Job Discussion Forums

Jyorke24 · Joined: 29 Sep 2014 Posts: 4

Hello Everyone,

I've been looking for a change in my life, and I think teaching English abroad makes a lot of sense for me. I truly enjoy working with children, and I think that being able to teach within another culture would be an awesome experience. I've done a bit of research on my own, but I still have a fair amount of questions.

First, here is a little background info on me and my situation. I am 30 years old, and I currently live in the US (New England). I have worked professionally in the human services field providing services to troubled and developmentally disabled youth for six years, and I've been able to work my way up through various roles. I have experience teaching in both residential and classroom settings as a direct care worker, I have been an acting teacher, I have been a supervisor, and my current administrative role involves a lot of staff training. In addition I have spent four summers working in camps where I had additional experience instructing kids of all ages, which included one summer as the director of the entire baseball program. Would any of this be considered good teaching experience?

Another problem (if you want to call it that) is that I currently have no bachelors degree, but I am quite close to finishing. At the end of this semester I will have completed 101/120 credits required. I estimate I should finish within a year.I understand it can be difficult (even illegal) to teach in some countries without a degree. What is the reality of this situation? Could I still find work, and in which countries? My classes are all online, so would I be able to finish my degree while working?

I also understand I would need some type of TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certification, but I am slightly confused about what each of those means. Which one would make sense for me to pursue? Also, where is a good place to do that in the New England area (Boston, Albany, Hartford, Providence would be nice)?

I am really only scratching the surface on all of my questions, but I'm hopeful that this group can help me get started.

Thanks,

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

What's your rush? Stay in the US and finish your degree so you'll be eligible for more jobs in more countries. Plus, it can be challenging to study while abroad; you may end up in locations where the Internet is spotty or slow. Teaching without a degree means being limited as to where you can teach and sometimes in conditions that aren't ideal.

Once you've completed your BA, look into getting a valid TEFL cert (one with at least 120 hours of face-to-face instruction and 6 hours of supervised teaching practice). CELTA, SIT TESOL, and Trinity CertTESOL as well as some non-brand TEFL certs meet this requirement. You didn't state what your degree major is, but another option is to obtain licensure to teach your degree subject overseas. That way, your focus is on teaching children rather than adults.

Jyorke24 · Joined: 29 Sep 2014 Posts: 4

Hey Nomad,

Thanks for the quick response! I wouldn't necessarily say I'm in a rush, but I would like to at least find a certification class soon. I'm also beginning to realize I'm not getting any younger, and if I really want to experience what's out there, I just need to do it. There are a few reasons regarding my personal and professional life that made me want to change directions, and I just think that just going for it (looking before I leap of course) is the best way to do it. Currently my degree is focused on Organizational Leadership in Human Services. Although, there may come a day when I pursue a masters in education since I'm coming to realize that's where a lot of my skills and passion rest. Thanks a ton for your advice. I'll certainly take it into consideration, and I always appreciate more of you have any.

esl_prof · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 4:47 pm Post subject:

If you've got less than a year to go on your degree, finish it. It will open a lot of doors for you overseas. Don't succumb to the temptation to skip this step.

At this point, completing a teacher education program with an ESL endorsement might take you 2-4 additional years of full time study at the undergraduate level since your BA is not in a subject area relevant to primary or secondary education. Pursuing a graduate level teacher certification program may save you some time. You might check with an education adviser at your current school to see what your options are.

ILI in Northampton, MA offers the SIT TESOL certificate which, because of its interactive, experiential approach to teaching, is well-suited for working with teens as well as adults. You can find more information about their program here: http://ili.edu/tesol-certificate While not a substitute for doing a regular teacher certification program, it will be enough to get you started overseas should you opt not to pursue a teacher ed program at this time.

While you spend the next year (or more) finishing your studies, you might want to approach some of the public schools or after-school programs in your area that work with ESL students and offer your services as a volunteer tutor. That experience will help you develop your skill set in working with ESL students, look good on your resume as a new teacher, and provide practical experience that will give you a bit of an edge going into whatever teacher training route you decide to pursue. More importantly, it will allow you to "try out" teaching ESL before committing to the expense of a teacher training program.

Please keep us posted as you move forward. Your stories will help others who decide to follow in your footsteps later.

Jyorke24 · Joined: 29 Sep 2014 Posts: 4

Hey Prof,

Thanks for your input! Definitely some good advice, but I would still like to see what possibilities exist for me to teach without my degree for the next year while I finish up. Also, thanks for the link to the ILI in North Hampton. I live super close (about 45 minutes) from there, so it seems like the ideal place for me to get my certification. It looks like it will be a bit before I can sign up for a class, but that's fine. It will give me more time to get information, do more research, and make a decision.

As always I appreciate information and experiences from others.

Thanks again,

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

You might take a look at these threads:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=106084

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=99379

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=99397

By the way, 30 is not too old to get a teaching job; there are teachers age 60 and over still in the profession.

esl_prof · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 6:05 pm Post subject:

I think your main options--apart from volunteer tutoring--for getting teaching experience while you finish your degree are (1) paraprofessional jobs in local school districts and (2) tutoring/teaching assistant jobs in local after-school programs or summer camps. You might try networking with the folks at Massachusetts TESOL http://www.matsol.org/ or through the teacher education program at your current university to get some leads on possible options. Also try checking job listings on the websites of local school districts in your area. ILI in Northampton might be able to give you some leads as well.

esl_prof · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 8:25 pm Post subject:

Jyorke24 · Joined: 29 Sep 2014 Posts: 4

Haha, I was slightly worried if age would be a barrier. I literally just turned 30, and a minor existential crisis may have prompted me to look into this whole thing. Thanks for the words of encouragement.

I'm just really sick of being stuck in an office all day where I feel like I'm just going through the motions, and not making a difference. I want a chance to experience the world and what it has to offer while doing something I'm good at, and that I actually care about. I don't want to look back on my life and realize I'd never left my small corner of the world, while sticking it out at a job I don't care about just because it was the safe thing to do.

Does anyone have experience with the TALK program in Korea. Seems like it could be a possibility for me, but I'd be curious to hear from someone who's been through it.

Thanks for the helpful info so far!

esl_prof · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 9:57 pm Post subject:

bansheebeat · Joined: 02 Oct 2013 Posts: 86

Just get your degree dude. It will make life overseas so so so much easier. It makes getting jobs easier, getting visas easier, everything.

Don't be ridiculous. Get your degree and then come. I was in the same boat. A year away from finishing my degree and desperately ready to get out and do something new. You know what I did? I sucked it up, buckled down, saved money, finished my degree, and now I'm living and working in Thailand. Without a degree it would have been 1000000x more difficult.

LaLaDivina · Joined: 21 Dec 2013 Posts: 33 Location: Colombia

I agree with the others. You're only 30. Just finish your degree since you're so close to finishing anyway. I just finished my bachelor's degree last year at 33, I'm 34 now and going to start my CELTA course next month. By the time I start looking for a job in January/February I will be almost 35 (born in Feb) so don't get hung up about your age. You're still pretty young and have lots of time.

esl_prof · Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 5:22 pm Post subject:

Chris Westergaard · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 215 Location: Prague

Just to add my two cents in here.

I've trained and met with about 1500 new/potentially new teachers like yourself in my life, so I can offer you a bit of advice.

1. Finish the degree for sure. Without it, you will be limited.

2. Find a location that you want to teach in and get your training there. Do this with the exception of many countries in Asia because many Asian countries will fly you out and are fine hiring you from abroad.

3. Regardless of which TEFL certification course you take, make sure to get into contact with past graduates. Each center IS different and offer different things. You need to find out about housing assistance, visa assistance, living abroad assistance, job assistance... Some CELTA/Trinity/TEFL courses will offer this, some won't. Find out!

4. Understand that this is probably going to be a short-term gig (1-3 years). It IS possible to make TEFL/EFL a career, but most likely you'll be teaching for just a few years. This is fine! Enjoy and live your life. The mass, mass majority of my graduates loved their experience teaching abroad and consider their time teaching abroad as the best years of their life.

If you have any specific questions and I'm happy to help [email protected]

Prof.Gringo · Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 5:04 am Post subject: