Job Discussion Forums

[dmb]

I consider myself a fairly successful teacher. Do you think I would be a better manager for Scotland than Bertie or Walter?(football)

[TheLongWayHome]

[Justin Trullinger]

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

I think it entirely depends on how you view your job. It can be on the same level as working as a sales associate at some retail outfit, if you have put no effort into getting training or development after your training (basically, if you put very little or no effort into getting any better than you were at day one).

It can also be the equivalent of many other occupations (although the pay doesn't often match it).

In Ontario, to get trained as an ESL teacher, after you finish your degree, it takes one year at a university or at a college. This doesn't mean that it's impossible to get a job without training, people have done it in the past, and some of them are even very, very good at what they do.

In the same province it also takes one year at a college to get training to work as a copywriter for an advertising agency. I've done training in that, too, although I took a university level TESL certificate because I found in the past that the amount I learned from college certifcates was a little below my expectations.

These are the one year (some are two year- if they are marked 'diploma' post-undergrad university programmes in Ontario):

http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~career/postdiplomadetailed.htm#SOC

There are a lot of them. Some require specific undergrad majors, some do not but have generally desireable programmes (for example, if you want to be an ESL teacher, they usually suggest your undergrad was in English, Modern Languages, Linguistics etc. If you want to work in Publishing, then it's usually English or Mass Communications etc. If you want to be a copywriter it's normally English, or Psychology or something related to that). But basically, you normally have to interview for entry, and often have a grammar/language test in these types of areas.

There are more than a few people writing advertising with no training in advertising or even marketing (mostly not in advertising agencies, though). If you can write four words in English together then you can write a billboard. That billboard ad will likely suck, but it IS a billboard ad. Often these people are getting hired because they don't charge very much, and more than a few people go by the theory that 'anybody can just write advertising'. Same as 'anybody can just teach English' or 'anybody can be a journalist' or 'anybody can edit books'. That doesn't mean that they are good at it, or even know what they are talking about if they try to teach others how to do it, though.

I think people do better thinking of a variety of careers that suit their personality and what they want out of a job/career/life than worrying about how a particular occupation is perceived by others. I originally pursued advertising because it seemed like it was a respectable job (somehow it doesn't like that any more, although I still have many friends doing that for their career) that would allow me to make use of the types of things I'd learned in university (I majored in English and the History of Music so both would be able to be used as a copywriter). It did let me do exactly that, but still it didn't work out. Later I took some Myers Briggs type personality tests and the results showed that advertising was pretty much the opposite of they type of job I should be doing because of my personality. However, I was by that time teaching ESL/EFL already and a little worried because of exactly the type of thing that the OP listed. The results of the Myers Brigg test suggested teaching English, among other things were the types of things I should be doing.

[Super Frank]

[TheLongWayHome]

Just in case you were wondering... here are The Krankies--could definitely see them managing Scotland.

[fluffyhamster]

Your average (or crap newbie) EFL teacher is only useful so long as the photocopier doesn't break down:
http://www.englishdroid.com/howtoseries.html

[Super Mario]

..........or the link won't load.
You can really do TEFL when you can walk in to any class at whatever notice, and leave knowing their English is a bit better than it was previously.
That's a tough ask.

[winterlynx1]

There is a wide range of ability level in TEFL - I think that might be the way to consider this, and I think that's a great aspect of the profession. A high school graduate can do this. On the other hand, there is significant challenge for a multi-lingual, graduate level professional. I've been a college level educator for many years, yet I find TESOL really challenging and I enjoy the challenge. On the other hand, there are brand new teachers in my school who are just starting out - their first full time job, and they are doing great. There are not many professions that offer something for everyone.