Job Discussion Forums

[ncaraway]

I currently live in the metropolitan Washington, DC area, which has a very diverse population. As such, ESL programs are widespread and growing. My local community college just started offering a certificate program this year. Course listings and other info can be found here:

http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/cedeptrv/aelg/tesol_courses.html

While I remain undecided as to whether to enter the ESL field, I continue to review various programs. (I have a BS in information systems management) I've posted mainly in the Taiwan forum as that's where I will be moving eventually.

Thoughts, feedback, and questions are welcome.

Cheers!

[naturegirl321]

MOst certs that are 120 hours with 6 of teaching practice are good. BUt the namebrand ones: SIT, CELTA, and Trinity might be preferred by some.

[tttompatz]

[ncaraway]

Thanks for the great feedback - exactly what I was looking for.

I will turn 50 in 3 years, which is when we plan to move to Taiwan. I know that age discrimination is an issue there. I hadn't given serious consideration to getting a teaching certificate, but the suggestion is one worth looking into. I live in Maryland, and a quick visit to the state's Web site gives me the impression that I will need to pass the Praxis exams. The certification will be good for 5 years.

I am presuming that it would be best to get a teaching certificate in addition to ESL certification. Other than the community college program I posted, I have also considered Lado, which is also near where I live: http://lado.com/index.asp?pageid=90. There are a couple of other programs in my vicinity but they're either very costly or don't provide teaching practice. I also wondered whether volunteering for the local Literacy Council might be of benefit.

[ncaraway]

It's one year later and I thought I'd follow up and provide an update.

I earned a 120-hour online certificate through Bridge-Linguatec. Of course, online means no practical experience. Within a week of starting my job search in Taiwan I was hired by a buxiban as their sole native English speaking teacher. Their criteria (in order of perceived importance) seemed to be:

1) native English speaker from the United States
2) 4-year college degree
3) TEFL certificate (they didn't seem to care which certificate as long as they had something they could post on the wall for parents to see)

I'm working with kids age 3-12. It will be interesting to see where I am at the end of my first year teaching. I'm just happy to have a job and to be gaining experience.

Afterthought - Other criteria they used to make the hire seemed to be:

1) my willingness to be around during holidays (e.g., Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween)
2) my willingness to make a long-term commitment, which they could then convey to the parents to establish a perception of stability for the school (which was on the brink of closing).

[Glenski]

Make sure you know the difference between ESL and EFL. What they teach in Taiwan will be EFL.