Transitioning into a Career Teaching ESL

I sympathize with your position--it can be difficult to decide on a career direction. Fortunately, online education makes it easy to explore your options while you continue in your current job.

If you're not sure whether to change careers, why not try ESL instruction without making a professional commitment? Find out whether you could work part time as a teacher's aide in an English language institute. If the environment and the work appeals to you, then look into online teaching certificate or diploma programs.

The TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) qualification, also referred to as "TESL" (Teaching English as a Second Language) or "TEFL" (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), is offered online. The certificate program takes forty hours and the diploma, which involves more intensive grammar study, requires sixty hours. This qualification is accepted worldwide.

Cambridge University's Certificate and Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults, the CELTA and DELTA, are not offered through distance learning.

These programs don't take too long to complete--you could be out of your customer service job and into a new career in as little as a month. If, on the other hand, you decide to stay with your current position, your improved English language skills can only help your business career, especially in customer service. To advance your present career even further, consider a business management education. An online MBA can do wonders to promote your career. It's possible that you'd enjoy your customer service position more once you take on more management responsibility.

Whatever you decide, remember that no career move is irreversible. The flexibility of online education allows you to explore your options and make career changes without giving up your current position.