Job Discussion Forums

[ALewis07]

Hello, I'm actually quite new to this forum, though I may have posted like once in the past.

My question is that is it still possible to obtain employment with just the CELTA? I have an associate's degree, but am having some trouble getting to the bachelor's (financially related).

I'm going to have bust my behind just to afford the CELTA, but I'm not sure how long it will take me to get a bachelors, due to the criminal prices of education in America. I'm already paying loans, which is proving to very difficult when you consider all other responsibilities.

I don't mind finishing college in another country (Germany's sounding real nice right now, actually). This would actually be ideal for me, but I really have no idea what's a realistic option nowadays.

I want to at least get a START on my TEFL career. I then can figure out what options are realistic for what I want to do afterwards involving my career...I'm just not exactly sure what I can do right now....

From someone outside looking in.....

[spiral78]

[nomad soul]

[suphanburi]

[Alien abductee]

[Hod]

[suphanburi]

At the risk of sounding like a spoilsport the TEFL game is NOT what it was 20 or even 10 years ago.

Back then a high school diploma, TEFL certificate and a couple of hundred dollars + airfare would get you going.

NOW, with visa restrictions being what they are and the risks of working illegally as a "teacher" it may not be worth it. Without a degree you are at the bottom end of the barrel and typically are at risk of being exploited because as an illegal migrant worker you have no "rights" when your boss forgets to pay you (assuming you even want to work for an employer who would hire illegal workers).

As an American, how do you feel about illegal immigrant workers in your country?
The reason for asking is you would probably become an illegal migrant worker if you moved forward without a degree since the places remaining where an American can legally work as a teacher typically either require a degree or pay less than your loan payments.

Try Latin America. At least it is close to home when you go broke. Nobody wants to be a starving poor-eigner when you are 1/2 way round the planet from home.

DON'T believe the dream sellers. They are selling the dream of teaching and travel (buy our TEFL course, travel and teach your way around the planet). They are just selling the dream.

And as a closing remark... there are lots of us who are out here who are not doing it out of desperation due to being married and stuck abroad with this being the only line of work we can get into. Most of us, now, have a degree or even advanced degrees and have the ability to teach and travel without worrying about the inability to get a visa because we are lacking credentials,

.

[Hod]

I see advising others to teach lower-level TEFL for a year akin to recommending backpacking for a while. What hindrance can there be to someone doing the latter? For me, it's the absolute minimum that young people should do in life, i.e. at least travel for a few months to a year and see a few other places before the boring stuff kicks in. Without that experience, I wouldn't wish the limited horizons of the 9 to 5 gang on anyone.

As I say, many others got their initial chance at TEFL due to marriage and visa rights, etc, but ignore them and strike out alone even for a short while and you'll be a better person than all of them.

Suphanburi has raised a good point, though, about other short-term TEFL courses. If they're not CELTA/Trinity, forget it.

[spiral78]

[Hod]