Job Discussion Forums

gingermarie · Joined: 02 Nov 2009 Posts: 6

Hello,

I am in Europe and because of the crisis there are less jobs. I want to go back to school or to do a course to find a better job but I dont know what to do.

I have a BA and about 4 years of experience. I never did the CELTA. Would it be worth doing it now? I did an online college course on Teaching a Foreign Language.

Global Hobo · Joined: 27 Sep 2009 Posts: 32

It would help to know what your BA is in and what your nationality is.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

And, where in Europe are you? It's a big place, and the job market varies a bit.

gingermarie · Joined: 02 Nov 2009 Posts: 6

I am in Spain. I am American but a resident. I have a BA in English

Global Hobo · Joined: 27 Sep 2009 Posts: 32

I would say go back home, get a teaching license, teach English Lit. in International Schools and make a lot more money and enjoy greater benefits.

mozzar · Joined: 16 May 2009 Posts: 339 Location: France

Which part of Spain? In Madrid the market is really starting to pick up now for English teachers. Better late than never.

Also, a CELTA would be good. It'd show you're serious about the profession. I've under a year's experience but I'm getting offered good jobs because I've started an MA in TESOl. They like the fact that I'm committed and so are taking a risk which they've happily told me in the job interviews.

Chris_Crossley

I invested my time and energy in a Trinity Certificate in TESOL, which I undertook at my then-local state-funded adult education college in England during the 2000-01 academic year.

The result is that I have been teaching English as a foreign language ever since, so that is eight years running that I have been doing this, almost exclusively in China (plus two summer schools in England in '01 and '09).

I have, since then (June '01), gained both an M.Ed. degree in applied linguistics and an MA in education by online and distance learning - again, they were very good investments of time, energy and money, as I have seen them as crucial to my professional development.

Hence, no matter how much TEFL experience one has, investing in a Certificate in TESOL (or a CELTA or equivalent) does, indeed, indicate that one is serious about teaching English as a foreign language.

If you wanted to teach at summer schools in England, you would certainly need to have a CELTA (or equivalent) in order to teach somewhere that is accredited by the British Council as this is a requirement for all teaching staff working at such schools.

If you are interested in gaining a CELTA, you can visit the Cambridge ESOL website at http://www.cambridgeesol.org/; similarly, you can visit the Trinity College website at http://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/ if you are interested in studying the Trinity Certificate in TESOL.