Job Discussion Forums

[justenanderson]

I've read bits and pieces from around the board, but I'm interested in getting some more feedback on this topic.

Which certification is best to teach in Latin America?

I'm a licensed teacher who'll have 2 years experience before heading south. Because of time constraints, I don't think I could complete a CELTA before I leave.

Are 120-hour online certs worth their while?

What should I do to make sure I'm prepared to enter the classroom? I'd like to teach in an international school.

[naturegirl321]

SIT
Trinity
CELTA
are the big ones, but any course with 120 hour and 6 teaching hours is probably good.

BUT, if you're going for an intl shcool job, forget about the TEFL certs, head for an intl job fair.

[Justin Trullinger]

Agree with NG that as a licensed teacher you may have a good chance at international schools without a TESOL certificate. Since the medium of instruction in these schools is English, and the kids are used to it, TESOL training is generally not an issue to them. What's your subject area?

I wouldn't waste your time with online training which won't really enhance your resume.



Best,
Justin

[justenanderson]

My endorsement is in Secondary Business. I currently teach Economics, Business, 3 computer classes and run the school newspaper.

My fear is that I'lll forgo the TESOL cert and try to get an Intl School job and won't be able to get one. Then, not having a cert or an intl school job, I could be in a sticky situation. What are your thoughts here?

[naturegirl321]

[Atlan Training]

I am a CELTA and TESOL trainer and an employer, and I work for an international school. My recommendation for you is this:

Get the EFL Certification. As others here have already mentioned, you won't absolutely need it, but it will enhance your employability significantly, giving you a wider range of options, and it almost certainly will benefit you professionally in the teaching of other subjects.

Do not waste your time and money with any certification that is not one of these three:

CELTA
TESOL SIT
TESOL Trinity

These are the only globally recognized certifications for English language teaching. Among them, the CELTA has the widest global recognition but all of them are fine. You can do your certification in Latin America. There are CELTA centers in Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Ecuador. I recommend Southern Cross in Ecuador because I am the trainer there, but I know that some of the other courses ( not all! ) are highly regarded. The CELTA course in Ecuador is 160 hours in five weeks. Almost all of the others are 120 hours in four weeks.

Good luck!

[naturegirl321]

[Atlan Training]

Hi Naturegirl

[just_a_mirage]

[Justin Trullinger]

Price is clearly a legitimate concern- I know, though, that if you look around, there are ways to get the kind of courses that ARE recognised for less money.

I'd agree with Atlan here- Though he may be biased as a CELTA trainer, and I am definitely "biased" as an SIT TESOL trainer, I think this is where we agree:

There are certainly a lot of generic courses out there. Some of them may very well be as good as, or better than, the course on which I most regularly train. I also do teacher training outside of the SIT structure, and wouldn't think I'm any worse at it on those days when I'm "generic" rather than SAT affiliated.

BUT, I hire teachers. And if I see an SIT TESOL cert, a CELTA, or a Trinity cert on a resume, because those are the best-known courses, I know them. When you tell me you did a CELTA, though I would be the last person to deny that it has weaknesses as well as strengths, I know what you did. And this is worth something in the market. If you did World English Teaching's TESOL Certificate in London (I made this up) for all I know it might be better than the CELTA. But it might not. It might be utter garbage. There are a lot of garbage courses around, after all. How the heck am I supposed to find out? I might try to speak to a trainer there. Or to graduates. Look at their course materials, etc...but it takes a lot of work on my part to determine the legitimacy of an unknown course. Depending on the course, it may not even be possible. By having a qualification I've heard of, you save me that work! (And I appreciate it.)

I'm not expressing a preference for one entry level qual over another in hiring. At the moment, we have a couple of Trinity cert holders(including me), a number of SIT cert holders, and an MA qualified high school teacher on staff. Have also had CELTA grads, special ed teachers, and speech language pathologists. I believe in the value of diversity of training- no training program is perfect, so bringing a lot of things to the table for sharing is always good.

BUt you always run a risk by getting training that may be difficult to check out.


Best,
Justin

[justenanderson]

Ok, so I get the point that having a widely recognized certification is a good thing to make life easier on employers. I also realize that it would be nice to have a cert on my resume to strengthen my employability.

With that in mind, it seems like an international school is the best option (see previous post for background) and an international school wouldn't require a TEFL cert. Frankly, I'd rather put the effort into finishing my MBA than getting a cert, just because the cert would look nice on a resume.

I'd think that having my MBA finished would open more doors than getting a TEFL certification. What do you think?

[Justin Trullinger]

Depends on the doors you're interested in opening.

In my world, an MBA wouldn't do a lot. (I work in non-profit education, for pete's sake.)

But in yours, if you want business admin work, then get the MBA. I don't assume the TEFL cert will get you a lot in that area.

If you're thinking $$, clearly your average MBA grad will out earn your average TEFL cert grad every time. But we're not exactly comparing apples to apples here- you can't do an MBA for $1500.


Best,
Justin

PS- International schools seem like a good bet- if you don't want to pursue futher qualifications, then find something you like that you're already qualified for!

[justenanderson]

[naturegirl321]

[justenanderson]

I AM a licensed teacher, but I will be doing additional work over the next year to improve my skills and employability.

In your opinion, where should I put my energy?