Job Discussion Forums

[SydGirl2]

I am a trained primary school(elementary) teacher from Australia with more than 20 years experience teaching mainly children aged 5-8. I have also taught overseas in an International school for 3 years. I am thinking of working in Asia teaching English and I have been looking at the job postings on this site. Most jobs require a degree and or TESOL qualifications while some insist on the latter as well. I have looked at TESOL courses and many of them assume that the prospective applicants have a degree but no teaching experience. Given that I have both, how worthwhile is a TESOL course? Also if an advertisement states that a pre-requisite is a TESOL certificate can employers be persuaded to waive that requirement if the applicant is otherwise qualified. ILA is currently advertising for teachers in Vietnam but they require TESOL qualifications. What are my chances of getting in? Thanks

[naturegirl321]

YOu might even be able to get a job in an Asian International School. If you just want to take at a uni or a langauge school, you'll have no problem getting in.

A TEFL course will help you know how to teach English, grammar etc. Teaching primary students is different than teaching uni students English.

YOu can probably get a job without the TEFL cert. Try sending your CV and see the types of responses you get. There's an abundance of Asian jobs and many uni graduates go straight to Asia to teach.

YOu'll never know if they'll accept you if you don't apply.

[mdk]

Dear SydGirl,

There is a remarkable similarity between job hunting and fishing - no matter what job you are hunting.


You get the best bait you can ( In this case your resume ) and you try to find where the fish (language schools) are hungriest.

If language school (A) needs teachers and school (B) doesn't then if you show up with an acceptable number of heads and willing to work language school (A) will hire you and you couldn't get arrested at school B with a testimony from the Archangel Gabriel.

My advice is to put your hook in the water and see what sort of bites you get. I have a TEFL certificate, maybe it was worth the couple of thousand bucks it cost in tuition and expenses and maybe not.

Good luck,

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

You would have no problems at all in Japan, especially if you happen to speak even a little Japanese. There are tonnes of elementary jobs. The behaviour of the kids OTOH...