Job Discussion Forums

[seyz]

Hi all,

I am applying to some university jobs for the 2017-2018 academic year. In order to obtain my present position in China, I had to show some kind of "certification." Despite the school being happy with my credentials otherwise, the immigration (or whoever it was) office at the municipal level refused to issue me a visa without some kind of "certification." Some on this board recommended I simply make one in a Word document or just buy one. What I did was I went to some random website and took a £25 course to get "certified" to teach English for Academic/Specific purposes. It was essentially a five hour online module that was a total waste. However, they did send me a PDF certificate.

Now, I am wondering, should I include this certificate on my resume when I am applying to jobs? I would presume not since it really isn't a serious qualification for anything. However, some jobs appear to be so obsessed with some sort of "certification" that I would reckon that some may look at this favorably. Especially in China (though I am not applying to other jobs here at the moment).

Thus, should I include this certification if an application asks for one?

Thanks

[nomad soul]

[seyz]

nomad soul,

Perhaps I was unclear in my original post or perhaps you made some sort of preemptive conclusions about me, but in no way have I intended to "cut corners."

I was told, WEEKS before I was set to arrive in China that I needed this "certificate." I had just returned to the United States to begin processing my visa, which I expected in the mail any day, when the Foreign Affairs Office suddenly informed me of this issue. The government wanted some piece of paper "certifying" that I was a teacher so I gave them one. Nobody expected me seriously to go and take a proper course in this amount of time and the FAO even encouraged me to "get one illegally." Attempting to enroll in a serious course would have meant delaying my arrival here and leaving the university with one less teacher to start the semester. They are already understaffed as it is. Instead of buying an illegal one making my own, I took the course that I took. I don't consider it much, but if potential employers are going to look at this and act like it means something, is it not worth mentioning it? That is why I posted this question. I am well aware that it means very little pragmatically.

[suphanburi]

Don't confuse China with the rest of the EFL/ESOL world.

What will get you a pass into a guest lecturer position as a TEFL instructor in some (not all) provinces in China won't fly in many other places or in any decent uni.

At a bare minimum you are looking at a CELTA or equivalent as a lecturer in ESOL. Take the time and do it right.

If you want to get further into the field then you'll need some legitimate theory / coursework work in TESOL/TEFL / applied linguistics to get into teaching in those fields (as compared to teaching ABC to freshmen).

If you want to parlay into your field of expertise then look for that and quit pissing around in EFL.

If you want to get into research - that is a different kettle of fish.
As someone with a PhD you should already know how to do your proposal and get it accepted at a legitimate uni or research institute (like SEAMEO RELC) ... your background is not particularly relevant (other than not trying to reinvent the wheel) but your proposal is.

.

[spiral78]

Ditto the above. Your current qualifications (including the cheap 'cert') may be enough to get you jobs in China but you're not currently competitive in other job markets. If you are applying in other parts of the world and you expect to be taken seriously, you will need some actual relevant qualifications, starting with a CELTA or equivalent cert. For uni jobs in general, ideally followed by related MA or DELTA.

[rtm]

[RedLightning]

It's almost comical that a PhD holder, regardless of the field, would be denied a visa due to their lack of 'certification'- particularly when the most prestigious of these certifications requires for admission only that one be

-over 18 years old
-a high school graduate/GED holder (not a deal breaker)
-competent in English

[fluffyhamster]

Now now, RedLightning, you surely aren't suggesting that those prestigious certs are anything less than, well, prestigious, are you?! I can't speak for anyone else, but mine turned me into Liam Neeson, and I can prove it because I've seen Taken In at least 15 times.

[nomad soul]

[fluffyhamster]

I don't think anyone here is confusing so-called skills with knowledge - that's the training providers' job!

[adventious]

[nomad soul]

[seyz]

It is interesting that many people on here seem to be engaged in a discussion of some sorts about this topic.

One thing this discussion has generated is a debate on whether having a “certification” will in fact make you a better teacher. Rtm, for instance, believes I would be “deceiving” people if I listed my easily obtained “certification,” while fluffyhamster has a much more pessimistic view on certifications in general. I think this is a really important distinction because it goes at the heart of my own teaching and experience. I have studied languages in classrooms and autodidactically for the past ten years. I spend two to four hours each day studying languages or reading about language learning and teaching. I also spend another four to six hours each day teaching language in a classroom and have done so for the past year. Previously, I have also taught ESL and Japanese to undergraduate students. Thus, I didn’t just wake up one day and say “I want to teach language” and have a go at it. Everything I do in class and outside of it is informed by a decade of learning and teaching experiences.

That being said, I lack any formal teaching certification or formal education in the subject. This is also the main reason why I am looking for a comprehensive guide to classroom activities and their application in my other thread. However, I do in fact spend a lot of my time reading through books one would likely read in graduate programs in SLA and TESOL. So whether or not getting a CELTA, DELTA, or MA would add a great deal of experience my already known body of knowledge is a good question. After 12 years of higher education, I have also come to the conclusion that I can learn better on my own than I could in a classroom. So much of my education experience was wasted on nonsense and being supervised by terrible educators. I really cannot tell you a great deal about what I actually “learned” from sitting in a classroom. At the same time, such a certification course would be much more practical in nature and would be more hands on. I am considering going for a CELTA, but I sincerely hope that I get something out of it more than making myself “more employable.”

[nomad soul]

[fluffyhamster]