Job Discussion Forums

[melvaughn]

I'm going to be traveling all over Prague this summer as an exchange student and want to eventually return in the future to take a tefl course. Now I have no clue which one to chose or which one is recommeded.

I've looked at the Caledonian school tefl course: http://www.caledonianschool.com/html/index.php?s1=1&s2=8
My problem is that it looks almost too good to be true and I'm suspicious it's a rip off.

The other course is Trinity College: http://www.tefl.cz/

Has anyone taked either of these courses and is it even necessary to take a Tefl course or can I get by with years of teaching experience, TESOL and a B.A. I really want to one day teach in Europe but don't want to waste my time and money on a course I don't need either.

[leavingonajetplane]

The Caledonian course isn't a CELTA or TrinityCertTesol. Its an in-house course so its not worth much outside of Eastern Europe. If you're gonna spend that sort of money then you might as well go for something with global recognition.

I went to Prague schools, which is the trinity course that you mention, the teachers are fab and they will help you out. The DoS is a bit of a muppet but you wouldn't see much of him.

There are other schools in Prague that do CELTA and Trinity Cert Tesol, check them all out and pick the right one for you.

Yes it is necessary to take a TEFL, for the students sake, they should have someone that has a clue about how to teach them!.
Also, if you want to work in Prague, bear in mind that newly qualified TEFL teachers hit the streets every month so you would need to get a qualification to compete for a job.

[melvaughn]

Thanks, I was leaning toward the trinity Cert tesol myself. Exactly how easy do the trainee's find a job upon completion? I know some places guarantee jobs right away. Is this something people can do for years? Also, is it possible to save any significant amount of money while teaching in Europe or does it all go for living expenses?

[spiral78]

Work is generally findable, but as the market is pretty full of teachers, it takes a bit of legwork to find suitable positions, more or less depending on the time of year. Contracts are usually Sept - June, so it's a bit easier to find openings in August or early Sept.
You shouldn't expect to save any significant amount of money. Again, the market of teachers being plentiful keeps salaries relatively low. In Prague, teachers can make enough to live pretty well in the city, but not to fund much travel outside the country, pay off debts back home, or save. This is more or less true all over Europe.

[stillnosheep]

Do a Cambridge Celta or Trinity Tesol and you will have no need whatsoever of any job placement service that the training provider does or does not provide. Both courses are recognised and respected throughout the world. Just choose your destination, look through the job ads here and elsewhere and apply. You will already possess an advantage over most other applicants for entrance level tefl positions.

[leavingonajetplane]

On average everyone in my group was offered 3 jobs each before we had even finished our course!.
Of course, not all jobs are equal, and it may take a while before you find the right job for you, but there is loads of work about. Just about everyone i know gives private lessons to supplement their income so, as above, you can live comfortably in Prague, but you won't have much money to explore the rest of europe in your time off. Good luck