Job Discussion Forums

[fireatsea]

I�m new posting here. So first, I might as well start of with the details of my situation. I am a 40 year old female US citizen who recently finished a bachelor�s degree with a certificate to teach middle and high school in the state of Illinois, but I do not have teaching experience beyond my student teaching and a little recent work as a substitute. When I graduated I was already seriously considering moving into the international job market and have since decided that is most desirable route for me. I am seriously under motivated to deal with the domestic teaching job market right now while people with far more experience than me are being left out in the cold. My impression from browsing the forums here is that my lack of teaching experience means that a TEFL certificate would still be worthwhile to me and that the CELTA, Trinity, and SIT are most likely to have name recognition and meaning with possible employers. If I am mistaken on either point, by all means let me know.

I haven�t really decided where to go, and I may want to teach overseas for a few years and travel around a bit. With that in mind is there a significant advantage to taking the CELTA or Trinity over the SIT? This is particularly important to me, because I live near Chicago and can take the SIT without traveling. All locations for the CELTA in the US would require paying room and board for four weeks and most likely double the cost of the course. In terms of the quality of the courses, I�ve looked over the contents of all three, and they seem remarkably similar. I favor the reflective approach described in the SIT course a little but value the potential name recognition more for this kind of investment. Thanks in advance for everyone�s input.

[AGoodStory]

Welcome, fireatsea (now, that's a scary thought!)

When I was researching training courses, I also preferred the SIT course to Trinity and CELTA. Trinity was my second preference, and CELTA last, based on available information about course content and approach. I also appreciated the fact that so many graduate programs award credit for the SIT program, although that is not really of any practical value in my case. If I were in your situation, I would go for the SIT course in a heartbeat.

As far as sacrificing some small degree of name recognition goes, two things occur to me. The first is that Europe is the main area where the SIT name is to any appreciable degree less recognized than CELTA/Trinity. In your case, this probably matters little or not at all, since as an American, and a newbie, you will be unlikely to attempt to find a job in Europe, at least western Europe. The second point is that because you are a certified middle and high school teacher, which TEFL certificate you obtain is much less important (in terms of employability, that is.) I would go for the course that works best for you logistically, and that you feel will give you the best training. Obviously any of the three will be adequate, and in your case, I wouldn't worry about the brand--just take the course you like the best.

[nickpellatt]

^^^ agree, logistics are the most important factor for you. I have a Trinity, and whilst I think a CELTA might be slightly more favourable, the schedule and cost wasnt. If SIT makes so much more sense, go for it!

[tttompatz]

If you are considering Asia as a destination, get the one that works best for you in terms of logistics and convenience because the brand name won't matter and your teaching cert will trump any and every TESOL cert on the market.

If you just want some general information about ESL teaching, get a cheapie on-line TESOL cert. Again, IN ASIA it won't matter. Employers will see the teaching credential / state licensing and ignore your TESOL entirely.

In my personal (albeit outdated - 10+ years ago) Central/South American experience the same will hold true. Your native speaker status coupled with your teaching license will trump any TESOL cert both in terms of enjoyability and ability to get a valid visa/work permits.

.

[rtm]

[naturegirl321]

You MIGHT be able to get an intl school job, though probably not in the most popular countries. Since you have a teaching license, try going to intl school job fairs.

I think either of those 3 courses are good. Online courses are not that good, or rather, on campus ones are better.