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carl33p
Joined: 01 Apr 2010
Posts: 4
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 Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:09 pm Post subject: CELTA Certified / 2010 Job Market |
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My job hunt experience should be useful information for people in a similar situation to me.
Native English speaker from USA. Have had jobs dealing with children. No formal teaching positions. JLPT 4 skill level.
 In 2008/2009 I applied for JET, got an interview, but didnt make it.
I graduated college in 2009. Computer Science B.S. from UF.
I got CELTA certified in 2009.
Applied to JET 2009/2010. Did NOT get an interview.
Since early February I have applied for around 30 TEFL jobs. Just about every one I qualify for, and even some schools that are not hiring. I have got responses back, but nothing solid.
Twice, I put all my eggs in one basket(JET), and missed the hiring season with other companies. I'm not complaining, since it seems this the reality of the job market. Just want to inform others that are contemplating doing CELTA, that it alone does not guarantee anything, at least in Japan. |
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yangyoseop
Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 47
Location: #1 Sandra Bullock fan in Tallahassee, FL
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| Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, I didn't have CELTA and I was accepted... didn't even have any experience at the time. Guess there's no guarantee.  |
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Mr_Monkey
Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 661
Location: Kyuuuuuushuuuuuuu
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| Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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| There's no guarantee of anything regardless of your qualifications. You can be a brilliant and well-qualified teacher with loads of experience and still not get a position because you smell. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 9:56 pm Post subject: Re: CELTA Certified / 2010 Job Market |
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| carl33p wrote: |
My job hunt experience should be useful information for people in a similar situation to me.
Native English speaker from USA. Have had jobs dealing with children. No formal teaching positions. JLPT 4 skill level. |
JLPT4 is nothing in terms of fluency or "skill" I wouldn't even mention it on a resume.
Jobs dealing with kids, yet no teaching experience. Uh, doesn't tell us much. If you didn't teach them, what did you do?
| Quote: |
I graduated college in 2009. Computer Science B.S. from UF. |
As you wrote, despite having a CELTA, you are still pretty much a generic teacher wannabe, so sending out 30 resumes is just the beginning. You know that the market is flooded, and the hiring season is behind you, so it only gets tougher.
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| Since early February I have applied for around 30 TEFL jobs. Just about every one I qualify for, and even some schools that are not hiring. |
Don't waste time applying to places that aren't hiring.
If you aren't even in Japan, I'd say think twice about applying to jobs that don't recruit from abroad, unless they say something about a Skype interview, or unless you have definite plans to physically be here in the very near future.
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| I have got responses back, but nothing solid. |
What does this mean?
Basically, I'd say have someone look at your resume and cover letter. You might be surprised at the results and be able to improve it. |
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carl33p
Joined: 01 Apr 2010
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 1:39 pm Post subject: Re: CELTA Certified / 2010 Job Market |
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| Glenski wrote: |
JLPT4 is nothing in terms of fluency or "skill" I wouldn't even mention it on a resume.
Jobs dealing with kids, yet no teaching experience. Uh, doesn't tell us much. If you didn't teach them, what did you do?
As you wrote, despite having a CELTA, you are still pretty much a generic teacher wannabe, so sending out 30 resumes is just the beginning. You know that the market is flooded, and the hiring season is behind you, so it only gets tougher. |
I have taught tennis to groups of children and done Big Brother Big Sister, and tutored in computer related subjects. I just wanted to give readers the gist of my background and experience; which as you point out is very minimal. I am aware that my qualifications do not warrant anything. I'm most likely not looking to make TEFL/teaching a career. I dedicate a majority of my time to my Computer Science portfolio.
Which doesn't mean I am not passionate. The CELTA was a very expensive investment for me. A course that took an entire month of dedication(8-12hours/day).
I have seen a lot of inquiries on the forum from candidates with less/similiar credentials as me, and wanted to portray the bleak outlook.
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What does this mean? |
I have been told that:
I am a strong candidate.
They will be interviewing soon.
I have made it to the next phase of their hiring process.
etc...
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Basically, I'd say have someone look at your resume and cover letter. You might be surprised at the results and be able to improve it. |
Not a bad idea. |
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ironclad80
Joined: 10 Sep 2009
Posts: 53
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| Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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CELTA won't help you get a job in japan. the first time i applied to JET i didn't have a CELTA or JLPT certification, now i have CELTA, JLPT 3 and i tried again and still couldn't land a job in japan.
i'm in Korea now and quite happy here. the CELTA did help me land the job here in a great location.
my japanese studies helped me pick up korean quickly, it's not as glamorous as japan here but the food is better, it's cheaper than japan and right next door.
japan is quite competitive, everyone wants to live there, maybe you need more experience under your belt to have a competitive edge.... |
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carl33p
Joined: 01 Apr 2010
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 6:30 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the input ironclad.
It almost seems that a CELTA hurt my chances with JET. Being that I got an interview without it, but did not get an interview with it. But as most of us know, JET can be quite a mystery on what they are looking for. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 11:31 pm Post subject: |
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I wouldn't say CELTA hurt your chances with JET. There must have been some other circumstances. Could be any of a million things.
Your "gist" was too brief for me, so I hope you realize why I asked for your clarification on experience with kids. Thanks for that. I also wouldn't say it counts for nothing. If you find the right employer who wants that type of thing, you have it. Most, however, will probably look over the rest of the resume and see how well you have written the cover letter (no emphasis on computer background), and depending on their needs, urgency, and list of other candidates, they may choose to interview you. At that time, personality probably counts most, but being able to use that CELTA to make a demo lesson would also be high in their requirements.
Show that passion you wrote of. Employers don't care how much you spend on training or suits or anything else. They want a body who seems to fit the personality for staff and customers/students, and probably who has a bit of the right (nebulously qualified) "something". Part of that may include demonstrating a minimum risk of culture shock. |
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natsume
Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Posts: 409
Location: Chongqing, China
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| Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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| carl33p wrote: |
It almost seems that a CELTA hurt my chances with JET. Being that I got an interview without it, but did not get an interview with it. But as most of us know, JET can be quite a mystery on what they are looking for. |
ESID. I am a JET, and among the JETs in my prefecture I know of one CELTA, two MATESOLs, and one American certified high school teacher, and I have an "industry standard" TEFL certificate from UC Berkeley. I want to dispel the myth that higher qualifications hurt your chances on JET, but I would also say that qualifications are only a part of a bigger picture in what they are looking for. (Which is, indeed, something of a mystery.) |
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yangyoseop
Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 47
Location: #1 Sandra Bullock fan in Tallahassee, FL
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| Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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| natsume wrote: |
| carl33p wrote: |
It almost seems that a CELTA hurt my chances with JET. Being that I got an interview without it, but did not get an interview with it. But as most of us know, JET can be quite a mystery on what they are looking for. |
ESID. I am a JET, and among the JETs in my prefecture I know of one CELTA, two MATESOLs, and one American certified high school teacher, and I have an "industry standard" TEFL certificate from UC Berkeley. I want to dispel the myth that higher qualifications hurt your chances on JET, but I would also say that qualifications are only a part of a bigger picture in what they are looking for. (Which is, indeed, something of a mystery.) |
Why would anyone do JET if they have a MA in TESOL?? |
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natsume
Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Posts: 409
Location: Chongqing, China
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| Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 9:12 pm Post subject: |
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| yangyoseop wrote: |
Why would anyone do JET if they have a MA in TESOL?? |
One of them is a regular poster here, so hopefully he will chime in. The other has a family here, and JET affords him the opportunity to live and work in the small community his wife's family is from, which I believe he sees as a huge perk. I know he also does teacher training workshops for JTEs. I can't answer for them further, aside from saying that I know both are very involved in JALT, and are potentially looking at Japan for the long haul. I think, as they are entrenched in the all important "network", they are pretty well situated for that. |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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| Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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| yangyoseop wrote: |
| Why would anyone do JET if they have a MA in TESOL?? |
Often an MA TESOL is not enough to jump into the higher jobs. I've seen many a job advert stating that applicants must have work experience in Japan as well as other things. JET would be a good opportunity to get this necessary experience whilst often leaving them time to further study Japanese if they need to and allowing them to network as Natsume says. In Japan, who you know can be just as important as your qualifications. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 9:53 pm Post subject: |
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| yangyoseop wrote: |
| Why would anyone do JET if they have a MA in TESOL?? |
It's not often that much useful in Japan for much more than that.
Universities require publications and experience in Japan, plus some J language skills. Even PT work does a lot of the time.
Direct hires by mainstream schools are extremely rare.
International schools want people with a teaching license and 2 years of experience.
What did you have in mind that people with an MA and CELTA should try to do in Japan? |
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SweetTea
Joined: 27 May 2010
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Fri May 28, 2010 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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I am surprised that you have a CELTA and was not offered an interview. Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that you applied for JET twice? I hope that they would look more favorably on someone who is so determined to get into their program.  Anyway, good luck on the job hunt. |
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