|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Matthew_McCabe
Joined: 02 Dec 2007
Posts: 5
Location: Ingleton, North Yorkshire, UK
|
 Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:47 am Post subject: Regarding teaching and training |
 |
|
First of all, please forgive me if this turns into a sprawl of ideas: my train of thought might meander all over the place.
I've been considering TEFL for quite some time but have sometimes felt overwhelmed by the number of choices in teaching and in training. Also I've considered teaching in England before (it doesn't remain out of the question) but have been put off by the high pressure nature, the large amount of hours of preparation, the strict and inflexible nature of an education system based on examinations. Can I expect more of the same from TEFL (assuming I do my research and find a good place to teach)?
Training. There seems to be a myriad of courses out there. I've come to the conclusion that on-site is by far best (in my case). But where to get that qualification? I'm sure there are a lot of good institutions here in the UK, but I also very much agree with the point others make that its good to get your training wherever you hope to first teach (because you can get good contacts, assimilate to the culture, learn the language etc.). No question there really...meandering. Feel free to comment however!
I expect its possible to get some kind of job teaching English without a TEFL qualification which would give you a flavour of the work before comitting your hard earned cash. Is this true? Is it advisable?
Regarding the nature of the course: As far as I can make out the best way to go is to do a 500 hour-ish course with a good acronym attached to it (CELTA seems to crop up all the time - would anyone go as far as saying its 'best'?), for which I can expect to pay around �1,000. My friend's brother in Thailand has had no problems finding work. And though the details are a bit shaky, apparently he only did a course a few days long taht cost a couple hundred quid. Possible outside Thailand? Advisable?
Thanks for your help! |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
| Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 1:49 pm Post subject: Re: Regarding teaching and training |
|
|
| Matthew_McCabe wrote: |
| I've been considering TEFL for quite some time but have sometimes felt overwhelmed by the number of choices in teaching and in training. Also I've considered teaching in England before (it doesn't remain out of the question) but have been put off by the high pressure nature, the large amount of hours of preparation, the strict and inflexible nature of an education system based on examinations. Can I expect more of the same from TEFL (assuming I do my research and find a good place to teach)? |
In many cases, absolutely yes.
| Quote: |
| Training. There seems to be a myriad of courses out there. I've come to the conclusion that on-site is by far best (in my case). But where to get that qualification? |
On-site, meaning at the employer's site? If so, I'd say nope. They will only teach you what they want you to learn to teach in their school. CELTA is widely accepted. Look into that. I'm sure others will add other certification, but that is the only one I can think of.
| Quote: |
| I expect its possible to get some kind of job teaching English without a TEFL qualification which would give you a flavour of the work before comitting your hard earned cash. Is this true? Is it advisable? |
In Japan, certification is not required for most entry level jobs. That means ALT or conversation school instructor.
However, if you have the least inkling that TEFL will be fairly long-term, get the certification, especially if you have no background in teaching, let alone teaching English.
| Quote: |
My friend's brother in Thailand has had no problems finding work. And though the details are a bit shaky, apparently he only did a course a few days long taht cost a couple hundred quid. Possible outside Thailand? Advisable?
Thanks for your help! |
You get what you pay for, and Thailand's lifestyle is pretty low compared to developed countries. Salaries to match. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matthew_McCabe
Joined: 02 Dec 2007
Posts: 5
Location: Ingleton, North Yorkshire, UK
|
| Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 4:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks for the no nonsense answers.
By on-site I meant as oppose to online (or distance) learning. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
|
| Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 1:58 am Post subject: |
|
|
Standard on-site intensive courses are 100+ hours, not 500.
If you don't want a high-pressure job, look into private language institutes instead of schools (not that all schools/unis are high-pressure... I've never had a stressful job in this field.) You can teach conversation classes and business classes, most of which will have adult students who are easier to maintain than children.
Yes, in some places it is possible to get a job without a TEFL certificate, but how would you prepare yourself to teach? Walking into a classroom with no idea of how to plan and deliver a lesson sounds pretty stressful to me!
d |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SocratesSon2
Joined: 19 Nov 2007
Posts: 134
|
| Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:25 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Is that work in Japan Glenski mentioned able to be acquired without certification or without a degree? I have never heard of teaching jobs in Japan without a degree. Not like China at all. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matthew_McCabe
Joined: 02 Dec 2007
Posts: 5
Location: Ingleton, North Yorkshire, UK
|
| Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:57 am Post subject: |
|
|
| denise wrote: |
Standard on-site intensive courses are 100+ hours, not 500.
If you don't want a high-pressure job, look into private language institutes instead of schools (not that all schools/unis are high-pressure... I've never had a stressful job in this field.) You can teach conversation classes and business classes, most of which will have adult students who are easier to maintain than children. |
This is reassuring.
| denise wrote: |
Yes, in some places it is possible to get a job without a TEFL certificate, but how would you prepare yourself to teach? Walking into a classroom with no idea of how to plan and deliver a lesson sounds pretty stressful to me!
d |
Couldn't agree more! I'm pretty sold on the standard 100hr on-site course. I came up with 500 hr because I know the full time ones generally last a month and I hear that when you're not sleeping you're working. So I was including out of class work.
However I very much prefer the idea of doing it part time, say over a 10 week period.
That last post sparked another question: I'm sure its very hard to generalise but to what extent does not having a degree limit you (I have A-levels and did in fact get half way through a degree but had to finish because of ill health)? In certain countries/lines of work can I expect to struggle to find jobs? I'm fairly confident that generally its not an issue. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
|
| Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 11:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Matthew_McCabe wrote: |
| That last post sparked another question: I'm sure its very hard to generalise but to what extent does not having a degree limit you (I have A-levels and did in fact get half way through a degree but had to finish because of ill health)? In certain countries/lines of work can I expect to struggle to find jobs? I'm fairly confident that generally its not an issue. |
Actually, it's generally a huge issue for the people who don't have them, unless you don't want to work in a highly modernized country. For example, Thailand was mentioned earlier. Lots of teachers there have no degree. However, having a degree is a requirement, so many of theose without one bought it on Khao San Road in Bangkok. Now some of them are being arrested and deported. I think China is now the most popular country for people who don't have a degree.
Your best bet is to look up in each forum for a country that you are interested in (the big three are Japan, Korea, Taiwan- you need a degree for any of them, fake ones used to be fairly common in Korea, but I think they cracked down there, too).
If you are thinking of doing this for a career, most people eventually want to do an MA in TESOL / Applied Linguistics. An undergraduate degree (even an unrelated one) is generally considered the entry requirement into doing this as a career, unless your plan is to stay at the conversation school level in a country that accepts people wothout degrees (generally the ones where the competition for jobs is quite low because of the pay and available quality of life and so people with degrees stay clear because they have other options) then you should probably finish your degree before heading out. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
cspitzig
Joined: 01 Nov 2007
Posts: 56
|
| Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:53 am Post subject: Re: Regarding teaching and training |
|
|
| Glenski wrote: |
| However, if you have the least inkling that TEFL will be fairly long-term, get the certification, especially if you have no background in teaching, let alone teaching English. |
What is your opinion of getting the certification after doing TEFL for a year or two? I like the idea of doing it, but don't know if I'll actually like it. I'm under the impression most schools give some kind of training in how THEY teach, though I'm not clear on how extensive this training is.
Because, my student loans are high enough that I don't want to risk paying for more education, only to find out it was a waste of money. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matthew_McCabe
Joined: 02 Dec 2007
Posts: 5
Location: Ingleton, North Yorkshire, UK
|
| Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:39 am Post subject: |
|
|
| GambateBingBangBOOM wrote: |
| Matthew_McCabe wrote: |
| That last post sparked another question: I'm sure its very hard to generalise but to what extent does not having a degree limit you (I have A-levels and did in fact get half way through a degree but had to finish because of ill health)? In certain countries/lines of work can I expect to struggle to find jobs? I'm fairly confident that generally its not an issue. |
Actually, it's generally a huge issue for the people who don't have them, unless you don't want to work in a highly modernized country. For example, Thailand was mentioned earlier. Lots of teachers there have no degree. However, having a degree is a requirement, so many of theose without one bought it on Khao San Road in Bangkok. Now some of them are being arrested and deported. I think China is now the most popular country for people who don't have a degree.
Your best bet is to look up in each forum for a country that you are interested in (the big three are Japan, Korea, Taiwan- you need a degree for any of them, fake ones used to be fairly common in Korea, but I think they cracked down there, too).
If you are thinking of doing this for a career, most people eventually want to do an MA in TESOL / Applied Linguistics. An undergraduate degree (even an unrelated one) is generally considered the entry requirement into doing this as a career, unless your plan is to stay at the conversation school level in a country that accepts people wothout degrees (generally the ones where the competition for jobs is quite low because of the pay and available quality of life and so people with degrees stay clear because they have other options) then you should probably finish your degree before heading out. |
Aha, thanks for the correction.
Not sure I was thinking of making a career of TEFL. I'd be most keen to teach in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and/or Central Asia. What is the situation in these places regarding degrees? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
|
| Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Good jobs in the Middle East often ask for MAs.
cspitzig--Many schools do not provide training--maybe a couple of days of observing other teachers' classes, maybe an occasional workshop. And if you find one that offers training in its own method, you might not be able to exercise any creativity with your lesson plans.
A TEFL course shouldn't cost more than a couple thousand dollars at most. Not cheap, but certainly not as costly as a four-year degree. A bigger problem is paying off the loans once you start teaching. Monthly payments can take a huge chunk out of an EFL teacher's salary.
d |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
cspitzig
Joined: 01 Nov 2007
Posts: 56
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 1:56 am Post subject: |
|
|
| denise wrote: |
Good jobs in the Middle East often ask for MAs.
cspitzig--Many schools do not provide training--maybe a couple of days of observing other teachers' classes, maybe an occasional workshop. And if you find one that offers training in its own method, you might not be able to exercise any creativity with your lesson plans.
A TEFL course shouldn't cost more than a couple thousand dollars at most. Not cheap, but certainly not as costly as a four-year degree. A bigger problem is paying off the loans once you start teaching. Monthly payments can take a huge chunk out of an EFL teacher's salary.
d |
They might take a big chunk, but my student loans have been on deferment for 3 years, because I don't make enough in the US at my current (non-TESL) job. In Taiwan, I'd make enough to actually pay them.
One thing I'm not clear on is whether training is paid for, as a standard. A long training period without pay is a significant drop in pay, if it is not standard.
Not being allowed creativity sounds ok, when I first start(and don't have any ideas to be creative WITH). I've tutored math professionally for several years, but thats not teaching OR EFL. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
