Job Discussion Forums

[gordon1984]

I may have touched on this in another one of my posts or most probably touched on little bit's here and there, but I was wanting to ask something just to try and get things tidy in my mind.......

I am going to do my best to get a course with a teaching element if possible in term's of money, if not I will look into online courses that will help with my grammar and language awareness. What I want to know is because of my circumstances in terms of money and time I just want to try teaching out for a bit, after reading this forum I feel pretty confident in getting a paid position, I understand it won't be as well paid and the environment maybe not the best but that's something I have to accept with my circumstances.

Can I ask, when you start at a school will I get a syllabus to teach from usually, and if so, with me not having EFL experience would good planning and prep for my lessons help me with that, and also with me not being that confident on grammar and thing's would good planning and prep for lessons along with continued self study on the matter see me through along with just getting my feet wet and learning on the job as well, only until im sure it's for me then I will invest in further training? That's what I need to know before I go.

I do intend to do some sort of training before I go, but as far as a newbie is concerened should I be worried if I can do it or not?

p.s I asked this in my other thread but thought I would post it fresh

[spiral78]

Where are you thinking of going?
The job can be quite different in different parts of the world.

For Europe, no training will put you so far at the bottom of the heap for hiring that you really might not find any job at all these days. Most newbies in this region have certification from the on-site courses 120 hours and real practice teaching. Online certs are also generally considered substandard in this region.

Again, in this region you would likely be expected to plan syllabi for your students, and to supplement any available coursebooks with outside materials.

On a final note: reading between the lines of your posts makes me worry a bit that you have little financial cushion to fall back on. If this is the case, please let me caution you strongly!! A very little bad luck can go a long way when you are in a foreign country. Be sure that you have enough to get you home at any time you might need to go.

Further, remember that there are almost always start-up costs in a new country. Landlords will very often want one month's rent as security, and the first month's rent up front. You may also have to pay an agent's fee, which can be equivalent to a month's salary. Language schools generally pay monthly, at the END of the month worked - in most cases, newbies are facing supporting themselves without a paycheck for at least the first two months.

If you give (maybe you've done this on another thread - I haven't taken the time to read them all) us some idea of what parts of the world you are thinking of going, we can probably be of more help.

[spiral78]

By the way, can I ask if you are a native English speaker? I am asking partly because your use of the apostrophe for plural nouns is correct in Dutch.

I am not implying that non-native speakers shouldn't teach English - they have a very useful place in the full range of teachers out there!

[gordon1984]

hey, yeah the money thing is my problem, I have enough to maybe do an online course or one of the courses from the list below(because I can get funding of �200 towards all the courses below) the reason for that is the money I have is for back up, I have enough to get started and fall back on, but that's as long as I don't do a Celta.

Basically my circumstances are this- my lease on the flat im in at te moment is up soon and I was made redundant from my previous job(posted my CV in the other thread I have) so i have a choice with the money I have, either re-lease my flat or use the money to go abroad and try out teaching. That's why I posted about i to i becuase if I do their course it get's funded for me and they gaurentee a paid teaching position.

I have been thinking of doing EFL teaching for a while but didn't want to leave my job because I loved it so much, I worked at a youth charity where my role was to teach social develpment classes, teach personal development workshops to groups and one to one, I just love being in that environment and watching people develop, it's more a passion than anything.

But job's are hard to come by in that sector at the moment, so thought now is the time to get away and try teaching, see how it goes.

I know EFL teaching is different, and that's where my worry come's in, I can deliver all kind's of workshops and deliver training but I know teaching EFL is different but was hoping as long as there was a syllabus to go by at the beginning I could get my feet wet and some experience, and im sure at the beginning there will be some hairy moment's but hoped having a syllabus, good planning/prep would help with that and then after a couple of month's experience that I would grow into the role.

But back to your question, no im not dutch, im Scottish. The place's im looking to teach are Indonesia, China, Thailand if possible(noticed mediakids for there) Laos those sort of place's.

Let me know what you guy's think, cheers

Gordon

[spiral78]

Good luck. I understand wanting to get your feet wet, and you do sound like a good candidate for newbie level teaching overall. I still think you need the real cert course, but if you absolutely can't, then you're certainly entitled to give it a try without.

[gordon1984]

Hey Spiral, I appreciate your help and totally understand the need for a real Cert, in all honesty I agree I should do a Cert, even not for my own good but the good of my student's and I will once I know I like it. but thanks for the encouraging message. Cheers

Gordon

[Glenski]

[gordon1984]

Hey Glenski, your obviously someone who read this thread thoroughly, so in answer to your first question I shall repeat-I am Scottish.

And no I don't have a degree-as I have said in other post's I realise that not having a degree or Celta will hold me back a bit and won't get me the best paying or best environment in term's of job's, that's something I just have to accept and I do.

Im amazed at your comment about interview's, I really am. How you can come to that conclusion with a few quickly written post's is beyond me. Also the comment about being wordy and the like came across almost a personal attack, sorry maybe not personal that's unfair but I think confrontational best describe's your post in my opinion, what's that all about?

Thank's to everyone who has gave me some amazing constructive feedback, in term's of your post Glenski I respect it, everyone can say what they want in whatever manner they want.But why someone waste's their time to even bother posting what you did is quite funny and sad at the same time.

Im so pissed at responding to your post but I want to try and keep this thread alive as there's so much info to be gained from people on here

Hope it keeps coming

Cheers

Gordon

[Tainan]

Gordon,

I don't think Glenski was personally attacking you at all. You yourself said that you need