COVID-19 has brought China to a standstill but the TEFL industry is still thriving.

VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA, March 1, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Anyone who’s turned on a TV, read a newspaper or accessed the internet in 2020 has undoubtedly heard of the novel Coronavirus, recently named COVID-19 by scientists.

The headlines and sensational reporting on the Coronavirus has gripped the world in fear as citizens of more and more countries are getting infected and the numbers continue to climb. As of February 24th 2020, there are a reported 79,737 confirmed cases internationally and 2,628 deaths.

While the coronavirus is a very contagious pandemic, it’s actually not much more dangerous than the common flu and the global panic is largely unwarranted. Just like a regular flu, the majority of infected people will make a full recovery and 25,271 of the confirmed 79,737 cases have already recovered. Deaths via COVID-19 are mainly in the infirm and elderly; sadly common with any strain of flu.

The coronavirus is believed to have originated in the wet markets of Wuhan, China early in 2020 which is where the vast majority of cases have been contained in a strict quarantine by the Chinese government.

While the majority of the world is largely unaffected, China is a different story. Even outside of Wuhan, normally bustling cities are seemingly deserted and empty with citizens choosing to stay home and wait out the pandemic rather than go to work or school and risk infection.

Because of this, China and it’s vast and powerful economy has been brought to a grinding halt, a mean feat for the country with the world’s largest population.

So how does this affect the TEFL Industry?

China has the highest demand for TEFL teachers in the world and offers some of the best salaries and employment packages available to qualified EFL teachers.

However, along with the rest of China’s economy, schools have also been shut down in most cities and provinces with children staying home to avoid the risk of infection. Many TEFL teachers already in China have been given a temporary leave of absence and have the option to either wait out the coronavirus in their homes in China or return to their native country temporarily until the outbreak subsides. Most of the provinces/cities in China are treating the outbreak differently but almost all provinces have been pushing the expected school resume date further and further back. Some provinces expect school to be back up and running as early as mid March but many TEFL teachers already in China speculate that there’s a high possibility of things remaining closed until as late as mid April. Some schools are continuing classes online where teachers and students can connect via apps. The Chinese government has mandated that all employees have to be paid their full salary during the outbreak regardless of how many work days are missed which is great news for teachers currently in China.

Hiring of more TEFL teachers in China has been largely halted but it’s expected to resume in full swing once the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak is over. The TEFL industry in most other countries has been largely unaffected with the exceptions of Korea and Japan where the toll for those infected with the coronavirus is steadily on the rise. Vietnam is also starting to see a climb in confirmed COVID-19 infections.

Asia still has many other great options for those wishing to teach abroad like Thailand and Indonesia to name a couple. There are also tons of TEFL jobs In European countries like Spain and the Czech Republic. Latin America is also untouched by the coronavirus.

Despite the current damage COVID-19 has wreaked on the Chinese economy, it’s not to say that China’s TEFL industry has completely shut down. Where one industry comes to a halt, another ramps up to fill the void left in the market and that’s where online teaching comes in.

Rather than have their children sitting at home idle with nothing to do, many Chinese parents have opted to continue their child’s education online, where classes are taught via video chat and there is no risk of infection.

Online teaching is nothing new. It remains the fastest growing sector of the TEFL market today even without the added surge from the coronavirus outbreak. Teaching online has many appeals to it like flexibility in hours and the ability to earn a decent salary without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. For the hardcore adventurer, online teaching also gives one the option of being truly nomadic. You can teach from anywhere in the world with an internet connection leaving you free to travel wherever you like and earn the money needed to do so. It’s truly a wondrous innovation in education.

Online teaching sessions are usually one-on-one which is generally far easier than teaching a classroom full of 30 plus students where behavioural issues can be difficult to address. An average teaching session lasts about an hour and largely consists of conversational practice.

A bachelor's degree, passport from a native English speaking country and teaching experience do all go a long way in the online job hunt but they are not strictly necessary; there are hundreds of reputable online teaching companies out there and not all of them have strict requirements.

The one main requirement for most online teaching companies is a TEFL certificate of at least 100 hours which is obtained easily enough. Upon completion of your TEFL course, your TEFL provider will be able to help you secure an online job without too much trouble.

So don’t let fear of the coronavirus prevent you from getting your TEFL certification and earning a great salary either from the comfort of your own home or in an exciting and exotic destination abroad. Head over to our course page today!

Adam
myTEFL
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