Job Discussion Forums

[OneLove23]

Hi all,

I'm planning on doing the CELTA certificate and wanted your advice. Would it be preferable to do it in an English speaking country or is any country fine?

As of now, International House in Budapest appeals to me. I can do the course and pay for my flight and board for the same price as the course tuition in Canada.

I don't plan on staying in Hungary, as I will be doing a Master's program in the field in Australia after the certification. I thought it would be a good idea to have so that I can teach part time while studying.

Thanks so much and take care! OneLove

[Tudor]

I think the best place to do it is in the country where you plan to teach. That way, you're already in situ and you can "hit the ground running" looking for jobs as soon as the course finishes. In fact, I actually started sending out CVs and making enquiries during my course. What's more, you may often find that the course tutors will have spent many years in that country and they may have numerous professional contacts or, what's not unheard of, is that you could be offered a job by the course-provider themselves. Also, it will give you a very good idea of the types of students you will be teaching - students in Hungary will be significantly different from those in, say, Japan.

Some people will argue against this advice by saying that the CELTA is a tough enough course as it is (agree) without contending with culture shock on top of all the course requirements. However, in my experience, this didn't happen as I was simply too busy during the four weeks to give that much thought to my surroundings. Again, this depends where you do the course. I'd imagine adapting to your surroundings in Budapest would be far easier than doing so in Bangkok or Jakarta. For me, culture shock set in after the course when I was job-hunting and it began to fade once I started work - I think the busier you are, the less time you have to worry about any annoyances or difficulties that you encounter.

Your CELTA certificate will be viewed as equal no matter where you did it although some employers may look favourably on someone who completed their CELTA locally. In theory, all CELTA courses should be the same, but you may wish to check out on-line reviews of the centres you're interested in as, on occasion, certain centres have received criticism for one reason or another. I was discouraged by a centre in Thailand as their 'promotional' literature expressed a preference for 'younger' candidiates with the implication that they are more pliable. Being in my 30s, I didn't know what age category I would have fallen in to nor was I willing to spend $1500 to find out.

Good luck with the course; it is tough, but mainly due to its intensity. Work hard, plan your time, take on board any criticism, bite your tongue, and ensure you put into practice the methods you are taught and you'll be fine.

Edit: - sorry, just re-read your post and seen that you're going to Australia after your CELTA. Despite this, it might still be a good idea to do the course in a country where you wnat to teach so as to get an idea of the country/city itself, the students, and also to get some contacts who may be able to help you with your job search. All the best!

[OneLove23]

Thanks for your reply Tudor!

I really appreciate that you took the time to thoroughly respond and give me a lot of information!

I hope that you're enjoying your life in Southeast Asia and I'm glad to know that you had a good experience while doing your CELTA.

As to culture shock, you are absolutely right in that Europe is much easier to adapt to. Also I'm part Hungarian so it should be all right ;) I've been teaching in Japan for the past 2 years so I think the CELTA would be a good investment and it would be nice to have exposure to a different part of the world and a different group of learners.

Well, I think that I eventually want to end up in the Gulf area but doing the CELTA there is bloody expensive and it would not be until after the master's. I hope that experience in Europe won't count against me when applying in the Middle East later. hmmm.....

Anyway thanks again and do take care!

OneLove

[coledavis]

Well, I'll put the alternative point of view. Teach in your own (or another native speaking) country. This ensures the rigours of having to teach a multilingual class. No quick usage of the students' L1 and a need for really accurate eliciting techniques and boardwork. That way, you have much more to offer. (Just my opinion though.)

[Prof.Gringo]

In the long run, a CELTA is recognized world-wide. In the short-term, most people go to a target country as you can often do the CELTA, pay for housing, food & transport costs for what you would pay for just the CELTA back home. In the meanwhile, you can start to network and learn about your new country.