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Help Me On My Quest!!
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JonFreeze



Joined: 24 Dec 2006
Posts: 14

PostPosted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 9:39 pm    Post subject: Help Me On My Quest!! Reply with quote

ok so quest was a kinda nerdy way of putting it but oh well, let me tell you my story.

i am 23 years old living in north wales and would like to pursue a career overseas (asia) with some kind of TEFL. i finished school at 16 with good GCSE results and my life after then was a mix of college and work. currently i am a postman Sad . could someone put me in the right direction so i can get started on my......quest?
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thrifty



Joined: 25 Apr 2006
Posts: 1665
Location: chip van

PostPosted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 7:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Badly paid hourly work at a TEFL mill where you will be working illegally and be despised for not having a degree and teaching qualifications by all and sundry. You would have to lie to the students and tell them you were a real teacher, whether they believe you or not is another matter. You will not have a career-that is certain. Never mention the fact that you are a postman again. Your GCSEs are irrelevant and don't mention them either.
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Henry_Cowell



Joined: 27 May 2005
Posts: 3352
Location: Berkeley

PostPosted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 7:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

JonFreeze, don't be put off by the above poster. In his own words:
thrifty wrote:
Thrifty is not morbid. Bitter, negative, cynical, alcoholic, vindictive, irritable, unhappy, depressing, obsessive, angst ridden, jaded - yes- but morbid-no.

In fact, one should always take the opposite conclusion from whatever "thrifty" writes and suggests on these forums. So do consider teaching English as a good job move. Cool Laughing Cool
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thrifty



Joined: 25 Apr 2006
Posts: 1665
Location: chip van

PostPosted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 7:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It would be a good job move for a postman.
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Londonlover



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 90
Location: London

PostPosted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 9:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi JonFreeze,
first off, completely ignore the cynical and completely untrue ,unhelpful negativity of Thrifty's post above. I'm guessing you'd like some practical tips.
The first step in getting a decent TEFL job would be to take a Cambridge/RSA CELTA course (or an equivalent CELTA course run by Trinity).
The CELTA- Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults- is the intial entry qualification for getting TEFL jobs in a lot of decent language schools worldwide and should help you avoid the bottom end schools in which unqualified backpacker types are employed and (sometimes) exploited.
A CELTA can be done as a full-time intensive one month course or part time over three months. There may well be other permutations. These courses aren't cheap. Mine cost �750 and that was 7 years ago.
CELTA courses are often run in Further Education colleges in the U.K.
Once you have the CELTA, you could apply to the better language schools e.g. the International House chain. And if you want to make a career in TEFL, you can later do further qualifications like the DELTA (diploma) or an MA TESOL, and go on to teach EFL at universities.
Hope this helps you. Good Luck.
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Sheikh Inal Ovar



Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Posts: 1208
Location: Melo Drama School

PostPosted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 4:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Londonlover's blind optimism is more likely to give the OP the wrong impression than thrifty's comments.

You can probably find a rogue CELTA outfit that will take your money .. depsite officially requiring a degree or equivalent ...

But I don't know why Londonlover's so sure that someone like IH would touch you with a barge pole when they can select from people with at least 5 more years of education under their belt ...

And then to tell you you can do a Dip or even a Masters is really off the mark .. unless he/she means you can do a dodgy Masters ... I don't know of any MA/ MSc courses around the world that accept candidates who don't have a first degree ... and even if you could get a dodgy Masters, which semi-decent Universities around the world would recognise it?

A much more realistic way of achieving what Londonlover described would be to fabricate the documents needed ... and for this to succeed you would have to -

Quote:
Never mention the fact that you are a postman again. Your GCSEs are irrelevant and don't mention them either.
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Londonlover



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 90
Location: London

PostPosted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 11:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sheikh, you're too quick to jump in and stick up for your friend Thrifty- without recognizing the reality that it's not vital to have a first degree to either work at IH or to do a Masters. (though I'll concede a first degree is an advantage and I had a first degree when IH employed me)
We know only too well that certain individuals (no, not you Sheikh) want to make a career out of being negative and distorting the truth to promote agendas. Look at earlier posts in this thread and in the Turkey forum.
For the record Sheikh:
I know someone who taught for International House in Poland with a CELTA and no first degree. FACT.
I know someone else who completed a CELTA, DELTA and MA in ELT and Applied Lingiustics at King's College, London, without EVER having taken a first degree and has gone on on to teach EFL at various universities in London. FACT. (Admittedly, they had acquired a couple of years experience in EFL teaching before they did all this.)
Sheikh, please get your facts right before jumping in. I think the OP wanted some constructive advice about getting into EFL teaching. I'd much rather echo the positive words of Henry Cowell than get into the spiral of cynical negativity of some people on these forums whose main aim seems to be to put people off what can in fact be a rewarding career.
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Sheikh Inal Ovar



Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Posts: 1208
Location: Melo Drama School

PostPosted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 4:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You concede that a first degree is an advantage ... would you therefore agree that not having one is a disadvantage ... and that having one is the norm ... that failed to come out in your earlier post ...

And are you not aware of the fact that there are many countries that require a first degree for legal employment ... a point to which thrifty referred in his post ... and a point which you described as being "completely untrue" ...

You yourself seem aware of the cowboy outfits around the world when you say "avoid the bottom end schools in which unqualified backpacker types are employed and (sometimes) exploited." ... Yet, in countries that require a first degree for legal employment, it is exactly these bottom end schools that the OP will have to work for ... Again, thrifty referred to this as "Badly paid hourly work at a TEFL mill" ... a point which you described as being "completely untrue" ...

Get your facts right before jumping in.

Now, on the subject of waltzing through an MA / MSc ... exactly how many years of teaching experience did this friend of yours have under his belt before being allowed to take a Masters course ... did he have A levels ... were there any extenuating circumstances ... is he the exception that proves the rule ... I'm sure there are many shelf-stackers, dustmen, and street cleaners out there who would be delighted to know ...

You make a career in TEFL sound as simple as downing tools ... heck the OP might just as well go straight for a PhD ...

Whether the system should be this way or not is a different question entirely ...
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SueH



Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 1022
Location: Northern Italy

PostPosted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 8:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As it's panto season I don't want to get in to too many arguments of the 'yes, you can, no you can't' type, although I agree that you should ignore Thrifty, poor creature. Any legitimate issues he raises are drowned in the deep slough of despond in which he enjoys wallowing.

A degree is often necessary for a work visa but not in all countries. There were non-graduates on my FE college CELTA course, although there was a vetting process to get on it. Just because furthering your education didn't seem a good idea at 16 is no reason why you can't progress now: the world is full of mature students.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is, do you like language? Do you read for pleasure, for example? Enthusiasm for language and being able to communicate that is initially more important than an intimate knowledge of the IPA. Have you considered doing an 'A' level English course at an evening class? Perhaps start reading some more popular and general works on English: how it works, how it developed and so forth. If you are set on using teaching as a way to Asia none of this will be wasted time or effort.
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thrifty



Joined: 25 Apr 2006
Posts: 1665
Location: chip van

PostPosted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SueH wrote:
the deep slough of despond

Enthusiasm for language and being able to communicate


Embarassed Embarassed Embarassed
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Sheikh Inal Ovar



Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Posts: 1208
Location: Melo Drama School

PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 5:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

SueH wrote:
As it's panto season I don't want to get in to too many arguments of the 'yes, you can, no you can't' type, although I agree that you should ignore Thrifty, poor creature. Any legitimate issues he raises are drowned in the deep slough of despond in which he enjoys wallowing.


Spoken like a true stick-shaking pilgrim ...
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SueH



Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 1022
Location: Northern Italy

PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 2:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sheikh Inal Ovar wrote:
Spoken like a true stick-shaking pilgrim ...


Apologies.
I normally try to be constructive in my posts but Thrifty is so unremittingly consistent that I find myself at a loss as to how to help him, and losing patience too.
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Henry_Cowell



Joined: 27 May 2005
Posts: 3352
Location: Berkeley

PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 4:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SueH, "thrifty" neither wants nor needs your help or anyone else's help. He prefers to wallow and whinge. It keeps him happy. I think there is a term for this particular type of mental illness.
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thrifty



Joined: 25 Apr 2006
Posts: 1665
Location: chip van

PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 6:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We are not helping me, we are helping our postie friend.
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JonFreeze



Joined: 24 Dec 2006
Posts: 14

PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lol why u guys gotta hate on me for being a postie? hey its decent pay and ive been doing it for 4 years building up a nice little financial security for myself despite the fact its really hard work and i have to have a knee operation later this year lol. ive decided im definitely quitting before the summer then im going on vacation for a month i think. if i cant pursue this TEFL thing this year im going to enrole in an access to higher education course at the college in business, law and computing. to be honest after reading so much stuff on these boards im kinda put off about pursuing this thing now but i still have some heart left to research some more and listen to others. thank you for your opinions and squabbles so far guys
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