Job Discussion Forums

[welshteacher]

Hello everyone

I am a 26 year old Graduate with an Hons degree in (English) Language Studies and TEFL. I am CELTA qualified as well.

I have about 1 years teaching experience pre CELTA and 4 months Post CELTA. I also have around 2 months as a course director and I am currently working in a private Language school in the UK doing 3 days a week teaching and 2 days a week as a director of studies.

My question is what path shoud I take if I want to have a long term career in TEFL? I enjoy teaching but I don't want to do it for ever as I much prefer managing and acting as a cover teacher if needed. Should I stick with teaching and working as a DOS to build up experience in both departments or just stick to one?

I guess I should take my DELTA but when should I take it? I am happy in the UK at the moment but would not be against moving abroad to further my career in TEFL management.

Please if you have any thoughts let me know, thank you for your time.

[Teacher in Rome]

You got to be a DOS after only one year? I'm amazed! Congratulations, obviously, but I think to be able to manage teachers in all their teaching situations, provide advice, feedback and guidance, etc, I think you should beef up your teaching experience. Have you taught young learners, business students, exam preparation classes? Across all levels, using a range of books, teaching materials etc?

Long-term, I'd keep an eye on developing my teaching and managing experience, reading as much as possible about theories and approaches, and keeping an eye on newer developments such as blended learning.

Ultimately, I wouldn't stay in the UK, as the money is pretty bad. With experience and skills you should have many more opportunities, anyway.

Good luck in whatever you decide to pursue. I'd be interested to hear what the other posters (esp the teacher trainers like Guy or Justin) have to say.

[Justin Trullinger]

You're doing it right so far. A related degree (which most of us don't have) and a teaching specific qual. Decent experience.

I'm surprised too about them making you DOS with only a year's experience, but if you get an offer in the area you want, you probably have to take it.

For the next several years, though, if I were you I might consider some straight teaching work. Here's why.

I don't know where you're DOSing now- but I'm guessing it's small. (Part time DOS) Bigger places won't take you. BEcause, though your background is good, you really don't have the experience in the classroom to be credible, or necessarily effective, supporting experienced teachers. In a big, thriving school, the DOS, or director, will have teachers, sometimes with 10, 20, or 30 years experience under him or her. (I assume you want to be in a thriving school.) UNless you want to get into pure admin, not academic management...you may not be ready for the questions they're going to ask.

So if I were you, I'd look for at least a few years of teaching experience, with or without admin.

After all- if you might like to DELTA, you need more teaching experience than you have to get on it.

Other thoughts- if admin is your love (God help you) you might get an admin specific qualification. International House London offers a Diploma in Educational Management in TESOL or some such title. They do it in cooperation with Aston University in Birmingham.

Another thought is that Aston offers an MSc in TESOL program, which you can do with an emphasis in Educational Management. (I'm doing the Aston MSc at the moment. Not the management modules though.)


Best,
Justin

PS- virtually all the training programs you'll find are going to require a couple of years of teaching experience, maybe more. So my other advice is relax and enjoy it- you're doing fine. Go overseas sometime. Go wherever you want. TESOL if for international understanding and enjoyment.

[naturegirl321]

Well, actually, EF does let people be a DOS after only two years. BUT, teacher in Rome is right, you do need more experience and quals, and luck to be int he right place at the right time.

[Guy Courchesne]

I'll agree with what's been advised already and then add a different angle.

If going abroad at any point interests you, and if you have any kind of capital, you could look at managing/owning your own language school somewhere where it isn't too expensive to set up shop and get the papers in order. Such a thing I'm sure would be costly and difficult to do in the UK, but many others have done it places like Vietnam, Indonesia, Latin America, and Africa - for the really adventurous.

That is, if the management side is where you want to be some time down the road.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Is your undergraduate degree in 'English' but actually in Linguistics (language studies) and Teaching English language (TEFL)? Or is it an 'English' degree in the 'I can analyse metaphors and themes in literary novels!' kind of English degree? If it's the former, I'm not actually surprised at all that the OP has become a part-time DOS after only a year.

My advice is to keep doing both if you're happy doing it. But I think you should get some more full-time teacher jobs as well (unless it's actually management that you want to do, of course). Just think of your jobs as sort of a portfolio of different experiences and what overall message those various experiences gives potential employers when they see your resume with all those experiences lined up. If I were you, I wouldn't think of changing what you're doing now, after really only doing it for two or four months. If you're thinking of a career, then give it a year or two in this kind of job, and then a few years in another country etc. Generally, it's better to try to keep a job you like for about three years, unless you feel like you're stagnating, but even then I wouldn't think of changing in less than a year- overseas, almost all contracts are a year and so you want to show people you have stick-to-it-ness.

[MELEE]

There are several Master's degrees in the UK that incorporate managment aspects to prepare you for that side of the industry. There are also some Masters that give you credit for the DELTA or offer the DELTA as part of the degree. That kind of sounds like it would be appropriate for you.

But DoS/Management is not the only "career" opportunity in the field, you could as work in a university either teaching English or teaching would be English teachers at home or abroad. And then there is the publishing industry.

[welshteacher]

Thank you all for your input in answering my question.

I have a degree in Language studies (linguistics) and TEFL. When I actually started the degree I didn't realise I would also have to take a CELTA but I am glad I did.

Your input has all been very valid. I will keep working as a teacher/part time DOS and teach a variety of levels etc. The DELTA is something I will consider and if the time is right then I go abroad, I have a girlfriend who wants a career in the UK and no urge to go abroad, so the timing will have to be right.

Again many thanks.

[MO39]

[Laurence]

[Glenski]

I will agree/support the opinions that you need more teaching experience. Trust me when I say that the minions under a manager really despise and can't trust someone who doesn't know what it's like to be in the trenches yet is managing them.

Get a master's in something.

What surprises me is that you got into a teaching field yet you have little desire to teach. Can you explain that one? It might help guide yourself.

[Hadit]

I was wondering if anyone has thought about making the change from ESL to a principal of a public school, aside from the more common DOS at language schools?

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos007.htm

I was also curious of people's opinion of the usefulness in these three areas of concentration in the Masters:

Applied Linguistics/TESOL
Curriculum Design & Learning w/ conc. in TESOL
Educational Management w/ conc. in TESOL

Aston does seem to have a nice package:

* MSc TESOL (Core module: Methodology)
* MSc TESP (Core module: Course and Syllabus Design)
* MSc TEYL (Core module: Teaching Young Learners)
* MSc EMT (Core module: Education Management)

I think the curriculum design emphasis would be interesting as it would apply to teaching in general. Missouri U seems to have a decent program: http://www.mudirect.missouri.edu/degprog/ed-TESOL/index.shtm

I'm sure there are many good programs however.

[Glenski]

[womblingfree]

[Chris_Crossley]

I have been teaching EAP (English for Academic Purposes) for almost exactly five years in China to university graduates and senior students wanting to go to England to do a master�s degree and I did not have any EAP teaching experience when I first started, although I did have three years� EFL teaching experience, including one year at a state-run primary school, prior to starting.

I have never done a DELTA, nor did I have either an MA in Education nor an M.Ed. in Applied Linguistics when I first started teaching EAP, although I have gained both master�s degrees from the Open University (UK) since starting.

I would imagine, though, that having x years� EAP teaching experience abroad may count for something when it comes to applying for EAP teaching jobs at UK universities, yet a stumbling block that I have come across from personal experience is that at least some will absolutely insist on one having a DELTA. If I were to have 20 years of EAP teaching experience but still no DELTA, I can imagine being told that I am still not good enough to become an EAP teacher at a UK university!

Personally, I am presently eyeing the possibility, even though it is expensive (�8,550, I think), of undertaking over the maximum permitted period of five years (thus spreading the costs!) the distance-learning MA in Applied Educational Leadership and Management offered by the University of London�s Institute of Education through the London External System ([url] http://www.londonexternal.ac.uk/prospective_students/postgraduate/inst_education/aelm/index.shtml [/url]).

This may be somewhat �grand� for someone teaching in a private language school, but, in five years� time, my daughter is going to start secondary school, so I would like to be able to move up to something better than front-line teaching (although I do enjoy it) by that time. After all, I will be 50 years of age by the autumn of 2015!