Job Discussion Forums

jobe3x · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Posts: 45

I'm interested in breaking into field.

I've already got a bachelor's degree in business.

Should I go back to school for get teaching certification in english?

Should I get one of those tefl certifications?

Should I just hope on a plane and go get a job in taiwan or japan?

I also wondering what's the background of most people teaching overseas. Do most have a have bachelor's of education?

Dave Kessel · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 49

Gee, I can only share what I did and then possibly contrast it with what I should have done.

I got a BA in Liberal Arts. The major was various foreign languages. Then I went and got an MA in TESL. Went to California and worked at various private language schools for five years. Got in the Community college system but only part time. Went to Japan for two years, then Thailand for 3 and a half years. Now I am in Saudi. Been here since 1998.

What I should have done:

While studying for my BA, I should have become a certified K12 teacher. then, I should have gotten a TESL certificate and gone off to Japan or Taiwan. I should have stayed there for a year or two and gotten an MA on line. Then, I should have come to the Middle East and stayed here for 5 years or so, saved a lot of money and bought property in the US, rented it out and moved to a cheap country- Thailand/ Philippines/ Costa Rica/ Belize.

If things did not work out I would still have all the degrees plus the K12 qualifications. I could always go back to the US and work in the system there. Plus, I would have money.

The whole project would have taken me about ten years . I would be in my 30ies now and semi-retired. I am in my 40ies now and I can see now that I should have done things differently. But, hey, I enjoyed making all those mistakes.

" Promise me son not to do the things I've done".

Kenny Rogers

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Make the following analogy.

I want to be a carpenter. It doesn't really require any specialized skills to cut wood or pound nails, does it? Any knucklehead can buy the tools and get work.

Yeah, sure, ok. It may be true, but your chances of success are limited, and the jobs you get are going to be at the bottom of the barrel. If you are given something that requires true professionalism in building something, you will likely fail.

If you are in this for the long run, get the proper training. There are zillions of people out there who have degrees in unrelated fields doing this work. I don't think anyone has statistics on how many have training, but common sense says you will succeed more if you have it. If you are just in this for a year or two, find a place that is pretty easy to teach (Thailand?) and deal with the consequences (low pay, likely, and low standard of living).

jobe3x · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Posts: 45

Guys your replys aren't helping me get any closer to decision.

What I need information:

I really don't want to go in debt right and take bunch of classes for teachers certification if it really not going give me any sort advantage.

Could have 4000 or 5000 saved up in couple months.

Should I just head over there and get some experience?

What types of training do employers look at?

Do most people have teachers certs for the U.S. system?

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

No most people don't have BEd degrees.
Jobe, you don't seem to want to get any certification by your loaded questions. That's really up to you, but what people are saying that if you are serious at all, then get some kind of worthwhile TEFL certificate (over 100 hours long with a teaching practicum).

Without any experience or training, what sort of teacher do you think you will be?

jobe3x · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Posts: 45

Sorry if my comment came off loaded.

Okay put it this way:
I'm willing to do any training that going to make me an effective teacher.

To be competitive, do I need a teachers cert in english K12 for the U.S. public school system or one those tefl certs offered by private parties?

If it's a tefl cert than which ones would you recommend?

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

I'd recommend the CELTA or Trinity. If you're in the States now, the CELTA is offered in more locations.
You won't need a teacher's certificate for public school overseas, unless you work at an int'l school. But then you'd need a fair amt of experience too.

lajzar · Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Posts: 647 Location: Saitama-ken, Japan

If you are looking to teach efl/esl, a regular BEd isnt going to give the specific skills you need, although the general classroom management bit is of course relevant. However, it is very useful for some jobs in efl, such as expat schools, where they wont consider you unless you have that (in addition to experience locally, usually gained in efl).

Assuming you already have a bachelors degree (in anything), Id go for a celta/trinity.

once again · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 815

The best thing you can do if you are serious is to get a full teaching certificate that will allow you teach in a public school in your own country. Then do a CELTA or TRINITY TESOL. This gives you by far the better options and standard of respect and pay. At a minimum you should do a celta or trinity tesol.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

One of the most basic ingredients, yet one that seldom gets mentioned is to have acquired proficiency in at least one other language.
In my opinion, having learnt one or more foreign tongues is worth more than all these certs and degrees that most boast of - it alone proves that you have insider knowledge of, and experience in the teaching and learning process. How many NET's can say they know how a learner acquires a second tongue?
It also makes you more competent in your first language as you learn to study and analyse it.

M. · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 65 Location: Moskva

I would suggest the CELTA or Trinity as well. They give you a decent grounding in Teaching; do not cost much and get you teaching somewhere in the world in a month or so. I did my CELTA in Portland Oregon. Then when to Russia, then Germany and Now I am in Japan. The CELTA will help you in Europe, but In Japan you just need a Degree. Learning a second language helps a tonne, but you can do that in the country you live in. Try to make an effort to learn the language, it is too easy to avoid learning it and then you miss out on some of the culture..etc......

M.....

PS. Good places to Start....Japan, China, Thailand, E.Europe, Russia, C. Asia, South America, India, Parts of Africa(people I have met teaching in those places.....I am partial to Russia....but I am biased)...

Dave Kessel · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 49

If you laready have a BS or a BA, then take a certification course ( CELTA, etc) and go to Japan/Taiwan/Korea for a couple of years. You may want to do your MA online and that will enable you to get into high paying military jobs in the Middle East.

nomadder · Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2003 11:53 pm Post subject:

A cheaper Tefl Cert or even no cert at all will still get you into Japan. Check that forum or other Asian ones for more info. I wouldn't waste all that money on CELTA if you're not sure unless Asia doesn't interest you. Japan also has the JET program-not sure of the deadline but interviews are in March. You could do a search.

Dave Kessel · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 49

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946