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

[gordon1984]

Hey, thanks for your post. I understand where your coming from, and yes I have stated I need work on grammar and I do. I don't think its due to lack of education, probably more due to being out of school for a long time and falling into bad habits.

But I hear what you are saying, if you check my other posts I have agreed with everyone who has made comments regarding grammar and the like in my posts and I agree with you.

To be honest I don't get much time on the pc, so I just nip on and quickly reply, and no I don't think about the way im writing when I am just quickly trying to respond to someone who has taken the time to help me. Sorry about that. But I never realised that my posts would be getting disected and my interview skills reviewed based on my posts. I do recognise what you are saying about the apostrophe, as I say just bad habit, not thinking about it and just typing quickly in auto pilot to get my post up before I get kicked off the pc. But as you also said, I am aware of it and do plan on working on it.

The style I write on here will be different from say, a style I would use whilst writing a report for work or a cover letter I will use for a CV. I would probably take more time writing those and think about it a bit more, just the same as I would if I was running a lesson or I was at work. Because I have missed a full stop in a sentence on here or whatever, doesn't mean I talk in ooonnnneeee lllllooonnnggg seeennntteeennccee, all it is is that im in a hurry and just writing a post extremely quickly. But yeah I do need to work on grammar and the like but I have repeatedly said that.


Hey thanks for the info on contracts, I wasn't sure how they worked. I do plan on hopefully getting one before I go. My plan is to get the book mike suggested and if possible im hoping to volunteer at my local college where they teach esol.

I plan on going to Uni anyway at some point, but if I enjoy EFL teaching I may bring going to Uni forward and also doing my Celta whilst at Uni.

But thanks for all the info.

You wrote........

[naturegirl321]

About syllabi, I've worked at about 7 different schools. ONly in two of them did I get syllabi that were decent. In two intl, yes, intl schools, I got nothing, and was told to make everything from the scope and sequence, down to the syllabi, WITHOUT books.

The others had books, but no syllabi, and the books really weren't that great.

I'd ask beforehand if they have books, and what books they have. Also consider the levels. It might be worth buying books in Scotland and taking them without. I brought back books for the US and copy then for my students. WHen you have 9 different classes, having books makes a big difference.

Good planing and pre will help, but come up with a backup plan just in case. If you don't know an answer, be honest and tell the student that you willl tell them bext class.

Go to the library, get books on TEFLing, go to the bookshop and look at their books, see if you know it and if you can explain it.

I can't speak foro CELTA; but the TEFL course I took was grammar intensive.

[naturegirl321]

Why do you keep putting ' where they don't belong? Is there something wrong with your computer?

[gordon1984]

Hey Sharon, its not the pc, I think it may well just be me. I really need to keep an eye on it to be fair. I read over my first post in this thread and your pm, it was really helpful. I fear im a bit rustier than I first thought, i'm going to get studying asap and try to sort it out.

As I say im just always in a hurry, but for some reason my finger hovers close to th old ' button, plus bad habits picked up over the years. I'll keep an eye on it best I can and get studying up I think.

[beetlil]

Hi Gordon,

Firstly, let me say that this post isn't meant as an attack at all... just trying to raise another issue that may be important in your situation.

I realize that EFL courses are expensive and uni is also expensive and time consuming, but I know that what you will learn in obtaining some relevant qualifications will be invaluable.

You see teaching EFL isn't just about knowing where to put your apostrophes, or be able to give a correct answer when a student asks you 'teacher why is the verb considered present perfect continuous in that example?' Teaching EFL is also about cultural awareness and ... well it's about teaching and that brings into the equation things like classroom management, lesson prep, marking, etc.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not having a go at you. What worries me about people who jump into EFL is that if you don't know HOW to do it than you probably won't enjoy it. If I went out tomorrow and tried to sail a boat all on my own I would probably come back saying that's impossible to do and really no fun!

So.... sure, give EFL a chance but PLEASE if you can't afford the time or money for quals right now, spend as much time as you can with your head in a good text or searching on the net to get some skills first so that you don't turn what could be a great adventure into a nightmare

[gordon1984]

Hey beetlil, thanks for the post. I know what you mean by possibly ruining the experience for myself, but in terms of actual classroom management, lesson prep/planning I feel I have a bit of experience in that already. I used to be a training provider for a youth charity in Scotland. My role was to deliver training to employee's. part of the training I delivered was based on lesson facilitation and classroom management. I do have a lot of good experience in classroom environments so im not too worried about that part of teaching. I do understand though as someone pointed out that EFL teaching is different and a decent cert will be needed. But I do care about people and if I choose to do EFL as a career then I would do it properly with qualifications and get myself to uni.

My biggest worry is my grammar and things and thats why I needed some opinions on whether I should go for it or not. I will be working on that. But in my other position there was also things I didn't know or had forgot over the years, then suddenly I had to deliver training on that subject. What got me through in those times were really good planning/prep prior to my lesson, I would always research what I was due to teach if I felt I needed it refreshed. I would also look at my lesson plan and I could usually tell where any difficult questions may be directed so could have little notes just in case. So I would always have my lesson plan handy and also the course syllabus for that subject handy, and that usually got me through any hairy moments if they came up.

Thats what im trying to find out here, because I have had a few people pm me and say just go for it, you will learn on the job, as long as you plan properly you will be cool. But then others are saying no, so I think im just seeking some reassurance before I go ahead with this. As I say it would just be short term until I new teaching EFL was for me. What do you reckon beetil?

Hey don't worry I never took it as an attack, I would rather people were honest but constructive about it, and you were. Cheers for the advice, much appreciated.

Gordon