Job Discussion Forums

[cindymoon]

Hi,
I will be graduating at the end of this year with a degree in English. I plan on going on to graduate school in English, but I will need to work for a year or two because I missed the deadline to apply. I thought it would be a good thing to work for a bit first anyway. My question is whether taking one of the CELTA or TESOL or TEFL courses for that matter would be right for me. I would like to be able to teach for the year or so before I find out if I'm accepted to grad school, but I'd like to stay in the U.S. and teach English in the U.S. I don't have a credential. Do I really need one of those certificates to teach ESL in adult schools or foreign language schools? What would be my best bet without going for the MA in TESOL?
Thank you for any advice.

[denise]

The CELTA is designed more for teaching in non-English-speaking countries. While you will occasionally see a job announcement in the US that requires one (I�ve seen them here on Dave�s, in fact), it generally isn�t enough. Most jobs in the US ask for an MA.

And when you ask if a CELTA would be right for you, do you mean only for teaching, or for grad school? For teaching, yes, definitely. For grad school in English, probably not.

d

[Cdaniels]

Most TEFL certifications are designed for teaching English in foreign countries, moreover most employers and schools in the US don't recognize it as a qualification at all. It seems to me to be a shortcoming of US institutions rather than any deficiency on the TESOL providers' part. I beleive there's only one CELTA program in the US- in Denver, Colorado. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the majority of US ESL teaching programs, including TESOL Masters' degree programs, are designed specifically for teaching ESL immigrants in the US. Its a lousy situation, being forced to choose between two career tracks that should actually complement eachother. I hope this will change sometime in the future. Teaching English abroad and teaching ESL in the US should not have such artificial barriers between them. The best bet for teaching ESL in the US is for those who already have a teachers' certification. Different states have different requirements for teacher certification, but often its earned while getting a degree in Education. Try volunteering teaching English instead. Its rewarding and good experience if you decide you want to do more of it in the future.

[cindymoon]

Thanks for the replies. It looks like the situation doesn't sound too good for me. I was looking into working for the Americorps Literacy for a year. Has anyone heard of that? Or have any other suggestions for what I might do in the interim while I apply for graduate school?

Thanks again!

[Gordon]

[Gordon]

Cindy, what do you want to do after graduation? If it is to teach English, then a CELTA would help you. Most masters programs are theoretical and won't train you to teach.

[cindymoon]

I would like to teach English to people learning it or to foreign students for a year or two before hopefully going on to grad school.

[Gordon]

[cindymoon]

My plan is to teach at the college level and esl as well.

[Gordon]

I would recommend taking the CELTA then, provides good teacher training for teaching adults.

[cindymoon]

That's what I was thinking as well, that it would provide actual training, which would be good. My lingering question is how necessary or useful would it be in helping me find a job in the U.S.?

Thanks!

[Justin Trullinger]