Job Discussion Forums

[wiganer]

[spiral78]

No, so long as regulars aren't gung-ho to recommend working illegally, or newbies determined that there must be some special loophole just for them in the laws, I've always been tolerant.

In fact, if a 'merican or other wants to go off and work illegally, so long as he/she is aware of the risks, that's OK with me, too. I feel strongly that 'we' regulars on the boards have some responsibility to give realistic information, but so long as 'we've' done that - it's the limit of our influence.

I believe that there is a reasonable chance a Croatian citizen will be eligible for legal working visas in some of the new EU member countries, and if he/she wants to look into that, why not? The OP is as qualified as many a UK entry-level candidate.

[santi84]

[AGoodStory]

[Teacher in Rome]

Wiganer - why the insistence that to do TEFL you need a degree? I've worked with and for teachers without degrees (but with CELTA) and they were good teachers!

[spiral78]

In some situations, a degree is/should be required ( for most teachers involved in teaching university students and staff, for example). But it's not necessary in every teaching context.

A second-career teacher with a business background and a CELTA (but no degree) may well be preferred by businesspeople who are students over a 24-year-old with a degree and a CELTA.

I've worked with two retired NATO officers who are second career teachers, without first degrees, but with CELTA and (later on, after they'd worked for some years as teachers) MA TESL/TEFL degrees (yes, they got MAs without a first degree - from reputable British universities to boot!).

Overall, EFL/ESL simply isn't a cookie-cutter profession. One teacher's personal experience of the field doesn't equal the full range of what we all do!

[HLJHLJ]

I don't think it's really a question of whether native speakers are 'better' than native-level speakers. As was said earlier, they both bring different advantages (and disadvantages) to the table. The bigger problem for you is that native-level speakers are already available locally in most countries .

What are you bringing that makes it worth a school going through the hassle of employing a foreigner (visas, the effort of overseas recruitment, possibly higher pay), over employing a local? How can they 'sell' you to their students to make it worth their while hiring you? You don't have much in the way of education, and you don't seem to have much relevant experience. So you need to make it very clear to them what it is that you think you do have.

If Croatia join the EU, you effectively become a local, and bypass those problems, and you will likely find work without much difficulty. Otherwise, you need to come up with something that makes you special enough to make you worth the effort, and spell it out very clearly on your applications.

[dutchman]

[Glenski]

This discussion has gone off-course, and it seems to be slowly steering itself back to where it should be. That is, posts should describe the visa situation that Mamainak faces, as well as the perception by various employers or countries regarding non-native speakers.

If I were to see Mamainak's cover letter, I'm sure I'd be impressed with the command of English. However, I'd be disheartened with the resume because he doesn't meet the visa requirements for Japan (where I live). I'd have to send a polite letter declining the application on those grounds more than anything else.

So, you can't finish a degree in the UK. How about doing one long distance? Unless you can find some special acceptance for Croatians to work in the UK, as mentioned earlier, you have to face the fact that the lack of a degree will severely hinder your chances. It doesn't matter whether people want to argue that a degreeless person can be better or not than a degreed person. You need to fulfill visa requirements first and foremost. Beyond that, you need to prove to an employer that you are suitable hiring material, and your command of the language is a good starting point, but not all-encompassing.

Best of luck.

[Mamainak]

[Mamainak]

[dutchman]

Have you thought about doing a translation work? You could translate English documents into Croatian. You would be expected to be a native-speaker of Croatian then; and I guess lack of an undergraduate degree would not be that much of a problem so long as your translation is accurate.

[Mamainak]

[naturegirl321]

[HLJHLJ]