How Big is The TEFL Market?

The 3 key factors for Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) opportunities are:

1. The global English job market is increasing.
2. The need for native English-speaking teachers in foreign countries is rising.
3. Where in the world are the job openings for qualified TEFL teachers?

1. The global English job market is significantly increasing

• Teaching English as a Foreign language is a global industry estimated to have a market value of 200 billion US dollars.
• The number of people learning English is still increasing year-on-year and this trend is set to continue with an estimated of 2 billion by 2020.
• Teaching English overseas provides more opportunities than any other field for English.
• 3 million students and rising take International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exams each year according to the British Council.
• The rise of teaching English online has made it easier for people to teach than ever before.
• It is estimated that up to 400 million Chinese people are learning English (nearly a third of the population).
• Millions of Japanese adults take English classes each year.
• The quest to master English in South Korea is often called the “yeongeo yeolpung” or “English frenzy”.
• Teaching English online company VIPkid has 200,000 students in China and hopes to reach 1 million in 2019.

2. The need for native English speaking teachers in foreign countries is rising

• The education ministry in Japan has called for the number of English schools to be increased while hiring 20,000 native English speakers and Japanese fluent in English as assistant language teachers by fiscal 2020.
• The growth of international business, travel and education means that thousands of schools in countries throughout the world are hiring thousands of fluent English speakers every year to teach English.
• 25% of all expats in China are working in education.
• Right now ESL (English as a second language) speakers outnumber native English speakers 2-1 worldwide.
• One in every four people speaks English at a ‘useful level’.
• As of 2012 there were 22,600 E-2 visa holders teaching in South Korea. It was speculated that thousands of westerners were also teaching in South Korea legally, possibly placing the total number of western teachers close to 30,000.

3. Where in the world are the job opening for qualified TEFL teachers?

• Roughly 100,000 English teaching position open every year.
• Latest estimates put the number of ESL schools and language institutions at 40,000+ worldwide.
• EFL is not limited to language schools in English speaking countries. There is now a demand for EFL teachers at UK and US universities to prepare foreign students to study there.
• There are many private English schools worldwide and private education company EF, English First, has over 500 schools in 112 countries and 43,000 employees.
• Europe has plenty of opportunities despite Brexit, Spain topping the European charts for TEFL jobs.
• $4.4 billion – turnover of TEFL industry in China in 2010.
• Demand for EFL/ESOL teachers in nations which predominantly speak English (USA, the UK and Australia) is rising due to immigration and integration policies. Even native speakers need EFL teachers to prepare them for the IELTS exam for emigration.
• Saudi Arabia’s TEFL market is growing fast.
• Over 50,000 – number of private English schools in China.