Job Discussion Forums

[riggo8381]

This may be an old topic but my searches haven�t really yielded the answers I am looking for.

I posted a bit about myself and my wife in another thread and our intention on starting our teaching careers in China in the near future. We both have our Bachelors degree (mine in Business/Finance hers in Communication.) She is a certified teacher in the State of Texas, I have no such cert. Neither of us has any long-term teaching experience other than substitute teaching and corporate training.

For what its worth, we plan to teach abroad as a career. I have read about a few of the different certifications and where to take them but I am still left wondering what we should do when the time comes. We would most likely have the resources to move ahead of time to China to take a course and get our CELTA cert before we started teaching if that is the best move. We would have a more difficult time taking one here in the states as we would have to quit our jobs and live here (near somewhere with a good program) working part time. I assume doing this in China would be much cheaper and an opportunity to get acclimated to the new surroudings. So my questions:

We would like to teach high school or college level students if at all possible but are flexible (we both do great with kids.) Which cert should we get and is wise to try to get it before we look for a job in China? Also any advice on what institution is a good choice and what city?

Thanks for the input.

Codie

[Itsme]

Boy aii tell yah what.


Aint no certiycate mean nutten. You maken someone reeeeeeeeal happy given them there your greenbacks..

It is a nice way of narrowing down the candidates


AND

a good way of convincing you to work for less money. (if you don't have one.)

Teaching is in part like being an actor. Aint no class you can take to become a good one.

you either is or you aint.

[7969]

[powderfinger303]

I think you know this already, but with a teaching license from the states, your wife can get a job at an international school. If you are considering a career, this type of job probably offers more advantages. Working at this type of school may also be recognized by your state as work experience and so it *may* count towards your salary back home if you ever go back. There are jobs available teaching ESL in these schools.

I am currently teaching EFL at a gov�t high school in Taiwan. International schools are considered a step up from what I do. All of the int�l schools that I know of here have much smaller classes than the 30-40 that I have in mine. The trade-off, I think, is that there are much higher professional expectations and responsibilities demanded from the teacher at international schools.

For yourself, you may want to look into doing a Masters or some other post-grad studying while working abroad. Again, in terms of career, something like that may offer more options down the road. In Taiwan, and from what I�ve heard about the mainland, having a B.A. is enough to get a job. On top of that, I am not sure how much good a CELTA or TEFL cert will do outside of private language institutes. Strictly in terms of career, I would wager that you would not want to be limited to this type of job market.

Another approach could be to work in a country that pays more, teaching English. Test the waters a little. The money you save could easily finance the cost of higher education or professional certs. A year of teaching will, of course, also give you a good idea of whether or not you even want to invest any money+time in getting qualifications/education.

[riggo8381]

Thank you all for the advice. Your suggestions were exactly the advice I was looking for. The feedback on this forum is amazing and I appreciate you all taking the time to help out us newbies!

As much as we hate the idea of waiting any longer to take on our dream of teaching abroad, we are considering doing as some have suggested. I may seek my alternative certification here in Texas and do some teaching before we head out, as to secure a more lucrative job in China. With my wife and I both having experience and the appropriate qualifications we might find ourselves in a situation closer to what we desire. It sounds like teaching at an international school is what we should be aiming to meet our goals. I suppose we will continue the research and see what the future holds!

[Itsme]

[eslstudies]

As you are both degree holders, you could do a Post Graduate Certificate in TESOL, either before you come to China, or by distance ed once you're here.
The caveat is that it includes a teaching block which must be supervised by someone with a minimum masters in App Ling or TESOL. These can be hard to find in China, but easy to find at home.
A university qualification will take you much farther in ESL than a generic "ESL for Dummies" one month certificate.

As for

[abusalam4]

I am not fond of the 4 or so weeks CELTA/DELTA courses offered by most commercial providers. How can you really be qualified to teach English or something else in 4 weeks? And these courses are expensvive, too.

There are alternatives... taking a full degree program leading to a Master in TESL would be a good option. But again, this is not free....

I know of some other possibilities that are free of charge but I cannot mention them here in public as it would not be appropriate in this forum to "market a product". Rather, pm me if you want to know more...

For China, you are OK when you have got a degree, an additional TESL qualification may be desirable but is NOT mandatory/compulsory. Mostly those who would be gifted and dedicated teachers can learn their "tzrade" by just doing exactly this - teaching. As a teacher, you also will develop and grow ... as much as your students do. Just give it a chance and try!

[Shan-Shan]

That's the benefit of doing TESL in China -- no prior requirements are needed. Engage yourself in the work, discover whether or not ESL is a field you want to reside within for some time, and then decide on becoming qualified.

Running blindly into an MA program in TESL just to teach in China seems extreme. Besides, most Chinese schools will only pay a thousand RMB more per month for one proven to be so overwhelmingly dedicated to disturbing the slumber China's youth. I would presume that a majority of MA holders would prefer the likes of Korea or Japan where something more akin to an education system currently exists (a system with actual benefits for teachers!)

[abusalam4]

[eslstudies]

Yes and no, Shan Shan.
The OP says they want to make a career of teaching. Just like a few driving lessons are in order before one actually hits the road, even Chinese students deserve teachers with a modicum of knowledge in their area of pedagogy.

The Op indicates -to me at least- that China is a beginning to something long term, and not just restricted to China. Abusalam and I are suggesting a level of post graduate studies is the way to go. I'm pushing a PGCTESOL, which won't cost the earth, won't take years, and can be done [with a caveat] by distance ed. Studying teaching while you are teaching makes a lot more sense than doing it before you step into a classroom! [and I know my driving analogy breaks down here, but anyone who's taught and studied education simultaneously will understand]
A PGCTESOL can be added onto later to make a Grad Dip and then a Masters.

We both agree, and I reckon you'd be with us, that a one month course, while of some possible practical use, is not really a career building move. The relatively big money in TEFL, if that isn't an oxymoron, needs academic qualifications. A CELTA might wow them at EF Lanzhou, but is unlikely to make an impact at a UAE university.

[Sgt Killjoy]

If you're not gonna take a TEFL course, getting a few books on TEFL will help you. You should brush up on your grammar. Grammar Smart by Princeton Review helps on the grammar part, just need to find a book on teaching techniques.