Job Discussion Forums

[TupacAmaru]

Now I'm just confused. LOL.

[bje]

[TeresaLopez]

Even an online course is better than nothing, it will at least give you some basic ideas on how to present exercises, how to structure a class, etc. Another thing you might want to consider is getting a good grammar book and working through it yourself, not because I think you need it, but to familiarize yourself with parts of speech, verb tenses, etc. I agree with everyone who said you shouldn't attempt to teach with no training at all, but it doesn't sound like you think that is a good idea anyway. Some schools will give you in-house training in their method, so you might look into something like that. Some of the schools here in Mexico City have a 3 - 4 week training course that sets you in pretty good stead to BEGIN to teach.

[AGoodStory]

[jacobfrank]

As many have said, yes you can get a job without experience or training. But as several posters pointed out, is that fair to the students? I taught in Costa Rica where some of my students were paying 25% to 40% of their income to take the course in hopes that it would lead to a better job. If I walk into that classroom without knowledge of how to manage the class so that the students get the most out of their time, I'm ripping them off. Teaching is far more than just speaking the language.

If you are interested in TEFL/TESOL courses, make sure you check them out VERY CAREFULLY. Especially make sure that the comments you get and pay attention to are current. TEFL trainers, just like teachers, come and go and the quality of the course can go out the door with the trainer.

Are you still considering the course in Cuzco? If so, please PM as I know a bit about that school.

[astralfrog]

To those that disagree with my advice,

Just thinking about your certification training, is there anything specific that you learned that you didn't learn through experience? Are we talking classroom management, curriculum, theory etc? From my experience coaching, I can't imagine that a coaching certification would do me any good. I probably wasn't as good of a coach my first year as I am now (same with teaching). But the majority of the techniques I learned came from be a student/player. I have considered taking a TEFL course, like TupacAmaru, but I have concerns that it wouldn't be worth the time/money. I know a lot teachers do all the certs and get an MA because they have a desire to end up in the Middle East or Asia and make the big bucks. That's not me. But, obviously I want to offer my students the most qualified teaching possible (not on paper, but in practice).

Best,
AF

[jacobfrank]

astrafrog ...

Yes, there were many things (tips, tricks, techniques) that I learned in my training that I don't believe I would have learned just by teaching. Of course much of that will depend on the quality of support you have on that first job.

If you don't get any training, you might get lucky and get your first job at a school that has plenty of materials, supports its teachers and provides good feedback on performance. If that is the case, then *maybe* training isn't as important. BUT, since in my view that type of job represents maybe 5% of the schools out there (sorry, but most schools provide minimal support, no 'on-the-job' training and an absolute dearth of constructive feedback). You really must lose all delusions that teaching EFL/ESL is anything other than a business -- one that the business owners want to make a profit from so providing additional training is an unwarranted cost to most.

The second point I'd like to make is to forget all of what I've said for a moment and say you do start working without any specific TEFL training, without previous teaching experience. Will you 'get up to speed' and end up being a good teacher? Possibly. Probably. But what about those poor students who are learning from you as you are learning how to teach them? Is it fair to be a sub-standard teacher for 6 months because you are to cheap to invest $1500 or so in yourself AND your students?

I don't own or manage a school, and I hope and plan never to do so, but if I did, I would not be willing to pay someone to learn how to teach while harming my school's reputation with current and prospective customers.

[latif]

I find this discussion a bit strange - but also an eye opener - I would have thought that for any professional ESL teacher, the value of training would be obvious?

I am in the process of entering the field, plan on going to Ecuador late Fall to take the CELTA course ... and hopefully find an interesting job teaching after ...

I think the value of training is not only in the actual techniques, and the subject matters, but also about being a professional, and the ethics that go along with being one. I understand the business end of ESL but that does not negate the ethics that, I would think, a professional teacher brings to a school.

I did teach as a volunteer a number of years ago without any training - that was nothing more than writing phrases on the chalkboard, and getting students to repeat them.

Now, for the past few months, I've been taking tesl classes at my local university - and looking back, I really did not know what I was doing... I mean good intentions and all about "helping" immigrants was all fine and well - but training and having some knowledge about what one is doing is obviously essential in teaching ESL.

(I'm a licensed clinical social worker ... and there are too many people who think they don't need any advanced training, and that anyone can be a "social worker" )

[AdrianG4]

Get some training man. If you don"t it is just irresponsible and lazy. I haven't finished college, but I did an intesive course with INTESOL and I can't imagi.e teaching without having had taken that course.

Start volunteering teaching english in Canada. I do it six hours a week in Texas and that also has helped me.