Job Discussion Forums

[steward]

Hi,

I have no experience but am very interested in ESL teaching so I am looking for general and broad advice as well as specifics. There are many questions to follow, I know, but advice on any of the following would be very helpful to me. I am living in New York but would like to be able to teach overseas in the next year or two. I have a BA in English writing.

1. Does a TEFL, TESOL or CELTA certificate actually help- which is best and where do they respectively help geographically. Which areas in the world need which degree of certification etc. I would love to go to SE Asia, but might be in Europe for a while too. I know Europe has strict standards

2. Where is the best, most efficient place to get this certificate in new york? Is an online course just as good?- what about physical teaching training- what about oxford seminars or other schools?

3. Should you get training in the country you want to teach in ( I heard this is good for places like Thailand)- or is getting a certificate here enough to go over there and teach/get work, and is getting one a year before you do so worth it, or will it be useless to get trained here and go to a completely foreign system.

4. Basically, what is my best option/ course of action to be able to get work in say, one of five countries of my choice (my wife might work in Asia)- and what would give me the most leeway? what should I invest in and what not. What would be a waste of time.

I would be very thankful to anyone with any guidance to offer. All info will be very useful as I make decisions.

Thanks in advance.
E. Steward

[wildchild]

I would advise you to start browsing through the many forums, threads and posts here on Dave's; the information that you seek, and much, much more, are to be found within.

[Glenski]

Basic qualifications: a bachelor's degree and (presumably) American citizenship. Ok, this qualifies you for pretty much nothing more than entry level work, but you probably realize that.

[steward]

Hi Glenski,

thank you for your detailed respopnse. My wife is in sales (A large US financial solutions firm), and is considering looking for a sales job in Asia, wherever she can find one. Granted, we are a bit clueless, and plan to go on a trip to checkout the scene- but we are interested in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Korea, Japan - India would be good for her, but i dont know what the teaching options are. Perhaps, if she finds a job, i could do the research and training there.

Thanks again for your advice

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[Glenski]

GambatteBingBangBOOM,
All I'm going by is what I see in the ads, too, and for entry level work in Japan. That means eikaiwa and JET. Certification is not needed in most cases. The OP and his wife have no other qualifications, so to try getting other type of teaching work in Japan is pushing it in my opinion.

"Outside of the eikaiwa circuit" means a few things (in Japan):

ALT through the JET programme
ALT through a dispatch agency
direct hire through board of education
private school
university
business classes

JET doesn't require certification.
Dispatch agencies take whatever they get in the way of candidates, but most don't seem to ask for certification, either. Of course, I don't know what all ask for.
Direct hires are rare and usually require teaching experience, so I wouldn't bring this up. Same for private schools.
Universities require far greater qualifications, so the OP is automatically out of the running.
Business classes might want certification; I don't know a lot of them, but the top three ask for the following.
Simul wants: "TESOL or equivalent EFL qualifications plus a minimum of two years of business teaching experience "
Phoenix Associates wants "Native English level university/college graduates with business experience."
Sumikin asks for "Corporate training experience and professional qualification (e.g. MA TESL, Applied Linguistics, RSA Diploma or equivalent) preferred. (preferred doesn't mean required. Glenski)

What place other than an eikaiwa or dispatch outfit is there for the OP and his wife as newcomers? (Personally, I wouldn't wish dispatch work on anyone, but the work is there and growing.)

[ilaria]

[FuzzX]

1. DO YOU HAVE A DEGREE?

2. CAN YOU BUY ONE?



You dont need one for anything... if your an alright person you�ll get hired.

[Sheikh Inal Ovar]

[FuzzX]

tell me where a degree will make me a better teacher?

I have 5 years of college
a college diploma in electronic engineering
a chef�s certification
an associates degree in police foundations
my dive instructor�s certification
a bartending diploma
a licence to drive forklift
I�ve taken TESOL and CELTA.
I have 4 years teaching experience in 4 different countries.
I�ve written all my own teaching materials AND I enjoy my job.

[Glenski]

It's obvious from the few recent posts from FuzzX that he/she doesn't believe much in a college education, at least for TEFL work. That's your prerogative. This is a stale old argument that I hope does not revive itself.

Basically, an education in any field will give you the tools for a background or foundation in it. What you do with the tools is up to you and your innate abilities.

Are some educated teachers good? Yes. Bad? Yes.
Are some uneducated teachers good? Yes. Bad? Yes.

Bottom line is that in most cases, you are better prepared to teach if you have an education in the field.

FuzzX is qualified for entry level TEFL work (in Japan anyway). What he/she would do to make the most of it is up to him/her.

[Sheikh Inal Ovar]

Let me spell it out for you Fuzzy ... just who exactly are these 'alright' gals or geezers ... people that you deem to be 'alright'? ... people of your own mindset?

They certainly can't include anyone with an eduaction as, in your own words,

[FuzzX]

I may be qualified for entry level in Japan but I certainly worked there and was paid the same amount as a degree holder in a normal school, which seemed to piss the �ther grads off a great deal.

Wasn�t a big fan of �sit down tax� though. Not much for having fingers jammed up my ass either.... I don�t even like my own fingers up there.