Job Discussion Forums

[Askalon]

I'm an American currently in university working towards my Bachelor's in linguistics, and I hope to make a career out of TEFL abroad. Since I don't plan on getting a Master's in the near future, I plan on getting a TEFL certificate after I graduate. Mainly so I have some idea of how to teach English before I begin, but also to be able to put it on my CV and maybe have some more jobs open to me.

Since Europe is pretty much off-limits to me, I'd be mainly interested in teaching in Asia (particularly Korea) and Latin America, and maybe Eastern Europe if possible (from what I understand, it's a little less difficult to get a job in Eastern Europe as opposed to Western?).

Given that, I'm unsure about which certification to get. I'd like it to be a physical (not online) course, and to save money on travel I'd ideally be able to take the class in my home city of Chicago. CELTA and Trinity seem to be the main ones, and initially I was looking at getting one of them, but are they really necessary in my case? Neither one is offered anywhere near Chicago. CELTA is still offered at least in the US, but I don't know how general the training is (i.e. how well would it carry over if I end up teaching children and not adults?).

Is anything besides CELTA and Trinity just sort of a "generic" TEFL certification? Would it be okay to get one of those, or will I be seen as a lot less qualified? I'm assuming these are more widely available and I'd be able to find one in Chicago? How do I go about finding a good and reputable course (any websites to look at? what to look for in the course? accreditation? red flags and avoiding scams?)?

Sorry for so many questions. Any help is appreciated.

[spiral78]

CELTA, SIT, and Trinity are the name brands, and if you decide to go with a generic, make sure it meets the basic standard: 120+ hours on-site, and including supervised teaching practice with actual students (not peer trainees). Your Linguistics degree will be helpful, but it's unlikely that you've practiced the classroom approaches and methods needed to get started well - a CELTA or equivalent will definitely help, and depending where you end up, possibly necessary to landing a decent job.

maybe Eastern Europe if possible (from what I understand, it's a little less difficult to get a job in Eastern Europe as opposed to Western

I am not an expert on other regions, but have lived and worked in Europe since 1998, so I can speak to that part of your inquiry.

Yes, US citizens are technically still eligible for work permits in most of the 'new' EU member states, but the actual processes vary by country, and it's not necessarily easy. You could read through the current Czech Rep and Poland boards for up-to-date info on this.

For Europe, you definitely need the cert. Further, this is not a region where jobs are found from abroad - there are just too many newbies on the ground in the area for an employer to need to take a chance on someone sight-unseen. This means that up-front costs exist: you must plan to fly over and support yourself until you land a job and file for a work permit (you have 90 days to do this).

In the case that you want to consider Central/Eastern Europe, I suggest you might consider getting certified in-country. There are quite a lot of advantages: training centres generally help with logists like airport pickup, housing during the course, local orientation, etc. Your fellow trainees can form your fist social network in-country. Your practice teaching students will really be representative of those you'll work with when you start, and a training centre can give you invaluable info regarding reputable local employers.

Keep in mind that salaries in this region are subsistence level. If you need to pay off debt back home or want to save up, Korea is a far better option.

[Glenski]

Go to the teacher training forum and ask certification questions. It's the most popular topic there.

I don't see how postponing a masters is to your advantage, especially since you said you "hope to make a career out of TEFL abroad". A cert is no substitute.

To know whether CELTA or any other cert is applicable/needed in your dream country of Korea, sign up for that forum and ask.

[spiral78]

It's quite normal to start a Master's after a couple of years of work in the field.

[Askalon]

Thanks for your replies. Glenski, I'm not getting my Master's right now because it's really not feasible at the moment. I don't have the money. I know a certificate and Master's aren't equivalent though and didn't mean to imply that, I was just saying that since I'm not pursuing another degree I want to have at least something to give me a bit of education in TEFL.

Spiral78, I'd never heard of SIT before--is it about as well-respected as CELTA and Trinity? They have a course in Chicago, so that would be an excellent option if I could stay there and still get a name brand certification. I'll be looking into it some more, thanks for that.

I'm aware of the poor salaries in (Eastern) Europe and I've heard a bit about it still being difficult for Americans, although the way you describe it it sounds even more difficult that I imagined. For those reasons my focus is more on Asia and Latin America, with Eastern Europe being a more remote possibility, or maybe just some wishful thinking.

[tttompatz]

Register on the Korean forum.

For newbies with no certs, no experience, no connections and loans to pay off it is still the best game in town.

China would be a close 2nd but you have to look a bit harder for something that can offer the package you will need (don't be looking at the 3000rmb jobs). Keep an eye out for salaries in the 9000rmb range with added housing, airfare and contract bonuses.

.

[ossie39]

Hello Askalon, I was interested in your question. I know that a few Americans do teach in the state system in Hungary, and I feel there are possibilities in Slovakia, Slovenia and Bulgaria. You look on the web at SOL Share One Language. They have been placing teachers and accepting students from these areas for over 18 years. They will interview you by skype. They also have a support network too.
As an experienced teacher trainer I can say that you should ignore the suggestions regarding a masters degree. You would need a masters degree only for working in a university, but that would be on the basis that you have at least five years full time teaching experience (and that is if you are connected to someone) and a teaching qualification. In most cases that would mean having a diploma in EFL and not simply a certificate. Some people like myself also have a state teaching qualification too. Your work then would really be in private language schools, training establishments and schools. Japan of course doesn't require a teaching qualification like some other far east countries. I think you need to do a good 4 or 5 week EFL course and then think about doing about a specialist course in Business English or Teaching Young Learners. I did an additional course 'Teaching English For Special Purposes.' The course is online and validated. It is very hands on with good feedback. Look at INTESOL. To do your 4 or 5 week course you might come to the UK? Not doing a course will leave you exposed and unhappy. Best wishes Ossie.

[Justin Trullinger]

Hey Reviewdude- Welcome to the forum.

I really like the idea of an independent TESOL course review website. Tell us more?

THe site you linked to doesn't seem to be fully up and running yet- when I click on most of the course providers, nothing happens. Even those with a tick next to their names, which do work when you click on them, only go to a description of the course- it seems no actual reviews are up yet?

I took one of the courses on the list, and would post a review if I could figure out how, but when I click on it, nothing else happens.

Looking forward to hearing more,

Justin

[naturegirl321]

Korea has a separate job forum and if you pick a couple countries in Eastern Europe or Latin America, there are specific country related forums below. Lots of helpful people out there.

Top certs are CELTA; Trinity, and SIT. Any course with 120 hours and 6 of practice teaching is generally good. Generic is fine.

As far as training, if you train to teach adults, a lot of stuff carries over. Some won't. BUt you can learn on the job. Everyone does at some point or another.

I HAVE heard of courses in Chicago, unforuntaly I can't remember. I think cactustefl.com has a search as well.

Red flags and scams: guaranteed job placement is often mentioned by nearly all TEFL courses, but it's not what you think. Sending heaps of money or dodgy websites are often signs of scams. Promising the impossible and things that are too good to be true.
MOD EDIT

Looks like it will be good, but for no there's nothing there.