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Considering the CELTA in Prague

 
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carl_00



Joined: 05 Jul 2008
Posts: 82

PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 11:10 pm    Post subject: Considering the CELTA in Prague Reply with quote

Hey,

I spent my one and only year teaching in Korea last year and I will now go on and get my CELTA. It's just a matter of where. I'm a British citizen, 24, and, have a non-related degree :/ I'm currently leaning towards the CELTA in Prague because it appears to be one of the cheapest.

If I were to try and get work in Prague following my training, what work could be expected? In Korea, I worked in a private academy. There are some horror stories about these kind of schools but I actually had a great time. Obviously due to the amount of classes I had I couldn't prepare something exceptional for each and every class but I was given a nice amount of freedom to do my own thing when the opportunity arose.

How are the schools/students/etc. in CR?
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 8:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Prague scene, like much of the work in Europe, is primarily focused on teaching business English to adults. Picture split shifts, starting at perhaps even 7am, finishing at 6 pm with a break in the middle. Picture travelling around the city to the offices of your students. There are a few school-based classes going, but dont' expect to be based at one location - it's rare.

Students will be quite different as well - they are adults learning the language because they need it for work and travel (and possibly school) or need to get a Cambridge or IELTS score. They're highly motivated, can be quite demanding, and will expect to have considerably more control over what goes on in their classes than most Asian students. Your experience in Korea likely won't transfer very much to this job market.

Most language schools have a decent supply of standard materials available to teachers, but it's usually expected that you and the students will work out a tailored syllabus that meets their specific needs, so you'll need to be able to respond effectively.
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carl_00



Joined: 05 Jul 2008
Posts: 82

PostPosted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 11:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the response.

And wow, 7am-6pm, no thanks. I wouldn't be comfortable teaching business english, nor working those hours - and especially for the salary expectations I've seen!

Prague still might be a good place to do the CELTA...but, I honestly doubt I'm serious enough for the Czech market.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 3:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hope I was clear about the number of hours - it's not that people teach so long every day, but start early and finish late with a break in the middle - that is pretty common.
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carl_00



Joined: 05 Jul 2008
Posts: 82

PostPosted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

oh yeh, I understood what you meant first time round. But, split shift work just isn't attractive, the time in-between is tedious-waiting time, of course, you learn to compromise it so it might not be too bad but...I'm not much of a morning person to begin with.
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eclectic



Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 1122

PostPosted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 6:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

sounds like a whopper of a break---say you teach 8am to 12 noon, thats 4 hours right there, quite sufficient for a full days teacihng, then you get a 4 hour break!!! Thats more like a siesta. And teach 4pm to 7pm? Wow. Thats what you call split shifts without a doubt.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 7:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's not my own schedule (any more), and I did express it in 'worst-case' terms. Likely 8-6 is more likely, but the split shift is indeed endemic at the newbie level.
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mr tree



Joined: 09 Oct 2007
Posts: 98
Location: Prague, CzR

PostPosted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

eclectic wrote:
sounds like a whopper of a break---say you teach 8am to 12 noon, thats 4 hours right there, quite sufficient for a full days teacihng.


Very Happy no wonder English teachers have a bad rep and get poorly-paid Exclamation

it's just what Czechs demand - learning should be around their work schedule, i.e. before or after work. getting classes during the day is tricky. "the time in-between is tedious waiting-time" - hmm, not if you find something constructive to do with that time! i didn't use to mind reading my book on the journey home, making myself an inexpensive lunch, maybe having a quick nap and then planning the afternoon lesson... (uh, i mean, some lessons for next week Idea ).

but obviously, i can understand why that lifestyle might be unattractive, so it's useful that you asked and that you know now, rather than when you arrive
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm at a university in the Netherlands these days, and even we don't get away with four hours per day only!! Different work ethic in play, clearly.
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