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grendelfreak
Joined: 25 Mar 2010
Posts: 3
Location: Australia
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 Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 10:33 am Post subject: What do I need to know? |
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Hey i'm considering doing the whole teach English overseas gig once I graduate from uni and i'm wondering what I need to know. I have read here that certain countries don't mind if you don't have any TESL qualifications but I would prefer to get a decent certificate, at least so i'm not completely incompetent.
The thing is I don't know where to start or what the reputation of the various certifications are or if they aren't recognised in certain countries, CELTA I rather is probably the top of the line as my university teaches this program but $2000 is slightly out of my price range currently.
Also is there a country where newbies in this field tend to start teaching?
Some general info on me if it helps provde answers: 25 years old, male, white, Australian, will soon have B.A. in Sociology/International Relations, got an advanced diploma Social Science from different uni in oz and some I.T. certifications from TAFE. Also no dependants and pretty much willing to work anywhere but preferably Asia (Any jobs going in Bali?  ). |
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Chancellor
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
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| Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 1:22 pm Post subject: Re: What do I need to know? |
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| grendelfreak wrote: |
Hey i'm considering doing the whole teach English overseas gig once I graduate from uni and i'm wondering what I need to know. I have read here that certain countries don't mind if you don't have any TESL qualifications but I would prefer to get a decent certificate, at least so i'm not completely incompetent.
The thing is I don't know where to start or what the reputation of the various certifications are or if they aren't recognised in certain countries, CELTA I rather is probably the top of the line as my university teaches this program but $2000 is slightly out of my price range currently.
Also is there a country where newbies in this field tend to start teaching?
Some general info on me if it helps provde answers: 25 years old, male, white, Australian, will soon have B.A. in Sociology/International Relations, got an advanced diploma Social Science from different uni in oz and some I.T. certifications from TAFE. Also no dependants and pretty much willing to work anywhere but preferably Asia (Any jobs going in Bali? ). |
Some people around here (and in the TEFL world in general) are enamored with brand names; so, they'll tell you essentially that if you don't get your training through CELTA, Trinity or SIT then you are not certified. AT MINIMUM, a training course should be 100-120 course hours and provide at least six hours of supervised teaching practice with real ESL/EFL students. Now, you can go that route or you can go beyond the entry level and get either a graduate certificate in TEFL or (should you want to get into something back in Oz later) a master's degree in TESL/TEFL or applied linguistics. All of this, of course, is assuming you want to teach adults. If you want to teach children, that's another matter (in which case I'd suggest getting your government teaching credential).
Another thing to consider is where you want to do your training. There are good arguments for doing it in your home country and for doing it in the country where you most want to teach (or another foreign country). That, too, may have some bearing on which course you take.
Stay away from Oxford Seminars and i-to-i. There are plenty of courses advertised on Dave's that you might want to look into but, again, it comes down to whether the course meets the minimum standard of 100-120 course hours and at least six hours of supervised teaching practice with real ESL/EFL students - the key component being the supervised teaching practice (Oxford Seminars and i-to-i don't offer this). |
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Kiels
Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Posts: 59
Location: UK
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| Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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Another way of getting into Teaching English as a Foreign Language is to apply and find a job without a TEFL/TESOL/CELTA or otherwise. Some countries will accept you with simply a degree.
This will allow you to see if this really is a career you want to be involved with and if so, will also provide some experience to put on your CV for future jobs. I know ASTON in China will accept you with simply a degree. Some people give ASTON a bad rep but I worked at ASTON for my first TEFL job and if you work in Dalian or Jinan, they are supposed to be the better run ASTON schools.(BTW, I had no problems with them, I worked in Jinan and loved it) Then once you've got experience, you could save up and do a course if you think it will help you progress or get better jobs.
Good luck |
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grendelfreak
Joined: 25 Mar 2010
Posts: 3
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 1:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the responses. I take it that ASTON is a recruiting agency, is there any other reputable ones out there? I'm aware of JET but I think I missed that boat for this year. |
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Kiels
Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Posts: 59
Location: UK
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| Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 5:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Hey Yeah. Aston are a chain of schools across China and I believe now in Vietnam (only one school open there though at the mo) - they have locations all over. They recruit for July, Sept, Jan and March starts - you can choose your contract length from summer intensive course, 6 months, 7.5, a year or 13.5 months. Then you can choose 15, 20 or 25 hrs a week to work with diff pay. Teach a range of ability levels and ages, from perhsaps 5- 17 plus some adult classes maybe. Classes limited to 18 max, with chinese teacher in every class. They do provide some training (a few days) and a curriculum with teachers guide and homework books. Google Aston English - You should find their website - contact details on there. And yes, I believe you've missed the JET scheme by several months. |
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beetlil
Joined: 20 Dec 2008
Posts: 53
Location: Hanoi
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| Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2010 5:53 am Post subject: |
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Where in Oz are you?
If you're near a language training centre, you can get a TESOL cert iv, a lot cheaper than the unis will offer.
Contact Language Training Institute and ask them who delivers their course near you. |
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Sadebugo
Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 524
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| Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2010 11:37 am Post subject: |
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Most new teachers start their careers in Korea including myself. However, I would advise against this as the likelihood of getting a dishonest employer is too high. Also, there are so many other countries in Asia that offer a better cultural experience such as Japan and China. Although there are some who would defend Korea to the death, it's just not worth the risk.
Sadebugo
http://travldawrld.blogspot.com/ |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2010 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Sadebugo wrote: |
| Most new teachers start their careers in Korea |
I find that hard to believe. |
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Sadebugo
Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 524
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| Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2010 11:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| Sadebugo wrote: |
| Most new teachers start their careers in Korea |
I find that hard to believe. |
I can't prove it empirically, but most of the people I met in other countries, i.e., Saudi/Thailand, had begun their careers in Korea. Also, many of the teachers where I currently work (federal government) started out in Korea. I would imagine it's even more common today since opportunities in Japan have shrunk recently. Ultimately, Korea has the lowest requirements along with one of the better salary ranges so it only makes sense that it would draw most of the newbies.
Sadebugo
http://travldawrld.blogspot.com/ |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2010 7:51 am Post subject: |
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Possibly most teachers in Asia started out in Korea.
I can guarantee that many thousands of UK teachers started out in Europe. |
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Sadebugo
Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 524
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| Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2010 9:48 am Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
Possibly most teachers in Asia started out in Korea.
I can guarantee that many thousands of UK teachers started out in Europe. |
Still, Americans and Canadians combined would probably outnumber Brits teaching and usually can't work in Europe. I imagine the same goes for Aussies like the OP.
Sadebugo
http://travldawrld.blogspot.com/ |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2010 2:01 pm Post subject: |
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UK teachers are probably outnumbered .... in Asia (for obvious reasons) 
Anyway, it boils down to one's definition of 'most' - my own being well over 50% - and I seriously doubt that well over 50% of all the TEFL/TESL teachers in the world started in Korea.
In fact, if I consider the question: I've been working in the field for 12+ years now in Europe and Canada, and, though I know a few teachers who have taught in Korea, I know zero who started out there.
Anyway - this is a moot point. It may well be in the OP's best interests to start off in Korea - ditto for many, many other newbies to the field. No dispute on that!! |
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Sadebugo
Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 524
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| Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2010 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
UK teachers are probably outnumbered .... in Asia (for obvious reasons)
Anyway, it boils down to one's definition of 'most' - my own being well over 50% - and I seriously doubt that well over 50% of all the TEFL/TESL teachers in the world started in Korea.
In fact, if I consider the question: I've been working in the field for 12+ years now in Europe and Canada, and, though I know a few teachers who have taught in Korea, I know zero who started out there.
Anyway - this is a moot point. It may well be in the OP's best interests to start off in Korea - ditto for many, many other newbies to the field. No dispute on that!! |
In my first post in this thread, I advised him against Korea and stand by that. I and many (better than 'most,' huh?) other teachers started there but some of us did not have the best of experiences. I also think he would have a better cultural experience in almost any other Asian country. Again, I can't prove this empirically, but this is how I feel.
Sadebugo
http://travldawrld.blogspot.com/ |
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grendelfreak
Joined: 25 Mar 2010
Posts: 3
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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| beetlil wrote: |
Where in Oz are you?
If you're near a language training centre, you can get a TESOL cert iv, a lot cheaper than the unis will offer.
Contact Language Training Institute and ask them who delivers their course near you. |
Sorry for taking a while to respond, unfortunately for me the closest place according to their website is Sydney and I'm in Tasmania, also the price is very close to the CELTA course.
Oh well worse come to worse I'll get hold of some sort of English textbook.
Slightly off topic but does anyone have posted up their first time teaching English? it'll give me some idea what i'm getting into. |
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Qaaolchoura
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 539
Location: 21 miles from the Syrian border
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| Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 5:20 pm Post subject: Re: What do I need to know? |
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| Chancellor wrote: |
| Some people around here (and in the TEFL world in general) are enamored with brand names; so, they'll tell you essentially that if you don't get your training through CELTA, Trinity or SIT then you are not certified |
Wait, is this SIT School for International Training? In Brattleboro? It's popular now? When I took the course through the ILI, I asked a couple people who came to speak at my school about teaching English, including the head of Footprints Recruiting, and none of them knew a thing about it. |
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