Job Discussion Forums

hartlepool · Joined: 31 Oct 2007 Posts: 6 Location: uk

Hi

I want to find a school or way of getting a decent TEFL qualification in Jan or Feb next year and then teach for about six months.

There is so much information i am a little swamped. I am pretty sure i want to do a four week intensive course but want to go about it in the best way for me.

i have seen adverts (TEFL International for exampe which promise to teach you, pay your air fares and guarantee a job. are these kosher.

what is the best way for awell qualified English guy in his forties, with back ground in journalism and newsreading, to go about this.

any recommendations and advice gratefully accepted

scorch · Joined: 28 Mar 2006 Posts: 12 Location: Hong Kong

I did the TEFL International course in Zhuhai in 2004. I was 52 at the
time. I had no problem finding a job. I spent three years teaching in
Guangzhou, which was the most fun job I ever had. Now I am in Hong
Kong. It's not so much fun. I would say, go for it. It's a good course,
it opens doors, and I, for one, have never had any regrets.

simrishamn · Joined: 13 Oct 2007 Posts: 30

I would recommend getting yours in Zhuhai... Great location, great teachers, lots of fun!

The Voice Of Reason · Joined: 29 Jun 2004 Posts: 492

There's a place called Boland which does some sort of TEFL certificate-issuing course in Suzhou, which has been discussed, mostly positively if I remember correctly, on this forum.

Now on to matters Hartlepool for those unaware of its fame:
http://www.thisishartlepool.co.uk/history/thehartlepoolmonkey.asp :

The monkey-hanging legend is the most famous story connected with Hartlepool. During the Napoleonic Wars a French ship was wrecked off the Hartlepool coast. During the Napoleonic Wars there was a fear of a French invasion of Britain and much public concern about the possibility of French infiltrators and spies. The fishermen of Hartlepool fearing an invasion kept a close watch on the French vessel as it struggled against the storm but when the vessel was severely battered and sunk they turned their attention to the wreckage washed ashore. Among the wreckage lay one wet and sorrowful looking survivor, the ship's pet monkey dressed to amuse in a military style uniform. The fishermen apparently questioned the monkey and held a beach-based trial. Unfamiliar with what a Frenchman looked like* they came to the conclusion that this monkey was a French spy and should be sentenced to death. The unfortunate creature was to die by hanging, with the mast of a fishing boat (a coble) providing a convenient gallows.

* and unfamiliar with what a monkey looked like presumably

hartlepool · Joined: 31 Oct 2007 Posts: 6 Location: uk

There is a body of opinion in hartlepool which is still of the opinion the monkey was a French spy. Shocked

mcsam · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 65

Hey Hartlepool

I would advise against doing an online course (just a personal opinion) because you don't get any classroom experience. A course with classroom experience won't turn you into a teacher but it will give you an idea of what it is like to stand up in front of a group of students and what some of the problems you are likely to encounter will be.

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do

fitzgud · Joined: 24 Jan 2006 Posts: 148 Location: Henan province

As you hale from Hartlepool and have a certain infinity with monkeys, you are 90% equipped to be a successful teacher in China.

latefordinner · Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 973

cheap shot, Fitzgud. I'd complain but who would listen? They'd just say, "fitzgood"
Hartlepool, my brother has friends and (inlaw) family from thereabouts. Calls it Hartlepub, 'cause there's no way to crawl across town without getting drunk along the way. Went drinking with some of them when they came to visit Canada a few years back. Rock solid long distance imbibers all!

bearcanada · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 312 Location: Calgary, Canada

Fitzgud, the word is 'affinity' for monkeys. "Infinity" means 'time without end', 'a boundless expanse of distance'. Seems to me even a monkey would know that.

Are you an English teacher? Are you 90% qualified as such? Is that because of your own affinity for monkeys? Do you demonstrate that affinity in the classroom?

I for one am becoming very tired of the gratuitous insults and China-bashing that goes on here. Yes there are problems, some of them serious. You're an adult. Cope. Or go home. In either case, grow up.

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