said it was critical to think innovatively about making money, and a TEFL qualification allows a unique opportunity for uent
English speakers to earn money from home.
In terms of working hours, Gibbons said many of the large online teaching companies were based in Asia, and this meant peak teaching times were Monday to Friday from 11am to 4pm South African time, and 1am to 4pm on weekends.
“Alternatively, teachers can set their own hours by adding themselves and their qualifications to an existing agency database where TEFL learners all over the world can easily nd them,” he added.
Gibbons said to teach English from home, all that was needed was a TEFL qualication, a stable internet connection, a pair of headphones, a microphone, a webcam and method to receive payments.
He said there were more than 3million people globally trying to learn English as a subject.
He said with schools also being in lockdown, the online teaching industry has widened because parents now prefer their children to learn from home.
He said major challenges for the industry are unregulated TEFL courses which required fewer hours to obtain the certificate and urged people to look out for those.
“We can see this as an opportunity to discover the world and learn different things It can become a useful instrument, and in conditions like these it’s the best time to self-reflect and open yourself to many opportunities.”