Job Discussion Forums

[Teawater]

Hi there,
I'm 31 and have been working in corporate america all of my career. I was born in China but grew up in the states. My chinglish is decent(only know conversational Chinese). I have an interest in teaching in Asia(China, Taiwan, Thailand) or South America. Financially, I understand it's tough to make much as a newbie, but ideally would love to cover my expenses and have some money to travel a bit or at least grab some some beers.
I'm looking to possibly change careers and wanted to get a dose of reality from you guys.
Please help me with the following:
1. Aside from Korea and China, are there any other countries that don't require TEFL or teaching certificates? Any countries that I would have better odds in considering I have no teaching experience or certificates?

2. Are online TEFL certificates legit? Best places to get your certification?

3. What do people do after they return from their experience abroad? Seems like a lot of people just continue to teach in another country, has anyone transitioned to jobs in the states again?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Glenski]

1. Aside from Korea and China, are there any other countries that don't require TEFL or teaching certificates? Any countries that I would have better odds in considering I have no teaching experience or certificates?
Do you have a bachelor's degree? Assuming you do, Japan is open for you.

2. Are online TEFL certificates legit? Best places to get your certification?
Yes, they are legit. Some employers don't like them, though, because they don't offer the practicum.

3. What do people do after they return from their experience abroad? Seems like a lot of people just continue to teach in another country, has anyone transitioned to jobs in the states again?
People return and do practically anything. Some continue teaching, others resume their former career, some start new ones. It depends on the individual and how long one has been gone.

[nickpellatt]

I dont really think online courses are legit. There are countless threads discussing them, and I believe their main purpose is to part you from your hard earned money rather than to provide you with quality training and a recognised qualification.

Most employers dont recognise them, those that do would be just as likely to employ you without the certificate. Thats been my experience anyway. They dont prepare you for class half as well as a book like 'learning teaching' by Scrivener would.

I took a 50 hour course with an added module.....completing both actually took around 12 hours, which shows how lightweight they are. Taking the course was suggested to me by my second employer...and when I arrived for work I had a housemate with less experience than me, who had no certificate of any kind, hence my suggestion that I could have saved my money and worked there anyway. 2 of my 3 employers since then do not recognise the cert at all.

I had to get a recognised qualification...which meant paying out again. A recognised qualification that actually teaches you how to teach is worthwhile...with no experience or qualifications how do you expect to roll up and do a decent job? It may only be a short term adventure for you, but some of your students may be paying fees to be taught by you, I think they deserve some one that at least has a good idea about how to approach the job....esp as many employers wont offer any kind of training.

Im guessing you are of Chinese descent? There is often talk about Asians facing some difficulties in finding employment in China...Do bear in mind that some employers may be less inclined to employ Asians as FTs.

[Teawater]

Yes, I do have a bachelors degree and am of Chinese decent but basically grew up in the States. What's been the top draw backs to teaching in China? Didn't realize there would be a possible problem with me being Chinese. I appreciate everyone's feedback.

[tomstone]

Because they think a Western face is a guarantee of "real" English. When I first arrived a met a Chinese man who spoke flawless English. If I had met him in the US, I wouldn't have been surprised if English was his only language. He works in the administrative offices of a school because he can't get a job teaching English. I should add that he wants to teach primary school ONLY, but, once again, the parents want a Western face in front of their children.

[nickpellatt]

If you have the degree and arent willing to undergo a proper course (Celta/Trinity etc) then dont bother with the online cert IMO. The book I mentioned will cost 1/10th of the price, and prove far more valuable. 'Learning Teaching' by Jim Scrivener. Its not the only book out there, but it is quite a good one. How relevant it will be to teaching in China, depends on where you end up, and what age group you have.

It doesnt offer a lot of advice for people in kindergarten for example, and it may not prepare you that well for middle school classes of 60 students!

There are some problems, on occasion, for people of Chinese descent when it comes to working here. Of course, there are lots of Asian people working here, but they MAY face some difficulties in SOME schools. You will find some success stories, but a number of employers value 'white face/blonde hair' quite highly. In some cases, FTs are used as a novelty value/cash cow/advertising tool. SOME parents, and SOME students, will demand a white face, and MAY be less impressed with an Asian face teaching their kids.

I have had experience of this ... my first job was in a college, and the Asian guy I worked with was never offered 'real' classes, just expected to fill in, and attend self study lessons as it was felt by those in charge, that students would demand a white face for their regular lessons.

Ditto at another employer...I did try and hook up a friend of Chinese descent with a job here....they ignored his emails totally and didnt acknowledge his application.

This is NOT the case with all the schools ... but this does exist in some places, with some students, parents and employers

[tomstone]

[Chris_Crossley]

There are a number of Chinese teachers (about a dozen, I reckon) teaching at the private education training centre that I have been teaching at for the past five years, only they are restricted to teaching English to those students of compulsory school age taking A-levels (UK school-leaving qualifications) over two years, while all the foreign teachers teach their specialist subjects or English for Academic Purposes (EAP) both to them and to those who have already left school on the International Foundation Year (IFY) programme or university on the Pre-Master�s Programme (PMP) and want to study for bachelor�s or master�s degrees, respectively, in Anglophone countries like England and Australia.

However, we do have one Chinese-American guy teaching chemistry to A-level and IFY students who has been here for a number of years and is married to a Chinese lady. They constitute a DINK couple, though!

[naturegirl321]