Job Discussion Forums

Maroon · Joined: 13 May 2007 Posts: 2

Hello All -

As a newcomer to this forum, thank you for all of your info and humor.

I studied Turkish for three years in college and I can get around Turkey without a problem. I would like to teach English in Turkey in order to spend more time in the country. I've read through a lot of the posts and have realized that if you make good decisions, you can avoid a lot of hassles.

I had an interview with EF and they recommended that I take the ITI Istanbul CELTA course. It appears that the cost for the course is a decent chunk of change, but I was wondering if it was worth it in order to secure a decent position and have a good experience for a year or two.

Thanks for your help!

moongoat · Joined: 11 May 2007 Posts: 16 Location: en route

The answer is yes. With some diligence, the CELTA should pay for itself *in time*. Good luck!

billybuzz · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 219 Location: turkey

As this is your first post I'll be gentle .
Firstly as you must be aware as you have read many posts on this forum before you should know a celta is not enough . You neglected to let us know what other qualities and qualies you have to offer a prospective employer .
The other thing is while a celta is desireable it is not the cure all some claim it to be ,a piece of paper is not going to suddenly make you a great teacher ,that generally comes with experience ,question is do you have any ?
In closing ,go for the celta if you have little or no experience in the classroom ,most employers also expect you to have a tefl and a ba so bear that in mind as well unless of course you intend to work at a "language school " .In which case god luck but you have come here first with your question so you're off to a good start .

Shalana · Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 150 Location: Istanbul

I also interviewed at EF last month and was told they only hire the top 3-4 graduates of the CELTA. If I remember correctly, it would take 3 months and about 900-1000 dollars to take the CELTA, which is fine if you have the time and the money. I didn�t feel like I had either, so I found work at another school. I do have a TEFL cert, a bachelor�s degree and a master�s degree in non-teaching fields and a year of TEFL experience, but that wasn�t good enough to get a position at EF. I have no idea how much better the pay is at EF than at other schools.

lovelace · Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 190

In the past they seemed to take anyone from the CELTA who wanted a job when their own teachers were leaving.. apparently the pay is going up significantly now so they'll probably want to, and will able to, be more selective. And the school is being reorganised and it sounds as if things are improving after a dip, although it was always one of the slightly better language schools in Istanbul.
Be aware that there are strong connections between EF and ITI. Having said that, everyone knows everyone in Istanbul teaching world and the programmes run by ITI are said to be very good.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

^you beat me to it lovelace

dagi · Joined: 01 Jan 2004 Posts: 425

I'd suppose that getting any qualificaton is good if you wan a decent job in that field. Just like it is for any other profession.
Where's the Molly of EF? She can tell you lots about the joys and pos changes at EF.

Golightly · Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 4:59 pm Post subject:

Dagi, it's Molly of ET, not EF. Smile

What a difference an initial makes...

Maroon · Joined: 13 May 2007 Posts: 2

Thank you all for your replies. Everything you've said has been noted. I am most interested in having a good experience while in Turkey and whether or not I end up at EF or somewhere else is not the important part for me.

I also agree that simply taking a CELTA course does not guarantee that you have as much to offer as successful teacher with considerable experience. I have learned three languages but have never taught one so I think the CELTA course will be a good experience for me.

I've also discovered that there is a month long CELTA course in Izmir at the Economics University - does anyone have any thoughts about that course compared to the ITI course in Istanbul?

Thanks so much for your help!

Otterman Ollie · Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 7:24 am Post subject: İEU C.EL.T.A

Well from what I hear its a well managed course and is run by no other than the good and great S.D ,so no worries on that score .You may even find its cheaper than the "bul" course . On top of that you will be offered a job at the place ---- probably .

dagi · Joined: 01 Jan 2004 Posts: 425

Golightly,
Where is "the Molly" of EF? Wasn't talking about ET at all, but refereing to the person who likes EF very much and starts to sound like Molly of ET.