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Factors Contributing to TESOL Employment: A Graduate Perspective 

 

Ziwei Vera Wu 

Thompson Rivers University 

 

Abstract 

 

The profession of teaching English to speakers of other language (TESOL) has experienced 

significant changes in the past decades, and career development in the contemporary era is 

becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. This study aimed at finding the patterns and 

attractors that contribute to successful careers in TESOL from the perspectives of graduates. 

Data were collected through a comprehensive survey of international and Canadian TESOL 

certificate graduates at a mid-size university in British Columbia and through interviews with 

several of the graduates. The results were analysed through the lens of the forms of capital 

(Bourdieu, 1986) and chaos (Bright & Pryor, 2005) theories. The results indicated a significant 

diversity of TESOL employment and the varied effectiveness of factors in career development 

amongst participants. Graduates experienced challenges in terms of their TESOL skills and their 

job search skills, with both being impacted by the forms of capital they held in the TESOL 

profession. While TESOL students and early career TESOL professionals need to be more 

prepared for the complexity and unpredictability of TESOL careers by continuously improving 

their forms of capital, TESOL teacher educators, TESOL program administrators, and TESOL 

professional organizations should take the diverse needs of students with different backgrounds 

into consideration and provide long-term career support to build a robust TESOL community. 

 

Introduction 

 

How can recent graduates of a teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) 

program find a job after they graduate? The job search after graduation has become a significant 

challenge for many graduates due to rapid changes in the labour market in general. Some recent 

research has been concerned with the challenges of an enduring career in TESOL (Feaz & Valeo, 

2012; Priddis et al., 2013); teacher attrition in the TESOL profession (Valeo & Feaz, 2013), and 

seeking best practices of TESOL education for teacher preparation (Farrel, 2012; Sandoval-

Lucero et al., 2011). Farrel (2012) suggested that improvements in employment stability and 

support in the TESOL industry could be slow with limited guarantees, and it requires graduates 

to be adaptive and confront their career challenges in the meantime.  

 

The TESOL profession has experienced enormous changes in the past ten years, and the 

existing research is insufficient to provide a clear idea about how to better support TESOL 

professionals to have an enduring career in the profession. Thus, research is essential for TESOL 

programs to identify areas of possible mismatch between the current demand in the workplace 

and the preparation offered in these TESOL programs. Research is also needed to inform current 

TESOL students and novice TESOL professionals, so that they will be more prepared to adapt to 

this competitive and sometimes unstable profession (Faez & Valeo, 2012).  

 

Employment in TESOL varies in different educational settings. To understand the 

TESOL labour market and the employment level of graduates, as well as respond to my curiosity 

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about patterns of career success in TESOL, this study explored the following research question: 

What factors contribute to TESOL graduates finding TESOL-related positions?  

 

Literature Review 

 

Readiness of Graduates 

 

TESOL professionals, and novice teachers in particular, have expressed various concerns in their 

teaching practice due to a possible lack of readiness in diverse work settings. For example, 

although TESOL programs mostly focus on teaching adult learners, some TESOL professionals 

teach youth and children as both English as an additional language (EAL) teachers and general 

school teachers. According to Baecher (2012), those who were working in elementary schools 

were in need of collaborative learning models which were mainstream in the general school 

system but not prevalent in TESOL education programs, while EAL teachers working in high 

schools did not feel ready to meet the literacy needs of students with low English proficiency and 

personal issues such as poverty or undocumented immigration status. As reported by the 

teachers, it was a common practice to place English language learners (ELLs) in special 

education classes, but teachers in special education classrooms clearly stated their incapability in 

meeting the needs of ELLs (Baecher, 2012). Teachers also reported frustrations due to 

unpreparedness for jobs related to testing, assessment, and student placement (Baecher, 2012). 

For teachers who specifically taught EAL, major challenges were working in isolation, not 

having stable employment, and even not finding opportunities to start their careers in TESOL 

(Valeo & Faez, 2013). Other challenges also included the selection and evaluation of materials, 

and the lack of in-depth knowledge related to TESOL (Kiely & Askham, 2012), which may 

contribute to a longer learning curve at work and during the transition to employment. 

 

Another major reason for the low level of readiness is that most graduates seemed to lack 

an understanding of the TESOL labour market and employment situations before they graduated 

from their TESOL education programs (Farrell, 2012; Priddis et al., 2013; Valeo & Faez, 2013). 

They were not prepared for the challenges of the diversity of experiences and potential instability 

in TESOL employment situations. 

 

Theoretical Frameworks 

 

Chaos Theory of Careers. Bright and Pryor (2005) have theorized that modern careers 

are not linear paths anymore due to the rapid change of labour markets; instead, a career is more 

complex with multiple transitions influenced by both subjective and objective factors, as well as 

the interactions of these factors. For Bright and Pryor, attractors are the influential factors that 

impact career trajectories. Traditional theories of career trajectories follow a linear cause-effect 

model that describes ideal situations, but Bright and Pryor have stated that career development in 

the modern era is impacted by unpredictable attractors and trends which result in the emergence 

of patterns during phase shifts in careers, with no “ideal” situations. Given the complexity and 

changing dynamics of contemporary career development, Bright and Pryor’s chaos theory of 

careers provides a conceptual framework to understand and incorporate the nonlinearity and 

excursiveness of career development instead of focusing on the traditional cause and effects.  

 

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It can be put forward that the career paths of TESOL graduates do not have predictable 

linear results from certain causes. Instead, they are trajectories influenced by the complex 

interactions of individual features, such as Bright and Pryor’s (2005) attractors. As unpredictable 

events do influence career paths, the emphasis should be on understanding “the process and the 

patterns in careers rather than on defining or predicting stable variables as outcomes” (Bright & 

Pryor, 2005, p. 296). Thus, this theory provides a conceptual lens to view the data in the current 

study more comprehensively than focusing on or expecting the “average” or “ideal” experience. 

However, it is necessary to be aware that, instead of looking into all aspects of graduates’ lives 

as chaos theory would recommend, this study only focuses on the particular period of time from 

the graduation from the TESOL certificate program to the data collection, due to the limits of 

time and resources.  

 

Bourdieu and Human Capital. Bourdieu (1986) categorized the different forms of 

capital that a person can hold into economic capital, social capital, and cultural capital. While 

economic capital includes the ownership of a property and social capital focuses on the 

effectiveness of interpersonal connections, cultural capital emphasizes the value of what a person 

owns from the perspectives of personal, societal, and institutional culture. For Bourdieu, the 

three guises of capital function differently for each person, and require different costs to 

transform from one to another. Cultural capital consists of three states including the objectified 

state (such as owning a bowl with particular cultural symbols on it or owning a car that shows 

the social class it represents), institutionalized state (such as earning a master’s degree), and the 

embodied state (such as establishing an identity as a TESOL professional, or recognizing the 

importance of writing).  

 

It is also noteworthy that there are potential connections between the different forms of 

capital (Bourdieu, 1986), and these connections correspond to aspects of chaos theory. For 

example, based on Bourdieu’s (1986) understanding of capital, a cultural object can only be a 

kind of economic capital if the object does not have any links with the embodied culture of a 

person. Similarly, an institutionalized state of cultural capital is very likely to connect with an 

embodied state of cultural capital if the institutional recognition is based on the growth of a 

person in terms of professional experience and knowledge. The institutionalized state of cultural 

capital can also link to social capital when it directly improves the value of social connections, 

and to economic capital when it directly contributes to an income or an increase of income. 

While the connections of transformation are not necessarily direct from one to another, each 

transfer of capital happens with particular reasons and patterns. Figure 1 illustrates Bourdieu’s 

possible connections between the forms of capital and the states of cultural capital. 

 
Figure 1. Potential connections between different forms of capital (Bourdieu, 1986). 

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Understanding the complex connections between these concepts is meaningful to the 

analysis of data related to career paths. The interconnections or potential connections reflect the 

complexity of career development. The theory related to cultural capital helps unpack the 

complexity by providing insights into the possible links between the key concepts with a 

framework that clarifies and categorizes the information. By using the frameworks of human 

capital and chaos theory to unpack the experiences of TESOL graduates in their TESOL careers, 

the experiences can be broken down into various layers that contribute differently to their career 

paths. While two vastly different experiences might bring about similar effects due to a key 

aspect they share, similar experiences might impact careers variously depending on the role the 

experiences play in the contexts. The credential of the TESOL certificate graduates received is 

an institutionalized level of cultural capital; however, it is interesting to see the different impacts 

the same credential can have on the experiences of different individuals holding various types 

and levels of capital. 

 

Methods 

 

The data collection for this study included two parts: a survey and interviews, as outlined in 

Figure 2. The survey provided descriptive data including both quantitative statistics and 

qualitative information. Quantitative analysis included calculating averages for the survey 

responses and presenting the results graphically. The range of the responses was also taken into 

account. Where applicable, a paired t-test was carried out to compare two sets of responses, and 

a Pearson correlation was calculated to investigate the relationship between different sets of 

responses. The interviews provided more qualitative details to support insights into particular 

cases, with salient representative quotes identified in the data to illustrate key findings. In 

general, elements of case study methods were applied to collect and analyse the data (Creswell, 

2013; Yin, 2009). 

 
Figure 2. Research design. 

 

A convergence model of triangulation design and concurrent mixed analysis (Creswell & 

Clark, 2017) was applied to this research. The survey and interviews were conducted separately, 

and the data from both sources were analysed independently. Afterwards, data from both sources 

were analysed and integrated in the discussion.  

  

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TESOL Program Context 

 

The research was conducted with graduates of a TESOL program at a medium size university in 

British Columbia. This program is a 15-credit post-baccalaureate program with five courses that 

include both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. The program has been running for 

more than ten years. Students need a completed university degree in any discipline to be eligible 

for applying to the program. Non-native English-speaking applicants also need to prove their 

English competency by achieving a score in a TOEFL or IELTS exam, equivalent to CLB level 

7/8. Graduates of the program are prepared to teach both in Canada and internationally, working 

with learners of different ages.  

 

Participants 

 

The participants for this study consisted of 40 graduates who have completed the TESOL 

program. Twenty-one participants completed the entire survey, and 19 participants completed the 

survey partially with valid responses that informed the results for some sections. The ages of 

survey participants ranged from 22 to 65, with 13 males, 26 females, and one person self-

identified as LGBTQ+. There were three interview participants, including one male (Mr. 

Dream), aged 31, and two females, aged 24 (Scarlett) and 51 (Robynn), respectively. The names 

are pseudonyms. The participants graduated with their TESOL certificates between 2005 and 

2017, including both domestic graduates and international graduates. Graduates might be 

working or have worked in their home countries, in Canada, or other countries. 

 

Survey 

 

The survey explored participants’ background information, employment history, involvement in 

the TESOL profession, career goals, career-enhancing academic and non-academic factors, and 

program factors that may contribute to employment. All of the Likert scales were consistent, 

with five representing extremely positive and one representing totally negative. As the survey 

was conducted electronically through Fluid Survey, the TESOL alumni located in different parts 

of the world were able to participate through the link sent out by email and their responses were 

received online through the electronic database. 

 

Interviews 

 

The three interview participants also represent the three main categories of TESOL students: a) 

Canadian students who have just graduated with their bachelor degrees; b) international students 

who are doing or have done their degree programs; and c) mature students who are looking to 

transition their career into TESOL; however, their experiences were not intended to represent 

that of all the graduates in the identified groups. 

 

Results 

 

Graduates reported their ideal jobs and their status in terms of professional involvement and 

rated the effectiveness of different factors for facilitating their TESOL careers according to their 

individual career experiences. The findings demonstrated a wide diversity of experiences in 

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TESOL careers and an inconsistency between career goals and career experiences. The factors 

included in the survey were reflected in and fairly comprehensive according to the literature and 

experience of TESOL faculty, as participants responded to the Likert scales without suggesting 

any additional factors in the comment space or open response and most of the factors received a 

relatively wide range of rates. 

 

Professional Involvement 

 

Among the six types of professional activities (see Figure 3), 59% of the participants had 

teaching experience during or before the TESOL certificate program, and 77.3% of the 

participants had attended professional conferences. Yet only 41% of the participants were 

members of a TESOL professional organization, and less than 23% of the graduates had been 

active in giving academic presentations, carrying out research, and writing publications.  

 

 
Figure 3. Professional involvement. 

 

Among those who had teaching experience prior to or during the TESOL program, they 

rated 3.46 out of 5 in terms of how helpful the previous teaching experience was to obtaining 

employment, with a range from 2, not very helpful, to 5, which means extremely helpful. 

According to the comments under this question, although any teaching experience may aid 

graduates with the teaching activities in their jobs, it may not aid them in finding employment. In 

other words, having previous teaching experience was cultural capital for the job of teaching, but 

it lacked value as capital during the job search process.  

 

Regarding ideal TESOL jobs, while some young Canadian graduates in the study looked 

to teach overseas, international graduates may have been seeking employment in Canada and 

some mature graduates were aiming at a career transition into TESOL at the same time as 

working around other professional or life commitments, with specific expectations of whether to 

look for work overseas or locally. Interestingly, an inconsistency was found between the ideal 

TESOL jobs of graduates and their professional involvement. For example, many graduates 

reported their interest in being a university instructor, yet they were not highly involved in 

professional activities. Some were interested in teaching in the K-12 system, yet they had not 

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obtained a teacher certification for that educational setting. Some reported having an inadequate 

resume or English proficiency as reasons for not being employed. The vast majority of 

participants reported their lack of qualifications for their ideal jobs.  

 

Meanwhile, participants reported that, overall, they were not highly involved in the 

TESOL profession other than for fulfilling their employment duties and attending conferences, 

which were more passive activities in terms of career development. On the other hand, activities 

such as making an academic presentation or carrying out research could be seen as more active 

forms of professional involvement; however, only a small proportion of the participants were 

involved in these activities. 

 

Academic Activities 

 

Figure 4 presents the average perceptions of graduates regarding how helpful the listed academic 

activities were to their careers in TESOL. Owning academic credentials, including a TESOL 

certificate, undergraduate degree, and graduate degree, ranked at the top among all the activities.  

 

 
Figure 4. Impacts of academic activities. 

 

The next group of valuable academic factors were academic involvement, including 

research (such as for a master thesis), publications, and presentations at conferences. While most 

participants lacked an active involvement in professional development according to the last 

section, they recognized the effectiveness of active professional involvement. The least effective 

factors were GPA and membership in a professional organization. Participants acknowledged the 

importance of professional involvement, yet membership in professional organizations was not 

considered to be valuable to their career development. The reputation of the university appeared 

to be more influential than GPA and some active professional involvement in terms of perceived 

impact on career progression. 

 

Despite reporting the averages, it is also noteworthy that participants demonstrated a 

wide range of variety in their responses. All the factors, except for GPA and university 

reputation, had a range of responses from 2 to 5, while the three factors formerly mentioned had 

a range from 1 to 5 in the same item. In other words, a factor might have been valuable in the 

career of one graduate while having little impact in the career of another. As the factors were 

4.05

3.86

3.81

3.63

3.63

3.55

3.50

3.41

3.14

3.09

2.81

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

TESL certificate

Graduate degree

Undergraduate degree

Master thesis

Conference

University reputation

Presentation

Publication

Professional organization membership

TESL GPA

Undergraduate GPA

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rated by participants according to their own TESOL career experiences, the range of rates 

demonstrated the complexity and the various uniqueness of individuals and their career 

experiences.  

 

Teaching Experience and Skills 

 

According to the responses, teaching experience and skills, on average, had a higher effect on the 

career success of TESOL graduates than academic activities and other factors (see Figure 5). 

Among all types of teaching experiences, TESOL-related teaching experience was significantly 

more effective than non-TESOL teaching experience in facilitating career development. In 

addition, only basic computer skills were reported to be significant in a TESOL career.  

 

 
Figure 5. Impacts of teaching experience and skills. 

 

Compared with whether a participant had teaching experience, transferable skills, 

including understanding non-English cultures and English cultures, and the ability to assess 

English ability of students, designing appropriate activities for a class, teaching multilevel or 

multilingual classes, and developing student-oriented instructional materials, were essential to 

careers in TESOL. Other important skills also included managing conflicts in the classroom, 

adapting to different class sizes, and teaching students of different ages (such as children and 

youth). Although teaching students with special needs, knowledge of existing language-teaching 

software and online resources, advanced computer skills, and experience as research assistants in 

TESOL were not reported to be essential, these items still had average rates above 3.50 out of 5. 

The rates of essential skills in TESOL teaching had the least variety among all the factors.  

  

4.55

4.50

4.45

4.45

4.45

4.41

4.41

4.41

4.36

4.23

4.18

4.09

4.05

3.91

3.81

3.59

3.55

1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

Design activities

TESOL experience

Basic computer skills

Teaching multi-level class

Understanding of non-English cultures

Understanding of English cultures

Teaching multilingual class

Assessing English ability

Developing materials

Managing conflicts in class

Teaching multi-age class

Non-TESOL teaching experience

Teaching different class sizes

Teaching students with speacial needs

Knowledge of education technology

Advanced computer skills

TESOL research assistant experience

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Other Factors 

 

Factors other than the categories abovementioned were also included in the survey. English skills 

were indicated to be a key factor for both Canadian and international participants. Openness to 

different opportunities, persistence in the job search, and having a network of staff through the 

TESOL program seemed to be valuable in the careers of the participants. In addition, the other 

factors as shown in Figure 6 were also still influential on career development, with an average 

rating over 3.60. 

 

 
Figure 6. Impacts of other factors. 

 

The three main themes appearing in the interviews in terms of factors impacting career 

transitions were personal factors, the job search process, and adaptations in the workplace. 

Mature students were affected more by personal factors and less by job search skills than new 

graduates who experienced fewer limitations in the types of jobs they could choose but limited 

experience to rely on to obtain those jobs. All three types of students made important adaptations 

to their workplace after graduation from the program.  

 

Personal factors. Career transition involved many personal decisions in terms of life 

goals and career goals that were impacted by personality, previous experience and background, 

and preferences for work and travel destinations.  

 

Mature students had more specific goals that motivated the decision to take a TESOL 

program. In the case of Robynn, who had experience in teaching adults and curriculum 

development, she had a source for job information before taking the TESOL certificate, and she 

had a plan for teaching. She did not express any struggle with her job search and described a 

relatively smooth transition into a teaching job specifically as she expected. As mature graduates 

were experienced in the transitional process with their transferable skills acquired from their 

4.70

4.32

4.09

4.00

3.86

3.86

3.86

3.77

3.68

3.64

3.64

1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00

English skills

Openness to opportunities

Persistence

Network through TESL faculty

Network through TESL program

Financial stability

Recidency of Canada

Network through TESL students

Extroverted personality

Non-English language skills

Willingness to relocate

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previous careers, they were more prepared even before entering the TESOL program, so their 

post-graduation plans were more likely to work out with less unexpected incidents. 

 

While the survey results indicated an uncertain attitude towards the importance of 

personal factors, the interview results show that personal factors were actually influential factors, 

especially during career transitions. Scarlett described the struggles trying to find her personal 

preferences of employment in terms of job duties, geographic locations, and cultures, and stated 

“I don’t know what I want to do exactly.” She also expressed her unwillingness to work in entry-

level jobs with a minimum wage, such as retail or serving, and her limited financial situation. 

She said, “[I] wasn’t in a position where I can wait you know a month or two to find a job, I 

needed to be doing something right now.” Robynn chose the TESOL program also partly 

because she “was moving to [the city where the program was located]” and “noticed that there 

were a lot of employment opportunities to teach English as a second language.” Mr. Dream had 

partly decided his personal preferences for employment when he came to study in Canada: “as an 

international myself, as a person who is driven to get a degree in Canada, my main goal in the 

end was to get my immigration document, my permanent residency in the country,” and he 

considered the TESOL program because of his mother’s suggestion. Moreover, some 

international graduates from non-native English speaking (NNES) backgrounds also reported in 

the survey that their English skills had limited their career opportunities in TESOL. Although, 

these personal factors seemed to be a small part of a TESOL career; they were an influential part 

of the complexity of career decisions and unpredictability of career trajectories in TESOL. 

 

Job search. Searching for work in TESOL was generally reported in both the survey and 

interviews as a significant challenge for new graduates with not enough previous experience to 

rely on.  

 

Sources of information played an essential role in the job search process. Mature students 

took much less time in searching for a job due to their ability and experience in the job search 

than younger Canadian graduates and international graduates. Robynn had very reliable sources 

of information about career and job postings in TESOL where she planned to stay and teach, 

which led to her decision to take the TESOL program to meet the hiring requirements. Her level 

of preparedness in adapting to a career in TESOL also facilitated her job search after graduation. 

She received her first job offer right after she graduated. “It happened so fast that I didn’t really 

have a chance to think about it,” said Robynn. Meanwhile, Scarlett found it challenging to find 

reliable sources of job information and properly interpret the job postings. Mr. Dream directly 

stated, “I have to be honest with you that my transition to the ESL workplace has not been an 

easy one” because he was unfamiliar with the job market culture in Canada. Graduates also 

expressed such needs overwhelmingly in the survey responses to recommendation to the TESOL 

program, which will be discussed in the next section. 

 

Adaptations to the workplace. The adaptations were usually reflected in job skills such 

as curriculum design or teaching methods. Robynn “had to put in some pretty long hours to 

develop some material” to meet the needs of her students because “the curriculum provided...has 

a lot of gaps”. She also sought advice from the TESOL instructors to adapt to teaching multilevel 

classes. Scarlett, on the other hand, had to adapt to a different teaching method than what she 

was used to: 

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I think one of the biggest transitions is…my school uses the direct method...and...there’s 

nothing wrong…ok. Of course in our program we definitely learned more communicative 

than anything else...and when I came here, I had to learn to teach in a direct 

method. …we come from a program that was a very communicative base and I’m in a 

direct method school. I definitely have some issues sometimes. 

 

Apart from the teaching method, she also had to adjust to a teaching schedule that changed 

weekly, and her teaching was usually not during regular work hours because her students could 

be working full-time.  

 

Impacts of the TESOL Certificate Program 

 

Participants provided positive feedback about the effectiveness of the TESOL Certificate 

program. All the courses were rated over 4.10, among which the TESOL practicum ranked at the 

top of the list, followed by TESOL curriculum and instruction. Participants rated TESOL 

pedagogical grammar and TESOL techniques at a similar level in terms of effectiveness in their 

career, which was slightly higher than the TESOL intercultural communication studies course. 

These results are outlined in Figure 7. 

 

 
Figure 7. Impacts of courses in TESOL program. 

 

Participants also rated how helpful the TESOL program was as to the factors related to 

career development in TESOL (see Figure 8). The program was efficient in supporting students 

with career networking and building a supportive community for graduates, yet there was a gap 

identified in improving the skills of graduates, especially the skills of teaching students at 

different ages and teaching different class sizes. In addition, the participants did not identify that 

the TESOL program significantly improved their English skills as it might not have been 

considered as a part of the aim of the program. 

 

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Figure 8. Impacts of TESOL program on career factors vs. effectiveness of factors to career 

development. 

 

Applying the same Likert scale, the responses also reflected a gap between participants’ 

sense of preparedness for TESOL careers and their satisfaction levels with their TESOL careers 

(see Figure 9). With the same range of rates (1-5), overall, a higher level of preparedness was 

reported compared to the level of career satisfaction. This difference demonstrated that while 

graduates felt the TESOL Certificate program prepared them for their post-graduation careers, 

they only had a medium level of satisfaction in their subsequent TESOL careers. 

 

 
Figure 9. Preparedness vs. satisfaction levels. 

 

Two tests were run to analyse whether there was a significant difference between 

satisfaction levels and preparedness, and whether these two factors were related. A paired t-test 

showed that the rates of preparedness were higher than that of career satisfaction (t(19) = 3.56, p 

≤ .002). Moreover, a Pearson Correlation analysis found that the levels of preparedness and that 

of career satisfaction were fairly related (r = .67, p = .001). Overall, according to the attribution 

and correlation analysis, the two items changed relatedly with a gap in between. There was no 

significant difference for these two items based on gender (p ≥ .861). 

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According to the qualitative responses, graduates mainly had challenges during the job 

seeking process in spite of the fact that they had the certification needed for TESOL-related jobs. 

As a result, although there was no course suggested to be added into the program, a majority of 

participants suggested improving support in teaching students with special needs, at different 

ages, or with different sexual orientations, in doing administrative jobs, and in career 

development (such as career mentoring). For graduates from NNES backgrounds, the 

intensiveness of the program was also reported to be challenging as they needed more exposure 

and practice in teaching in a different teaching culture with various approaches as well as in 

improving their English skills.  

 

In spite of the various levels of preparedness and satisfaction, more specific information 

behind these numbers was captured in the open responses and interviews. All three interviewees 

described very positive experiences overall in the TESOL program. They benefited mainly from 

the instructors in the TESOL program, the multiple methods of teaching with a focus on 

students, the practicum in which they gained hands-on teaching experience, and the learning 

community built into the cohort nature of the program. Participants, especially mature graduates 

who were seeking a career transition, reported that they developed a sense of purpose in teaching 

and felt comfortable and confident through studying in the program. A main reconsideration of 

the learning experience in the TESOL certificate program was the intensity of the program. 

Depending on their previous experience, acquisition of TESOL related skills prior to the 

program, and preferred learning styles, graduates experienced different learning curves during 

their studies in the TESOL program.   

 

Instructors. Instructors were reported to have a significant impact on the learning of 

graduates by modelling teaching with different methods and being student-centred in an EAL 

classroom, supporting and caring for TESOL students during their learning and practice, and 

motivating TESOL students with their great passion in the learning and teaching of TESOL and 

EAL. Instructors were the main support for the graduates both during and after the program. 

Young Canadian graduates like Scarlett were very appreciative about the fact that the instructors 

of the program were supportive, caring, and passionate about teaching:  

 

The teacher had such passion for the program and...they really did care about, like you 

know, what we were doing after teaching and all the stuff. I just felt they were very 

interested in us as people, and for me that was really good like umm I felt close to them. 

They would (find the...share of things) they have done, or things that are possible through 

the program. They were very invested in us finding a job after university...and what not. 

 

Mr. Dream, as an international graduate, also supported the idea that the program was 

informative and up-to-date because of the instructors: 

They teach you a lot of the methodology and the process of what is it like to be an ESL 

teacher in the field. So they were really up to date with everything.  

 

… The teacher of the class will actually tell you what you need to improve, what you 

need to…what was good that you taught and everything. So they were very careful in 

each and every step of the way.  

 

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The support of instructors happened not only during the program but also after students had 

graduated, even for mature graduates like Robynn: 

 

Well, I’ve gone back to my previous instructors for a few times for advice…I’m not 

afraid to ask for help. And I have, and they responded like “of course come on in” and 

had great conversations. Provided me with resources or advice. For sure. And I felt that 

that was open, when I graduated. …there’s no hesitation about getting in touch with 

them. 

 

Instructors overall were presented as role models and as a significantly influential factor in the 

TESOL program in all cases. The connection with instructors facilitated the practices of 

graduates directly by providing support, resources, and guidance during and after the program. 

 

Pedagogical focus. Although not all of the three cases specifically identified preferences 

for pedagogy in EAL classrooms, the program had a strong focus on student-oriented, 

communicative methods while providing exposure to other teaching methods in class.  

 

Robynn, teaching in an organization with a similar style preference, found it very helpful 

to have the communicative approach discussed in detail and demonstrated in almost all of the 

TESOL classes. It was also consistent with her previous experience as a curriculum developer: 

“What IS similar [to my previous background] is … there’re a lot of emphasis was put in my 

Adult Education training on understanding the students and being very student-focus, and that’s 

very similar.”  

 

Scarlett appreciated the exposure to different methods; yet, as a young graduate who 

experienced mostly Canadian education, she encountered a major transition in teaching with the 

direct method in her workplace overseas. She needed support from her employer to address the 

challenges of applying a new method that wasn’t common in her training. 

 

Practicum. Another very influential part of the TESOL program was the practicum, 

which was consistent with the survey data shown in Figure 7. In spite of whether they took the 

practicum in a separate semester or not, graduates reported significant learning and 

improvements in the practicum. Mr. Dream stated that the practicum was significant for an 

international student teacher like him:  

 

…you don’t get just to learn about it on paper but you also get to do it in front of an 

actual class. …the teacher of the class will actually tell you what you need to 

improve, …what was good that you taught…  

 

Students felt supported in the practicum class in which they applied the learning from other 

courses and developed their teaching skills that were directly transferable to the workplace.  

 

The practicum was a significant source of exposure to teaching English. Mr. Dream did 

his practicum in two different settings and experienced the challenge of keeping students focused 

and interested, which was similar to what he may still experience in a subsequent teaching job. In 

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addition, Robynn, as a mature professional in adult education, also highly appreciated the 

practicum:  

 

…there’s so many observations that was built into the practicum, it doesn’t feel like all of 

a sudden you’re standing in front of a classroom and you’re overwhelmed by “well I 

haven’t really finished the course work yet and I don’t know really know what I’m 

doing” 

 

Mature students were also provided a safe space to integrate their previous experience into a 

TESOL setting before going into the workplace. Nevertheless, a component missing in the data 

was the professional connections. Participants did not mention this benefit of the practicum in 

either the survey responses or the interviews. 

 

Supportive community. An efficient supportive community that facilitated learning and 

practice in TESOL was built through a cohort base during the time when students were in the 

TESOL program. This community consisted of students, instructors, sponsor teachers of student 

teachers in their practicum, and sometimes even TESOL alumni who were involved in TESOL 

classes as guests or on campus as staff members. It is a continuous community supporting 

graduates both practically and emotionally when they encountered challenges or stress in the 

workplace or life in general. As Robynn stated: 

 

I’ve gone back to my previous instructors for a few times for advice … and I felt that that 

was open when I graduated. I never felt...like there’s no hesitation about getting in touch 

with them. 

 

Scarlett also enjoyed the learning community as she appreciated its impact on her learning 

experience in the TESOL program:  

 

I really enjoyed it …We were a lot closer than I had been in any other class because of 

course we spent all our classes together …I guess kinda of sense of community.   

 

The community played an important role in the career of TESOL graduates especially during the 

transition from being a student teacher to working as a TESOL professional in the field. 

 

Discussions & Recommendations 

 

Reconsideration of Readiness  

 

At the macro level, career development in the modern era is chaotic. Meanwhile, at the micro 

level, the capital a graduate holds can be a chaotic system in itself as the interaction of factors in 

professional and personal life can be complex and unpredictable, and this complexity makes 

defining readiness even more difficult. Having reconsidered the meaning of career success, I also 

believe that the concept of readiness is worth reconsideration. Traditionally, readiness is about 

how ready a graduate is to perform the job they are trained for. However, according to the results 

of this study, in TESOL, not only is there no one specific job (teaching) that graduates are 

entering into, but the graduates also have to cope with diverse employment conditions in a 

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changing labour market and the need to increase their own capital to facilitate their careers. In 

the contemporary era with chaotic career development, the readiness of TESOL graduates 

includes not only the skills for teaching the English language, but also career development skills, 

maturity, and characters that adapt to uncertainty in order to successfully and actively facilitate 

their career progression. In other words, graduates need to be ready for the possible variety of 

TESOL jobs where they might be employed in and out of the TESOL profession, and also for the 

uncertainty in their career development. 

 

Career Development in TESOL 

 

The needs of students in TESOL programs can be very different. While the intent is not to 

generalize, the three types of graduates profiled in the interviews were consistent with the survey 

data in this study. The survey responses and the three interviews showed different focuses and 

challenges in terms of learning in TESOL and career transitions. In an attempt to demonstrate the 

emerging patterns from the diverse career paths of participants, Figure 10 proposes a possible 

framework for considering the intersectionality of the three demographic groups.  

 

 
Figure 10. Challenges experienced by TESOL graduates.  

 

In the current study, young Canadian graduates had more interest in seeking employment 

overseas, and international graduates and mature graduates were more likely to favour jobs in 

Canada. Mature graduates focused more on pedagogy during their studies and work, but younger 

graduates, both international and Canadian, had more concerns about the job search and career 

development. These different goals led to diverse learning needs in a TESOL classroom. 

 

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Along with diverse needs found in this study, graduates also held different types and 

levels of capital. Mature graduates demonstrated the capital related to the job search and career 

development skills, oftentimes with previous related work experience which facilitated their 

career progression. Novice graduates in the study usually lacked these skills and experience but 

were more open to different opportunities, especially to overseas teaching positions, and they 

could adapt to less stable circumstances because of fewer other commitments and 

responsibilities, such as family and children. International graduates, especially NNES, may have 

had better knowledge and experience about EAL learners, but their NNES status might have had 

an impact on their employment (Moussu & Llurda, 2008). Based on the findings in this study, 

TESOL programs should recognize the diversity of student needs and take them into 

consideration during program design and promotion. 

 

Considering the different levels and kinds of capital and needs of graduates in the current 

study, the skills to cope and navigate the chaos seemed to be required cultural capital for TESOL 

career development. According to the data from the survey and the interviews, participants 

identified career development skills in addition to job search skills, such as finding reliable 

information sources, resume and cover letter writing, professional networking, and interview 

skills. Personality characteristics (such as perseverance) and career planning skills such as time 

management, goal setting, taking action, and active involvement in the profession were also 

important. It appears that TESOL graduates need to develop these skills and thus increase their 

capital along with their TESOL studies in order to be ready for TESOL employment as well as 

the chaotic nature of the TESOL profession. 

 

Recommendations 

 

TESOL education is more than delivering the courses of a TESOL program; it also includes 

preparing graduates for future careers in TESOL and supporting them in their career 

development. For TESOL Program Students, A proactive attitude in the TESOL profession will 

benefit both the individuals and the profession. Graduates should have the perseverance and 

courage to increase their human capital through every opportunity they encounter. Graduates 

need not only TESOL skills but also job searching and general employment skills to obtain 

TESOL employment. Additionally, each active involvement in professional development can 

add a stepping stone for career development and increase the capital that facilitates career 

success.  

 

From the administrative perspective, in order to support the diverse learning needs in 

TESOL programs effectively, having small class sizes is a way to ensure the quality of learning 

and teaching (Glass & Smith, 1979). Furthermore, TESOL programs need to be reviewed and 

updated constantly in response to changes in the TESOL profession and labour market, and 

ensure that graduates have enough exposure to different teaching settings and experience before 

graduation. TESOL programs should also consider the possibility of post-graduation support for 

graduates who experience career challenges and a regular process for students and graduates to 

provide meaningful feedback. 

 

Instructors have a significant impact on the career development of graduates. During the 

teaching of TESOL courses, instructors should consider the diversity of learning needs of their 

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students and try to accommodate differences in learning needs through curriculum design and 

lesson planning and delivery. It is also possible to incorporate and model the accommodation of 

student needs as part of the content of the TESOL program, such as introducing more diverse 

teaching methods, as graduates may encounter similar levels of diversity in their future TESOL 

careers. Lastly, maintaining connections with students after graduation was identified in the 

current study as an effective way for TESOL instructors to offer career advice and support 

graduates to continuously improve their TESOL skills.  

 

With a high level of diversity in TESOL employment, TESOL employers should review 

hiring protocols. While it is still a common practice to have “native English speaker” as a job 

requirement, despite the local TESOL professional organization’s opposition to discrimination 

on the basis of linguistic background (BC TEAL, 2014), this does not reflect the diversity in 

TESL graduates. In addition, employers should take on the responsibility of supporting TESOL 

professionals to adapt into different work settings by providing a budget for additional training, 

professional development, and benefits in addition to an adequate salary. This is applicable 

regarding not only novice professionals but also mature professionals because a new workplace 

may include some aspects that one has never experienced before.  

 

TESOL professional organizations, such as BC TEAL and TESOL International, have 

been key providers of professional development opportunities, with organizations such as these 

building TESOL communities to promote stronger professionalism. These types of organizations 

are raising awareness for the public about TESOL issues by establishing professional standards 

and generating and facilitating conversations. Professional organizations should work to address 

the challenges of TESOL employment and expand the professional community, such as by 

providing membership discounts for new professionals, mentorship opportunities in career 

development and research, and more opportunities of involvement for in-training professionals. 

 

Limitations & Research Recommendations 

 

This study has a number of limitations. First, the impacts of various changes might not be 

reflected in the research. Specifically, the information collected may not include changes in the 

labour market or changes in the societal environment of the TESOL profession, such as the 

increasing popularity of global study and work abroad opportunities, the more open discussion of 

diversity and inclusion, and an improved awareness of TESOL qualifications. The environment 

and demands in work TESOL graduates face may have changed as the world is increasingly 

globalized. Changes in the TESOL program, which may influence what the graduates have 

gained from the program, are also not considered in the current research. 

 

The number of the sample is smaller than expected as a result of the length of the survey 

and limited access to the survey. The data were collected in a four-week period before the survey 

was closed. Due to the small sample size, most of the correlative analyses were not applicable. 

 

The research design might have been limited by my previous mindset of looking for what 

graduates should specifically do to improve their careers. However, each participant in this study 

narrated a unique career story. For research on the career paths of TESOL graduates, qualitative 

methods, such as narrative inquiry or case studies, seem to be a more comprehensive method for 

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capturing details that can support the analysis of career development, and using narrative inquiry 

or case study methods is a possible road for future studies.   

 

For further research, the complexity and dynamics of changes should be taken into 

consideration from the beginning and integrated into the research design. An example would be 

to use case study or narrative inquiry methodology to explore the career paths of graduates 

through the lenses of chaos theory and capital with an understanding of the new meaning of 

readiness. Further quantitative research with larger sample sizes and a balance among genders, 

nationalities, native languages, and specific demographic groups would also make it possible for 

more correlative analysis to be conducted. It may also be interesting to delve into whether the 

motivation for taking a TESOL program is an impactful factor of an enduring TESOL career, 

and how the transferable skills acquired in a TESOL program impact graduates’ careers and 

employment.  

 

Acknowledgements 

 

This research would not have been possible without the support of Dr. Karen Densky, Dr. Patrick 

Walton, Dr. Kyra Garson, Dr. Sandra Kouritzin, Alexandra Church, Susan Forseille, and Kathy 

Gaynor. 

 

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The BC TEAL Journal is licensed under a 

Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License. 

Copyright rests with the authors. 

 

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https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444808005028
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