r/TEFL

Community Overview
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About r/TEFL

Questions and discussion about everything related to Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) around the world.

The community at a glance

r/TEFL is a Subreddit for Teachers with roughly 97K members. It has been around since 2008. It has both a forum and a live chat communication style. It is the 6th largest community in the Teaching topic page.

Roughly 14K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Tefl, Teaching, and China. Common discussion themes are Advice Requests and Pain & Anger. Product recommendations often mention tefl course.

On Reddit
Established 2008
97K Members

Community Topics

Community Features

Forum

This community has a forum

Chat

This community has a realtime chat

Subreddit Analysis

via GummySearch
Yearly: +14K members
Growth: +16.8% / year

Member growth over time

All time (yearly)

  • 2013: 3K members
  • 2014: 3K members
  • 2015: 3K members
  • 2016: 3K members
  • 2017: 4K members
  • 2018: 6K members
  • 2019: 9K members
  • 2020: 10K members
  • 2021: 9K members
  • 2023: 13K members
  • 2024: 10K members
  • 2025: 14K members
  • 2026: 6K members

Past year (monthly)

  • Jul: 1K members
  • Aug: 996 members
  • Sep: 1K members
  • Oct: 2K members
  • Nov: 998 members
  • Dec: 907 members
  • Jan: 1K members
  • Feb: 1K members
  • Mar: 1K members
  • Apr: 1K members
  • May: 1K members
  • Jun: 95 members

Themes

  • Advice Requests
    38 posts in the past month
    1. Returning to TEFL after many years. Need advice.
    2. I Got a Teaching Job Offer in Jakarta – What Are the Pros and Cons of Moving?
    3. Cost of living for a teacher in China?
    #1
    Advice Requests
    Returning to TEFL after many years. Need advice. · I Got a Teaching Job Offer in Jakarta – What Are the Pros and Cons of Moving? · Cost of living for a teacher in China?
    38
  • Pain & Anger
    3 posts in the past month
    1. Feeling Hopeless about ESL in China
    2. Dealing with a nightmare manager in Vietnam, what to do !
    3. School doesn't wanna pay salaries
    #2
    Pain & Anger
    Feeling Hopeless about ESL in China · Dealing with a nightmare manager in Vietnam, what to do ! · School doesn't wanna pay salaries
    3
  • Money Talk
    1 post in the past month
    1. How do people fund moving to their new job before they get paid? Do employers help/pay any money upfront to help?
    #3
    Money Talk
    How do people fund moving to their new job before they get paid? Do employers help/pay any money upfront to help?
    1

Topics

  • Tefl
    152 posts in the past month
    1. Returning to TEFL after many years. Need advice.
    2. TEFL in retirement?
    3. How many people pursue TEFL to live with their partner in their partner’s home country?
    #1
    Tefl
    Returning to TEFL after many years. Need advice. · TEFL in retirement? · How many people pursue TEFL to live with their partner in their partner’s home country?
    152
  • Teaching
    97 posts in the past month
    1. I Got a Teaching Job Offer in Jakarta – What Are the Pros and Cons of Moving?
    2. Entry teaching in China
    3. Insight into teaching in China?
    #2
    Teaching
    I Got a Teaching Job Offer in Jakarta – What Are the Pros and Cons of Moving? · Entry teaching in China · Insight into teaching in China?
    97
  • China
    80 posts in the past month
    1. China Offer!
    2. Feeling Hopeless about ESL in China
    3. Our Englishood - Beijing, China (A Life Story)
    #3
    China
    China Offer! · Feeling Hopeless about ESL in China · Our Englishood - Beijing, China (A Life Story)
    80
  • Job
    54 posts in the past month
    1. Job offer in Hangzhou - Advice needed
    2. Apply for a TEFL / ESL teaching job in China - when is the best time to apply and when is too late?
    #4
    Job
    Job offer in Hangzhou - Advice needed · Apply for a TEFL / ESL teaching job in China - when is the best time to apply and when is too late?
    54
  • Looking For
    50 posts in the past month
    #5
    Looking For
    50

Product recommendations

  • tefl course
    15 posts in the past month
    1. Best TEFL course for actually learning? (Online preferrably)
    2. Best website for online TEFL course?
    3. Best plan of action for attaining a TEFL cert. in this Wild West of online TEFL courses.
    #1
    tefl course
    Best TEFL course for actually learning? (Online preferrably) · Best website for online TEFL course? · Best plan of action for attaining a TEFL cert. in this Wild West of online TEFL courses.
    15
View full analysis on GummySearchSynced 6/3/2026

Community Reviews

“The r/TEFL community moderators follow some very questionable business practices - they often recommend disreputable TEFL programs and warn people about not taking some very reputable TEFL programs. We have been following this community for a few years now and it appears to us that there must be an exchange of money in return for what is portrayed as organic recommendations. Most recently, an anonymous user posted a question about our program and the community's response was that all of our company reviews are fake. Oh, and the response included a link to a Wiki page where it is also claimed that we - along with some other reputable TEFL programs - should be avoided. This is very unprofessional and further leads us to question the legitimacy of r/TEFL.“
- Paul

Frequently asked questions

Who is r/TEFL for?
Best for Teachers enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion, live chat.
Is r/TEFL free to join?
This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
How many members does r/TEFL have?
Roughly 97K members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
What platform is r/TEFL on?
r/TEFL runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
What topics does r/TEFL cover?
On the Hive Index, r/TEFL is organized under Teachers.
How do I join r/TEFL?
You can join r/TEFL by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
What are the Teaching communities like?
Communities for teachers and educators at all levels, from K-12 classrooms to university faculty. Facebook groups and Reddit have the most active spaces for curriculum sharing, classroom management tips, and support around the emotional realities of teaching. You will also find communities for online educators and course creators building educational content.
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Added 9/30/2021

Monthly Stats

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