Job Discussion Forums

[niknik56]

Hi, I would like to know if you need a degree to teach English in the Czech Republic. Thank you.

[spiral78]

There is no legal requirement that you must have a four-year degree to teach in the Czech Rep.

However, most newbie teachers on the streets DO have one, so, if you're without it, you'll need to be sure that you have everything else getting a job takes: professional, responsible demeanor, demonstrable control of good, standard English usage, and a reputable certification.

This should make you reasonably competitive in the job market, even without the degree.

[Chris Westergaard]

I agree 100% with Spiral. We get a fair amount of students on our course without a degree. If you want to teach here without one, you'll simply have to work harder and be better than the competition.

[ITTP]

Hi niknik56.

Chris and Spiral are completely right.
Our grads without College degrees never have any difficulties with securing competitive teaching positions.

However, if you want to teach in Japan/Taiwan/S.Korea/Vietnam, then you will need your degree for their strict visa red tape.

Otherwise (except also for some Middle East states), a certificate from a reputable TEFL/TESOL program will be fine and you won't usually be required specifically to have your degree.

[thrifty]

Do not believe the previous poster-he is simply trying to flog you a crap certificate. Do you think his 'graduates' tell their students that they have no degree?

[spiral78]

Thrifty, that was uncalled-for.

I don't know anything about TEFL-Prague, but there is no legal requirement that teachers have a degree in the CR.

I know several mature teachers who are in EFL as a second career who do not have degrees. Their professional/business backgrounds make them well respected and much in demand in the field.

It's not necessary to advertise your degree or lack thereof to your students. It's a question a good DOS asks, but even in job interviews the question doesn't always come up.

Assuming that TEFL-Prague offers 100+ hours on site, with supervised teaching practice, and that their trainers are qualified, their generic cert will be acceptable to most language schools.

If there's any doubt, there is an easy way to be sure. Just call a few language schools in Prague and ask if they accept teachers with TEFL-Prague certification.

[ITTP]

Thanks Spiral.

I completely agree; employers may ask for a degree but it is quite rare actually (I am now writing specifically concerning Prague).

The proof in the pudding concerning a TEFL/TESOL school's grads will always be the quality of their trained teachers and this is clearly demonstrated in demo lessons, which often form part of the interview process.

One of the reasons why reputable International/Prague language schools such as Channel Crossings, Tutor, Lexis (to name just a few) are so keen to take on our grads is simply because our grads are EXCELLENT.

I know... any excuse for a bit of marketing

[Arab Strap]

Sorry if this is not exactly within the remit of this topic and a little tangential (actually it's more directed at the moderator)���.BUT how long is Dave going to permit the Czech forum to be used by Neville to blatantly publicise tefl-prague?

I have no axe to grind with tefl-prague but I have noticed on other pages, particularly UAE, Saudi Arabia and general East Middle forums that any links included by posters (no matter how tenuous) to language schools, universities, courses and the like are censored by the moderators. This even includes links to newspaper articles.

This smacks of double standards if you ask me and Neville, or any other poster for that matter, shouldn�t be given free rein to self publicise and include direct links to their employer.

Hardly objective is it�������and great free publicity for tefl-prague.

Son of the Dessert (sic)a.k.a Professor of Wastaology
University of Ali Baba
Third Camel Along beside the decomposing dog
The Magic Kingdom

www.teflcertwhileyouwait.sa

[ITTP]

Hi Arab Strap.

I think you have a very good point.

That was one of the reasons why I haven't included (openly) our direct web address on previous posts, where my chief aim was to assist in helping out 'newbies'.

I can't help it but TEFL/TESOL is a passion of mine.

I simply felt that including our web address would be a suitable, and balanced response, to the post made previously.

Apologies if this caused offense and I really hope that this forum can remain a constructive arena for information exchange.

Can't we get on with assisting 'newbies' now?

Thank you.

[Arab Strap]

Fair doos............

As to the O.P., well my granny could get a job teaching TEFL in Praha, well that's the way it used to be, but this doesn't mean that I condone this..........she's dead but that wouldn't make a difference with some of the cowboy outfits out there.

Some of us like to believe that we're professional and one of the main reasons I left Czech was due to the fact that I was losing out to backpacking, pseudo novel writing, bohemians on the great 'lets do Europe on a shoe string' type thing.

A four week cert does not maketh a teacher.....................

[Chris Westergaard]

Cheers!