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The government this week launched a scheme to pay for 500 people under the age of 24 to volunteer abroad as an alternative to unemployment. While the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was right about the benefits of gap years, what was less hyped was the fact that those young people picked to take part in the trips would have to raise £1,000, pay for the costs and flights and vaccinations. Essentially, their so-called ‘free’ gap years will cost upwards of £2000.
While i-to-i welcomes the government’s support of volunteering abroad for young people, there is a realistic alternative which won’t saddle young graduates with yet more debt. By getting TEFL qualified and going abroad to teach English, recent graduates can earn decent amounts of money as they travel, and enjoy the same kinds of benefits in terms of skill development offered by volunteering abroad.
Scottish residents are in an especially good position to enjoy a gap year and come home with money in the bank: anyone who is 16 or over and earning under £22,000 can use funding from ILA Scotland to pay for a recognised TEFL qualification, such as those offered by TEFL pioneers i-to-i. As i-to-i’s courses are very good value, it means Scottish residents can use their £200 of funding to get TEFL qualified with i-to-i’s fantastic 40 hour online course, which costs just £175. For those who like a more practical approach, i-to-i also offer highly interactive weekend courses and combined courses across Scotland, which mix the two.
Once qualified, there’s a huge demand for graduates who hold a recognised TEFL qualification across the world. i-to-i offer a hassle-free job placement service which sets qualified teachers up with well-paid positions in fantastic destinations across the world, including Thailand, China, Ecuador, South Korea and Japan. Very few schools demand previous teaching experience and those who are smart with their money can even come home from their post-university gap year with cash in the bank!
Higher Education Minister David Lammy spoke on Saturday of the “communication and leadership skills that are so highly valued in the workplace” being developed by volunteering abroad. The same benefits apply to teaching English abroad: recent graduates can really boost their CV by saying they’ve taken the initiative to go abroad, built their leadership skills by taking charge of large classes of children and developed their communication skills by bridging language and cultural barriers to get their message across.
So, when (and if!) graduates return to the UK, they can do so with a revamped CV and without having accumulating any more debt. With so many benefits to TEFL, recent graduates living in Scotland may want a little more information. They should call 0800 093 2552 and our TEFL experts will guide them through the process of applying for ILA Scotland funding and getting TEFL qualified.
For more details see http://www.onlinetefl.com/
For stories from people who have changed their lives by getting TEFL qualified see http://www.onlinetefl.com/
For media enquiries please contact Honor Baldry at honor.baldry@
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