Job Discussion Forums

[kaitlin_h17]

Hello everyone! I am a sophomore in college majoring in Spanish Education. I have practiced my Spanish with several Colombians and I've really fallen in love with the culture, even though I've never been there.

I've oftentimes contemplated teaching in Colombia, but I've heard very diverse opinions. I've heard that it's not as dangerous as everyone perceives it to be. I've also heard some people say that you cannot survive on a teacher's salary while others say that you can. I don't have student loans or any debts, so I'm just looking to survive I know I'm probably not going to save money.

My first question deals with certification. The TESOL degree is set up a bit strangely at my University. I cannot get the TESOL certification because it is a graduate program and I'm not in grad school. However, I can take the corresponding classes with a linguistics minor, and my professor told me that he can write a letter explaining that I am 'certified', but I technically won't have the certification and it won't appear on my transcript. Would this be a problem?

I've heard a lot about the CELTA as well....should I go that route? I've heard it's very helpful but it is quite pricey. Is it worth the investment?

I've been trying to get more preparation here for teaching ESL because I understand that it is indeed a difficult job. I plan to observe some ESL classrooms and tutor some students in ESL. Also the Education major and linguistics minor will help with methodology. But with this being said, I probably wouldn't have prior experience teaching ESL in front of a classroom before going to Bogota. I plan on going when I graduate.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated! Teaching ESL in Colombia seems extremely rewarding and it has been a dream of mine for a while now.

[CarolinaTHeels]

Id change my major to become a LICENSED teacher. Then you can get nice jobs making real money in Colombia and ANYWHERE in the world at International Schools.

If not that id get a CELTA if you want to stay in Colombia for more than 6 months.

[kaitlin_h17]

By becoming a "licensed teacher", do you mean getting the TESOL certification? Or my license to teach in my state? Could you please clarify this?

I would consider majoring in TESOL but unfortunately it's not an option for a major at my university.

[spanglish]

You sound like you are getting well qualified and doing your research.

Do you think you might live in Colombia and Latin America for several years? What kind of students do you want to teach? If it's kids, you should get certified to teach in your home state and attempt to get a job at a decent high school down here. Otherwise, you could land at IH and put in your time for a bit until you can get on with a decent uni.

If you're doing coursework from an MA in TESOL, I'm not sure that it'd be worth it for you to get your CELTA; sounds like you'll be beyond that by the time you graduate. It would be good if you could take a course that involves teaching real students and being evaluated by a teacher trainer.

[kaitlin_h17]

Thanks for the response! It's not an MA en ESL but rather the linguistics minor....the classes correspond to the TESOL certification but I don't know if I can get the actual certification due to the fact that I'm not in grad school (I wrote about this in the first post )

With that being said, my senior year I will student teach in SPANISH and I will be evaluated. But I imagine this still is useful because I can apply some of the same methodologies to ESL.

As for the TESOL certificate, I plan to tutor ESL students and minor in linguistics to take TESOL courses. There is a TESOL methods class which I plan to take next year and then a TESOL practicum course which involves teaching (and maybe evaluation but I'm not sure!)

I would probably teach high school students or adults, because that's what I've been training for (even though Spanish Education is K-12).

As for how long I'll stay, it depends on how much I like it, which I won't really know until I start teaching there. It might be a couple years, or it might be 20....who knows!

[spanglish]

You said you can take the 'corresponding classes.' I took that to mean that you would be sitting in on MA TESOL classes, but receiving credit for your linguistics minor.

[kaitlin_h17]

Oh yes, that is right! Sorry, I was confused.

The classes are Language Acquisition, Sociolinguistics, English grammar, and TESOL methods.

I will probably also take TESOL practicum which is application of the methodology (going out to teach in the community)

[CarolinaTHeels]

I mean getting licensed to teach at the pubic schools in your home state.

Real teaching per say that will give you good pay and benefits abroad.

[kaitlin_h17]

Ok, I see what you mean Carolina. What if I'm certified to teach Spanish here in the US without having experience doing it? Would that count for anything? My plan was to graduate, teach English in Colombia for a while, and then come back to teach Spanish here in the States after who knows how long

I figured it would be less messy than trying to find a job here as a Spanish teacher, then quit, then go to Colombia, and then have to find work again in the US.

[reddevil79]

[CarolinaTHeels]

[AGoodStory]

[reddevil79]

I�m guessing there might well be a few teachers here on this board that you�ve offended as they are not real teachers by your definition.

I can see where you�re coming from though. In most countries, international schools offer some of the best packages on offer, and applicants have to be qualified with good experience as a result.

But I disagree strongly that those who do not possess a teaching license are not �real teachers�. I have a PGCE (British teaching license) and masters in Applied Linguistics, and have met many individuals in ELT who I would consider every bit a teacher as those working in primary and secondary schools. Furthermore, the masters taught me so much more about teaching and education than the PGCE ever did, which I found quite narrow and prescriptive. I ultimately switched from teaching kids to adults as I found it far more rewarding and challenging, but that�s just me.

Could Kaitlin_h17 change courses to become a licensed teacher? Ultimately you have to do want you want; if your real passion is adult education, studying/working to become licensed in elementary/high schools just for better pay abroad may make you unhappy. I would say test the waters out for a few months and then decide. You're still young with plenty of time on your side

[kaitlin_h17]

Thanks reddevil for the advice.

I will actually graduate from college with a Bachelors Degree in Spanish Education, and I will have my license to teach Spanish here in my state. I have so far been taking or will be taking all of the tests I need to take for my license (like the PRAXIS tests and the Oral Profiency and Written Proficiency tests). Therefore, I will be a 'traditional teacher' with a minor in Linguistics.

I will have to see if I can get the TESOL certification along with the linguistics minor. If I can't get the official certification, I will still take the corresponding classes in the linguistics minor.

I should also probably go to Colombia before I teach there to see if I like it How many of you went to Colombia to teach without having previously been there?

[david_hawk]

Thanks for all of the information.