Job Discussion Forums

[AlexanderME]

Hi, i am new to the forum so i will start off by saying HELLO!!!!!

okay, so i am a 19 year old white male and i found that i want to teach english as my career of choice.

I have a few questions that i would like to hear about before i spend any type of real money.

1. Will my age harm my chances of getting a job? AND will people in the classroom respect me less since i am young?

2. Has anyone heard any good/bad reviews on oxford seminars? i have looked them up online and hear mixed reviews.. personal experience would be much appreciated.

THANK YOU!!!

[spiral78]

Where do you think you want to teach?
Many regions require that you have a university degree before you can get a working visa as an instructor.

Yes, your age is a liability in many places.

Re: Oxford - again, it depends where you want to go. In some parts of the world, an on-line cert is ok, but most places require at least a hundred hour course on site with real teaching practice with actual students, not peer trainees.

Give us more info about where you hope to go and we can give you more specific advice and info.

[fluffyhamster]

Hi Alexander! It won't be so much your age as the corresponding lack of higher education that will affect your chances of TEFL employment in many countries (where Immigration may well demand that you have a first degree at least). Nothing personal, just stating facts.

So if you currently have even the slightest option of completing a degree, I'd really advise you to try to do so now rather than later. But there are sometimes ways and means around this problem (e.g. the WHV - Working Holiday Visa - reciprocal arrangement that Japan has with certain countries, as well as the apparent option to gain a work visa in Japan by "simply" proving that one has three years of relevant experience in the relevant field), but that is ultimately stuff you will have to find out about and double-check yourself.

[Justin Trullinger]

Very generally speaking:

If you want to do this for a year or so and see how you like it, go for it. I'd still recommend getting a one month on site cert qualification. More expensive than Oxford seminars, but usually worth it.

Work a crap job, save some $$ for start up costs, get a cert (in any order), and have a nice trip.

But if you're really thinking "career of choice," then start applying...to colleges. Starting out in this field without a degree isn't too bad in some places. (Impossible in others. But you can find a place.) But going past "starting out" is darn near impossible, in most places, without a degree.

So if you decide to do this long term, sooner or later, you're gonna have to put in some serious university time.


Best,
Justin

PS- I'd go for the degree now, for the reason you mention- you're young. Age 22 and a recent grad is young enough that it's sometimes a source of start-up problems. 19 is going to be even worse. So get to work on getting a degree, and aging...

[AlexanderME]

oh sorry i left out that info..

i plan to go to latin america, i am not sure where as i do not particularly have a preference.. but from looking on these boards i like costa rica and brazil.

i dont want to go to college for a degree. i dont like the school systems of this country and i just study on my own for free!

i see where a degree would help me but again this is not an option and correct me if i am wrong please but isnt latin america a little more lenient towards those without degree?

thanks for replies

Edit: oh and i am actually turning 19 in February haha

[spiral78]

Alexander, with a decent certification course you may be able to find entry-level jobs. But if you actually want to make a career out of teaching (meaning making enough money to save up and buy anything significant) you will need a degree plus experience plus probably later on an advanced degree (MAs are becoming more and more the standard for decently-paid jobs).

Yeah, you can probably get a little start - but don't expect to go far without more qualifications - experience alone is not enough to secure a 'real' job as a teacher.

[AlexanderME]

well, i am not out to make money.. i am mainly interested in this simply because i can see myself not dreading going to work in the morning and actually enjoying it, which is worth more then anything to me.

all i need is enough to rent a room/house and live.

keep them coming ! thank you

[Justin Trullinger]

Totally understand why you don't want to go to college, mate.

I didn't either. (Want to. I went, and made some relatively crappy decisions on account of not really wanting to be there.)

But in terms of not dreading going to work in the mornings...

When you start out as an English teacher, cert level, you're probably going to be teaching a split schedule, meaning early morning start, late evening finish, on and off in between. You'll meet people from all kinds of backgrounds, teach under a lot of circumstances, learn a lot about the language and teaching. But it's too many preps, too long days, too screwy circumstances, too terrible bosses, too low pay.

It's okay. And at your age, you have plenty of energy. But sooner or later, you're gonna find that you would like a paid vacation. Or a higher salary. Some benefits. Not to have to work all the hours God sends in order to survive. Not to have to share an apartment.

And when that happens, a degree is a decent place to start. I'm not talking about selling out and going wallstreet. But working entry level forever isn't really a pleasant possibility for most people. For me, entry level teaching beat the pants off of entry level most everything else. So it's what I do. But if I had to stay entry level, I would have quit by now. I would dread going to work in the morning if it all had to be the way it was when I started.



Now where I'm going to differ from some other posters here is by saying: If you're not college minded now, do a decent cert, teach a year or two, then go back. If you like it, after a couple of years, go do an English teaching related degree. If not, go do something else. But if you feel like teaching a bit first, go for it.

You won't get the best jobs. But heck, you're 19, don't have any dependents, have a lot of endurance and a hopefully a reasonable tolerance for BS. You'd find something round here. Make sure you have a year's travel health insurance paid up front, and have a shot.

But I would recommend getting a decent on-site certification. I know, it costs more than a distance course. So slave a little longer at a low wage job. For two reasons: One, you're not going to learn how to teach on a course where you don't really get to try it. Two, you need everything you can get for the job hunt. Your age is against you. Your education is against you. Unfair judgements about your maturity and reliability will be made, and not in your favor. Get a cert that will be in your favor.

And have a great time.

Best,
Justin

PS- Feel free to pm if Ecuador is an interest.

[Chancellor]

[naturegirl321]

First off, are you trying to figure out if you want to study TEFL or teach it? You could probably pick up some summer camp work in Asia, maybe even Italy, Spain or the UK

If you're thinking about teaching, well, if you're that young, you probably don't have too much life experience. And if you don't have a degree, some countries will be closed off to you.

Oxford Sem isn't the best. A good school has 120 hours and 6 teaching students.

About degrees, even if you don't like them, you can't beat the system. Many countries are requiring them for a visa. latin America is a bit more laid back. But teaching for 5 bucks an hour, doing split shifts, and spending hours on public transport gets old, fast. Trust me.

One more thing about the age thing, I was 20 when I started TEFLing, but that's only because I graduated HS and uni early. It's doable. I started teaching at a uni when I was 22.

[naturegirl321]

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[denise]

What is it that made you decide that this was your career of choice? I didn't decide to make it a career until I had already been doing it for two years and had some idea what it actually entailed... Yeah, I love it and I usually go into work in a good mood, but still, it is a job like all the others--40ish hours per week (and if you get stuck on a split schedule, your life will be adversely affected--split schedules are ROUGH!!!), meetings, admin duties, etc. It's not all fun and games, nor is living abroad a fabulous adventure.

I echo what others have said: if you truly do want to do this as a career, you should have a BA as a MINIMUM. Many of us lifers have MAs, which are the keys to better jobs--and which show our employers that we care enough about what we do to get properly trained. I'd wager that none of us is in it for the money, but it's still nice to know that you can afford to live a decent life and travel a bit during your vacations (which you won't get many of in entry-level jobs).

In your position, given your age, education, and attitude towards college, I'd say just do it for a year or so. That's such a short time that maybe it will be an adventure.

d

[Madame J]

I'd say, try an entry level job for a couple of years to test the waters. If you really hate the idea of university, then for heaven's sake don't shell out a small fortune simply in order to enable a career you may discover actually isn't for you.

I am in roughly your position in terms of lack of qualifications, though I don't plan to make a career out of EFL. I wish I could, but I know I'll always want to return to England ultimately and sadly, EFL positions with children here seem to be virtually non existent. Anyway, naturally I've been looking into the countries that are less stringent re degrees, and it so seems that Indonesia, Laos and Cambodia are decent bets.

With regards to the split shifts, personally I say, "sod that". Perhaps I should be less swift to judge, but I can scarcely imagine a concept more hellish. Whilst this may limit my entry level job options, I know there are language schools out there that do not expect this. I don't believe English First require you to work these sorts of hours, and whilst they are often held in very little regard by people here, as an entry level position they seem adequate enough.

There was a guy on my CELTA in November who was a tender 18. Great teacher. I'll have to see how he's getting on.

[naturegirl321]

As for split shifts, if you live close enough to work, they're great. I'd teach for 4 hours, go home, eat lunch and take a 2 hour nap every day, then go back to work. I loved it.