Job Discussion Forums

[stryder1587]

Hi there, I am preparing to get my TEFL certificate but I am unsure as to the general requirements of schools in China. Are 100 hours and/or teaching components necessary? In order to teach Business English, is a specialized certificate required to do that?

Thanks

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

Hi, there is no TEFL requirement in China. It may help you if you have no experience in a classroom, but otherwise its not necessary. No specialist certificate needed to teach business English either.

The requirements for a job in China aren't rigorous, BA, two years experience (preferably) and no fatal diseases.

[sharpe88]

I think the requirement is more like "look like a foreigner", and I'm not being facetious.

[stryder1587]

Well I'm a Chinese born Canadian. Guess that won't go too well huh? How can I improve my odds of getting a job without something like getting a degree in Education or Masters. (something short term or way to make resume appealing?)

[evaforsure]

[stryder1587]

I hear online Tefls are practically useless, but would it be worth getting to find a job in China? I've seen several postings that don't "require" Tefl but would "prefer" Tefl or several years teaching experience.

Also, I don't have any teaching experience at all. While I do speak native English, I wouldn't know where to begin with a lesson. Do schools have a curriculum for which teachers follow? To what extent do I need to prepare the lessons?

100 hours is the international standard, but do Chinese recruiters care about the hours? There are some 40 hour online ones that are under $200, if that is all that's required for the sake of getting the piece of paper, I wouldn't mind.

[catherineluff]

Hey,

If you're thinking about teaching in China then you probabaly will want to do a longer TEFL course, some schools will require a degree but it depends. The bets thing I can recommend is the 120 hour TEFL course from a company called i-to-i, it's a good overiew of TEFL theory and gives you experience teaching as well plus it;s internationally recognised so you should be able to use it in China, this is the webiste http://www.onlinetefl.com

Good luck!

[sharpe88]

Despite what they may tell you, the *only* internationally recognized programs at that level are Cambridge CELTA and Trinity TESOL.

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

[sharpe88]

Hey cleric, we were speaking of "internationally" not China. Also many smaller language schools couldn't care less, yes. But most, not all, of the teachers I know of at say, EF and WS have CELTAs . Generally, the recognition of these quals is coming around.

[alohahapa]

stryder1587 wrote
Well I'm a Chinese born Canadian. Guess that won't go too well huh? How can I improve my odds of getting a job without something like getting a degree in Education or Masters. (something short term or way to make resume appealing?

I am American born Chinese who have taught in China for one year and I think life can be a litte more difficult than other FTs. I sent my pics and resume to many schools but got no responses.
But I think now I have at least one year experience...more and more recruiters are sending me emails.
And most of the recruiters expect you to have some kind of certificate.
Just believe in yourself and anything is possible.

[alohahapa]

I was in your shoes last year beginning my first year teaching in China. I did very well handling around five hundred students at a high school. The first semester was brutal but I worked really hard. The second semester was easier and less stressful.

Now as far my experience there and my Asian background....the first three months I really had to prove to everyone that I am an American and not a native-born Chinese teacher. Even I worked so hard and was never late or absent for classes, still today I think some of the Chinese leaders and teachers in the school don't give me the respect. But my students did enjoyed my teaching and thats what matter most.

I do have a degree and a TEFL certificate but I don't look foreign enough to the Chinese people.
I suggest if you really want to teach here...get a recruiter to help you. My recruiter helped me getting that job otherwise I would still be job searching.
I suggest also you should really get that TEFL certificate. It helped me build my confidence level and many other things too.

[stryder1587]

Thanks for the heads up, really glad to hear the experience of someone that's been in my shoes.

I am currently choosing between the following programs:

1) 100 hr @ i-to-i ($320)
http://www.onlinetefl.com/online-tefl/course.html

2) 100 hr @ teflonline ($190 without tutor)
http://www.teflonline.net/courses/

I don't think I need a tutor and I wanted to save some money since I think the general consensus is that Tefl isn't necessary in China. But at the same time, I think I want 100 hours since it's the international standard of required content.

I know Catherine can vouch for the i-to-i program.
Has anybody taken a course from teflonline.net or heard anything good/bad about it?

[nickpellatt]

I think Catherrine may work for, or be connected to i-i.

The course is crap really, a waste of money and covers very little. I have done two i-i courses including the business english module...and I can tell you from personal experience that are pretty useless as far as teaching you anything.

If they cost $50, fair enough ... but they dont. They are very expensive for what they actually offer.

I have also done a genuine 120 hours classroom instruction with observed teaching practice. I actually did a Trinity course which is one of those mentioned earlier in the thread. The two courses dont compare in any way.

Interestingly ... my Trinity course recommended I buy a book prior to my course called 'learning teaching' by Jim Scrivener. That book cost me less than �20 and is more informative and valuable that the i-i course would be. I honestly think you are far better off buying this book, or other books that cover life in EFL than wasting your money on an i-i course or similar.

I will also mention that whatever hour course they offer ... well its only a guide...not a definative amount of time the course takes to complete. The business english course I did was (from memory) meant to take something like 16 hours. I did it in 4.

120 hours is the international recognised standard, but it is 120 hours in class with a tutor, NOT an online course that you may complete in 1/3 of the time stated.

Anyone who suggests these types of courses are good either works for the company or is connected to them ... or is probably not actually teaching yet! They are NOT internationally recognised either...I think thats a bare faced lie to be honest.

The international places that 'recognise' the certificates, actually only recognise the words 'TEFL' and 'certificate'. They may have a pre-requisite that you hold some type of certificate...but they probably dont care what it is, and I dont think they will ever check it. You could buy one on ebay and buy a few good books instead ... this will save you money and educate you better than an online course will do BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE WITH i-i. (who I am not slagging off ... I had no problem with them taking my card payment twice and not sending course material. Its just the course is rubbish as almost all of this type are!)

As someone of Chinese descent ... you are already at a massive disadvantage...many employers will not be interested ... those that do may treat you worse than the white FTs and disrespect you...and some of the students may also take you less seriously.

Make yourself employable by getting a decent cert with some quality training beforehand ... this means you may be able to challenge the impression they may have of you, by you actually being able to teach when you get there.

Arriving armed only with your online cert ... its 1000000-1 that you would do a good job from the outset really ... which may just reinforce all the negative ideas your employer probably had about employing you. Add this to the fact many of the students will actually be dismayed to see you enter the class as a foreign teacher .... then not being able to do the job well will make things much worse

[nickpellatt]

I thought I would post again cos I felt a bit guilty suggesting Catherine might work for, or be connected to, i-i. So I checked her other post, she has only made two. One on this forum, and one on a middle east forum. Her other post was also to post a link to i-i

I double checked both my i-i certificates. Neither have any sort of numbering, no official seal, and no genuine signatures...they are just printed ones.

On that basis I would challenge anyone to suggest valid reasons why a $200 i-i course would offer any advantage or benefit over a fake $10 cert, coupled with a often recommended book on EFL and another $20 book that offers 'easy classroom activities, with photocopiable pages'.

PM me and Ill even send you my i-i certificate in a PDF and you can photoshop it!