Job Discussion Forums

[TupacAmaru]

I'm a 23 year old Canadian citizen who was born in Lima, Peru and left when I was only 4 years old. My family moved alot. We lived in Bahia, Brasil for a while before settling in Canada around 96.
I speak English and French fluently, and near fluent Spanish and Portuguese. I'm traveling back to Latin America mainly to remaster my Spanish, and eventually my Portuguese as well.

Well I don't want to bore you with my life story, so heres the deal;

I am going to Ecuador in July and eventually Peru and Bolivia. I'm extremely interested in teaching ESL, and have been doing research on the web for a while. I have applied online to several schools in Ecuador, but have not received a response.
My problem is that I have no certificates or teaching experience. My highest level of education is high-school diploma. Also I have coached basketball teams and been a counselor at a Basketball camp, but thats about the extent of my "teaching" experience. My other professions have no relation to teaching (Security Officer, Sous-Chef).

Is there anyone who can point me in the right direction? Would it be worth it to shell out $1,600 to take a 4 week course in TEFL (example: ITTO, MaximoNivel)? $1,600 is a lot to invest without any real ideas on where to go from there. This seems like the option I will go for, even though it would kill my bank account, because courses in Canada are $2,000 at least and much longer.

If someone could advise me I would be very grateful, and I would promise drinks and a meal on me if I were to pass by your city

Thanks

[idiggs]

The TEFL certificate is worth to have especially since you have no teaching experience or degree. There are online TEFL courses (these ones tend to be cheaper) and there are university/community college TEFL courses (if you are considering this route, take a classroom course in New York....I believe the SIT TESOL is a bit cheaper than the CELTA).

I don't know about teaching in Peru or Bolivia. But as a teacher in Ecuador, I can tell you this:

If you are going to teach in Ecuador, try to be as vague about your experience as possible. For example, you coached basketball. So, tell them that you were a physical education teacher (after all basketball is part of physical education) for a private school (think of a name of a school and change the name slightly). They will almost every time believe your story as long it makes sense. The only things that they will verify for evidence is TEFL certificates and university degrees so you can't lie about those.

And after finished your TEFL course, rewrite your resume/CV stating that you have a TEFL certificate and teaching experience.

Hope this helped.

[TupacAmaru]

Yes that helps alot. Will people recognize online certificates, or view them as sort of a "quick and cheap" way of getting the papers? I know thats how I would think of them.

Anyways that was a good idea. I think I may still go in person to take the courses, because I won't have sufficient access to the internet to complete an online course, and going to New York would be too hard right now.

Thanks a bunch, PM me your info/location if you wish, so when I'm in Ecuador I can repay you

[idiggs]

[naturegirl321]

I wouldn't shell out the money. NOt having a BA will work against you, but being a native speaker is often all you need to work in some countries. Latin America, for the most part, isn't big on TEFL certs. If you can afford it, fly down and start looking for work.

Are you French Canadian? If you could teach French, you're all the more marketable.

[TupacAmaru]

[just_a_mirage]

Could you get a job with no experience or qualifications. Sure. Maybe not the best paying job, but a job nonetheless. The question is...should you? I think its not really fair to your students when you go into a classroom with no idea of how to manage a class, no background in lesson-planning, and no techniques to help those who are struggling, espeically if you have different levels in one class. Many students in Latin America are paid very low wages, and paying for class is a sacrifice for them. Dont they deserve a teacher who is prepared and ready to teach them correctly? Take a TEFL class through a reputable source, and make sure that they require classroom experience so that you have some experience, and more importantly know that you are going to enjoy your work. You and your students deserve that.

[Guy Courchesne]

Absolutely agree with the above.

Just what kind of a job will you get where they'll hire you without a shred of experience or qualifications?

[Isla Guapa]

I strongly agree with the above two comments! Look at it this way, would you like to shell out money for a Spanish or French class and end up with a teacher with no qualifications except for being a native speaker?

[TupacAmaru]

[TeresaLopez]

[Isla Guapa]

Hear, hear, Teresa! However, doesn't a lot of the blame for all of this fall on unscrupulous schools who hire totally unqualified "teachers"

[TupacAmaru]

I know your message wasnt directed to me Teresa, but just for the record, I wasn't planning on getting a job with no training.
I was asking what are my best options to gain experience and what certificates I should get, since I have no qualifications or anything.

So like I mentioned, has anyone heard of INTESOL Peru, and would the 150 hour course be sufficient enough to give me the skills to teach well?

[astralfrog]

[Isla Guapa]

Astralfrog, your advice to the OP is really off the mark! Have you forgotten that TA doesn't even have a B.A. or any work experience that has any relation to language teaching? How on earth would he know what to do his first day in the classroom without even the minimal training that you get from a one-month certificate program?