Job Discussion Forums

[cubiam]

hi folks

i have a BA in film, and in january i started MA but left as i no longer enjoy living in London

can anyone suggest a good TEFL or appropriate teaching course to do in this city for no longer than a month? i'd like to have this qualification before i go over, instead of just relying on a BA. i'd assume with a teaching qualification the job offers and schools would improve slightly

i hear you can't teach in china unless you have a z visa, and the embassy will not give you such visa unless you have a job offer?

any help and advice i'd really appreciate

many thanks

cub

[Mister Al]

A TEFL course would be useful regarding methodology etc but will not prepare you for most jobs here. Also it makes very little difference when applying for jobs except maybe in some language mills (I don't know).

You are correct about the Z visa stuff.

[RonHex]

if you have the time and money go for it.. if u plan to stay in esl for a while go for it.. really u have 2 options a cheap 60hour course that is good enough for china or a 120 hour CELTA/equiv that will get some respect outside of china.

[cormac]

I came to China originally without any certification ( had a BA though) and learned teaching on site. You learn quickly enough in the first few days, and then get better over time.

I later got a basic Tefl certificate, and it helped put things into context. I've spoken to friends who did the Tefl before coming to China and most said it was useful, but they still had to learn a lot themselves on the job.

Either way, your first teaching experience will be interesting and somewhat difficult, but will get easier over time.

I'd recommend the Cert if you have the time/money to do it. Gives some useful games and a degree of confidence in designing fun lesson plans. (I'd also recommend deciding beforehand what kind of classes you want to teach and to pump your instructor for info when you can)