Job Discussion Forums

[Lunkey]

well is it? I wonder how much you can really learn, and how far you are really advancing yourself in the job market, in a 3 week CELTA course where you are spending close to probably $4K total (course plus room and board)....

my roommate taught english in southeast asia for 2 years and insists that any CELTA training, or basically any other related TEFL certification for that matter that you pay money for, is not necessary for finding a job and also simply cannot prepare you for teaching in the real world. and from what I have read on this board, plenty of people seem to at least partially agree with him in that it cannot prepare you for teaching....

my situation is a little different (as is everyone's!) being that I am looking to move to Santiago, Chile and from what I have read there is a vast difference in the number of jobs/level pay/etc in southeast asia compared to most of south america. but if there is a type of certification I can acquire that can really help me get my foot in the door at a better institution with better pay in Santiago, then I feel it is definitely something worth pursuing.

any advice/insight would be great appreciated!!

[parrothead]

It's hardly necessary everywhere, but like with any education it greatly increases your chances of finding a job teaching adults. There are a gazillion TEFL training courses, often in the country you want to teach. You could always plan your move to Chile and try finding work without it. If you have problems, you could sign up for a course in Chile later. I did a quick search and came up with a couple of sites. I'm sure there are many more:

http://www.bridgetefl.com
http://www.LanguageCorps.com

[Def]

[Lunkey]

trust me when I say i am more than willing to put in as much effort as possible - i just want to do it the correct way and not take course where I spend an exorbitant amount of money to only find out it either wasn't really necessary or that there is something I could have done for half the price that still offers the same result!

[Def]

Heh, yeah, that was a general comment and not a direct personal attack. I think it's good of you to be looking into the options and working out what would be best to do.

Typically speaking, the feeling that'll come through the more you read here, is a CELTA would be the best thing when looking for a job. But, as I said, I fail to believe that a 4-week course in anything can prepare anyone for what's involved in a whole career.

You'll want to keep away from any course that doesn't involve at least some amount of teaching on actual students, as opposed to simply peers, or even worse no one at all.

[sarahg]

What I picked up when doing online research about teaching in latin america is that they do desire a TEFL certificate, but where it came from isn't going to give you a tremendous advantage. Employers won't care much whether you spent $5000 on your certificate and completed it abroad or whether you spent $250 on it and completed it online.

Of course, the CELTA might give you more knowledge that would help you succeed in your job -- I don't even have a cert so I can't compare which are the most valuable. And I'm sure you'll run across an employer or two who knows the difference between a CELTA and a cheap online certificate. But from what I've read, in the South American market, the CELTA might not lead to many more opportunities than the online cert -- the $3500 you save might be more valuable in the end (unless you want to go abroad and make a vacation of it, which is great too).

[Lunkey]

my other option to teaching in Chile is to go to Spain - but from what I understand the CELTA won't really help me much there since I do not have EU citizenship?

[sharter]

I'm a Supervisor and work for an oil company. I have what you might call ' a very good job in EFL'.

We see the CELTA and DELTA as the 2 most important qualifications when recruiting people. These 2 certificates plus the right kind of experience are what it's all about. We don't rate online courses.

As far as the MA is concerned, experience has taught us that it is not the mark of a good teacher.

The analogy with the doctor is simply false. Native speakers already have the knowledge, they just need to learn the jargon and methods, which takes about 3 years post CELTA.

[grahamb]

My pre-CELTA salary: less than 1000 Euros a month. Cost of CELTA: 1200 Euros. Current salary: 2900 Euros a month. Work it out for yourself.

[Lunkey]

[grahamb]

O, man, that would be telling!

[Lunkey]

[grahamb]

Try removing the w from "woman."

[denise]

[grahamb]

I like to keep 'em guessing!