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mehrlin26
Joined: 20 Feb 2004
Posts: 52
Location: South Korea
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 Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 3:24 am Post subject: Can Someone Tell Me What's Going On Here? |
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I'm looking for university jobs in China. Now, I've never worked there before so I'm a bit unfamiliar about how things work over there.
I was having an interview with a recruiter yesterday on Skype. Interviewer and recruiter seemed legit until they said that I would need to take a TEFL certificate in order for the Uni to consider me (and lo and behold the recruiter offers an online TEFL for a cut-rate price). I have a CELTA.
My question being is this normal procedure? I was in contact with another recruiter who offered a Uni job and they failed to mention this part. Am I being paranoid or am I right to be suspicious? |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 3:50 am Post subject: Re: Can Someone Tell Me What's Going On Here? |
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| mehrlin26 wrote: |
The recruiter offers an online TEFL for a cut-rate price. I have a CELTA.
My question being is this normal procedure? I was in contact with another recruiter who offered a Uni job and they failed to mention this part. Am I being paranoid or am I right to be suspicious? |
No paranoia --- just a shady recruiter trying to earn extra dough by selling you a cheapo, unnecessary TEFL cert.  |
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buravirgil
Joined: 23 Jan 2014
Posts: 967
Location: Jiangxi Province, China
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| Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 4:13 am Post subject: Re: Can Someone Tell Me What's Going On Here? |
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| mehrlin26 wrote: |
| I'm looking for university jobs in China. Now, I've never worked there before so I'm a bit unfamiliar about how things work over there. |
In this instance, it's easier to generalize, but I'd warn against any expectation China is consistently this or that...
But, no, you're not paranoid. Were your interviewers native English speakers?|yes-> run, don't walk, run
|no--> lost in translation; possibly renegotiate
|no--> specific rejection of CELTA; avoid, unless they realize their error. Which market (public/private, city) you're considering matters, a lot.
Why your CELTA wasn't recognized is a guessing game of a lousy, confused, or dishonest recruiter. That should not be a surprise. What matters is that with an undergraduate degree, and any TESOL certificate, your invitation to work as a foreign expert will be approved. Approvals are common for those without "certificates" in ESL, but only because provincial needs can eclipse national regulation. Most experienced members of the forum agree avoiding recruiters is your best course. |
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hz88
Joined: 27 Sep 2015
Posts: 162
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| Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 4:50 am Post subject: |
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I would agree with buravirgil's comments.
If it was a native speaker(s) they are simply trying to flog you a TEFL course and will earn commission from it. Chalk that up to experience and if they bother you again tell them to flog it somewhere else.
If not I guess that they don't know what CELTA means. It would be accepted without question. Politely explain the difference and invite them to check with their SAFEA office and hint you have found another job that will accept it. That will probably get them to change their tune somewhat.
Most if not all provinces do require it now, mine certainly does and we have to upload a copy of the certificate before we can get approval for your application.
Not all recruiters are dishonest but it is generally easier if you bypass them. We haven't used them at our school for the last four years and the endless problems we did have when we did were eliminated almost overnight essentially due to the endless lies they used to tell the applicants just to get their commission. Just my humble opinion.. |
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mehrlin26
Joined: 20 Feb 2004
Posts: 52
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:14 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for your replies. The job was in Shanghai and Shanghai region.
The interviewer appeared to be native speaker (excellent English, North American accent or possibly mid-Atlantic accent).
Flogging a useless TEFL course eh? It could be an honest mistake. I'll check back with them. |
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mehrlin26
Joined: 20 Feb 2004
Posts: 52
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:33 am Post subject: |
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| HZ88, where does your school go to look when you do need teachers? |
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hz88
Joined: 27 Sep 2015
Posts: 162
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| Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:57 am Post subject: |
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this very website is our first choice.
pm sent. |
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Dan123
Joined: 08 Jan 2014
Posts: 112
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| Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:13 am Post subject: Re: Can Someone Tell Me What's Going On Here? |
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It's either the recruiter trying to get a bit of extra money from you, or they simply don't know what a CELTA is. If you explain to them that a CELTA is an internationally recognised certificate and is one of the best ESL certificates available, and he still insists that you need to take his course, then he's full of crap and you should move on to somewhere else.
If this person really is a non Chinese recruiter, they should definitely be aware what a CELTA is.
It's true that many regulations in many places do require a TEFL certificate now, but a CELTA is more than ample to pass this requirement. |
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22Yossarian
Joined: 20 Jan 2013
Posts: 68
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| Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2015 11:51 am Post subject: |
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| hz88 wrote: |
I would agree with buravirgil's comments.
If not I guess that they don't know what CELTA means. It would be accepted without question. Politely explain the difference and invite them to check with their SAFEA office and hint you have found another job that will accept it. That will probably get them to change their tune somewhat.
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Yeah, I moonlight for a tutoring service to get some extra cash. When I initially "interviewed" they had no idea what a CELTA was and I had to explain it to them.
You will be amazed how little English teaching "professionals" actually know about the industry in China. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2015 12:36 pm Post subject: |
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| mehrlin26 wrote: |
| Flogging a useless TEFL course eh? It could be an honest mistake. |
To avoid this issue in the future, be clear about your TEFL qualification when applying for positions. Take a look at CELTA on resume. |
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mehrlin26
Joined: 20 Feb 2004
Posts: 52
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 5:34 am Post subject: |
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"You will be amazed how little English teaching "professionals" actually know about the industry in China."
Incidentally, how many recruiters are former English teachers themselves? |
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