Job Discussion Forums

[Don Lorenzo]

I am in the process of enrolling for a training course and I am a bit confused as to which one should I take/would need? I have no prior teaching experience, but I am seriously considering teaching abroad for a while. I understand that like any job, I need to be trained and ready and that's why I am looking for a good course to get that much needed training. So which would you recommend? Should I get a CELTA? How about this Oxford course offered in here, Toronto? Is it a legit course and is it recognized worldwide as they claim on their website?

The countries I am mainly interested and considering to go teaching are Brazil, Thailand and Vietnam. Knowing this, which training course would be the best for me?

URL for the Oxford course in Toronto:
http://www.oxfordseminars.ca/Pages/Teach/teach_about.php

Another major dilemma I am facing is, should I take that training course/programme in my hometown of Toronto or should I do it in the country I would be teaching in? Which would you pros suggest?

I thank you all for your feedback, tips and advices.

Cheers.

[Guy Courchesne]

I've always been one to advise on getting the training course abroad, and preferably in the same country you wish to teach in. The big advantage to this is that you get several weeks to acclimatize, to learn some of the local language and customs, and most importantly, your practicum will be more directly relevant to the teaching you'll be doing when you get a job placement in the same country.

A course back home can be good too, in an ESL environment, provided that you aren't simply teaching your English-speaking classmates (query Oxford on that).

Each of your three country choices offer TEFL courses as far as I know. You could try posting for more info in the country specific forums for each one.

[spiral78]

An additional advantage of taking the course in the country where you want to start teaching is that by the end of the course, you'll have some local contacts, which can be very useful when you need to decide what school to work for and arrange for housing, etc.

[ktodba]

The advantages described by the other posters are true but if you are still undecided on your final location (you mentioned 3) then doing the course in Toronto - assuming they have a good range of nationalities for your training might help you make up your mind.

Can't say I'm familiar with the Oxford course, and the link didn't want to tell me, but I'd have to say that any course that contains classroom experience would be helpful as long as you get constructive feedback. A good starting point is always to see what the schools in the country you want to work in are asking for. You can always jump through hoops to get the certificates and learn for real later if necessary.

Wherever you go enjoy it and accept that no matter what training you do you will make mistakes and have to learn from them.

Good luck.

[Don Lorenzo]

Thanks to all for your feedback, much appreciated!!
The real challenge at this time is to chose a country, as the more I am learning and reading more and more about teaching abroad,
the more places are catching my attention. China is the latest addition to the list of the already mentioned countries
(Brasil, Thailand, Vietnam). That's where the real challenge lies at this time for me.

A quick question about the application process:
Right now, I'm looking at an ad for a position in south east China which sounds quite interesting and they're asking for a
letter of reference. Speaking of which, which is better/has more weight? A letter of reference from a College or one from
my current employer? What should I tell my employer to put on the letter of reference, specially given the fact that I
don't really want them to know the real motive for it (for obvious reasons as you might imagine). So any tips/advice
from the pros in here would be truly appreciated.

One final question:
Does the fact of having spent time abroad (6 months to a year) working and teaching English is well seen on your resume and
application for graduate school as I intend on applying for it upon returning from my year abroad?

A big thanks in advance to all for your tips and advices.

Cheers.

[rusmeister]

Go to China.
But make sure to read Darren Russell's story first (a former teacher in China, now deceased).

[Don Lorenzo]

Thanks runmaster for the tip. What's the title of the book you're referring to?

Btw, in terms of safety, how do China, Thailand and Vietnam rate?
For a newbie with no prior experience to teaching, which one of these 3 would you recommend?

Thanks to all for their contribution.

[tedkarma]

Letter of reference - doesn't matter usually - they just want to know that SOMEONE likes you, and that you can/will comply with their requests. Unless you are applying for a true academic position - they will be happy with hearing that a previous employer liked your work - or that friends think you are "nice" and friendly (some teachers aren't friendly!).

Deciding on a country is difficult - but really it is only for one year and you can always move on. Many people on this board have worked in four or five - even eight or nine countries.

Your qualifications are important - do you have a degree? That will be important in urban China, Thailand and Vietnam (I didn't see if you had mentioned it before?)

Do you need to make/save some money? Vietnam might be the best choice of the three.

Safety - depends a bit where you are and every major urban city has areas where you might not want to linger . . . But, I have found most of Asia to be far safer than back in the USA. Certainly have had fewer problems with burglary, theft and vandalism.

In some localized areas there are problems with violence - but often those are related to the local population settling disputes and doesn't tend to bother foreigners who keep their nose out of it.

[canadashirleyblue]

If you are Canadian it would be a good plan to take a course that is recognized in Canada.

ESL jobs are hard to get in Canada and you will have to have a recognized Canadian qualification if you ever want one. Best not to burn your bridges. I didn't see a reference in the Oxford info but maybe I just missed it. It will be completely useless in Canada if it isn't recognized here.

I think this is the site:

http://www.tesl.ca/

[spiral78]

Oxford's a primarily on-line course without a teaching practicuum. It doesn't appear on the list of certifications recognized in Canada.

[rusmeister]

Just Google the name. He didn't write a book.

[nickpellatt]

Ive just googled the Darren Russell story....80 hours a week??? Hmmmm I know there are some jobs that are not quite as described....but 80 hours per week....that doesnt sound real to me.

Dont let the story put you off China....I LOVE IT HERE....and I wouldnt want to be anywhere else...Im in the UK now for my summer holiday and Im counting the days until I can get back to my home in China, see my students again etc.

Good luck whatever you decide to do!

[tanuki]

Hi Don

Be very careful which course and which training provider you choose. Make sure that your course is recognised in as many countries as possible. Personally, I recommend the CELTA for this reason. (I have issues with it too, but it's the pick of the bunch, I reckon.)

http://www.cambridgeesol.org/teaching/celta.htm

Once you've read the info, go to the bottom of the page and click on this link:

Contact your chosen centre directly for detailed course information.

You can see if the country or countries that you're interested in run the course you're looking at doing (two drop down menus on that search function)

And if you don't like the look of the CELTA, try the Trinity Cert.

http://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/site/?id=201

Also, find the body that regulates private EFL colleges in Canada (canadashirleyblue's link looks good to me: http://www.tesl.ca/ ) and ask them which certifications are recognised at such colleges. They'll have a (fairly short, I would wager) list.

This should get you off the right foot. Good luck with it all!

Tanuki