Job Discussion Forums

[Eager2teach]

Hi out there in Teacherland,

I just got a CELTA certification! Woo hoo! So ........ now what? I haven't decided where I want to go. I feel like I need a shot of courage from the Wizard of Oz. Actually what I need is to just hear about people's experiences; bad, indifferent, good, great, or rapturous!

If I could sit face to face with any of you, I'd have many, many questions. I'll stick in just a couple here..... As a mid-forties y/o male with no teaching experience, what's a good game plan for landing a job? What are some good websites to look at jobs, schools, etc?

Thanks for any feedback, etc!!!

Ready to begin the adventure......... I think!

John in the midwestern US - get me out of here before winter!

[Glenski]

Do you have any sort of university degree?

Why did you get the certification? That is, what prompted you to become interested in teaching EFL in the first place? Was it a certain country or culture in mind?

This has got to be one of the broadest questions I've seen in a while, and it's going to be terribly hard to give you something worthwhile because there are so many of us working in so many countries with so many different reasons and so many backgrounds.

Who are you willing to teach? Not willing to teach? How long is your commitment to teaching? Where would you NOT like to go (either in terms of geography, culture, or climate)? Do you have any sort of financial needs? Will you be going alone?

[sigmoid]

...

[PAULH]

One of the first things you need to consider is whether you can qualify for a work visa. before looking for jobs you need to get permission to work in those countries, and each country has different immigration laws.

You dont need a degree in all countries, but its very difficult for non-EU citizens to work in Europe for example, and many asian countries where the best paying jobs are (Korea, Taiwan, japan) require university degrees to simply get a work visa.

This is a bit of a general question but what countries might appeal to you- do you have any geographical preferences or do you want to learn any languages? As well as teaching you have to think about whether you will like being surrounded by the country's language and culture day in day out. Do you like the food?

Are you interested more in making money or the cultural experience? Both Glenski and I are in japan, fairly good salaries to be made here and well paying, but cost of living is high, it takes a long time to get set up here and established. Once things are in place its pretty smooth running once you know your way around and learn the language etc.

Cant really help you without more info on your academic and educational background, and where you might actually qualify for a work visa.

[Chancellor]

I, too, am a forty-something considering a career change. While I immensely enjoy my present job writing decisions for administrative law judges (there's no such thing as the perfect job but my present job comes about as close to it as a job can). My interest in teaching English as a foreign language comes out of a love for the English language and a love for different cultures (I was in the Navy for 11 years and spent most of it in Asia).

To provide some background, all of my jobs (both in and out of the Navy) have required a significant knowledge of English grammar, particularly written English. I'm also a published author. My present job is one that is also done by attorneys (I worked my way up into this position). In fact, one would need a doctorate degree (in law or a related field) to be hired "off the street" for my position. My teaching experience includes teaching newly-promoted non-commissioned officers and teaching planned maintenance systems while in the Navy, teaching the Bible in various churches, and serving as an instructor with my employer's national training cadre. Again, I love the work that I do but I also have a strong desire to teach English overseas.

There are various TEFL certification programs available, some of them on-site and others by distance and/or the Internet. Since there is no single standard for determining which courses will provide a genuine certification that will be accepted in various countries, how does one determine which program to pursue. In my present circumstance, primarily because of my schedule, the only viable option for me is distance learning. So, how can I determine what to look for in a distance/online certification program?

[spiral78]

The general rule is that certifications from on-site courses are preferred by employers because they offer supervised teaching practice. No on-line course can provide this important element.
While you mention that you have a bit of teaching experience, teaching language to adults involves a specific skill set; a training course is really recommended.
If you can give us some idea where you would like to go ('overseas') is too general, I'm sure someone can offer you more specific information.

[Chancellor]

[PAULH]

[ls650]