Job Discussion Forums

[Glamazon Huntress]

Hi guys,

I live in Toronto, have an undergrad degree and I'm thinking of teaching English for a year in Asia or Central or South America.
I'm not looking to use this as a full time career, I mostly just want to live in another country for a bit, teach, have great experiences and save some money.

But firstly, I'm not sure whether I should do the TEFL or a TESOL course.

Secondly, I read a lot about how schools want a minimum of 100 hours of training, but does that apply to all schools? The TEFL course I'm looking at offers 40 or 60 hours and very little actual time with real students.
However I've talked to some friends, and read about how some schools don't require a lot of training as long as you have a degree and taken a course.

Does anyone have any advice on this?

Thanks!

[nickpellatt]

40/60 hour online courses are designed NOT to equip you as a teacher or provide you with a worthwhile qualification, but ARE designed to part you with your money in return for an often worthless certificate. Sorry ... thats the bad news and the reality of many online certificates that can be completed in a very short timespan. You obviously realise the limitation of these as they offer no actual teaching practicum.

Of course, there are people out there who have found EFL work with such certificates, but the reality for most of these jobs is the certificate wasnt really needed. There are countries and employers who regard a degree/white face/native speaker status as the most important thing, and certificates arent really required.

The other issue is how do you expect to know how to teach without any real training? Few employers will offer in-house training, and will typically throw you in at the deep end, often to students who are paying for your services as a teacher. Being a native speaker isnt really enough. A lot of people do think its quite a poor show for native speakers to expect to be able to satisfy their travel whims by teaching English for a year with no training, skills or relevant qualifications, with the students paying the price for your trip. The odds are seriously stacked against students really learning anything from a total newbie with no training, and some people may not regard that as fair.

HOWEVER, its not all bad news. Lots of companies offer voluntourism trips, where they may include some training, followed up by a placement within a school for 6 months/1 year etc. You often get to meet a lot of people in the same boat, and these trips can be a lot of fun. This is an alternative to consider, especially as you are only looking at doing this for a year.

You also mention wishing to save some money. As far as I know ... most jobs in South America pay pretty low wages making saving impossible.....and as an unqualified teacher you can expect to start on the very bottom of the ladder in a poorly paid industry.

Asia may be different, but the start of costs in terms of flights may be higher. Legally, you would be qualified for some jobs in China, again ... morally you may want to consider quality training. Saving in entry level jobs in China are likely to be minimal though.

You might also want to look into the government teaching program in South Korea. I think the wages in Korea do allow savings, and you would appear qualified legally for those jobs. I think the program is called EPIK, but not sure...I did look at it myself once. Perhaps posts on individual country forums would offer some more help.

[Chancellor]

[Glamazon Huntress]

Thanks Nick.

The courses I'm looking at aren't online, they are in actual classes.

I'm just having a hard time finding long length TEFL courses in my area. I've looked at Oxford Seminars but I've heard some bad things about them All the TESL ones are pretty pricey and I'm not sure whether they are worth the price?

[Glamazon Huntress]

Thank you Chancellor! I will check out that site.

[AGoodStory]

Ditto Chancellor's recommendation. Hard to beat a Trinity cert at that price. Especially since you wouldn't have housing costs. I don't live in Toronto, and the course is still near the top of my list of choices for solid TESOL certification courses.

[nickpellatt]

I did a Trinity course, and really like it. It was worth the money for me, as it a) Improved my teaching and b) Is recognised internationally. This is key for me as improving as a teacher and remaining in EFL is important to me.

A shorter course, and the in-class 40/60 hour courses are unlikely to offer these benefits. Of course, some employers may accept them as I have already mentioned, but most will not, and I think the training they offer will be minimal, esp when considering skills gained Vs $$ spent. There isnt a cheap option really ... and even a Trinity or CELTA is only an entry level qualification. Many people on these boards invest thousands on MA TESOL etc!

I have only worked in Europe and China. In the EU most places will only accept CELTA/Trinity as a minimum. China is different, but heading there with no training or experience is likely to be a baptism of fire, as students and teaching can be a handful! It might take a year to get used to it...and if you are only planning a one year adventure....

I mentioned the Korean program, and I think there is also something similar in Japan...I dont really know much about them (again, check the specific country forums) but I think it is more along the lines of taking a role as a teaching assistant in class. This may be a better idea if you want to avoid the expensive course option. Japan and Korea are also perhaps better in terms of saving potential. Other posters can offer more advice than I can on those areas though

[Glamazon Huntress]

Nick you are absolutely right. I do want to take a TESOL/Trinity and have more experience with actual teaching. The link that Chancellor sent me seems to be perfect.

It's just a bit tough to figure out sometimes which are the good courses and which aren't and I hear so much conflicting information about that schools are looking for.

Thanks everyone for their help!