Job Discussion Forums

[wuliuchiba]

One factor that curiously no one has mentioned so far is that it's 16 hours teaching high school. This means, in my experience, overcrowded classes full of rowdy, unbehaved students who don't want to be there. Yes, I know that college students don't want to be there, either, but at least at that point most of them have matured enough that they don't treat every class like a zoo. You'll be dealing a classroom full of bored teenagers who don't care about your class because it's not on the Gaokao and therefore not worth studying for, and who expect it to be the Foreign Teacher Playtime Hour. Most uni jobs pay the same amount for the same hours, but the student situation will be very different and much less stressful.

[Oztobeyond]

[Oztobeyond]

Hi guys,

I thought I'd update you all on this.

I had a long and hard think about this particular job offer, and did a lot of research as well. I came very close to taking it. Ultimately, however, I came to the conclusion that I've never had to teach a classroom in my life, and that therefore a CELTA qualification would be extremely helpful for my students and myself before I embark on any employment in this field. Furthermore, all the research I've done revealed that, although CELTA is difficult and expensive, almost no one who has done it failed to get something worthwhile out of it.

I understand many of you were recommending I give teaching a shot with a simple TEFL first, however I'm quite sure this is what I want to do for perhaps 5+ years, and in that case I may as well get my CELTA now.

Therefore, I'm going to enrol in a CELTA course here in Sydney commencing at the end of this month. I will be kicking around here again in no time, no doubt posting about my next job offer post-CELTA.

Thank you all so much, see you soon.

[roadwalker]

Sounds well thought out - good luck!

[nomad soul]

[Brunouno]

[Oztobeyond]

Yes Thailand is quite cheap, thanks I'll keep that in mind. Almost everything is expensive in Australia, though (luckily so are the wages).

[mysterytrain]

You could also do the Trinity Cert TESOL (considered equivalent to CELTA) at IALF in Denpasar, Bali, for about the same price as a CELTA in Thailand (or Vietnam, etc). The biggest downside to this course is availability - I believe it is only offered three or four times a year, if I'm not mistaken.

http://tesolbali.com/

[Oztobeyond]

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd give an update for you all.

I have completed my first week of CELTA at International House here in Sydney.

It took me a good part of the week to get into the swing of things, but now I'm well and truly not only settled in but excited by the learning opportunities and challenges entailed in this course. The more I get into it the surer I am that I'm in a field that I am passionate about.

CELTA I can see is of an extremely high standard. The way they plunge you into the deep end (my first extended interaction with a class [20 mins] was on day 1, my first teaching practice lesson [40 mins] was on day 2!) shocked me at first but now I see it's the best way to do it!

The timetabled period for my course is the 31st of August through to the 25th of September. If anyone knows an employer looking for a young, passionate 24 year old male English graduate who is CELTA qualified and who can start after this date please inbox me! I'm open to almost any posting worldwide.

Thanks everyone

[litterascriptor]

Sounds about par for the course with TEFL. The are a legion of stories of teachers staggering off the plane, hung over, jet lagged, and disoriented only to be picked up by their school and told their first class is in 10 minutes.

Teaching on your first day of your tefl course is good practice for you!

[wawaguagua]

[3701 W.119th]

[wawaguagua]