Job Discussion Forums

[KamAZ]

Not sure if this should go in the newbies area, but I'm specifically looking at Russia, so I thought I'd ask here. I've seen some job postings that ask for CELTA, Trinity, or comparable, but I have no idea what else is comparable.

I'm not set on Russia, and in fact would probably prefer to get out of the capital (though I love it there, I also love seeing new parts of Russia). I have taught at the university level, but not ESL, so not sure if that counts for anything. And I have an undergrad major in Russian, which I would think should count for something, because it gives me the knowledge of where people can get hung up on the differences of grammar and expression.

But it seems that unless I have several thousand dollars to spend (which I don't) I will have a very hard time finding a decent job.

So, 2 basic questions - any way to get this "comparable" certification at a much lower price?
And - Any way to get a decent job (maybe somewhere that not as many native speakers are coveting) without the pricey certs. And yes, I do recognize that they provide valuable training, but that still doesn't make the money any easier to find.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[spiral78]

"Comparable' usually means 120 hours, more or less, in a face to face classroom (not online). This should include at least 6 hours of supervised practice teaching with real students. Online certs aren't 'comparable' to a CELTA as they lack the key practice teaching component.

There are tonnes of such generics available in Prague, for example. I mention the city only because I know it's a hotbed of training centres, not because there aren't other locations or to endorse any particular program.

The good generics aren't vastly cheaper, unfortunately.

[coledavis]

Look at the horse's mouth. Especially for new entrants, employers tend to ask for Celta or Trinity. Relating to the point about having taught at university: this probably won't provide you with the skills, for example, for dealing with lower level students. Relating to knowing Russian: it helps a bit, but I doubt if this is the employer's priority. Re cost: why 'several' thousand dollars? Will you need to live away from home as well as paying fees?

[KamAZ]

re: costs - yes, I'd have to pay for living expenses for the length of the class. I live in Phoenix, AZ, and the nearest CELTA is in Denver for $2500. I imagine living expenses will bring that up to $3500. I could drive there, so I wouldn't have to buy a plane ticket, but there would still be the expense of gas. From what I could tell, if I went somewhere in Europe for the class, between the cost of the course, the living expenses, and a plane ticket, I'd be looking at around $4000 too.

There's one in town called Oxford Seminars, which is one of the reasons why I was trying to figure out what could constitute "or comparable" that I've read in job postings. Their regular course is only 60 hours (for $1095) but you can add on "specialization modules" that add 40 hours for $400. The class is conducted only on weekends, so it takes a while to complete. So, for a 100 hour course, it would be around $1500, going up to $1900 if I need to add 2 modules to get it over 120 hours. Still, given that I"d have no living expenses, it would be worth it, but only if the schools that hire people would view it as comparable.

CELTA is supposedly about to debut a program where you do the class-room stuff online, and then travel to a CELTA center for just the teaching practice. I suppose I might need to consider that.

I am really excited about the possibility of teaching in Russia, but the financial aspects of all the pre-planning are somewhat depressing.

[smithrn1983]

If you're looking into the CELTA, try Canada. When I got mine five years ago it was cheaper to fly to Toronto and do the course there, than it was to do it somewhere in the U.S. That includes the accommodation as well.

[spiral78]

Oxford is usually considered less than comparable to a CELTA because there is no supervised teaching practice on actual students (unless they've changed it). They have candidates practicing on each other - NOT considered an acceptable substitute for working with actual students in the eyes of many employers.

[coledavis]

A suggestion: if you are keen on Russia, you could do CELTA at International House in Moscow. This could allow you to look for potential employers while you're there (obviously more complicated if you're interested in working far from Moscow).

[KamAZ]

I have been looking at taking the course in Russia. Doing some currency conversion shows that the price of the course plus housing will be just over $2500, which is the cost of the course alone in the US. Of course, getting there will cost quite a bit.

Of course, if I was going to just stay there, I could buy a one-way ticket which would be less expensive, but that sounds sort of scary. Is that advisable - to just fly there with the hope of staying on there working? Do visa regulations allow for that? Preference-wise, I would be fine working in Moscow or further afield. I suppose that if I can manage to get the money together to do this, I can contact some of the schools that advertise vacancies and see if any would be interested in my pending completion of the CELTA. From what I've read, it might be hard to do that, but I'd be ok with staying in Moscow for a year to get some experience with a McSchool of some sort.

[BenE]

IH Minsk also offer CELTAs for a lower price than IH Moscow. The cost of living is much lower here as well.

Just tricky to get a visa to Belarus and remember that a visa here isn't a visa to Russia