Job Discussion Forums

[kubik]

hi,
I'm a native speaker from Canada with a polish background and dual citizenship. I plan on coming to Poland and am hoping to teach english. The problem is that I have a BFA (Bachelor of fine art) Honors and NOT a BA. I'm wondering if this will harm my chances of finding work in a school.

By the way, I also hold a graduate degree in fine art - an MFA.

I am also wondering if the CELTA is necessary in all schools. Do some schools get away with having teachers who don't have a CELTA or other english teaching certification?

Your answers are welcomed!!!

Cheers!

Marzenna

[Richfilth]

There are people out there who have neither a valid or appropriate teaching cert nor, in fact, had any teacher training at all. There are also people with no English language background whatsoever. Appalling, there are even people masquerading as teachers who lack either form of qualification yet still make good money standing in front of a classroom.

This is Poland. If the school can sell you to someone, you'll get the work. Professionalism, expertise and experience are considered bonus factors, not requirements.

[kubik]

Great!

[hrvatski]

Why do you want to teach English if you haven't even had the most basic of training how to do so (CELTA)? Don't you think potential paying students deserve better?

[Glenlivet]

[dynow]

i hear what you all are saying, but find me a profession not riddled with under-qualified, overpaid people who don't deserve even an entry level position. Even in the most lucrative of professions, there are bad doctors, lawyers, CEO's........George Bush Jr. was President of the United States of America.....TWICE

In the end, good teachers float, bad ones either sink or fake it for as long as they can......again, like any profession.

[Glenlivet]

[kubik]

you say that some schools actively refuse to hire native speakers due to their poor decorum. Wow. Is that really true?

Anyway, thank you for your replies - they were very informative. And for the record, I do plan on getting the CELTA.

Funny thing: in Japan it is routine to teach without any specialized training and yet somehow the students still learn...some of them attaining a high level of proficiency.

[hrvatski]

From personal experience, the level and ubiquity of spoken English in Poland is much higher than it is in Japan. The Japanese tend to rely a lot on the grammar translation method and soul-crushing repetitive written exercises, good theory but does little to improve their spontaneous output.

As a teacher it's not hard to prepare and conduct such lessons as it's only a fraction of the full teaching spectrum, and the students have very low expectations, i.e. your explanation, their individual written exercises, little variety. Most significantly there is zero interest / arousal, which is a crucial element in any learning process.

[Glenlivet]