Job Discussion Forums

[Geoff]

Hello all.

This is my first posting so I suppose it's approprite that I'm in the newbie forum. I have just recently become interesting in teaching English in other countries and the more I learn about it the more interested I become, but I still have some questions.

I'm currently 21 years old and will be graduating from College with a diploma in pre-service Fifefighting (definately not a BA) in December of this year. I know this isn't going to get me very far in the competative working world of ESL teaching, so I've been looking at some ESL courses. however, I'm having trouble figuring out which ones are worth the money and which are a waste of time. I've noticed that most people on this site seem to think that distance courses are garbage and I tend to agree with them, but some have said that if a course is less that 100 hours then it's no good either, is this true? The course that I'm looking at right now is called Oxford Seminars and it's a 60 hour course run once a week out of a Canadian University (I live in Ontario Canada). Has anyone been though this program or know anyone who has? I want to know if it has a good reputation or if it's disregarded like a distance ed course. The program is taught by experienced teachers and has a guarantee that they can place you in a teaching position within 6 months of completing the course or you get your money back. I have nothing to compare this course to at this time so I'm eager to find out what other people have to say.

I love travelling and I think this would be a great opportunity to see the world so if there is anything else people can recommend that would better my chances of finding a job I'd be glad to hear it.

thank you... Geoff

[Sweets]

Hey G,
Here's the thing, I took the course in May 04, mostly to get the cert. as I was already tutoring English in Toronto. I am now in China at a great school, and many of the people that were in my class are working as well. Depending on your past experience, and where you want to go, take the shorter course. Most places don't ask for the amount of hours the course was, personally speaking. The teacher I had was great she had taught in three or four different countries other than North America, and she was a teacher for a private school in Toronto. The people that I dealt with in the recruiting office were fantastic, although I didn't get the job I'm at now through them, i certainly got many leads, and phone calls from them!

Hope that helps!

[Olivia]

Hey Geoff,

I took the Oxford Seminars TESL course back in March.

My teacher was fantastic and such an inspiration.

Oxford Seminars gives you tons of material (books, binders...) to get your started when you do finally go away to teach.

The head office in Toronto does help to place you in a job. However it depends how picky you are. I for example, did not want to go to China, Japan or Taiwan. I was more interested in Latin America and Europe.
They give you a password to enter their online job bank, there are a million jobs in Asia posted. However, once you talk to the people in the office they have lots of connections and jobs not posted on the website, and they will help you greatly.

I would say take the Oxford Seminars course.



If you have any more questions PM me.

Good luck.

[newbie84]

Hi!

I took the course in Feb. First off my teacher was really nice, and gave me some great ideas for the class room. I did learn a FEW things I didn't know before. She didnt have any overseas teaching experiences to share with us (although on the web site they claim she does).

My 60 hour course was probably only 30-40 hours of class time after all the breaks, being sent home early or starting late.

The web site only has 50 jobs at most posted (for the whole world) and that includes outdated ads. You only get to use this service for 6 months. I sent 3 emails asking for details regarding the jobs and got no response.

I have, however gotten a phone call from them last week (after several unanswered emails) and they put me in touch with a recruitmant agency (woo hoo) who I'm using to find my job.
I don't know what good this info will do you, but I just thought I'd share.

[Ki]

I can give you a list of a dozen different recruitment agencies (off the net) who will gladly take your business with or without the TESOL training. I would say be careful about them. I'm sure there are good recruiters out there who won't rip you off but you won't know until it's too late. I can give you the details of a good agency if you want for Taiwan. Where exactly do you want to work?
Ki.

[Dominique]

I took the Oxford Seminars TESL certificate program in June and I loved it.

It was the best money I've ever spent. My teacher was great and I learned a lot of stuff.

We received a massive binder with tons of materials inside. Plus you have to do an individual practicum at the end and you get to keep other people's ideas if you like them. We not only learned about teaching, but culture shock, searching for jobs and how to read contracts.

I made quite a few friends from that class and plan to keep in touch with everyone to see if they made it overseas. So far, I know one guy going to Japan with Nova in November and another guy leaving to China in September.

The placement services make it pretty hard to get your money back, so they do their best to get you a job. They already sent me for an interview with one company and i'm just waiting to hear back.
The way they go about it has changed, they don't provide you with a login/password. You have to send them a resume and cover letter and they send it out to potential employers and then get back to you.


I enjoyed this program so much I even recommended to a friend of mine, who just finished last weeked. He doesn't have a BA and wants to work in Japan, so I told him at least if he has a certification it will only help him.


The days are long, but I'm sure it will be worth it if it gets you a job.

[Dragonsaver]

I am also in Ontario and plan on taking the Global course. I was thinking of taking it at Queens in Kingston, however I am still in Burlington and could take it at McMaster. Those who have taken the Global course, which University did you go to. One of the people posting said their teacher (female) hadn't been overseas. Could you say who she was so I won't get her!!!

I have a Master of Engineering Degree and would like to work in a technical school or university. Any feedback on this?

[gimmebear]

I took the Oxford Seminars course back in September 2002. Yes, my teacher was great and the info about culture shock and job search�ng was great, but I don`t feel I got a lot of real knowledge about teaching. It`s a nice intro but it doesn`t go much further than that. Like somone else has said, if you just want a certificate go for it. It`s easy. The teacher told us that everyone would pass. I learned most about teaching, on the job.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Just a warning:

Employment prospects are severely limited if you do not have a degree. Before spending a tonne of money on a private certificate, decide on a country you would like to go to and research what is required to teach there (Off the top of my head, I think China is the best place if you don't have a degree).

Seriously look into the actual amount of pay likely available and compare it with the cost of the private certificate course. You can probably find a job in China without the certificate, and generally, the amount of pay in China is fine for living in China, but not if you plan on using a credit card or something to pay for a private certificate and need to pay the credit card people back from what you earn in China.

[roostasha]

I took the Oxford Seminars course a couple of years ago. Like most people posting here, I found it very helpful. My teacher was great, and the resources they gave us helped me a lot in finding a job.

Although I've since been to teacher's college, I still think the Oxford Seminars course was useful in making me understand what it would be like to teach ESL, ie. the pace required, the background of the students, the expectations of the parents, etc. Also, many of the students from my class have kept in touch, making a great network of possible job leads, travel partners, etc.

[chachee99]

I am also interested in obtaining information regarding this course. Here is my current situation. I will be graduating with a BA in April 2005. I am 26 years old from Canada, single, and have no children, so basically I have nothing holding me back. I have decided to teach in either Taiwan or Korea. Currently I am enrolled to take a course through Global TESOL College, which starts December 1st 2004. I am not sure what the difference is between the OXFORD and Global course, but they do have one common characteristic, that being they are both short courses that only have 1 week of in class training.

However, one thing that really sticks out in my mind is do I even need a TESOL certificate or not? Most positions I see on the job forums do not require a TESOL certificate, however it is recommended or preferred. I have no teaching experience what so ever, so I will have no idea where to start. Does either of these courses provide enough material to help me be an effective ESL teacher? I know experience is probably the best learning tool, but remember I have absolutely no experience teaching at all!! I do not want to be stuck inside a classroom trying to teach people, most likely children, proper North American English, and be lost because I simply do not know where to begin.

I noticed that some schools provide trainning, but how good is it? Do they just teach you a bit about the culture and the schools expectations or do they provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to teach English to their students.


If would be great if anyone could please post a reply with some advice. If you want to speak one-on-one, please send me a private message.

Thank you.

[Dragonsaver]

From what I understand, the global is 1 week intensive approx 34 hours with the rest of the 60 hours in homework. There is no practical for teaching. The balance of their subjects is by correspondence.

The Oxford seminars in taught on weekends over 6 weeks. This course does have a small amount of practical teaching. They both have information seminars for you to go to and ask questions. I believe Oxford's next one is next monday night at a university near you. Oxford has follow-up courses done by correspondence.

I am planning on taking the Oxford course in January.

[chachee99]

Strange, no information seminar's will be coming to my location, but there is an Oxford course starting up in January.


Have you attended a information seminar?

[fabbrowneyegirl]

I would definitely recommend Oxford Seminars. Keep in mind that since you do not have a university degree, they can only place you in China and Latin America. I took the course last July and will be leaving for China in January '05. My instructor was wicked, she tought all over the world and is now settle here in Calgary with a position as the Director of EFL at YMCA. If you have any other questions, PM me!