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roman510

I've noticed that if an applicant has obtained a year of teaching experience it will improve their chances of landing a good job. With that said, I have a year of tutoring experience at my university, the exact title of my position is English/Writing Tutor. I would say about 2/3's of the students I tutor are ESL students. Also, by working for the university's tutoring program and taking a course on tutoring practices, I have acquired a CRLA Tutoring Certificate. Is that an equivalent to one year teaching experience? If not, can it still help my chances? Or will the schools ignore it?

Any feedback is appreciated!

Thanks!

santi84 · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 1317 Location: under da sea

No, there is a huge difference between tutoring an individual student and leading a classroom as an instructor. Some major differences are classroom management, lesson plan preparation, textbook selection, administration, etc.

That being said, you could give it a try anyways. Every hiring manager is different, and some schools may be flexible on the one year teaching requirement.

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

It's not the same, and employers who insist on all requirements being met will pass, but there will likely be some who will realize that university students (I'm assuming you are still a student, and young) simply haven't had time to build up a year of experience. To those employers, I think your tutoring experience will stand out, at least for showing an interest and for doing what you could while you were still in school.

Entry-level jobs often require a BA (can be in any field, not necessarily English) + a TEFL certificate. I've never heard of your tutoring certificate, but I don't think it would be given much weight. And depending what you mean by "good", one year of teaching may or may not help... You can definitely find jobs, but a year of experience really isn't enough to catapult you from entry-level jobs to the plum jobs at the top.

Good luck!

d

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

While it shouldn't be considered equal to a year's teaching in actual classroom contexts, it IS a definite plus on your CV - it certainly demonstrates your interest in the field and the fact that you've gone to the trouble to actually get some training as a tutor is admirable.

In addition to a degree and an entry-level TEFL cert, it is certainly an asset, though of course you are still an entry-level teacher - it could make the difference between your application and a candidate with only the cert and a degree and zero experience.

roman510 · Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 5:48 am Post subject:

Great! Thanks for all the valuable input. I am young (22) and I will have a Bachelors in English and a TEFL Certification, so hopefully compounded with that year experience of tutoring it will give me somewhat of an advantage over the other newbie candidates. Again, thanks for the advice.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Only somewhat.

Other things to consider:
pay a visit as a tourist
do an exchange program
learn the local language (spoken and written)
join a culture club related to the country you choose

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

roman510 · Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 6:41 pm Post subject:

Glenski, I will only be able to accomplish the latter two. For a newbie teacher, will my qualifications (listed in my previous post) enable me to find a good (OK pay, good location in SK, respectable school) job?

Naturegirl, I've been periodically posting questions for the last six months or so, and every time you always respond with great advice and insight. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge Very Happy

The time for me to start applying is approaching, I plan on (hopefully) landing a job the beginning of next year (Jan-Feb is the peak hiring season for SK right?). Is there any do's and dont's I should be aware of when playing the waiting game?

Thanks!

santi84 · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 1317 Location: under da sea

If your thread turns into a discussion about SK, it will be locked. I suggest registering on the separate Korean forum and there are many people that will be able to give you the details. The bottom line for your SK question is... yes... because the demand is so huge that I'm sure you will find something decent. Your one year of tutoring experience is still more than a lot of applicants in that region.

Naturegirl321: Oh, I hear you about that. In Vancouver, most ESL students are from Korea. If you can effectively balance the needs of a Korean mom, you might as well count that as another year of pure admin experience Cool

My first "whoah" moment was using flashcards with a group of Korean mothers (I taught them during the day while their children attended local public schools). They had to say, "our children do their homework at 12 _(am or pm)" (very basic level). Most of the mothers answered "12am". I thought they misunderstood am/pm... oh boy, was I wrong Rolling Eyes

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

microbabe · Joined: 03 Feb 2010 Posts: 115

No, it isn�t because tutoring is a safe environment. It is good to do so you can get a bit of a feel for things, but you are not exposed to bad students rowdy classes etc. I feel if you are exposed to the crap side of teaching it helps you decide if this is want you want to do and hopefully makes you a better teacher. Character building !!

I quite agree with what has been said before.