Job Discussion Forums

[JasperT]

Hi All,

Question: I'm thinking about doing a CELTA course but the "A" stands for adults. Is it also possible to get a job teaching chlidren with this cert.?

Thanks for sharing,

Jasper

[naturegirl321]

There is a YL extension course. YL is for young learners. I think that they vary between a weekend and a two week course. chekc out their website.

[Ludwig]

'Naturegirl' has given you some duff information there, I am afraid. You can only do the CELTA YL extension if you already possess the CELTA (as hinted at by the 'extension' part of the title) and you could not possibly complete the course in a weekend (unless there are no breaks for the entire two days and nights)!

If it helps, the CELTA is the course that the EMB of the SAR of HK make PNETs complete if they do not already posses a TEFL-like qualification, so yes, it can be used to secure a post to teach children.

[shmooj]

I'm not sure Ludwig is right.

I'll be doing the CELTYL extension this autumn (four weeks part time) although I possess a Trinity cert. The catch is that it won't endorse my Trinity and I will simply receive an in-house certificate stating that I did the course. I'm doing it for the experience, not the qualification per se.

I don't know if I am getting away with doing the course without a CELTA because it is being arranged through the British Council (my employer). If not, there is hope for others to at least get trained despite not getting any recognition for it.

[JasperT]

First: Thanks for the replies!

So if I want to teach childern would I be better of getting a TEFL or a CELTA with YL extra?

Jasper

[naturegirl321]

Sorry, I thought that taking the CELTA before was a given. I think that you can take a CELTA or equivilant course, something that has 120 hours, though check the website to be sure.

[shmooj]

[dandan]

Sorry, but you're all wrong. You can take the CELTYL as a full course (without taking a CELTA) or as a shorter extension course if you already have a CELTA. The CELTYL course is much more relevant if you intend to teach children as it deals with task and activity based teaching techniques for teaching children, a completely different approach to that taught on the CELTA.

With typical civil service logic, the EMB in Hong Kong advocates a task-based teaching approach for teaching primary school students in Hong Kong and yet has chosen to send NETs who don't have an EFL qualification on the CELTA course rather than the CELTYL.

[AndyinHK]

I agree with you dan dan. Actually the EMB has no clue what they are doing. I guess it's from the top down. Dr. Li has experience in managing a university, but doesn't have the slightest clue about managing the education department. That could be because he's not an educator. I hope he'll move to take up one of the positions vacated by Dr. Yeoh or the other guy in the Hospital Authority. Then the gov't could actually hire an educator to manage the EMB. Anybody has got to be better than the medical doctor they've got now.

[shmooj]

[dandan]

Well, we're getting rather of topic as this isn't an HK thread but I quite rate Arthur Li, he's someone who's prepared to cut through the bs of the vested interests in the bureaucracy on ocassion. Also, I didn't think HK is particularly any worse than anywhere else in terms of its bureaucrats, its the nature of decision making by people in organisations where they are promoted on the basis of length of service rather than competence, which is typical of civil servants everywhere.

In terms of the topic at hand, if they won't recognise your TESOL to allow you to get certified after the extension Smooj, it might be worth taking the full CELTYL course, it'll take a bit longer, but you'll get certified. Depends whether anyone offers it wherever you are though, I guess.

Jasper, if you definately want to teach children, the full CELTYL would be best, but as others have pointed out, the CELTA plus YL extension would give you 'both' if you think you might want to apply for adult-teaching positions as well.

[shmooj]

dandan... I posted earlier that it is very hard to get EFL jobs teaching purely children. This is my experience in Japan and Korea. Elsewhere are their opportunities to teach children only and make a long-term go of this?

Cheers...for the CELTYL advice. The extension course is being offered to me seriously discounted and in house and I'm being given cover for my classes too. I simply am in the wrong place and don't have the time for the full course.

[Sekhmet]

Jasper - Just to give you another perspective...
I took the TEFL International course this year, and it had techniques of teaching both adults and YLs. Ok, so it's not Trinity or CELTA, but it was cheaper and it certainly hasn't stopped me getting a job...

So........ not saying that Trinity or CELTA are bad, but there are other options...

[naturegirl321]

[shmooj]

AND in Peru?