| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
mistajess
Joined: 16 Mar 2005
Posts: 4
|
 Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 6:53 pm Post subject: Does ESL experience help with domestic jobs? |
 |
|
Hello,
Not sure if anyone can help me with this question but I'm not sure where else to post.
Part of the reason I started teaching adult-level ESL classes was to bolster my teaching credentials to eventually achieve my goal of teaching university-level writing classes in the US (or anywhere really). I'm curious if anyone knows whether or not this is a good way to go about cracking that particular nut. Is it better to have university-level ESL experience or just any experience at all in the US?
Thanks for any information. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:38 pm Post subject: Re: Does ESL experience help with domestic jobs? |
|
|
| mistajess wrote: |
| Part of the reason I started teaching adult-level ESL classes was to bolster my teaching credentials to eventually achieve my goal of teaching university-level writing classes in the US (or anywhere really). |
Is your interest in being an English language teacher who focuses on writing in an Intensive English Program (IEP)? Or as a creative writing teacher (non-ESL)? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:45 am Post subject: Re: Does ESL experience help with domestic jobs? |
|
|
| mistajess wrote: |
Hello,
Not sure if anyone can help me with this question but I'm not sure where else to post.
Part of the reason I started teaching adult-level ESL classes was to bolster my teaching credentials to eventually achieve my goal of teaching university-level writing classes in the US (or anywhere really). I'm curious if anyone knows whether or not this is a good way to go about cracking that particular nut. Is it better to have university-level ESL experience or just any experience at all in the US?
Thanks for any information. |
I agree with nomad soul. A little clarification would help. I interpret your question in 2 ways:
1) You are asking about what kind of EFL teaching experience (i.e., outside the US) will be useful for trying to get a job teaching ESL writing at a university (i.e., an IEP) in the US.
2) You are asking whether adult ESL teaching experience (in the US) will help you to get a job teaching (ESL?) writing at universities in the US.
If (1), then university-level EFL teaching will be most useful. You'll also need a related (TESOL, Applied Linguistics) masters and a few years of experience teaching at universities. Some specialized skills or experience would also help (e.g., CALL or assessment).
If (2), then your adult ESL experience might help a bit for teaching ESL writing, but it depends on what kind of program and who the students are. If it's teaching survival English to refugees, then it might not help as much. If it's teaching basic literacy skills to recent immigrants, it might help a little more, but still probably only a little. More useful for getting a full-time job teaching ESL writing would be to get adjunct positions first. These will still require a relevant MA, and your experience teaching adults would help you to get an adjunct position.
If (2), and you are talking about teaching non-ESL writing at a university in the US, then your experience teaching ESL to adults will help very little or not at all. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 10:18 pm Post subject: |
|
|
A friend who taught in Japan for ten years went back to the US and became an elementary school teacher. He still had to get his license in the US but found that his EFL helped him greatly as over half of his student were ESL. The other Americans often panicked when dealing with ESL students and often came to him for advice.
His EFL experience helped him unofficially. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
spanglish
Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 742
Location: working on that
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2014 1:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
My ESL experience has not helped per se. A few things I picked up along the way have been of use, such as a sense of adventure, stamina, lots of great stories, multitasking, ability to work with diverse groups, foreign language ability, and practical knowledge of development issues. I was looking to make a pretty big career jump when I got out, so had to be pretty aggressive in terms of pursuing additional education.
In your case, you're looking to transition to a related career, so certainly - ESL/TEFL/whatever you call it seems like it would be of great help. Just remember - it will probably be a detour from your real plans, so plan for how you will retrace your steps back to what you really want. And be warned - it just might change your life! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Shroob
Joined: 02 Aug 2010
Posts: 1339
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2014 5:53 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I was once given an offer to study on a PGCE course (initial teacher entry) and invited to an open evening to get to know the department. One of the other people invited had been teaching in Mexico for two years, the admin flat out told it that it meant squat. So I'd research what route you want to follow and what experience they value, as while the experience may be helpful in the classroom, getting there is another matter. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
