Job Discussion Forums

n&n · Joined: 15 Aug 2009 Posts: 22

I've been teaching English in Korea for the past 10 years at universities and language schools. I have a B.A. in Liberal Arts but no CELTA or teaching certificate. Is it possible for me to get a Z Visa and legally work in China without a TEFL certificate or a teaching certificate?

thefuzz · Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 271

It all depends how much pull the place you want to work at has with the local government / police office. There are people in China working legally without even having a university degree (although they do have a "teaching" certificate), so it is possible if they have a good relationship and if they are willing to call in favors. Nowadays, though, getting a basic TEFL certificate online is quite easy and that's all that the government in China needs...they don't really know the difference between a CELTA, TESOL or TEFL...they just want a piece of official looking paper with the word "teacher" and perhaps "English" written on it.

n&n · Joined: 15 Aug 2009 Posts: 22

Hmm. Do you have any recomendations/website links for these quickie online TEFL certs?

mike w · Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 1:02 pm Post subject:

The simple answer is - YES

jiangsu · Joined: 29 Sep 2009 Posts: 43

In the month or so I have been seriously looking, about 1% of jobs in China (if that) actually specify a CELTA.

If you had a DELTA they'd probably make you School Principal on the spot.

All you need is one of these TEFL certs, which you can get online, but I believe it's better to have a few hours face-to-face teaching hours on your cert if possible. Mine has 20 hours on it, I was told by various people you really don't need any more.

thefuzz · Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 271

My wife got her certificate through i-to-i and here is the link:

http://www.i-to-i.com/tefl/

She took the 100 hour one, but I guess the 60 is the way to go if you just want to have a piece of paper.

Cheers.

n&n · Joined: 15 Aug 2009 Posts: 22

Thanks fuzz. It's $223 for the 60 hour course. I suppose I can think about it.

alter ego · Joined: 24 Mar 2009 Posts: 209

I taught in Korea my first year and again a few years later. If you're planning on staying in the TEFL game for awhile I'd recommend taking a face-to-face course. I took mine in Thailand and the experience definitely upped my game as an EFL teacher. Be careful, as some schools and employers in Asia and the Middle East specifically state that online TEFL certs. are unacceptable. With your experience, how much you take away or get from an on-site vs. online course is debatable, and in China it probably won't make much of a difference anyway.

Hansen · Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Posts: 737 Location: central China

Jiangsu, Can you name any institutions in China, not including Hong Kong, which require CELTA?

Can you provide a link to corroborate?

jiangsu · Joined: 29 Sep 2009 Posts: 43