Job Discussion Forums

ltruiz · Joined: 19 Jun 2009 Posts: 1

Hello,

I am new to this forum and my goal is to teach ESL abroad in Latin America. I will be graduating this June with my bachelors in Spanish. I am currently living in Tampa, FL and was wondering if anyone has any information on what certification are available to me to obtain living in Tampa. I will be attending school this semester so I cant really travel to get the certification.

I know a lot fo certs that people tend to prefer are available over sees and I was wondering if there are any good ones that I can obtain here in Florida. I want a good certification that will help me apply for jobs when I graduate. Any help would greatly be apprecaited. I have searched and found americantesol and Oxford seminars but both seem to not be recommened to well from this site.

Please help with any recommendations on where I can obtain a TESOL/ESL certification from the Tampa/USA area

Thanks

Chancellor

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

You might find some on www.teflcertificationabroad.com

newbie52 · Joined: 01 Jul 2009 Posts: 4

Hi, I'm new. I've been reading old posts to try not to ask same questions, but want to make sure I'm getting this right. Even if you have a degree, are you guys saying the best way to get into this field is to go another couple of years? I would like to be certified to teach ESL in US for now, overseas later, maybe. There is an Oxford seminar starting in August near me (Nashville, TN), but doesn't seem like that's the best way, from what I've been reading. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Hi, I'm new. I've been reading old posts to try not to ask same questions, but want to make sure I'm getting this right. Even if you have a degree, are you guys saying the best way to get into this field is to go another couple of years? I would like to be certified to teach ESL in US for now, overseas later, maybe. There is an Oxford seminar starting in August near me (Nashville, TN), but doesn't seem like that's the best way, from what I've been reading. Any advice would be appreciated.

I'm not new, having been an EFL/ESL teacher for more than 12 years now. I think Chancellor and Naturegirl haven't covered all the basics quite clearly enough, so I'll throw in my two cent's worth.

The normal entry-level qualifications for the field are a BA (in whatever) plus a basic certification. This should be 100+ hours on-site, including supervised teaching practice with actual students (not peer trainees). The name brand is CELTA, but there are some generic courses out there that also meet the standard.

Oxford, i-to-i, and others without the key supervised teaching practice aren't considered at the standard.

You can certainly get started with any BA + the certification described above. 90% of us do!!
Later on, if you want to make a viable career out of teaching language, you will need more qualifications.

Certification to teach in your home country allows you to compete for international school jobs - there are more positions for core subjects like maths/sciences/social studies/etc. than language there, though.
Alternatively, you can go for the M.A. and apply for positions at universities.

The latter is the route that I took, but I taught for 6 years with the BA+ basic certification before going for the M.A. - this way, I knew I'd be happy with the outcome.