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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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 Posted: Fri May 06, 2016 11:27 am Post subject: |
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I know a great number of them:-)
Sure, Georgians can be ambitious but they don't tend to be sort of blindly optimistic in the American style, sure that laws and rules won't apply to them if they just try hard enough and don't give up:-)
Anyway, teaching in a state/public school in Georgia is not a bad gig for people who want to continue living in the country (a high percentage, obviously) and upskilling via a CELTA is a logical step. |
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In the heat of the moment
Joined: 22 May 2015
Posts: 393
Location: Italy
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| Posted: Fri May 06, 2016 8:49 pm Post subject: |
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I bow to your personal experience (much better than depending on flawed stereotypes, I'm sure we'd all agree), and I prefer that Georgians would accept a western teacher magnanimously than treat them as an outsider.
I'm British, BTW, and we have the same Patron Saint! I visited Georgia for the first time last year and really enjoyed it, found the people engaging and sound as a pound, loved the food and subway system, and crazy beer strengths. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Fri May 06, 2016 9:15 pm Post subject: |
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| I prefer that Georgians would accept a western teacher magnanimously than treat them as an outsider. |
Yes, I agree - as I noted early in the thread, most Georgians are pretty socially adept and I think they'd definitely make a very reasonable effort in this respect! |
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Mr. Leafy
Joined: 24 Apr 2012
Posts: 246
Location: North of the Wall
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| Posted: Sun May 08, 2016 1:06 am Post subject: Re: Taking CELTA in a foreign country - language barriers? |
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| jserio wrote: |
But one thing that stood out to me was the tutor informed me that most of the students are Georgian teachers. I guess I was naive and assumed most students were native English speakers. She also mentioned that the drop-out rate is about 1 per group of 12 which seems pretty high - almost as if they want someone in each group to fail.
Is this a valid concern or am I overthinking it? I would love to hear about your experience taking the CELTA in a foreign country. |
I had the same concern at the Delta level.
I will have to relocate if I do a Delta someday (still undecided) but there are options and price/location is a big factor. I could go to a ‘cheap’ foreign country (Eastern Europe), go to one of the places that attract mostly foreign teachers (Thailand, Vietnam) or to an English speaking country (ignoring most of western Euro as just too expensive to consider).
I don’t believe in any superiority of the native speaker – both NS and NNS bring different skills to the table. My concerns are two other things – if all the other candidates except me share an L1, it will be a disadvantage. Whatever the official language of the course is if all the coffee break chat is beyond me, it will be isolating. There will be inevitable little code-switching throughout, and people may want to do some of the more difficult feedback in their L1.
Second, I’d be missing local language and cultural knowledge. In places I’ve taught, I know I barely have to touch on some words, because they cognates, and which grammar structures are going to be the most different.
I know what the local school system has and hasn’t taught well already and where the cultural gaps in misunderstanding concepts will be. And when a students says “oh, I understand, it means XYZ”, but gets it wrong, I’ll know. I know which flashcards to replace from the set in the book because they are too alien and add confusion. In one of the cheaper centres I’d miss all this and be less effective in my teaching practice.
You may also want to consider whether you want to teach a homogenous or heterogeneous class. Doing the course in USA or Georgia will make a difference. What type of class are you most used to? Doing the CELTA should equip you for either, but you may want familiarity when being assessed.
I was in a similar situation to you when I did the CELTA. It was offered in the country where I was living but not in my city. Accommodation and food and tuition cost in that city made it cheaper to go abroad. I went to another English speaking country, not my own, to do it. Candidates came from at least four English speaking countries, about half local.
In my case, the cheapest/most expensive Delta vary by about $1500. How much is it worth to go somewhere I like? And of course, for two months, the cost of living in a place can’t be ignored.
So, this isn’t an answer to your question, just some thoughts.
(Also, as mentioned by other, drop out or fail rate seems normal.) |
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