How to network as a TEFL teacher

When it comes to being a TEFL teacher, networking is everything. Being able to get along with people, make friends and establish connections is crucial. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Whether you’re talking to a 5-year-old or a 95-year-old, being personable and empathetic is one of the most important things you can do as a teacher. 

Whether it’s on a micro level or a macro level, networking means so much. It’s as simple as establishing trust and friendship with your colleagues in a school setting or building a bank of contacts on YouTube as a freelance teacher and content creator. Whatever your “lane” is in TEFL teaching, it matters.

Relationships are important in any occupation, but in teaching, they can make all the difference. So how do you become a top networker? Does one size fit all, or are there different ways and means? 

Here’s how you can network as a TEFL teacher.

Networking as an online teacher

Though networking might be something we think of as an offline pursuit, it’s very easy to do online. Sure, you’re not turning up to places and shaking hands, but with all of today’s online networking platforms, you can build a community of teachers around you pretty quickly.

The first port of call could well be the student community when you’re completing a TEFL course . When you’re training to be a teacher, especially in the online sphere, it can pay to make an effort with the other teachers learning with you. We’ve heard stories about TEFL teachers working alongside people they did their course with decades prior. 

LinkedIn is, of course, a great place to build a network around you. Not only is it excellent for finding TEFL work, but it’s also a platform dedicated to building connections with other professionals. The TEFL Org is on there, as are several thousand TEFL teachers who will have plenty of advice to share.

Online TEFL forums are also really good for finding networking opportunities. Reddit’s TEFL message boards are busy, and the likes of TEFL Net remain popular. Whether you’re looking to make connections, or you just want some answers to pressing TEFL questions, these are valuable resources to use.

Social media

Of course, TEFL and social media are a winning combination. The TEFL community on Facebook is enormous, there are YouTube stars like Jamie Gajewski creating fantastic content, TikTok is a fantastic platform for building community, Instagram has been fundamental to building audiences for countless teachers, and even X/Twitter still has some value in terms of finding other teachers.

TEFL podcasts , and their creators, are also very useful contacts. Guests on podcasts tend to have excellent advice for expanding your network as a teacher, while TEFL podcasts themselves tend to have communities of teachers you can learn from, make friends with, and find work alongside.

Networking while teaching English abroad

If you’re teaching in person, and you’re not necessarily looking to build any kind of online audience, you might think networking isn’t the most important thing in the world. However, networking isn’t just about big numbers, online popularity or being a “name”, it’s about how you interact with people face-to-face. 

Networking includes maintaining positive relationships with teachers and parents. If you’re a new teacher, fostering good working relationships can mean getting an excellent reference for a job, later on, getting recommendations for jobs from people you’ve worked with before, or having a bunch of friends in the TEFL world to rely on.

TEFL conferences are a great way to meet new people within the English teaching community. A chance to travel, hear new perspectives on teaching and meet like-minded teachers from across the world, new conferences and expos pop up all the time and are well worth investigating. They’re also useful for meeting employers and scoping out potential job opportunities!

Why networking matters

Why does networking matter? Let’s break it down a little so that if you’re not 100% convinced, we can remove any lingering doubts.

Relationship building is a skill

The ability to build relationships should be in your toolbox of teaching skills . It’s easier for some than others - some people are naturally sociable and have no problems chatting with strangers. For others, it can feel a bit terrifying, but for everyone, it’s a skill that has to be nurtured and maintained.

Problem-solving

They say a problem shared is a problem halved. Having a network of people around you to consult with about an issue you’re having in the classroom, or a methodology you want to work on, is invaluable. Talking with other teachers about strategies for managing stress , classroom management or knowing when to take a break can make all the difference. No matter what the specific problem is, it’s much easier to navigate if you don’t feel like you’re on your own. 

Opportunities

Networking opens doors. It is that simple. You’re far more likely to find out about jobs if you’re up to date with TEFL community news. The industry changes all the time, there’s always a new methodology or approach that’s being discussed - networking means being in the conversation. Being part of a community also means new social opportunities, making friends in parts of the world you’d barely known about, and having amazing recommendations for places to visit across the planet. It makes the world smaller but in a really exciting way!

Building a freelance client base

To borrow an idiom from North East England, “shy bairns get nowt” . If you don’t put yourself out there and make yourself known as a freelance teacher, it’s going to be nigh-on impossible to build a client base. If you don’t make some noise, you won’t get anything in return.

Networking - specifically, joining TEFL communities, and advertising your services online - is the difference between having work and not if you’re a freelance TEFL teacher. It’s that straightforward.

Get recognised for your work

Would you like a perfect example of networking in the TEFL world? Mrs A , originally from Canada, made her presence felt online, by giving lessons on YouTube, writing materials and books, and using Instagram to build a following. Having moved to Spain, she used the online contacts she had to build a TEFL community and has since set up an annual awards ceremony for TEFL teachers working there. Both online and in person, she used her networking skills to create opportunities for herself and others.

We mention awards there, and a nice part of networking is that, if done correctly, you can become eligible for industry recognition. If people know who you are, they can celebrate you. That’s never a bad thing. Or, you can use your influence to shine a spotlight on teachers who are doing fantastic things in the industry. 

Networking: everyone wins!

Teaching can feel lonely sometimes, especially when you first start - but it never has to. You’ll struggle to find a more empathetic, friendly and enterprising community than the TEFL world, which is packed to the brim with talented people helping each other out.

Whether it’s on the net, or in person, teachers usually have amazing advice for each other, wherever they are in their career journey. From the new to the experienced, everyone has something useful they can tell you, and 99% of people have a story that they want to tell you. 

It can take time to feel comfortable - not everyone is comfortable talking to strangers! - but believe us, it’s worth it. Once you’ve found your people, you’ll never look back.

Excited to join the TEFL community? Find out which course is right for you, with our TEFL course quiz !