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MFL teach
Joined: 16 Jan 2011
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 5:55 pm Post subject: Qualified French and German teacher - CELTA necessary? |
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Hi,
Im a qualified secondary (high school) languages teacher looking to teach English somewhere in Asia (undecided!) - is a CELTA necessary? As my degree and teaching qualification are languages based (although not English), I thought this may help?
Thanks! |
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mimi_intheworld
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 167
Location: UAE
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| Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 7:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Hi. In my experience, the answer is no, particularly as TEFL certs teach you how to teach a language...which one would hope you already know how to do! |
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smithrn1983
Joined: 23 Jul 2010
Posts: 320
Location: Moscow
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| Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 11:32 pm Post subject: |
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While it may not be necessary, a tefl course might be helpful to you. Perhaps it's because I had abysmal language teachers in high school, but it seems that most foreign language teachers in America teach their target language through the medium of English. This makes explaining new grammar and vocabulary very easy for the teacher, and the students have an easier time learning the concepts. The downside to this is that students develop a decent academic knowledge of the language, but can't speak it at all. I learnt Spanish this way for four years, and can't speak a word of it.
Overseas, you will be teaching English through the medium of English, and if you're not used to teaching a foreign language this way, it can take some time to master the skills needed to do it effectively. A tefl course (doesn't need to be a CELTA) can help you develop these skills more quickly.
If you've taught French and German by solely speaking French and German in the classroom, then a tefl course probably will not be much use to you. |
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tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:12 am Post subject: Re: Qualified French and German teacher - CELTA necessary? |
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| MFL teach wrote: |
Hi,
Im a qualified secondary (high school) languages teacher looking to teach English somewhere in Asia (undecided!) - is a CELTA necessary? As my degree and teaching qualification are languages based (although not English), I thought this may help?
Thanks! |
IF your passport, degree and teaching qualification are from an anglophone country then a CELTA (or other TESOL cert) won't be necessary to work in Asia.
IF they are not then it will help.
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7969
Joined: 26 Mar 2003
Posts: 5782
Location: Coastal Guangdong
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:56 am Post subject: |
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| smithrn1983 wrote: |
| While it may not be necessary, a tefl course might be helpful to you. Perhaps it's because I had abysmal language teachers in high school, but it seems that most foreign language teachers in America teach their target language through the medium of English. This makes explaining new grammar and vocabulary very easy for the teacher, and the students have an easier time learning the concepts. The downside to this is that students develop a decent academic knowledge of the language, but can't speak it at all. I learnt Spanish this way for four years, and can't speak a word of it. |
with all due respect, did you make any effort to speak the language?
i studied a second language in much the same way you did (also four years) but we had activities outside of class (somewhat akin to the english corner they have in china) and i actually traveled to the country where that language is spoken. I discovered what i did and didn't know very quickly and it wasn't long (a few months) before i was conversing with people on a variety of topics in the target language.
one of the chief complaints of esl teachers, esp. in china, is that students absorb information in class but don't actively use the language in or out of class.
MFL Teach must have a pretty solid grounding in teaching therefore I think any money spent on tefl or celta training will be a waste. Considering most esl teachers in asia have little or no teacher training at all MFL Teach has a huge advantage already. |
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smithrn1983
Joined: 23 Jul 2010
Posts: 320
Location: Moscow
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 1:25 am Post subject: |
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| 7969 wrote: |
with all due respect, did you make any effort to speak the language? |
Not really, but I'm also not alone among U.S. high school graduates who spent years studying a foreign language that they cannot speak. Incidentally, I have since learnt three. I learnt German at university, largely using a communicative approach, and Czech and Russian while living in those countries.
| 7969 wrote: |
MFL Teach must have a pretty solid grounding in teaching therefore I think any money spent on tefl or celta training will be a waste. Considering most esl teachers in asia have little or no teacher training at all MFL Teach has a huge advantage already. |
I'm not suggesting that MFL teach has a poor background in teaching, but that the methodologies used overseas can be quite different from those used in high schools in the U.S. A tefl course would simply be good professional development, whether or not it's actually necessary to procure a job. |
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MFL teach
Joined: 16 Jan 2011
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks for all your help and replies! I was trained and currently teach in the UK, in answer to your question. |
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tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:40 pm Post subject: |
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| MFL teach wrote: |
| Thanks for all your help and replies! I was trained and currently teach in the UK, in answer to your question. |
You said where you were trained but not your country of passport (it does make a difference).
UK passport, UK degree, UK experience = no TEFL required to find work abroad.
I can't think of anywhere you can't work as an English teacher or English speaking teacher.
Other passport, UK degree, UK experience = TEFL not required but some countries not available to you. (In some countries you MUST hold a passport from an anglophone country (typically: UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, New Zeland or Australia).
Other passport, other country degree, UK experience = TEFL would lend credibility to your claim to be an adequate English speaker (not so much as qualified as a teacher).
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MFL teach
Joined: 16 Jan 2011
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 1:50 pm Post subject: |
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UK passport - Bilingual English and Dutch languages from birth - UK degree and experience.
Thanks again for the clarification. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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| smithrn1983 wrote: |
| 7969 wrote: |
| with all due respect, did you make any effort to speak the language? |
Not really, but I'm also not alone among U.S. high school graduates who spent years studying a foreign language that they cannot speak. Incidentally, I have since learnt three. I learnt German at university, largely using a communicative approach, and Czech and Russian while living in those countries. |
Agreed. The US educational system isn't known for its excellence in teaching foreign languages. I know plenty of people who got As in 4 years of HS foreign language and barely had to speak a word. At my HS, granted I only took 2 years, becasue I had 3 years of HS and one year was spent at the local community college), I rarely heard my native Spanish teacher speak Spanish. He taught Spanish in English. |
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