Job Discussion Forums

[sonya]

Sorry, I know there have been several similar threads of late, but I didn't want to highjack someone else's thread with my issues..

I get the impression that I could get a job with just my BA, but it has been mentioned it might be hard to actually teach without TEFL training. Like, it's pretty hard for a native speaker to just pull words out of their head and explain why they are the way they are. I would prefer to be good at what I plan to do.. So, my question is, what exactly does TEFL type training cover?

And if I taught at a language school or a tutoring place, would they not have a text book or a lesson plan they expect me to work off of?

And how difficult is it to find tutoring jobs on your own (like, one on one with uni or high school students)? And is there a demand for tutors of other languages, like French or Mandarin?

I'm thinking about teaching in Taiwan, or possibly Israel or France. I'm currently working towards a BA in general linguistics, with a minor in French linguistics. I have experience teaching marching bands and with tutoring junior high schoolers.. basically, I think I know how to break things down and make them comprehensible.. Anyway, I was wondering whether I should consider TEFL, and would appreciate any advice or sage opinions..

[fluffyhamster]

I think with your degree subjects, you'd likely have pretty good grammar/language awareness already, so a TEFL or CELTA course would only be providing you with a few "practical" (supposedly - like theoretical knowledge is a bad thing...'There's nothing as practical as a good theory') tips and techniques whilst helping you decide if you were "suited" to teaching (i.e. not a shirinking violet or a total bore).

So, assuming you're pretty outgoing and resourceful, I'd say you could try getting a job without worrying too much about shelling out for "formal" training (that being said, there are advantages to doing courses in countries where you'd like to teach - getting to know the local culture, networking etc, so you might like to try to do a course that finishes just before the prime hiring season wherever...).

There's a recent thread here on the Newbie forum about the Cambridge TKT (Teaching Knowledge Test), you might like to take a look at the links there and download the Glossary to see what sort of stuff is covered before and at (i.e. around) CELTA level.

Even if you do get a teaching certificate, your employer may appreciate it, sure, and it may make you feel slightly better, but you could well find yourself working alongside people without it (most of whom will be graduates also, and quite a few of whom will actually be quite intelligent and resourceful and thus reasonable teachers!), so it isn't quite the passport it's touted to be; to get beyond the entry-level jobs you'd be better to save up for a Diploma, or better still an MA (then PhD) etc.

It might however be worth spending some time if not money thinking about how to teach young learners (there are specialized courses available, not sure if they're much good though), because guidance can be lacking in many schools, and parents can have high expectations etc.

In many conversation schools you'll be using a textbook of some kind, but whether it'll be used much in private/1-2-1 classes is another matter...and you might have to teach ESP or Business English etc at some point.

[Glenski]

[Cdaniels]

[sonya]

cool, thanks the great advice fluffy. aside from taking CELTA courses, how does one know when the hiring season is? and where could one go hunting for empoyers?

I didn't know there were communities of native Gaelic speakers in Nova Scotia, that's pretty cool..

[stillnosheep]

The large conversation school chains recruit year round. The smaller schools recruit whenever they happen to have a vacancy (which is every few weeks for some!)

State schools need to have everything fixed up defore the start of the academic year - except for unexpected vacancies - inquire in the appropriate country forum.

[memorabilis]

Since when is Ireland teaching Gaelic? Unless in a Gaelic as a Foreign Language context. I have on pretty good authority from my Irish friends that in Ireland the official languages are English and Irish, and that Irish is the mandatory 2nd language in school. I kinda doubt there are native speaking Gaelic communities in Nova Scotia, although some people can still speak it. But Gaelic is spoken in Scotland, thus the connection with Nova Scotia.

[tedkarma]

[Cdaniels]

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[Cdaniels]

Um, right. It was Newfoundland.
As I said earlier in less genteel terms Irish has been called Gaelic and has been considered a different dialect from Scottish Gaelic rather than a distinct language. It was banned from being spoken in Ireland at different times, and for much of the 20th century only English was widely spoken in Ireland, and "Irish" referred to dialect(s) of English spoken in Ireland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differences_between_Scottish_Gaelic_and_Irish

My apologies to the Canadians.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Most linguists think of the two as two different languages. There may be a continuum of dialects that are mutually intelligible, but then, there are between Dutch and German as well and we think of those as different languages.

[sonya]