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paulc510
Joined: 26 Feb 2011
Posts: 6
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 Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 6:05 pm Post subject: Hello everyone! College senior needing some advice |
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Hi everyone. I am new to the forum and I need some advice. I am currently a senior in college planning to go to grad school, but nothing is set in stone.
If I don't go to grad school, I want to go abroad(or maybe stay in the US) for 6 months - 2 years and teach English.
To make things even more unclear, I am not even sure where I want to go. Japan, Korean, China, Mongolia, somewhere in Europe, or maybe just stay in the US. I am really uncertain. I was looking at all of these certifications and was just wondering which one was best. CERTA is certainly the best one, but I don't really think I need that right now. There are a lot of sites like American TESOL Institute, TEFL International, TEFL Online, etc. that all seem to offer something less than CERTA but would still get me certified and some even offer classroom experience. Since grad school is still a possibility for me, I don't really want to put the time and money into CERTA. And in Japan and Korea, I have friends that can get me a well paying job, no questions asked because they've been in the business so long.
Can anyone help me out as to what I should do? I definitely want to get certified in someway within the next year!
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smithrn1983
Joined: 23 Jul 2010
Posts: 320
Location: Moscow
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| Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 8:18 pm Post subject: |
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First of all, if you want to teach abroad, get a legitimate certification. That means spending 120+ hours in a classroom learning to teach, and 6+ hours teaching real students and being observed by a trainer. Anything less than this, and employers who ask about certification will be unlikely to offer you a job. CELTA, Trinity and SIT are the name brands that most employers will recognize, though there are generics available. Once you decide where you want to teach, try to get your certification there, and that advice goes doubly for the generics. Don't waste your time with online certificates. All they prove is that you paid someone money to print something out.
As for where to go, you really need to narrow down your options a bit. Think about what you like and dislike, what you couldn't live without, and what your ultimate goals are. How can you achieve them by living abroad? Talk to your friends, and read through the country specific boards here to help you find what you're looking for. |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 9:56 pm Post subject: Re: Hello everyone! College senior needing some advice |
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I guess I would ask you this: Why do you want to teach abroad?
If you know what you want to do in the future, and it definitely isn't language teaching, and it is what you are thinking of going to grad school for, then I would recommend just going to grad school and pursuing that area instead of teaching English.
If you don't know what you want to do as a career, but it probably isn't language teaching, and all you want is a little time out to think about your future, then I would recommend just getting a job through your friends in Korea or Japan. You could do an online course as a very small introduction to teaching, but don't expect the qualification to be of any benefit to you professionally.
If you would possibly be interested in a career in language teaching, then I would recommend getting a decent certification - a CELTA would be a good, entry-level introduction to language teaching.
| paulc510 wrote: |
| To make things even more unclear, I am not even sure where I want to go. Japan, Korean, China, Mongolia, somewhere in Europe, or maybe just stay in the US. I am really uncertain. |
If you are thinking of staying in the US and teaching, look into AmeriCorps or Teach for America.
As for Europe, it is nearly impossible for Americans to get a job, due to visa restrictions. However, if you would like to go just for 1 academic year (9 months), you could look into the various Fulbright English Teaching Assistant programs in countries throughout Europe. You probably won't make any money from these, but it'll get you 1 academic year of experience through an esteemed US government program. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 10:09 pm Post subject: |
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CELTA, not CERTA.
As for this:
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| And in Japan and Korea, I have friends that can get me a well paying job, no questions asked because they've been in the business so long. |
That's a big claim for anyone to make (in Japan anyway) considering the flooded market here. Tell me more. |
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Zero
Joined: 08 Sep 2004
Posts: 1402
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| Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 1:10 am Post subject: |
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If you don't know what you want to do, then we sure don't.
If you just want to take a year for adventure, I wouldn't invest in any certificate, if a job could be obtained without one. Save your money for grad school. Japan and the other country you mentioned sound good to me.
Like someone else said, if you think teaching English might be a long-term career for you, it might be worthwhile to go for a certificate. That said, there are plenty of long-termers who don't have one. And personally, if I were a fresh graduate with the world as my oyster, I wouldn't consider EFL as a career. (Ducks and covers to avoid rotten fruit being thrown by the other posters.) Instead, if teaching were my thing, I'd go for a K-12 teaching certificate from my own country and get a couple of years experience there. Then I'd have the flexibility to teach in virtually any part of the world I chose for a good wage, or to stay in my homeland. |
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paulc510
Joined: 26 Feb 2011
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:08 am Post subject: |
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One thing is pretty certain. I DO NOT want to pursue a Masters in ESL or TESOL or anything like that. I either want to go for Asian Studies, Linguistics, or English. I do not forsee making English teaching my main priority in the future. I would possibly like to teach English as a side job or coordinate some kind of ESL or international program, but as far as being an ESL teacher, I am pretty sure I don't want to do that at a high level.
I mainly would want to teach abroad so I can study more, pass more language proficiency test, build my resume and teaching experience, and do something fun. I know quite a few people who work or own English language schools in Asia. I've spent time living in Asia. In Korea, the demand is so high for English teachers, I know some people that are teaching without a bachelors or any certification and at all and many more that just have a bachelors in some random area. I mainly want to keep my options open because I am really unsure of where I want to go to teach. |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:59 am Post subject: |
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| paulc510 wrote: |
| One thing is pretty certain. I DO NOT want to pursue a Masters in ESL or TESOL or anything like that. I either want to go for Asian Studies, Linguistics, or English. |
These (Asian Studies, Linguistics, and English) are all quite different. If you don't know which you want to do, I would advise against grad school.
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| I do not forsee making English teaching my main priority in the future. I would possibly like to teach English as a side job or coordinate some kind of ESL or international program, but as far as being an ESL teacher, I am pretty sure I don't want to do that at a high level. |
If you are thinking about ESL teaching as a side job, what do you envision as your main job? Also, I'm not sure why you think you could coordinate an ESL program if you don't have a masters in teaching ESL and don't have experience teaching ESL at a high level.
If you are more interested in the administration side of things (and not teaching), you may want to consider a masters in Education Psychology and/or Student Affairs.
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| I mainly would want to teach abroad so I can study more, pass more language proficiency test, build my resume and teaching experience, and do something fun. |
Still, I guess my question is: toward what end goal? Getting language proficiency and adding teaching experience to your resume are only good if they are relevant to your goals. For example, if your goal is to go into computer programming, they might not really care that you have language teaching experience on your resume. If you are going to go into linguistics, they probably won't care about your foreign language proficiency.
Also, on a side note, it might be good to avoid talking about that country that starts with a K. Such talk seems to get threads locked around here. If you want to talk about that country, there is a separate forum (with separate registration) for that.  |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 9:23 am Post subject: |
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| paulc510 wrote: |
| I either want to go for Asian Studies, Linguistics, or English. I do not forsee making English teaching my main priority in the future. I would possibly like to teach English as a side job or coordinate some kind of ESL or international program, but as far as being an ESL teacher, I am pretty sure I don't want to do that at a high level. |
Linguistics or English major, but don't want to teach English. Come again? Just what did you envision a graduate in Linguistics would do to start off?
As for working abroad for 6 months, very few places offer such opportunities. Get in line. It's pretty long right now, especially in Japan.
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| I mainly would want to teach abroad so I can study more, pass more language proficiency test, build my resume and teaching experience, and do something fun. |
You won't be paid to study or pass any tests or have fun. Employers want to hire people to work. You sound like a typical backpacker teacher. Plenty of them around. Just don't expect a lot of serious help from serious teachers here, ok?
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| In Korea, the demand is so high for English teachers, I know some people that are teaching without a bachelors or any certification and at all |
I don't think there are as many as you really think. I also think that the visa situation is something you need to understand. Work visas almost always require degrees, so what exactly is the situation of "some people" that you have heard of?
Certification is rarely required in Asia, so that's not a big deal. You don't sound like it would benefit you anyway. Skip it, look for the entry level work, and send out half a million applications like most newbies. |
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paulc510
Joined: 26 Feb 2011
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:34 am Post subject: |
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I have applied to graduate programs in all three fields and will see which one I get accepted to. IF I am not happy with my results and what I have made, THEN I want to try to take a year or so off and work abroad. Where do I want to work? I still don't know. As far as my end goal, it's certainly a PhD sometime in the future. Teaching English abroad is a great way for me to get teaching experience, experience with a consistent professional job, and I will have the opportunity to do something helpful and productive in a foreign country.
If I go to teach abroad I'll have a bachelors and a pretty solid resume. I'm just lacking any kind of certification. For what I want, is it worth it to get one and if so which? |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 3:22 am Post subject: |
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| paulc510 wrote: |
IF I am not happy with my results and what I have made, THEN I want to try to take a year or so off and work abroad. Where do I want to work? I still don't know. As far as my end goal, it's certainly a PhD sometime in the future. Teaching English abroad is a great way for me to get teaching experience, experience with a consistent professional job, and I will have the opportunity to do something helpful and productive in a foreign country.
If I go to teach abroad I'll have a bachelors and a pretty solid resume. I'm just lacking any kind of certification. For what I want, is it worth it to get one and if so which? |
That's an expensive route to try: grad school for a year and if you don't like it teach abroad.CELTA, SIT, and Trinity are the top three certs out there.
As for teaching English being a consistent professional job, well, I dont' know. YES; many of us ARE professionals. BUt when I tell �people what I do back home they go, oh. like it's no big deal. I haven't tried to get a job back home after 8 years teaching English, but I have a feeling it'll be hard. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 3:25 am Post subject: |
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| paulc510 wrote: |
| I mainly would want to teach abroad so I can study more, pass more language proficiency test, build my resume and teaching experience, and do something fun. I know quite a few people who work or own English language schools in Asia. I've spent time living in Asia. |
Learning the language while being an English teacher isn't the best way to go about it. Case in point, I work with peopel who have been here 5, 10, 15+ years and can barely carry on a conversation. And it's not just becuase it's an Asian language. I've seen the same in Spanish speaking coutnries as well.
Building your resume, might be a moot point actually. You spend a year teaching English at a langauge school, how will that help you with your future goals? How are you going to sell that to a future employer? |
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paulc510
Joined: 26 Feb 2011
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 5:33 am Post subject: |
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I'm not really sure if people are understanding what I want to do. I just wanted to get some advice on some certifications that I could possibly get to help bolster my chances of getting a job, getting employed, and that may make me a better teacher if I decide to teach abroad and this has become a discussion about my life and all of the flaws with my plans after graduation. Maybe I failed to explain myself correctly, since I feel that naturegirl misinterpreted just about everything I said in every possible way.
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 5:56 am Post subject: |
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| paulc510 wrote: |
I'm not really sure if people are understanding what I want to do. I just wanted to get some advice on some certifications that I could possibly get to help bolster my chances of getting a job, getting employed, and that may make me a better teacher if I decide to teach abroad and this has become a discussion about my life and all of the flaws with my plans after graduation. Maybe I failed to explain myself correctly, since I feel that naturegirl misinterpreted just about everything I said in every possible way.
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Part of the problem is that the type of certification depends on what your goals are (i.e., if you just want a year off, or if you want to make a career of it). It also depends on where in the world you are planning on going (i.e., more specific than "Japan, Korean, China, Mongolia, somewhere in Europe, or maybe just stay in the US"). You were less than clear about both of these in your OP, so we've been trying to get this information.
If you want a general answer, we can tell you "get a CELTA". It will probably help you in a lot of countries; however, in some countries they'll have no idea what it is. Also, if you end up making a career out of EFL/ESL, then a CELTA may not be enough.
A completely online certification is worth very little, but it is still worth more than nothing. As far as getting a job, it all depends on who you are competing with. |
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santi84
Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 1317
Location: under da sea
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 1:42 pm Post subject: |
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| paulc510 wrote: |
I'm not really sure if people are understanding what I want to do. I just wanted to get some advice on some certifications that I could possibly get to help bolster my chances of getting a job, getting employed, and that may make me a better teacher if I decide to teach abroad and this has become a discussion about my life and all of the flaws with my plans after graduation. Maybe I failed to explain myself correctly, since I feel that naturegirl misinterpreted just about everything I said in every possible way.
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It's not that people don't understand you, it's that they don't want you to make the same typical mistakes of thousands who came before you.
People who take time off in the last year of a degree program often find that life gets in the way and fail to return. It happens over and over (raises hand). I just finished in 2009. I started in 2002. The problem is that in 2009 I had a husband and mortgage to deal with. Don't think it won't happen!
Another reason is that many employers that are willing to hire a non-graduate who likely doesn't even meet legal working requirements are the same employers who will work you to the bone. Do you think you'll have time to go out and socialize/learn much of the local language? Think again. Those employers will work you from morning to night and hold back your paychecks. Not all of them will - but many of them will. Why would you expect morals and decent working conditions from an employer who hires people who are not qualified or even legal?
I think people are trying to dissuade you from your romantic dreams of teaching abroad and bring you back to reality. It is a job. You are tired, you go "ugh" when you wake up to go in the morning, and you go "ugh" when you have to prepare lessons at night instead of go out for a drink and casually speak with locals to improve your language.
You CAN do this, but why not wait just one more year until you can get legal work and a better employer? Remember that post-graduation employers will not be impressed with your possibly illegal work at a language mill. It isn't viewed in the same light that you seem to think it is.
But you don't have to listen to anyone here... except that you're looking at a good 50+ years of combined experience who have actually been there/done that I don't teach abroad - I teach in Canada. I did get impatient in college though, and that is why my four year degree took nearly 8 years to complete. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 2:31 pm Post subject: |
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| paulc510 wrote: |
I'm not really sure if people are understanding what I want to do. I just wanted to get some advice on some certifications...
Maybe I failed to explain myself correctly |
You fooled me, too. It was very hard to determine just what you wanted.
You didn't even answer my request for more info on how your friends in Japan (it was Japan, wasn't it?) could get you "a well paying job [sic], no questions asked". I find that very hard to understand, let alone believe. Want help? Give more background. You're a fresh graduate-to-be with no experience and who "spent time living in Asia", whatever that means. Help us to help you.
Simple answer for Japan jobs: you likely will not need certification for entry-level work. |
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