Job Discussion Forums

[babosojuking]

I'm returning to Toronto, Canada in a month after teaching for 3 years in Korea. I have decided that I would like to pursue a career teaching English in Canada. I have begun an MA TESOL online from Macquarie University in Australia, and am currently working on the 3rd of the required 8 courses. I'm looking at getting some kind of teacher certification like a CELTA, but I just noticed that it is not accepted by TESOL Ontario. I saw that the University of Toronto (where I did my BA) offers an 8 month full time TESOL certificate program. My feeling is that I need the practical aspects of the CELTA or TESOL certificate to go along with the theory based Masters.

Basically what I want to ask to those who have knowledge of the market for teaching English in Ontario is:

Would getting the CELTA and completing the Masters qualify me for the decent teaching jobs in Ontario? Or do I need both the U of T certificate and the Masters? I'm just wondering if its necessary to have both the U of T certificate and the Masters.

I'm not sure what to do next and would appreciate any thoughts or advice.

Thank you

[jdl]

If you are returning to Canada for some time to work, thinking in terms of career and willing to spend some time and money on your education, why not become a 'real teacher' and get a teaching degree recognized by OTA and the Department of Education. You could have a major or minor focus on ESL which is what I think you mean by 'teaching English' and get a provincial certification which will get you employment world wide in either adult ed or primary/elementary/senior schools. If you select to stay in Canada, working as a certified teacher of adults or children is much more secure, financially rewarding and portable from province to province.

Limiting yourself to the narrow niche market of ESL is expensive in the short run with limited long term career benefits.

Seriuosly explore entering a Faculty of Education at one of Ontario's highly regarded universities. Select a path that opens as many doors as possible to you.

[santi84]

CELTA is not a common qualification for ESL teachers who teach in Canada.

I did not go to university in Toronto (Vancouver), but the majority of students in our 8 month full-time TESL certificate program were certified public school teachers looking for that extra boost to get a job in the public school system. Only 1 student (of about forty) had a CELTA, and she started off her career somewhere in Asia.

Just my personal opinion, but the 8 month full-time TESL certificate is more intense than CELTA (my practicum alone ended up being 2 months full-time with the volunteer, observation, preparation, and teaching hours). While I respect CELTA as a program, I do not think they are equivalent at all.

Getting an MA in TESOL is essential for a decent job in Ontario, which you are already working towards. Since the job market is so tight (I'm assuming you are not interested in the $10/hour garbage jobs), I would recommend that you speak with some of the experienced ESL faculty at the university.

[iverin]

I plan on doing the TESOL at the UofT (Woodsworth) next year if possible while still working part time. My long term goal is as a high school teacher but I can't afford teacher's college at the moment. So my hope is to take the TESOL program, while still working part time and doing volunteer ESL work with the LINC program, and then attend teacher's college. I would like in the end to teach ESL full time but I know that is hard so I figure getting the Teacher's Cert and the TESOL is the best bet.

I've done some searching for the TESOL program in Toronto and haven't found anything ill written about it. I know there is also a program at George Brown that allows you to opt out of your practicum if you have 200+ (or something like that) in-class hours. Because by the time I'm doing the course it will have been over an year since I taught in-class I'm looking forward to the practicum.

But I digress. I looked into all the options and have decided on the TESOL at Woodsworth and then later onto the Teacher's College ( I know that this is backwords but it allows me to continue working part time and save money since I can't addord TC right now).

[jdl]

Good for you! A career path and a plan. All the best. Welcome home.

[Jetgirly]

Get your B.Ed! I taught ESL in a Canadian public school last year and made more than $56,000 as a newly-qualified teacher. Now that I have one year experience it's up to $62,000. I think that after taxes and deductions, this year I will be able to put aside about $700-800 every month (and I live alone, with relatively high rent, payments on a new car and a student loan on which I pay three times the minimum allowable payment). There is a lot of money to be had working in the public school system. My ESL load has been lightened this year because there was an amazing Special Ed opening that now takes up more than half my workload, but I still loooooove my ESL kids and I'll probably go back to 100% ESL in the 2011-2012 school year. As well, other teachers turn to me as a resource for teaching the ESL kids in their classes and it's always good (from a promotion point of view) if you can teach other teachers! I work in a junior high and wouldn't trade it for the world- our day starts at 8:20 and ends at 2:50; as the year progresses and we get into our groove I'm usually out by 3:30 every day (I run my extra-curriculars at lunch so I'm not "stuck" after school... and there's no rule here saying you have to run extra-curriculars anyways).

[Molson]

[khmerhit]

sorry to rain on your parade but the unemployment rate in Hogtown is officially ten per cent, same as the US, and very likely higher than that given all the jobless who are off the books.

all the cushy jobs like esl are highly sought after, and a part-time vacancy in a library in collingwood where i live had 250 applicants, something like that. so you have to be either v lucky, or you have to be at the top of the list of best candidates!! Its official--everyone else is a loser!!

















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[Chancellor]