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Mr.Ian
Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Posts: 6
Location: Arizona
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 Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 4:17 am Post subject: Seeking advice for CELTA cert between Apr 2015 and June 2015 |
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Hi Everyone!
I just joined and I'm excited to be a part of this community. This really seems like a goldmine of a resource - kudos to you Dave Sperling and company.
I'm a 32 year old IT and Business professional (double-major bachelors degree to boot) getting ready to take a 'career break' and travel Asia for 6 months or longer. In preparation for this life change I've been doing some research around how to get the most from my travels and how to give the most in my travels, all while carefully trying not to break my limited bank. It seems that teaching English may be the best way to find the deep cultural experience and abundance for possibility that I'm seeking.
With what I've read thus far, I've learned that the CELTA is really the keystone to opening some great opportunities. I'm currently scrambling in pursuit of a CELTA in the hopes to possibly increase my chances at placement in JET. To be able to check that valuable box on my application which claims I've completed 100 hours of TEFL training before July 1, 2015, I need to get the right plan in place soon!
All of that is to preface a few ideas I'm seeking your feedback on:
1) Is it reasonable to assume that I can obtain a CELTA between the end of March 2015 and the end of June 2015? Am I compressing a timeline for training that will reduce the take-away value of the CELTA?
2) I found a program in Beijing that starts on May 4th, and ends on May 29th, are there any good forums for finding people who might want to share a one-month rental on AirBNB or something similar? (Any other ideas here to help keep costs down?)
3) While I understand the CELTA is a well standardized Cambridge education, does the organization teaching the material add or subtract from the overall value? Is "International House" a good name? What are some good names in the industry?
I realize that some of these questions have likely been answered elsewhere so I apologize for any redundancy. I have not yet found those answers and I am in a bit of a 'scramble' as I need to have my JET application in the mail in two days! I will continue to seek advice you may have placed in this treasure trove of wisdom, and I greatly appreciate your time in reading my post.
Thank you kindly for your contributions to this resource! |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 4:41 am Post subject: Re: Seeking advice for CELTA cert between Apr 2015 and June |
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| Mr.Ian wrote: |
| ...getting ready to take a 'career break' and travel Asia for 6 months or longer. In preparation for this life change I've been doing some research around how to get the most from my travels and how to give the most in my travels, all while carefully trying not to break my limited bank. It seems that teaching English may be the best way to find the deep cultural experience and abundance for possibility that I'm seeking |
A few points:
- If you're considering TEFL for a minimum of 6 months, getting a CELTA won't really be worth the time and expense if your focus is on countries where, by the way, a TEFL cert isn't a requirement. That said, in lieu of a TEFL course, you could volunteer teach part time at one of your local nonprofit ESL/refugee organizations to gain some teaching experience.
- Your tight budget may not allow you to do much traveling during those six months since you'll likely be paying your own round trip airfare.
- Many employers don't do six-month contracts, which means you're limited as to where you can teach. |
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Mr.Ian
Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Posts: 6
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 5:02 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for those points of advice!
I don't mean that I plan to travel for 6 months firm. I plan to travel at least 6 months as in: if I land no jobs and spend my budget like I'm on vacation, I'll probably only be travelling for 6 months. I intend to travel for as long as I can or as long as it makes sense to me to keep travelling. |
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Prof.Gringo
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 2236
Location: Dang Cong San Viet Nam Quang Vinh Muon Nam!
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 5:03 am Post subject: Re: Seeking advice for CELTA cert between Apr 2015 and June |
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| Mr.Ian wrote: |
Hi Everyone!
I just joined and I'm excited to be a part of this community. This really seems like a goldmine of a resource - kudos to you Dave Sperling and company.
I'm a 32 year old IT and Business professional (double-major bachelors degree to boot) getting ready to take a 'career break' and travel Asia for 6 months or longer. In preparation for this life change I've been doing some research around how to get the most from my travels and how to give the most in my travels, all while carefully trying not to break my limited bank. It seems that teaching English may be the best way to find the deep cultural experience and abundance for possibility that I'm seeking.
With what I've read thus far, I've learned that the CELTA is really the keystone to opening some great opportunities. I'm currently scrambling in pursuit of a CELTA in the hopes to possibly increase my chances at placement in JET. To be able to check that valuable box on my application which claims I've completed 100 hours of TEFL training before July 1, 2015, I need to get the right plan in place soon!
All of that is to preface a few ideas I'm seeking your feedback on:
1) Is it reasonable to assume that I can obtain a CELTA between the end of March 2015 and the end of June 2015? Am I compressing a timeline for training that will reduce the take-away value of the CELTA?
2) I found a program in Beijing that starts on May 4th, and ends on May 29th, are there any good forums for finding people who might want to share a one-month rental on AirBNB or something similar? (Any other ideas here to help keep costs down?)
3) While I understand the CELTA is a well standardized Cambridge education, does the organization teaching the material add or subtract from the overall value? Is "International House" a good name? What are some good names in the industry?
I realize that some of these questions have likely been answered elsewhere so I apologize for any redundancy. I have not yet found those answers and I am in a bit of a 'scramble' as I need to have my JET application in the mail in two days! I will continue to seek advice you may have placed in this treasure trove of wisdom, and I greatly appreciate your time in reading my post.
Thank you kindly for your contributions to this resource! |
It's a waste of your time & money to get a CELTA. Sounds like you want to do the whole backpacker/EFL teacher life for a half a year, a working vacation, right?
Just grab a "decent" online TEFL and do your homework. You can prob. pick up work in Thailand if you time it right. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 5:35 am Post subject: Re: Seeking advice for CELTA cert between Apr 2015 and June |
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| Quote: |
| You can prob. pick up work in Thailand if you time it right. |
In other words, it's a hit-or-miss. |
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Mr.Ian
Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Posts: 6
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 5:41 am Post subject: |
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| Prof. Gringo: I'm kind of hoping to travel, find a place I like, see if I can stay for a bit and get a cultural experience, then travel some more. When I find a place to stay for a bit, I could see myself teaching for 6 months to a year - maybe 2 if life is good. Do you still think a CELTA is a waste? |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 5:51 am Post subject: |
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| Mr.Ian wrote: |
| Do you still think a CELTA is a waste? |
It depends on your target countries. Some don't require a TEFL qualification, while others (including visa requirements) do. But then, for some teaching positions, a lowly online, quickie TEFL cert fits the bill. That said, I suggest you look at actual job ads in the countries you're interested in to get an idea of the requirements employers typically expect. Frankly, for Asia, a CELTA is more likely to be overkill; a basic 120-hour TEFL course usually suffices if a teaching qualification is required.
Additionally, since your goal is more on travel, be aware that teaching on a tourist visa can get you deported if caught. And that's for just about every country in the world. You'll also find some employers won't even bother hiring teachers on tourist visas. |
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Mr.Ian
Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Posts: 6
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 6:20 am Post subject: |
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| Nomad: Thank you. You present some good considerations. I don't intend to be inviting deportation so I'll be pursuing work visas as necessary. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 6:29 am Post subject: |
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| Mr.Ian wrote: |
| I don't intend to be inviting deportation so I'll be pursuing work visas as necessary. |
Which generally equates to committing to an employer for at least a year and probably via a contract. That's likely to thwart your travel/adventure plans.
The backpack-n-teach lifestyle has been in steady decline. Nowadays, employers prefer teachers who are likely to stick around versus those who tend to be transient. |
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Mr.Ian
Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Posts: 6
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 6:58 am Post subject: |
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If I'm in another culture on a 1+ year contract teaching, I will be realizing my travel/adventure plans, not thwarting them. I have a pretty flexible concept of what I'm doing.
What is your personal experience Nomad? How long have you been travelling or teaching? Why did you start? Do you still enjoy it? |
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 7:12 am Post subject: Re: Seeking advice for CELTA cert between Apr 2015 and June |
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| Mr.Ian wrote: |
All of that is to preface a few ideas I'm seeking your feedback on:
1) Is it reasonable to assume that I can obtain a CELTA between the end of March 2015 and the end of June 2015? Am I compressing a timeline for training that will reduce the take-away value of the CELTA? Yes, the full-time CELTA takes 4 weeks.
3) While I understand the CELTA is a well standardized Cambridge education, does the organization teaching the material add or subtract from the overall value? Is "International House" a good name? What are some good names in the industry? It should be the same wherever you do it. IH is a BIG company and you may even get a job after doing the course with them.
] |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 7:21 am Post subject: |
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| Mr.Ian wrote: |
| I'm kind of hoping to travel, find a place I like, see if I can stay for a bit and get a cultural experience, then travel some more. When I find a place to stay for a bit, I could see myself teaching for 6 months to a year - maybe 2 if life is good. Do you still think a CELTA is a waste? |
You might want to reconsider your plan of "travelling". Many job contracts are for a year. Also, many of the jobs that "newbies" get are the ones with less desirable conditions with less reputable employers. It often takes time to get to know a place and the local employers, and to network in order to build a reputation and connections which will help you find out about better jobs. If you move from place to place, you'll constantly be starting back at zero.
Also, in many places you'll likely have some set-up costs to pay (i.e., apartment move-in fees, appliances, basic furniture, etc.), and it might be hard to recoup those costs if you are only staying a few months to a year. That said, in some places in the world, there are furnished apartments, or guesthouses/hostels where you can rent a room. It just depends on where you intend to go.
In answer to your question, a CELTA will likely help you in that it will give you some basic language teaching skills, and some training is generally looked at as better than no training in most places. That said, you could probably get by without a CELTA in many places in Asia. |
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 8:40 am Post subject: |
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| As far as I'm aware JET expects participants to commit for a year btw. |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Mr.Ian wrote: |
| If I'm in another culture on a 1+ year contract teaching, I will be realizing my travel/adventure plans, not thwarting them. I have a pretty flexible concept of what I'm doing. |
It sounds like your best bet would be to seek a one-year contract someplace like Korea, China, or Japan where you could save a large chunk of money and, then, use the money to do some extended travel following your year of work.
By the way, the TA in CELTA means "Teaching Adults." What age group are you interested in? |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 3:00 pm Post subject: |
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| esl_prof wrote: |
| It sounds like your best bet would be to seek a one-year contract someplace like Korea, China, or Japan where you could save a large chunk of money and, then, use the money to do some extended travel following your year of work. |
I agree that if the OP's goal is to travel, he might be best off taking a year contract someplace, saving some money, and then using that money to travel. I also agree that Korea or China might be good places to look. Japan might be tough to save much after only a year, as set-up costs can be significant (it is usually recommended to bring around $4,000-$5,000 to cover set-up costs). However, if the OP can get a position through the JET Programme, flights are provided, housing costs are sometimes subsidized, and the salary is higher than most other starting salaries, so he would likely be able to save some. |
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