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EK
Joined: 20 Jul 2008
Posts: 5
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 Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 3:07 am Post subject: Opinions on "i to i" courses and job placements |
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I'm a full-on newbie looking to teach in Asia-Thailand, Taiwan, or Indoesia. I'm considering taking a 100 hour TEFL course before I leave with "i to i" for $700. The course includes assistance setting up a job and it seems like they take care of a lot of the details.
I was wondering if anyone has used this company. Are they reputable? Will a 100hr course be enough for me to get a job with out their help?
I have a masters degree in counseling and have worked w/ teens and children in a school setting for 10 years-just not teaching english. |
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Anda
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 2199
Location: Jiangsu Province
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| Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 4:58 am Post subject: |
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You are giving no details as to how old you are or why you want to work in the countries named. What is your home country?
Thailand and Indonesia are not big paying countries so it is not hard to find work with what you have already and learn on the job. Taiwan will require more teaching skill. Most English courses do not prepare you all that well for most of the places that employ English teachers.
Some places will have you teaching a set course and other push you into a class with nothing. My advice would be to look on the job board here on Dave's for a country that you like and give it a go for a while somewhere. China currently is short on teachers due to harder visa requirements. If you started at a public school then you could do a course during the summer school holidays if you felt you needed it. |
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EK
Joined: 20 Jul 2008
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:15 am Post subject: |
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I'm 36 and currently living in California. My plan is to travel throughout South East Asia for 4 months and then settle down and teach somewhere ideally for 6 months.
So it sounds like you are saying a 100 hr. TEFL course could be sufficient to get hired in a country such as indoesia, Thailand, or China but not Taiwan?
A CELTA course seems too expensive and time consuming for what I'm wanting to do which is just live and work in Asia for a short period. What do you think? |
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Anda
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 2199
Location: Jiangsu Province
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| Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:36 am Post subject: Um |
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A masters degree in anything gets you a job anywhere in Asia you want. Some places want two years teaching experiance but you have teaching experiance. A TEFL course is just extra on your CV that is all.
Last edited by Anda on Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:52 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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parrothead
Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 342
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 11:53 am Post subject: |
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| EK wrote: |
I'm 36 and currently living in California. My plan is to travel throughout South East Asia for 4 months and then settle down and teach somewhere ideally for 6 months.
So it sounds like you are saying a 100 hr. TEFL course could be sufficient to get hired in a country such as indoesia, Thailand, or China but not Taiwan?
A CELTA course seems too expensive and time consuming for what I'm wanting to do which is just live and work in Asia for a short period. What do you think? |
I imagine you could get a job in each of those countries. In none is a TEFL certificate absolutely required. If you read through these boards you will realize that a Bachelor's degree is usually sufficient to land a job in Indonesia, Thailand, China and Taiwan. The TEFL training will help you prepare for your brief teaching career. Your problem may be finding an employer who will hire you for just 6 months. |
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EK
Joined: 20 Jul 2008
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:30 pm Post subject: |
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I guess I haven't read far enough into the job postings, but it seems like most of them want a TEFL Cert. of some kind. I was worried that a 100hr course would not be enough. Should I skip that too and save $700???
And a Master's degree in anything will get a job most anywhere?
In that case would it make sense to just wait until I arrive in Asia before I start job hunting? |
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Anda
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 2199
Location: Jiangsu Province
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| Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:40 am Post subject: Um |
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| It is easier to get a working visa before you come as many countries have made it hard for a newbie to do it on the ground. Also some places are not that fast at arranging all the necessary papers for a visa. Besides this you still have to fly out to another country to process the work visa as a rule. Many places that employ English teachers only cover air travel costs up to a set amount so you are caught with extra travel costs plus accommodation charges. |
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Chancellor
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
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| Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 4:24 pm Post subject: Re: Opinions on "i to i" courses and job placement |
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| EK wrote: |
I'm a full-on newbie looking to teach in Asia-Thailand, Taiwan, or Indoesia. I'm considering taking a 100 hour TEFL course before I leave with "i to i" for $700. The course includes assistance setting up a job and it seems like they take care of a lot of the details.
I was wondering if anyone has used this company. Are they reputable? Will a 100hr course be enough for me to get a job with out their help?
I have a masters degree in counseling and have worked w/ teens and children in a school setting for 10 years-just not teaching english. |
It doesn't include that all-important teaching practice with real students but your masters in counseling and experience in a school setting should offset that deficiency. I did 65 hours through i-to-i and it did provide some of the basics of teaching such as doing lesson plans and that sort of thing. But if you're going to pursue TEFL certification and can't really take the time out to do a four-week or five-week onsite course, ONTESOL.COM (www.ontesol.com) has an excellent course that also has a 10-hour teaching practice component with real students along with 10 hours of observation. |
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ITTP
Joined: 23 Sep 2006
Posts: 343
Location: Prague/Worldwide
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| Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 3:41 am Post subject: |
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I must agree with Chancellor.
Before investing into any Online course make sure to check if a teaching practicum is included.
Also, I have noticed a disturbing amount of schools claiming to run Onsite courses in many cities around the world when actually they act as finder agencies for local schools. Whichever city you choose to take your Onsite course in make sure that the school you sign up with is the school you are actually going to be taking the course with!
Seeing as though others have taken the initiative to submit links I think I'll follow suit 
http://www.tefl-prague.com
http://www.tefl-tesol-online.com
Neville |
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father Mackenzie
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 105
Location: Jakarta Barat
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| Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 8:22 am Post subject: |
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I took the i to i course a few years back but did not want to follow their advice for jobs.
I ended up in Indonesia and I am more than happy here with the teaching and the lifestyle.
Daves ESL is a great site to look for work in Asia.
I only have experience here with teaching but most Private schools will fund your Visa and provide you with accomadation. The salary is not big for the first year but it is far more than most Indonesians get and you do get to live a comfortable lifestlye. |
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