Job Discussion Forums

summercrane · Joined: 28 Aug 2009 Posts: 1 Location: Brisbane, Australia

Hello everyone!

I guess I should start by introducing myself. I'm summercrane, a 23 year old male university student in Brisbane, Australia. At the moment I'm studying a double bachelor in Arts and Education. I have just over a year to go and have always been planning to teach english overseas when I'm finally done haha.

Each yeah during my University holidays, I have Novemer until March off and I was thinking about filling that time in with some ESL teaching in China. But I'm not so sure how possible that will be. I have seen heaps of companies offering such positions, but have always been wary of them being money making schemes, or unreliable. But since finding this fantastic website, it kind of puts my mind at ease.

My first question is this...how reliable are the job boards on Dave's ESL Cafe? Would you guys suggest that they are the most reliable place online to look for ESL jobs?

Secondly, I would like to ask a general question about qualifications. At present, I have none. In one year, I will have two bachelors, one in arts and one in education. Without any qualifications, but an academic record of a soon to be finished degree, is there any hope for me landing an ESL job in China?

Thirdly, I see a lot of jobs advertised as requiring a bachelors degree AND an TEFL qualification. Where is the best place to actually gain an internationally recognized TEFL qual? I am used to studying in the university system and am very wary of some organizations offering widely recognized qualifications...where should I start looking?

Thanks so much for reading guys...this looks like an invaluable forum and I can't wait to become a more active poster.

summercrane.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 3:28 pm Post subject:

Chancellor

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

Yep, you cuold do winter camps, There are some in China, Korea, and the UK. Some are reliable, and some jobs aren't. watch out for recruiters, some are decent, but the majority should be avoided. Don't send money!

eslcafe.com
tefl.com

are good places to look, also www.seriousteachers.com is decent, but now teachers can pay and have their CVs go at the top of employer's lists.

China is easy to get a job in.

If you have a teacher license, you might want to consider intl schools, go to www.tes.co.uk and www.ibo.org

SIT, Trinity and CELTA are the most known TEFL certs, but anyone with 120 hours and six of teaching is ok.

Cubic09 · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 11:35 pm Post subject:

Hi Summercrane, why not try International Exchange Partners? Their website is: www.iep.org.au

They have quite a presence down here in the Antipodes, and have all sorts of different programmes - working in the US/Canada, Britain, Ireland and France - even volunteering in Costa Rica! Shocked

The process would be much the same - it's possible to find a job before you go overseas, however most people go over with a few dollars in their back pocket and attend a few interviews first.

I'd be wary of organisations willing to take you on without any degree or TEFL certification. China might be the exception, I don't know...why not wait until you finish your degree? I'm in the same boat, and can't wait to get university done and dusted! Laughing

coledavis · Joined: 21 Jun 2003 Posts: 1838

Dave's: well, more people tend to look at it than most, as they also go to the forums, which are the best organised that I know about. Therefore, the ads are a bit more expensive than on other sites. Therefore, on the whole, the more serious employers who do advertise are likely to use it. Scammers, however, will advertise on any and every web site, so I think it's caveat emptor.

Qualification: You should have one. Never mind that you might somewhere do without it. How are you going to feel when you're actually in a real classroom, facing real students and not having a clue? (By the way, teaching English to foreigners is very different from teaching content-based courses such as English literature or chemistry or whatever.)

Further on qualifications: Don't allow yourself to go in for a cheap and nasty, such as an online course. Go on a CELTA or Trinity (Trinity is better if you prefer to teach young children). Most advertisers prefer these and as there is a recession on and, anyway, you say that this is what you'd like to do, you are much better off with a serious qualification. (Not that your degree isn't useful. It is, but you do need an initial teaching qualification to do something reasonably worthwhile.)