Job Discussion Forums

[prlester]

Is a teaching certificate necessary to teach in Europe, or just a bachelors degree?

In Asia the latter suffices.

[mdk]

Then east of the Urals no and west of them yes.

[expatella_girl]

There are ads all over the usual Russian websites for English speakers, begging for teachers. Begging. Right now the only qualification many of them are looking for is a native English speaker. Live and breathing.

Visas are impossible and they'll take anything they can get.

[canucktechie]

Why don't you point us to where this "begging" is going on, because I sure don't see any on expat.ru or redtape.ru . Lots of teachers looking for privates though.

[expatella_girl]

The ones I've seen, and yeah they turn up on expat all the time, are just looking for native speakers of English, that's it. The pay is low, no visa no apartment, no benefits of any kind. They all seem to have a 3 month turnover.

I have a friend right now who is in Moscow on a student visa 'teaching' English. She's been working for a gas and oil company--except she hasn't been paid in two months.....and they keep promising the money is coming, the money is coming.....

I think there are plenty of English teaching jobs in Moscow. But:

The pay is absurdly low
You have to already have some kind of visa
No guarantees of hours or facilities or materials
No guarantees you'll get paid in a timely manner
No housing

Bottom of the barrel stuff.

[coledavis]

The usual story: what one can get away with, as opposed to what one ought to do. Yes, you can find a job where they will just take you, but ask yourself a few questions. Do you want to work for a firm which doesn't care how you teach? If you haven't taught before, how do you think you'll do in front of your first class? If you have, was it teaching English to foreigners? (This is a different game from teaching, say, history.) Do you care about the service you give to others? Even if you don't, how do you feel about being 'found out', i.e. as pretty much a charlatan?

Sorry about these harsh words, but I really think that people should take the CELTA (or perhaps the Trinity certificate). You get an intensive few weeks where the tutors inculcate some understanding of the sort of grammatical standards required (as a native speaker, you're probably completely unaware of most of the things other English speakers have to consciously learn), methods available and a little supervised experience of actually working with a class.

Not only are you able to do more than somebody without the CELTA, but you are more likely to succeed in your application for a job where you actually want to be, with a decent(ish) school because you have the qualification. And no, the silly weekend TEFL courses and other cheaper alternatives are rarely decent substitutes. Sorry for being a bit strident about this, but I've worked with the graduates of these other courses, and they don't know what's hit them when they first start teaching. (It's difficult enough even when you've been on a decent course.) Not going on a decent course - four or five weeks to gain some marketable skills - is a false economy.

[mdk]

I've never had such problems when I worked with a University. The pay was bubkhes, but I was always treated in an honest and straightforward manner.

[prlester]

Is the certificate really necessary? East Asia it is not.

[spiral78]

Western Europe generally requires certification - and from an on site course, not on line. You probably don't want to come here. Too much trouble.

[coledavis]