Job Discussion Forums

[Sadken]

Ok, I am all set to sign up for my TEFL course.

I work full time and want to do this and get gone ASAP. The only problem is that I cannot sign up to an intensive 4 or 5 week course because I will basically need to quit my job to do that and the bills need paying.

Are the variety of courses available over one weekend (typically 80 hours or so with online work involved too) worth the time, effort and money? Will I invest in this qualification only to find that it is worthless and that all prospective employers require an intensive 4 or 5 week CELTA qualification?

I'd be grateful for some guidance on this. I plan to get qualified and maybe go to Japan or somewhere to gather experience before trekking around the world from job to job.

Ta in advance.

[Sekhmet]

Does this weekend course have any sort of observed teaching practice?? If not, don't waste your money. Online courses in themselves are also not worth the proverbial paper they're written on, and most employers don't look any too favourably on them.
I have to admit, I know next to nothing about Japan, but I'm pretty sure you would not find anything remotely approaching a half decent job with that kind of certificate!!! The only place where it might be even possible is in China...
So, do yourself a favour, and invest a little time along with your money, and do an intensive 4 week course. It's worth it in the long run if you plan to work anywhere worthwhile!!!
However, CELTA is not the be-all-and-end-all. Granted, it's good, but I don't have CELTA, and I do have a particularly good job... So if the money is a problem, then you do have that option. Just try to do a course that has both input and a good amount of observed pracice, and it'll help you in the long run...

[Sadken]

Thanks for the swift response.

The 4 week thing really is quite a big problem though. No two ways about it, it would mean leaving my job and that would leave me, basically, without anywhere to live. Also I would be doing the course without having a job lined up so I would not even be able to stay with friends for the time it takes to do the course safe in the knowledge that I would be moving onto better and brighter things.

I know that I can do the course part time but that would mean waiting a further 6 months or so. This option has ridiculously limited appeal for me as I am so bored of life here that I feel I am going slightly mad each day I have to get up and trudge to a job I no longer find rewarding, coming home to live in a town and country I which I feel has nothing more to offer me. Sound familiar?

[Sekhmet]

Totally fair play. I had exactly the same situation, which is why I signed up for an overseas course, in the hope I would find a job while I was there... Which is exactly what happened. I took the course with TEFL International in Alexandria in Feburary, and now I'm here, working full time in a great job, earning enough to be able to afford to go out on a regular basis, and having a LOT of fun...
So, although I went home for a month or 2 before I started my job here, I was pretty sure I had something to come back to straight away. And to be honest, there are many worse places to look than Egypt if you want some experience...
Please feel free to PM me if you want any info about the course, or anything else...
Good luck - I hope i works out!!!

[jeddahteacher]

Online courses vary in quality. Some unaccredited courses are quite good. The British Council website will tell you which ones are accredited in the UK. ODL QC accredited courses and College of Teachers approved courses are fully accredited in the UK. In the USA one should check the accreditation of the provider. You can also search this site for posts about various providers.

[Celeste]

While the CELTA is expensive and time consuming, it is certainly one of the most recognized courses out there. My husband has a CELTA and I have a generic TEFL certificate (cheaper, but the same number of hours etc.) and guess whose certificate is recognized by employers? Most CELTA training centres also have a 3 month part time option where you attend class 2 evenings a week for 3 months. This is actually a better way to do the certificate, in my opinion, as you have more time to absorb the material covered. I would get on the waiting list for the part time option or start looking at taking the CELTA abroad.

[jeddahteacher]

Better employers will look at the big picture. Do you have a bachelors or a masters? Do you have verified teaching experience? I do not know your circumstances. No degree and an unaccredited TEFL would not work, then a Cambridge or Trinity certificate would be your best bet.

[spiral78]

Another consideration is that you'll need to have savings enough to get you started.....preferably enough to live on for a couple of months at least. I have known a fair number of TEFL trainees who've imagined landing contracts that include airfares and accomodation and even up-front money from schools. This is not unheard-of in reality, but it's pretty rare that anyone can realistically step into a new career (and life) without making some investment themselves.
Of course, you may be totally covered on this one - I am just guessing from the your assertation that you can't afford to leave your job to take a training course that you might be planning to do the move on slim to no budget basis. If so, be careful!!!! In that case, if even the smallest thing goes wrong, it can have tough consequences.

[Chris_Crossley]

I know you want to get your TEFL career kick-started as soon as possible, Sadken, but, if I were you, I would look at all my options and have the words "PRACTICAL" and "REALISTIC" at the forefront of my choices. What is the most "PRACTICAL" and "REALISTIC" solution to your current situation?

From what you describe, taking an intensive course appears to be a no-no, because you would (a) have no income and (b) have no home. A part-time course might be best because at least you can still have money coming in even if you hate your job and are totally bored with the environment in which you currently find yourself.

I did my Trinity College (London) Certificate in TESOL, another worldwide recognised certificate alongside the CELTA, part-time over 31 Fridays at my local adult education centre (no full-time option was available, anyway), and that kind of pace suited me very well. During that time, I was still able to have money coming in and a roof over my head. Both money and lodgings are PRACTICAL to everyone's needs.

It is all too easy to want to ditch ASAP anything that we don't want to tolerate any longer, but actually doing so is another thing entirely. Going overseas is a big decision, one not to be taken lightly. At the same time, doing everything possible to prepare the ground for this is not to be taken lightly, either, including how to get qualified if you are already working.

I guess that, if one had a huge nest-egg just waiting to hatch, one could risk ditching the day job, taking the course and just leaving the country ASAP. However, in the absence of nest-eggs, one must be both PRACTICAL and REALISTIC in one's choices and actions.

Good luck to you, Sadken.

[Roger]

I personally don't favour quickie courses for people who don't have other relevant teaching certs, but you might be tempted to buy an online cert from a Philippines-based "community college" that used to advertise its products even on Dave's.
I forgot how much they charge for their certificate; they post it to you per mail or courier, and you can in fact have one issued in Taipei.
The farcical nature of this business comes to light when you examine their certificates: if you get your name spelled correctly, you are lucky; you can choose the marks for your own performance; but the telltale sign of their crookedness is that their certificate is called "Teaching Of English to Students (sic!) of Other Languages" certificate.

[Sadken]

Thanks for all the advice guys. It seems that I may be being a bit too hasty but I am just really excited I suppose. I guess I will need to look into all avenues a bit more and a bit longer if this is what I am going to do. Better to be over prepared I suppose.

[Teacher in Rome]

You could look into 1-1, who offer online courses as well as weekend seminars which give you practical training. I've employed a teacher with a cert from them, and I think she's a pretty good teacher. But as other posters have mentioned, a lot also depends on other factors. Do you have business experience, or a a degree? And possibly the most important characteristic - the desire to learn how to become a good teacher? If you are genuinely interested in developing your professional teaching skills, a 1-1 cert combined with a supportive teaching environment is a good start.

Employers in Italy aren't too sniffy about traditional certs vs online certs. When demand for teachers outweighs supply, you'll be able to get work.

Good luck!

[spiral78]

I myself worked and planned a full year beyond what I'd thought was my tolerance level back in 1997 so I could move overseas and take a course. It totally paid off: I took a good course, finished when the job market was at it's best (August-Sept, in my case), had no debts back "home" (where I've never lived since), and had some small financial cushion. Since then, I've lived and worked in four countries, and am now halfway thru my MA in the field.
Prep is tough, and sometimes boring and etc. And it's not ALWAYS necessary - but it can make a big difference in the experience of moving abroad and from my personal experience I recommend it.
So, be excited!! If you decide to take the route to plan and work toward your goal, to be really excited can help you get thru.
Or, take off freely - but if you choose to do that, be extra careful!

[Sadken]

Thanks again guys. What I may do is go to Japan possibly for a year or so and, if I find that this is definitely what I want to do, come back and study in an intensive course full time whilst hopefully staying with mates or my brother for the month or so. Having done a CELTA course I would hope that I can then line up a new job and jet off without getting stuck back here again.

So - What'dya reckon?