Job Discussion Forums

[jivewhiteboy]

I see a lot of advertisements for these degrees, but most of them don't seem reputable. Can you help me a little by explaining what they do and where you can look for a reputable program?

[Glenski]

Where do you live, or where are you willing to go for such a certification?

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Most of the time, they aren't degrees (other than things listed as MAs, MEd etc), they're certificates. Sometimes they take a weekend at the local YMCA/YWCA. Sometimes they take a full time year at a university. The CELTA is the most widely accepted and used in Europe (it's usually a lottle over a month). In North America it may or may not be considered enough to teach (it isn't in Ontario, Canada, where I'm from).

If you do not yet have an undergraduate degree, then you will probably want to get one. If you really plan on making TEFL/TESL your career, then you can't go wrong with modern languages, Linguistics or English (English more so for overseas, where the ability to write an essay about a work of literature is somehow assumed to be of great benefit when teaching someone the difference between the simple past and the present perfect).

My advice is to look into the local universities, and see if they have any programmes geared toward teaching ESL/EFL. This industry has way too many scam certificates which "guarantee" a job. Also, check to see if your local area has a government regulating board for ESL teachers of adults (for children it will be covered with the k-12 teachers). It would be better to get a certification that would increase the likelihood of you being able to work in your home area.

[denise]

Which ones have you seen, and what is it about them that seems disreputable?

CELTA is the name-brand course. Different countries/continents seem to place different degrees of importance on the name-brand status, though. Basically, the standard TEFL course, CELTA or otherwise, is an intensive four-week course, with 100+ hours of class time and several hours of practice teaching sessions. There are several quality non-CELTA courses out there. They�re pricey, though--expect to pay between $1000 and $2000US.

Job guarantees do not necessarily equal scams, but don�t expect the courses to give you jobs with the highest salaries, most benefits, etc.--the ITC course in Prague had a similar guarantee, and basically what it meant was that they would let you teach at their school if you didn�t have a job. Really, though, if you�ve got a certificate and a BA (sometimes more important, depending on the country), you shouldn�t need a job guarantee. It�s really easy to find teaching jobs.

Good luck!

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[jivewhiteboy]

i do have an english degree already. is that enough to get esl jobs within the u.s.? i've also spent a year teaching in korea.

[denise]

It�s usually more difficult to get ESL jobs in the US. A TEFL certificate often isn�t enough. Many schools ask for MAs. (There are, of course, exceptions! I have seen job ads that ask only for BAs. Not many, though.)

A TEFL certificate is primarily for teaching in non-English-speaking countries. Or at least, non-north-American countries.

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