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clearvue
Joined: 11 Sep 2006
Posts: 6
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 Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 8:23 pm Post subject: Is this certificate worth anything? |
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Last summer I taught English in China through this program:
http://www.uschinaedu.org/TESL.asp
Upon completion, I received a "Certificate of Accomplishment" through the US-China Education and Cultural Exchange Center.
Written was"
"This is issued by US-China Education and Cultural Exchange Center as Certification that the teacher has successfully completed the UCE TESL program and has the corresponding teaching ability"
Now my question is, is this "certificate" worth anything? Would I be able to use it to get a job teaching English overseas? I already have my BA, and didn't know if this would supplement my qualifications, or come off as a total joke. |
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mlomker
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 378
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| Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 9:16 pm Post subject: Re: Is this certificate worth anything? |
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The industry standard is a 120-hour course with a teaching practicum, so I imagine that wouldn't count for a whole lot. Some countries are rather vague about what they require by way of a certificate but the CELTA is the gold standard.
That is my only concern about enrolling in a local program...it's it totally legit since it is six credits in a masters TESL program but I wonder if I'll end up having to 'prove' that it is comparable to a CELTA every time that I apply for a position. |
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clearvue
Joined: 11 Sep 2006
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 9:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Ahh. I understand the 120hr course, but I was there for six weeks, teaching 6 days a week for 6 hours. I think that exceeds the 120hrs. Shrug. Just wondering though. |
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Sheikh Inal Ovar
Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Posts: 1208
Location: Melo Drama School
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| Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 3:50 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Ahh. I understand the 120hr course, but I was there for six weeks, teaching 6 days a week for 6 hours. I think that exceeds the 120hrs. Shrug. Just wondering though. |
So .. what with 3 - 4 hours of theory each day and 1-2 hours of peer observation followed by an hour of post-mortem each evening ... your days were 13 hours long plus lesson prep for a novice of 3-4 hrs a day ... 16-17 hours a day ???
Or did they skip all the instruction and just use you ... |
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nomadykaty
Joined: 03 May 2004
Posts: 60
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| Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 3:55 am Post subject: |
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Did you do any courses besides teaching 6 months? The certifications looks like its just for completing the contract or exchange.
I hate to say this, but I doubt it would be recognized as anything other then proof of employment. |
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rusmeister
Joined: 15 Jun 2006
Posts: 867
Location: Russia
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| Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 4:45 am Post subject: Re: Is this certificate worth anything? |
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| mlomker wrote: |
but the CELTA is the gold standard.
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If the CELTA is the gold standard, what would you call a state K-12 ESL certificate (a 2 year program at 6-12 hrs a week)? I guess that'd be roughly 600 hrs? |
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mlomker
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 378
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| Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 3:01 pm Post subject: Re: Is this certificate worth anything? |
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| rusmeister wrote: |
| I guess that'd be roughly 600 hrs? |
I'd call that unusual for someone that is just starting out. How many people jump into teaching ESL overseas by spending $30k on a MAT ESL licensure program in their home country?
Public school ESL positions don't pay well enough to compensate for the cost of the degree, and that's the real problem. The pay for hourly work (full-time jobs are scarcely available) is about the same as someone with a CELTA in Vietnam could earn...and the cost of living is drastically different. |
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rusmeister
Joined: 15 Jun 2006
Posts: 867
Location: Russia
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| Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 4:30 pm Post subject: Re: Is this certificate worth anything? |
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| mlomker wrote: |
| rusmeister wrote: |
| I guess that'd be roughly 600 hrs? |
I'd call that unusual for someone that is just starting out. How many people jump into teaching ESL overseas by spending $30k on a MAT ESL licensure program in their home country?
Public school ESL positions don't pay well enough to compensate for the cost of the degree, and that's the real problem. The pay for hourly work (full-time jobs are scarcely available) is about the same as someone with a CELTA in Vietnam could earn...and the cost of living is drastically different. |
I'm not sure what public school positions you are referring to. If you are 1.0 FTE you make the same as all the other teachers - in NY and CA this is definitely the case.
I am one of these teachers, who earned the certificate while teaching FT and running the ESL dept at my school and left. It was poor treatment, not pay that was a major issue.
C'mon, admit that I hold the platinum standard!  |
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clearvue
Joined: 11 Sep 2006
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
So .. what with 3 - 4 hours of theory each day and 1-2 hours of peer observation followed by an hour of post-mortem each evening ... your days were 13 hours long plus lesson prep for a novice of 3-4 hrs a day ... 16-17 hours a day ???
Or did they skip all the instruction and just use you ... |
They just used me.
But thanks for the confirmation of this worthless paper .ha. |
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Jizzo T. Clown
Joined: 28 Apr 2005
Posts: 668
Location: performing in a classroom near you!
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:50 pm Post subject: |
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| If you want a better-paying job in Korea it may help. They seem to be willing to take ANY kind of certificate as a qualification. |
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Sgt Killjoy
Joined: 26 Jun 2004
Posts: 438
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| Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:46 am Post subject: |
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| I wouldn't say the certificate is totally worthless. It's probably more valuable than an online TEFL course. Many countries and schools will see the TEFL certification and think nothing of how it compares to the CELTA gold standard. What is more important is, can you teach? Have you learned about teaching? You can't teach someone to be a teacher in 4 to 6 weeks, you can only give them a few tools. |
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mlomker
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 378
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| Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:03 am Post subject: Re: Is this certificate worth anything? |
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| rusmeister wrote: |
| C'mon, admit that I hold the platinum standard! |
You got it. 
I researched the job market for certified ESL teachers in my home state, Minnesota, and it was $12-14/hr DOQ. None of the schools want to pay benefits, so you end up stringing together part-time jobs and doing quite a bit of driving.
I can only think of one situation where it makes financial sense to me--if you don't have a bachelors yet then you might as well do a B.Ed. that leads to licensure.
If you have an unrelated degree then I don't know if there is enough income difference in overseas work to justify it. The jobs that certified teachers are qualified for also require a minimum amount of work experience in your home country, so you're looking at time, tuition, and opportunity costs. |
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rusmeister
Joined: 15 Jun 2006
Posts: 867
Location: Russia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:46 pm Post subject: Re: Is this certificate worth anything? |
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| mlomker wrote: |
| rusmeister wrote: |
| C'mon, admit that I hold the platinum standard! |
You got it.
I researched the job market for certified ESL teachers in my home state, Minnesota, and it was $12-14/hr DOQ. None of the schools want to pay benefits, so you end up stringing together part-time jobs and doing quite a bit of driving.
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Were those figures for public schools?
I know that both pay and cost of living are a lot lower in places like Minn. I was getting about 50k annually in CA, but with one income earner, 2 kids and sky-high rent, I was barely treading water. |
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