Job Discussion Forums

[disbemj]

Maybe this should be in the Newbie section, but I think this forum gets more foot traffic.

I am a 27 year old single male that is looking to start teaching ESL abroad. I have a BS in business marketing and worked as a sales professional for over 4 years. I have some experience working with children in after school and summer camp programs. I also volunteered to teach English in Cambodia for 1 month during my travels in Southeast Asia. I want to continue my traveling but work at the same time. Although backpacking is fun, I found that the time during my volunteer work was when I felt that I learned the most about the culture of the country I was visiting. So I started researching about TEFL/TESOL certifications and that's how I landed here on ESL cafe. I have been reading the last several weeks and I have finally decided to post and possibly get some ideas from the pros.

Here is my current situation:

I want to get certified, but I don't know how. I am scheduled to start Oxford Seminars this coming weekend, January 26. I feel that I jumped the gun by enrolling in this program without looking at all the pros and cons. Please keep in mind, that I enrolled prior to finding ESL cafe. I am the type of person that goes into any situation full speed ahead. I don't plan on making this my career, but I would like to make sure that I get proper training and that I can use my certificates down the road. I know there are countries that will accept the oxford seminar certificates, but I feel that I'm not getting my money's worth. I have no problem backing out of the class and losing my $95 deposit. But do keep in mind that money is a big issue.

Should I even get certified?

I plan to teach in China, South Korea, or Latin America. Maybe I can save my money and just get a plane ticket to these countries and start applying for jobs? At my current state, am I qualified?

There are so many things I want to ask, but I feel that I need to make sure I'm making the right decision about Oxford Seminars.

Thanks in Advance!

[Guy Courchesne]

You should get certified, but you should choose a program that provides for observed practice teaching. Why not consider doing that abroad, in China, Korea, or Latin America? You'll find that course providers abroad often have a sharper EFL focus (over ESL), a better-connected network to jobs in the region, and a practicum that works with real students, instead of your peers.

[denise]

You could probably get a job without a certificate in some places, but without the standard qualifications you'd sort of be at the bottom of the barrel and thus could end up in a pretty bad situation, and you did mention wanting to be properly qualified... (hooray! It's so nice to hear that.)

I agree with Guy about getting your certificate in the country/region you'd like to teach in. You can get a feel for the culture while you're still on the training course, and if you find a halfway decent course they should help you line up interviews, get housing, etc.

d

[soapdodger]

Go to your local mental hospital, tell them you want to be an EFL teacher and you'll be certified in a flash!

[Travel Zen]

I went to China in 2005, and took the same Oxford Seminars course that they advertise in universities with the idea that I 'may' teach if I ran out of money.


I didn't like the course and as mentioned, you're just practising with our peers and it really doesn't feel right. The teacher I had in Toronto just wanted pat everyone on the back and say "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it!"

After that session, I didn't feel like teaching, I'd rather be a pimp in China..no joke.

But I say try it anyway, if you can't find better.

[disbemj]

thanks for the advice so far. and the laughs )

I'm dropping out of the seminar and will start researching for TESOL courses abroad. If I'm interested in teaching in Asia and Latin America, where is it best to take the TESOL course and begin to teach? Or it doesn't even matter?

[Stephen Jones]

If you do the TESOL course where you are thinking of teaching, then you get time to see the ropes, have experience with that nationality and are available for interviews.

I did the CELTA at IH in Bangkok. I would highly recommend it. Apart from anything else Bangkok is a fantastic city and your living expenses will be reasonable.

[lisa1968]

You did the right thing about Oxford Seminars. I have had work mates that did the course, and they were pretty much lost. Take a course in the country you want to teach, that is the best way to do it. I would be happy to give you details on the course that I took in Chiapas, Mexico, and pros and cons of doing it in country.

[Floki27]

This is really exciting news before registering for Oxford Seminars. My intentions were to do it this week(register) and then take the three-weekend course in March. I am moving to Serbia in May and having a TESOL certificate is definitely a bonus.

I've read good reviews about this program on other sites. In general, I think it was more good than bad.

I am not expecting to complete this course and somehow magically become an excellent English teacher; this only comes with time, patience, devotion. What I am expecting is to learn the fundementals of teaching English; acquire tips and ideas on how to teach English; have a recognized TESOL certificate on my resume.

If anyone has taken the course or is familiar with it, can you please post your reflection about it.

Sincerely,
Branko

[phi70]

I just finished taking their course and here are some random thoughts:

It's not nearly as bad as what C. Davis got as posted here:
http://www.eslcafe.com/discussion/dz1/index.cgi?read=1408947163
(yes the classes were held at a motel rather than "Stanford University" as advertised. But who cares anyway.)

I feel their offering fits more or less the description posted by Applejuice39 here:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=26492

Our instructor is experienced, motivated, and kept the class interested.
Throughout the course he pretty much led by example.

Getting a certification is little more than telling the job market that you are serious and not just intending to get a free air ticket and visa.

You WILL not magically become a good teacher in your teaching environment (esp. in a foreign country) no matter what course you take, and how many globally recognized Masters in whatever degree you have.

This has to do with a few things such as culture, the goals of the institution (or that course), aptitude (and attitude) of the students, and a host of other factors. Some schools want their students to be able to speak and be understood, and some want their students to speak 100% proper and grammatically correct English, and some want to stuff a whole bunch of material into students heads to show "academic progress" as in a rapid rise in public test scores before and after taking the ESL classes.
(I just finished taking the Oxford Seminar class for reasons other than teaching ESL, I have taught in Hong Kong many many years ago, and I think things over there have gone for the worse in recent years.)

Unless you get hired right away as the program director (wishful thinking) you will NOT have a say in what you are going to teach, the pace (yes!), and oftentimes the general approach, ie. the one taught in the course.

So ask yourselves these questions:
* Will the employers think that I am more serious than others if they know that I have taken the time and coughed up the cash to get a piece of paper. The job market and attractiveness in a country (even city perhaps) determines whether they will have thousands of MA. TESOL holders battling for an ESL job or will they have to push the envelopes of truth in advertising to court foreigners (many of those whose native tongue is not English)
Perhaps this might give some inspiration:
http://www.davidappleyard.com/japan/jp28.htm
* Will I learn the buzzwords and jargons to better deal with an interview than if I don't take the class.
* Do I think that getting instruction interactively is better than reading the Harmer book and browsing online lesson plans* by myself?

A few things for sure about the Oxford Seminar course. As long as you get a good instructor you won't be able to sleep through the class, it is highly interactive. You will have to try very hard to fail, and the easy way out with the practicum is to *design* a plan for a beginner's class and show a few kindergarten level pictures with rough-tuned description and pronounciation drills.

However, don't think that you'd be lucky enough to be teaching all-beginners' classes if and when you land a job.