Admission Advisor - Sales / Recruitment of TEFL certification school / Teach Abroad

Your Job as an Admissions Advisor

Do you love to travel and want to help others explore the world?

Have you taught abroad or lived abroad before?

Do you want to help others get TEFL certified so they can have a fantastic experience teaching abroad or teaching online? - Yes? Great! Apply to be an ITA Admissions Advisor!

Work Hours: 40 hours a week

Monday - Friday: or 9am-6pm CST

Your Location: This position is remote in any US state or territory or you can work in our Chicago office if you prefer an office environment. Working remotely allows you to work from anywhere in the USA. You must be legally authorized to work in the USA.

Our World Headquarters Office Address: 916 West Diversey Parkway, Chicago. Our office is one block from the Diversey Brown Line CTA stop in Lincoln Park.

WHO ARE WE?

International TEFL Academy (ITA) is one of the world's largest TEFL training schools and has been in business since 2010. We have consistently been ranked as the best TEFL certification school for both online and in-person classes the past 4 years in a row. In 2023, ITA won the prestigious GoAbroad People's Choice Award honoring the top international education organization as selected by study abroad professionals and students. This is the 4th time in fiveyears that ITA has been honored with this award. ITA is on the Inc. 5000 list for top growth companies four years in a row from 2018 - 2021. Read more about ITA's recognition and awards here.

We train & certify over 5,000 students a year to Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). We believe top-level TEFL training builds a realistic pathway for our students to achieve their dreams and success as professional English language teachers. Our alumni teach at schools in 80+ countries abroad, teach online from the comfort of their homes, and live as global nomads teaching online from around the world.

As the worldwide leader in the field of TEFL, we provide:

• Pre-enrollment information and personalized guidance from expert advisors,
• The Gold Standard in TEFL training and certification,
• Lifetime job search guidance - online and worldwide,
• Alumni community & peer engagement,
• Our staff with a safe, inclusive, supportive workplace/culture/job/career to grow and learn.

Company Culture: We are committed to changing people's lives by providing them an opportunity to see the world. We have all "been there and done that" and we've all experienced the rewards and challenges of leaving everything at home to live abroad. We are travelers at heart and are all committed to helping as many people as possible to pursue their dreams. We are goal-oriented with a light-hearted sense of humor.

Virtual Work and Culture: The pandemic forced us to accelerate the transition to building a remote culture as we all had to work from home. Still, we have continued to enjoy team fun events and we have focused on building open communication within our team.

The Team You Will Join: ITA has 35 full-time staff members and 35 part-time Instructors living around the US. We have a remote lifestyle with a third of full-time staff in the Chicago area.

To learn more about our team and our company, read our VISION STATEMENT and MEET THE STAFF.

ADMISSIONS ADVISOR DUTIES

This position is a sales-oriented commission job, but you are also an advisor and, in some ways, even a life coach. You won't be selling widgets, copy machines, or cell phones. You will be selling the life-changing adventure of living abroad and the top-quality training that enables people to achieve their goal of living and traveling abroad as an English teacher. You will also be selling the security of gaining a life-long certification and job search support that enables people from all walks of life to teach English abroad and online.

Your job is to enroll people into our school.Classes and services we provide are:

1. TEFL Certification for professional employment abroad. These classes are equivalent to 9 credits at a university consisting of at least 100 hours of classwork, 6 hours of student teaching. Delivery models: We provide training in a 4-week in-person class in 20 cities worldwide, 4-weeks live online or 11-weeks part time online. This comes with lifetime job assistance around the world for our graduates. The majority of our students become TEFL Certified to be able to teach English in foreign countries.
2. Continuing Education: Specialty Classes over two or four weeks online on a variety of topics
3. Culture Courses: Online classes for better orientation and assimilation into a new country.
4. Guaranteed Job Placement Programs: For those who want the extra support and services for landing a job in specific countries. This is a fee based program above the free lifetime job assistance that comes with the professional TEFL Certification classes.
5. Language Classes and Student Visas: Year long studies in language classes that also provide Student Visas which allow legal work in that country, this is where work permits are not accessible.
6. New classes and services to come as we continually expand to the needs of our students.

Educating Your Students. You will work with prospective TEFL class students who have contacted us regarding their interest in teaching English. Your primary job will be to educate them on the market for teaching English online and abroad, their options for places to teach based on their personal qualifications, and helping them choose which ITA TEFL course best suits their individual needs and circumstances. You are paid based on their enrollment into our courses.

Providing Personal Guidance. You will be speaking and corresponding with 35-50 new people every week and registering over 20 new students a month. You will need to be very thorough in explaining the different options for working in 50-60 different countries. You will become an expert in understanding the worldwide job market for English teachers, including matters like visas, hiring requirements, salaries, and start-up costs. All advisors receive extensive training so that you are prepared to discuss these matters accurately with your students.

Personal Communication Skills are Key. You will spend the bulk of your time corresponding with prospective students through phone calls, text, email, and webinar presentations. A typical student takes 1-4 weeks to decide to enroll in a TEFL course, but many take several months. You may correspond 4-10 times with prospective students to educate them, guide them as they make a realistic plan, and help them to select the appropriate TEFL class. You will also need to have strong communication with your colleagues when providing coverage for other advisors, working on unique student situations, and contributing to company-wide initiatives.

Other Projects & Initiatives. Advisors work together to develop Admissions' best practices, improve departmental policies, design performance-based contests, give each other feedback, and improve the service we provide our students. As you settle in, there will also be opportunities to serve on committees and project teams.

Presentations. All advisors pitch in to present our live webinars. You may also be asked to lead a training for your colleagues.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• International travel / living experience. You must have lived abroad consecutively for AT LEAST 6 months to be considered for this position. Everyone in our company has lived and traveled abroad extensively. That's the club you're joining to work here. Teaching English abroad, studying abroad, working abroad, volunteering abroad, serving in the military, Peace Corps, or living in various countries growing up - these are examples of the type of international experience we seek.
• You must possess at least two years of experience working in a professional work environment. This experience can include your experience teaching abroad.
• Goal & Success Driven. Sales requires an internal drive for success and continuous improvement.
• Coachable: This position takes dedication to learn and continuously improve. Those who can be coached are those who exceed in the role and company.
• Enthusiastic: High energy and positive demeanor to your prospective students who want to take a chance to live abroad is a must.
• Excellent communication skills are required. You will spend several hours a day on the phone, texting, and responding to emails.
• Highly organized and efficient. You must be well-organized with great attention to detail as you'll be managing thousands of prospective students, collecting tuition, and making sure they have what they need to start their class.
• Comfortable with technology. ITA will provide you with state-of-the-art tools and training, but you will struggle in this position if you are not comfortable with technology.
• Team player. We seek team members who are committed to contributing to the company's growth in addition to meeting and exceeding their personal goals.
• Commitment. You must be eager to put in the time, energy, and commitment to be great at your job. We are looking for self-driven people who have grit and relish the learning and hard work required to become an exceptional Admissions Advisor.
• Preferred Skills and Experience: TEFL Certified; taught English abroad; experience in sales, recruiting, or presenting; familiarity with Hubspot and Salesforce software. Due to the nature of the hundreds of applicants for this position, those with sales and recruiting work experience may have a higher likelihood of receiving an interview so selling yourself in your coverletter and resume is your first step to get your foot in the door if you do not have this work history.
• A college degree is not necessary for this position. Formal training and relevant work experience will be taken into account.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Note: This is a commission and incentive based position.

Compensation: If we hire you, it's because you are a great fit and will excel. Working on commission isn't for everyone, but good compensation is there for those who work hard to fulfill the job responsibilities and serve prospective students. Follow our training and advice, and you will make your commission on track.

Typical Annual Compensation:

Year 1 earnings: $55,000-60,000.

The first 6 months will have a monthly base of $ 2,083 plus $1,000 additional training bonus after the first month. Commissions will be at 11% of earned revenue.

After 6 months, the monthly base is eliminated and commission increases to 19% of earned revenue. There is an additional $1,000 dollars that can be earned each month by hitting monthly and quarterly incentives.

Typical earnings: Most advisors in their second year earn between $64,000-$74,000 with commission and incentives. Those in the top half of the Admissions team make $75,000-$88,000.

Monthly revenues and commission can fluctuate above or below the average due to seasonality but are fairly consistent throughout the year.

Insurance: Medical/Dental starts on the first day of employment with a co-pay.

Time Off: 4 weeks in the first year! Really. You'll receive 10 vacation days and 10 personal days off year one, increasing each year after that. Vacation time increases annually so our veteran staff members have earned up to seven weeks off per year.

We want our employees to be able to take time away and do what they love: travel!

Sick Days: 10 paid sick days per year paid based on your average daily wage over the last 90 days. If you are sick, stay home and get well (even if you are virtual). You will be paid a fixed amount for the day since you are unable to work.

Maternity and Paternity leave: 12 weeks total leave annually, of which eight weeks are fully paid, and four additional optional weeks are unpaid. Get some sleep, take care of that baby, and send us pictures. If you aren't having kids now, we hope you will be working with us years down the road when you may appreciate this policy.

Performance-Based Contests: We all love healthy competition and we regularly run contests for the admissions team. Recent prizes include gift cards, gadgets, and cocktail kits.

Open-Book Management & Gain Share: We take great pride in the quality of services that our team provides for our students and in building a great company. We review our company financials weekly, educate our staff on running the business, and reward them with a portion of the profits quarterly and annually.Initial job training: Weeks 1 & 2: The first two weeks of the job encompass an intensive sales and advising training regimen. The next 3 months: After initial training, you'll receive continued support and guidance from another advisor who will serve as your mentor for three months, weekly training with the rest of the Admissions team, and regular 1:1 meetings with your manager throughout your career with ITA.

Continuous Training: All staff have ongoing training with their manager and peers and have opportunities to participate in external training.

Other support:

Marketing: Your prospective students have inquired about our classes and services driven by our marketing team. These are all prequalified prospects distributed to you daily in an equal round robin automation. You typically receive 160 to 200 new enquires a month. Email marketing, automation, webinars, brochures, videos, etc are created by our marketing and technology teams. Technology: You are trained with our CRM (Customer Relations Manement) system in Hubspot and Salesforce to manage the database of thousands of enquires per advisor.

TO APPLY:

You must apply for this position through the International TEFL Academy website using the link below. We will not take your phone calls or emails about the position unless we contact you for an initial interview. If you call us we will mark it against you. Your application will require:

1. Resume (Word or pdf) - please include your name in the title of the digital document. Example: Steven Smith Resume and Coverletter - ITA Admissions.
2. Cover letter addressing:

• Why do you want to work at ITA?
• Why are you interested in a sales/advising position?
• If sales experience, describe your experience in sales, recruitment and success.
• Countries lived, worked, studied, and traveled.
• Tell us why travel is important and how you would love to talk to people about seeing the world. Sell us on your passion and writing skills.
• When you can start if hired.
• Best phone number and time to reach you for a call.
• Please tell us which job site you found us on or if a friend referred you.

Note 1: Our recruiting platform prompts you to "upload your resume" but does not state that you must upload a "cover letter." That is a limitation of the platform. A cover letter is still required. We will not reply to any candidate without a cover letter. Convince us to interview you.

Note 2: We do not accept phone calls about employment. A phone call may weaken your application. We understand your initiative, but we receive many applications for this position and it is a significant process to evaluate each candidate.

Then What Happens?

Once your application is submitted, we will reach out to you if you are selected to move forward. So, please check your email and voicemail frequently. If you are not selected in this process, don't worry, we will keep your resume on file for other potential future positions that could be a good match.

Here at International TEFL Academy, as global citizens, we recognize that diversity, equity and inclusion are vital to the culture of our organization. International TEFL Academy is an equal opportunity workplace.