Job Discussion Forums

[JBrown]

I am new to the forums and am looking for advice at teaching overseas. I am from the USA and have a BA and MA from an accredited institution. I worked as a GTA for my English department for 4 semesters: 3 1-on-1 tutoring with mainly international students and teaching classes in cases of instructor absences, and 1 research based. I have no other teaching experience. So my question is: Would it be worth it for me to get a CELTA? I am pretty sure I have the funds lined up to attend the one in Denver in Jan, but I am not sure if I really need to spend the $2,500+$1,500 (living expenses) to get it. Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated!

[spiral78]

Quite a lot depends where in the world you want to go to teach. Different regions require different types of certification.

Give us a bit more info, and we'll be able to help better.

[JBrown]

[spiral78]

Thanks for noticing the schnauzer - I'll tell him. He's monitoring my work anyway just now:-)

As my work today (curriculum development) requires me to be in front of the computer, I'm around frequently - not always the case.

Unfortunately I have no personal experience in either the Middle East or Columbia, so have little to offer on your question! I suggest to get a quick answer on the ME points, you might want to post below on the G. ME board.

My experience is in Europe and Canada, and in neither place is it easy to get jobs that will allow one to pay off student loans, sadly.


What are your BA and MA in? If they are in any way TEFL related, the CELTA is probably not necessary.

[JBrown]

[Zero]

In you, I see the love of acronyms that is essential to success in the field of EFL/TEFL/ESL.

But seriously. I have no idea what FHSU is.

As to CELTA, if it's a dollars-and-cents issue -- which is how I tend to look at things -- then it depends partially on how long you plan to teach. If it's only a year or two, I don't know that you'll make back your investment. If it's a longer-term proposition, you might. But it depends on where you go.

CELTA works out financially when either:

A.) It is a requirement in order to work in the place where you want to go.

or

B.) It's not a requirement, but having it earns you significantly higher pay.

To be honest, I don't know a whole lot of places where B.) is true. But I'm sure there are some.

The non-financial element is that CELTA can make you feel more comfortable in the classroom. If you plan to stay in the field for a while, then maybe it's worth it from that perspective, even if it never pays for itself in dollars and cents.

Generally, I would tell you to figure out where you want to go. Then figure out if CELTA is required there, or if it garners significantly higher pay. Do a little equation factoring in how long you plan to stay. Then you'll have your answer.

[JBrown]

[tttompatz]

If I may....

If you have loans to pay off then the only places on your 4 country list that would give you a chance would be the middle east.

With your BA/MA you do not "NEED" a CELTA to teach ESL/EFL anywhere in Asia. Will it help you = maybe. EFL is not English Lit or Language arts. You can however, if you do decide to travel abroad, get your CELTA cheaper than at home. In BKK for example, IH offers the CELTA with a room/board option for about US$2100.

You would not likely land a university position from abroad with just an MA (the notable exception being China).

Boots on the ground you would easily find an ESL position in Asia / SE Asia provided you were here to interview a month or 3 before the start of term in your selected country.

Wages at universities tend to actually pay LESS (net at the end of the day) than k-12 schools or language academies but the class loads are also substantially lower (typically 6-12 hours per week instead of 22 (K-12) or 30 (language academy)).

Another option, if you have loans to pay down, is to look at Korea (we can't really discuss Korea here on the international forums; you need to register on the Korean forums - http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/index.php ). Start with a year in a language school to get your feet on the ground and then transition to a university after you actually know what you are doing (outside of the classroom).

.

[Zero]

I don't know. I don't like to see people take on debt, or spend their savings, on qualifications that aren't going to pay for themselves. I don't particularly see how you're going to teach in the Middle East if you don't have an MA TESOL. I don't know much about it, though. As for Colombia and Indonesia, I don't see them being very financially rewarding with out without a CELTA. (And if it's going to be a bust either way, I'd say avoid spending for the CELTA.) To be honest I don't see any of those countries as a worthwhile place to spend these next 10 years of your life. I have to admit, though, that I have never been to any of the four that you mentioned, so I am not an expert.

In fact, the whole idea of spending these years of your life TEFLing, and then trying to transition into "something else" at age 40, bothers me. There was a recent thread on one of the China forums about this wherein the poster advised doing it the other way around: build another career, save some money, head out for TEFL-land around middle age.

At this age, I'd try to build a financial future. You might be able to do that in one Asian peninsula that is divided into a northern part and a southern part, the northern part being ruled by a reviled dictator. (Go for the southern part.) The Middle East/Gulf is a possibility if your qualifications get you in there, which, as I said, I'm not sure of. Hong Kong has some opportunities, as does Japan. China offers savings potential for the right kind of person. Vietnam, too. I don't know that the CELTA is the right qualification for any of those areas. Oftentimes, better money is available by teaching kids, and the CELTA is not the proper credential for that type of work.

[JBrown]

Thanks for the info. You guys gave me some food for thought. I will check out that one country that is split and do some more questioning on the geographic specific forums. I kind of figured I would have success finding a hood position because many of the people you hear about have no degrees, yet these may not be typical and the bad is always heard of more. I know that my English degrees and EFL are completely different but was hoping there would be some crossover But, thanks for your help! I'm sure I will have more questions in the coming days and will prob PM you guys with them if that's ok If these situations don't work out, my university has been trying to get me to teach in China, so I may just go with them. Sounds like this would be much easier to get set up.... I'm just not so sure about that place lol. Thanks again! And if you or anyone else has any suggestions, please let me know! I'm pretty much set on teaching English outside of the states, I just want to find a position that truly fits my needs

[spiral78]

[JBrown]

Ya, I have to go to FHSU, so I'll probably talk to them about their positions in China. They have been trying to send me there for a couple years, and now I'm starting to warm to it. I mean, two years there and I'd gain valuable experience, get an idea of the job, know whether I need the CELTA, and prob have a chance to network my way into better jobs elsewhere in the world. Plus, I wouldn't have to worry about actually getting paid, since my US university would be paying me. Prob the best option, but still the ME sounds way better than China IMO

[Zero]

[JBrown]

[Zero]

And you agree with the politics of ME/Gulf countries? Your level of personal freedom in China will generally be quite high, better than the Big Desert. But I don't know that going through your university is the best idea. I'm going to send you a PM.