I think that the world of TEFL is getting more competitive by the day. Nowadays almost all jobs require at least a TEFL certifcate but more and more schools are asking for DELTA. If you want a good salary you must spend money first and get some certificates. I know this is obviously annoying and inconvenient but from what I can see on the esl job sites that I've visited this is become a more common trend. I see more schools requiring certification for elementary/middle schools even in countries that aren't as developed as the ones we talk about on this board a lot (i.e. China, Korea, Japan, etc.).

Since esl is still a developing industry in so many countries there really is no set standard of measuring how developed it is. Unfortunately the only universal reason that you can actually be guaranteed a good job no matter which country you are in is if you know someone who can possibly refer you to their boss at the school that they're working at. This is in no way ethical or fair but a lot of the times that's how many people get positions.

I know from applying to literally hundreds upon hundreds of jobs that it isn't an easy task to find a good job. Sometimes I wonder myself if the system is just so wrong that there is no fairness to it.