Job Discussion Forums

[ramonthomas]

Greetings friends,

I am posting here for the first time as part of my ongoing research before moving to South East Asia. So a little about me first:

I'm 34 year old South African male. And I have a BSc degree with Computer Science, Statistics as a major. I also have a post graduate diploma in Information Science. I started a MA last year and postponed it until 2010 due to my personal circumstances changed. My background is primary in the IT and Internet industry. However, since 2006 I switched my focus to developing my own training business. And I've also done over 100 lectures at private schools across South Africa on the topic of technology and how it impacts children after I published a short ebook on this topic.

So my first and most important question is about my TEFL/TESOL training. I am planning to do it in South Africa next month. However, I would prefer to leave and get away sooner rather than later. And so doing the course in the country where I want to live like Thailand, China or South Korea may be easier.

What should I do when applying for jobs online from South Africa based on my current qualifications + experiences (without TEFL/TESOL qualifications)?

Any suggestions or links to other posts would be much appreciated.

sincerely
Ramon

[naturegirl321]

China is always an option. You might also want to try to get into Business English, but you should try to get a bit of experience under your belt first.

Stress your experience with lectures in schools, you should be able to get a job in the country of your choice.

[nickpellatt]

Ive chipped in on a number of threads about where to take TEFL courses ... Im a big supporter of taking it in your home country where possible. This is what I have done, and I feel the familiar surroundings of your home country with comforts, language, food and (possibly) a support network make the course much more manageable, easier, and (for me at least) a better learning experience.

Another advantage is that taking the course in a school local to you, gives you great contacts locally for the day you return home. If you decide you wish to continue teaching, its great to have local schools that know something about you and have seen you work.

Mine is perhaps the dissenting voice in such matters ... but from my experience have travelled to work in other countries ... I know I wouldnt want to arrive in strange lands and have to start a very intensive study experience, when Im suffering jet lag and want to explore a new place.

Your ethnic background may be a factor in China. If you are not caucasian, it may be harder to find work in China, bear that in mind when considering your choices.

Also ... I agree with Naturegirl that you will need experience. Whilst you may be able to use your training and lecturing background as a selling point to employers, I feel the reality is that this experience is actually more likely to be negative in terms of your teaching ability. Bear this in mind before you start any TEFL course.

Although you may be confident in speaking to or at people. EFL teaching isnt much about you speaking, but more about the students speaking. A lesson where you are at the front speaking is probably regarded as a bad lesson. Ideally, and they will talk about this on the course, is that the students should be doing all the talking, not the teacher. Being able to lecture isnt the same as being able to teach or deliver EFL lessons.

The other reason this can be a negative factor for you (and I have seen this on my own course and in teaching environments) is that the experience you have will have perhaps conditioned the way you behave in that setting in terms of language choice. This sounds crazy, but lots of experience in speaking could mean you will fall into the role of lecturer (as in your training seminars) very easily, and use language and grades of speech that are totally unsuitable for the EFL classroom.

I did my training with an older guy who had trained estate agents for years across the country. He found it incredibly difficult to grade his speech according to the students needs, and kept falling into the 'wordy' language he must have used during his previous employment ... especially when the students didnt answer as he expected.

Again, it sounds crazy ... but he would ask questions, the students would say nothing and look at him open mouthed ... he would then panic and re-phrase questions he had prepared which then became unsuitable.

It was like this ....silent classroom...and he would then waffle ...
'OK, you have entered the shopkeepers premises, and have considered the items which you are looking to buy' .... etc etc etc, rather than the simple script 'You're in a shop. What do you want to buy?'.