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apronedsamurai
Joined: 09 May 2012
Posts: 5
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 Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 12:13 pm Post subject: Some questions from a Noob. |
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Hi there everyone.
I wish to both thank and apologise to the respondents of this thread in advance. I appreciate that you have an inordinate amount of experience as well as patience when it comes to people such as myself, with regards to questions raised.
A little about me: I am a 26 year old male with osteoarthritis in my left ankle (controlled by painkillers, and does not majorly impact my life).
I have a LLB Honours degree; and don't especially wish to practise law. At present, I am at a crossroads as to what to do with my life. In essence, I am undecided between social work, or teaching.
I thought that teaching abroad would serve as life experience for both of the aforementioned careers, and more in particular with teaching, would be of particular benefit.
Some preliminary issues.
1) There are many different service providers of the TEFL qualification. What key criteria (price excluded) should I consider/rely upon to determine whether the provider is genuine, and the qualification actually valid? Membership of professional regulatory bodies, etc.
2) I am aiming to do the 150 Hour TEFL course. How desirable is this classed by employers, and how well does it prepare the student teacher for the demands of physical teaching?
3) I am fortunate enough to possess no debts whatsoever. However, I am aiming to teach abroad as an opportunity to raise capital, and as such I am approaching it as a potential investment. With that in mind, which countries, given my background and health condition would be most suitable? I am frugal and monastic in my lifestyle, but don't want to be living in abject poverty.
Once again; thank you all once again.
With metta;
T. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| 1) There are many different service providers of the TEFL qualification. What key criteria (price excluded) should I consider/rely upon to determine whether the provider is genuine, and the qualification actually valid? |
The most realistic answer to this hinges on where in the world you think you want to go. Your need to save money would indicate Asia is by far your best bet, and I believe in much of Asia certification isn't necessarily required. Someone better informed than I will surely be along soon to provide clarity on this aspect.
So far as key elements of a cert recognised 'everywhere' (or very nearly so), 120 hours on site, and including at least 6 hours of supervised practice teaching with real students is the gold standard. There are both name brands (CELTA/SIT/Trinity) and some generics out there.
Online and distance courses lacking the teaching practicuum aren't recognised in many regions. Practice teaching peer trainees, done on some short courses, again doesn't meet the standard. Volunteer teaching helps a bit, but the real key is 'supervised' teaching practice with actual students, with feedback on how you've done by experienced teacher trainers.
One idea to consider is whether you want to get certified in your home country or in the country where you want to start teaching.
In the case that you do this, there are some advantages: Training centres help with logistics like airport pickup, housing during the course, and local orientation. Your practice teaching students will be really representative of those you'll be working with when you start. Your fellow trainees can form your first social network, and you can be 100% sure that your cert will be recognised by local employers.
So far as where to go to save money as a newbie, it won't be the regions where my experience is - North America or Central/Western Europe. Wages are basically subsistence level and saving much is very difficult. The lucrative Middle East jobs mostly require more advanced qualifications, and I would guess that you will find your best bet is Asia. |
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tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 1:00 am Post subject: Re: Some questions from a Noob. |
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| apronedsamurai wrote: |
Hi there everyone.
I wish to both thank and apologise to the respondents of this thread in advance. I appreciate that you have an inordinate amount of experience as well as patience when it comes to people such as myself, with regards to questions raised.
A little about me: I am a 26 year old male with osteoarthritis in my left ankle (controlled by painkillers, and does not majorly impact my life).
I have a LLB Honours degree; and don't especially wish to practice law. At present, I am at a crossroads as to what to do with my life. In essence, I am undecided between social work, or teaching.
I thought that teaching abroad would serve as life experience for both of the aforementioned careers, and more in particular with teaching, would be of particular benefit.
Some preliminary issues.
1) There are many different service providers of the TEFL qualification. What key criteria (price excluded) should I consider/rely upon to determine whether the provider is genuine, and the qualification actually valid? Membership of professional regulatory bodies, etc.
2) I am aiming to do the 150 Hour TEFL course. How desirable is this classed by employers, and how well does it prepare the student teacher for the demands of physical teaching?
3) I am fortunate enough to possess no debts whatsoever. However, I am aiming to teach abroad as an opportunity to raise capital, and as such I am approaching it as a potential investment. With that in mind, which countries, given my background and health condition would be most suitable? I am frugal and monastic in my lifestyle, but don't want to be living in abject poverty.
Once again; thank you all once again.
With metta;
T. |
Several issues need to be addressed and a few key bits for information are missing.
I assume you are American and hold a US passport but I am unsure since you used the "our" spelling in honour. The WHERE you can work will depend a large part on where you are from. IF you are from the US or Canada you can rule out western Europe but all of Asia would be open to you. If you are from the UK then Europe is open but the certification issues come into play.
Depending on your methods of pain control for your medical issue you may or may not be able to pass the drug screening in places like Korea.
If you are looking at Asia the TEFL course is, with the exception of Thailand (where CELTA is considered the "Holy Grail" of TESOL), largely irrelevant. The requirement for immigration/visa is the university degree and secondary to that is native speaker status.
There are NO professional or regulatory bodies when it comes to TEFL/EFL/ESL. There is no internationally recognized accreditation body. It boils down to the brand names and as mentioned above, CELTA, SIT and Trinity are globally recognized. The others (especially US companies) are hit and miss.
A 150 hour, 30-day TEFL course is just a warmup but it is better than being dropped into a classroom with no clue. It will also depend on what kind of teaching you will be doing. If you end up working with kids (as is the case with the majority of jobs in Asia) then, other than learning how to write up lesson plans it won't do you much good. You'd be better off volunteering at the local kids center in your home town while you are looking for a job.
Not interested in poverty = stay home. ESL is not a get rich kind of job.
-In Latin America it is largely subsistence level wages at best.
-Europe is not much better.
-Big bucks are in the middle east but you also need qualifications and experience to land those jobs.
-Until you get a year or two under your belt you won't do much better than entry level ($1200/mo with no benefits) in most of SE Asia.
-Given your health condition and medications Korea may not be an option.
-Wages in Vietnam are pretty decent ($2000/mo) but you will work like a dog for it.
-JET in Japan is a maybe. Take a good look at it. |
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apronedsamurai
Joined: 09 May 2012
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 1:15 am Post subject: |
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tttompatz
Thank you for your detailed response.
I am from the UK. Native english speaker, self-employed writer, and possessing a valid UK passport.
My pain control is via prescription medication (codeine tablets).
One crucial question that you can perhaps address:
Someone once described TEFL to me as:
"a low wage start, where progression and moving up the ladder provides marginally better conditions. Experience and qualifications whilst recognised, will provide a slight boost in salary. This is for short term work only."
Would you say that is a fair assessment?
I agree, it would seem that Korea would not much care for me. Have you any idea as to how competitive the JET program is, and what the projected net earnings could be on average? |
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artemisia
Joined: 04 Nov 2008
Posts: 875
Location: the world
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 2:10 am Post subject: |
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| apronedsamurai wrote: |
| I have a LLB Honours degree; and don't especially wish to practise law. At present, I am at a crossroads as to what to do with my life. In essence, I am undecided between social work, or teaching. I thought that teaching abroad would serve as life experience for both of the aforementioned careers, and more in particular with teaching, would be of particular benefit. |
| apronedsamurai wrote: |
One crucial question that you can perhaps address:
Someone once described TEFL to me as:
"a low wage start, where progression and moving up the ladder provides marginally better conditions. Experience and qualifications whilst recognised, will provide a slight boost in salary. This is for short term work only."
Would you say that is a fair assessment? |
You seem to be directing this last question at ttompaz. Nevertheless it might be worth highlighting what you wrote in your OP. I doubt there�s much connection between social work and teaching English abroad other than developing one�s �people skills�. Even teaching core/content subjects in a school (I presume) is not really connected to teaching a language; a different set of skills is needed. Sure, it develops one�s life and work experience but not necessarily in the direction you say you want to go in. Your second point about the viability of long term work in TEFL suggests you�re unsure about social work and teaching in general.
My suggestion would be to fully investigate what�s involved in teacher and social work training in the UK before (if) you leave if you haven�t already done so. For example, sitting in on a few lectures, visiting schools and any other kind of in-person practical experience may help you isolate what you do and don�t want to do. Even if you decide to pursue language teaching overseas, you�ll still want know what you�re returning to in terms of future training.
Making a go of it in long term in TEFL largely comes down to (eventually) settling in one place, building up contacts (and language skills if abroad) and adding formal qualifications to your CV. Some places are less viable than others and it�s not necessarily easy anywhere, but few things are.
It seems the bigger question concerns what you really want to do. |
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tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 2:20 am Post subject: |
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| apronedsamurai wrote: |
Someone once described TEFL to me as:
"a low wage start, where progression and moving up the ladder provides marginally better conditions. Experience and qualifications whilst recognized, will provide a slight boost in salary. This is for short term work only."
Would you say that is a fair assessment? |
Your prescription of choice for your health issues makes a significant part of Asia non-viable. In those countries where you need to pass a medical/drug test you would fail and that is a visa issue not an employer one.
As to the comment, yes to the 1st part and no to the 2nd part.
Like any career, you start at the bottom and work your way up.
The problem is that, to be a teacher of anything, you need to build your skills and add to your credentials or you quickly hit the glass ceiling at a point marginally above the entry level.
IF you do add experience and the relevant credentials you can significantly add to the bottom line and there is more to life than just the pay packet. I like having a job that gives me 14 weeks of paid holidays, a decent wage and other benefits but the big caveat here is that teaching (anything) as a career has never been a place to get rich. It is firmly planted in the middle class.
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bulgogiboy
Joined: 23 Feb 2005
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 2:35 am Post subject: Re: Some questions from a Noob. |
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| apronedsamurai wrote: |
Hi there everyone.
I wish to both thank and apologise to the respondents of this thread in advance. I appreciate that you have an inordinate amount of experience as well as patience when it comes to people such as myself, with regards to questions raised.
A little about me: I am a 26 year old male with osteoarthritis in my left ankle (controlled by painkillers, and does not majorly impact my life).
I have a LLB Honours degree; and don't especially wish to practise law. At present, I am at a crossroads as to what to do with my life. In essence, I am undecided between social work, or teaching.
I thought that teaching abroad would serve as life experience for both of the aforementioned careers, and more in particular with teaching, would be of particular benefit.
Some preliminary issues.
1) There are many different service providers of the TEFL qualification. What key criteria (price excluded) should I consider/rely upon to determine whether the provider is genuine, and the qualification actually valid? Membership of professional regulatory bodies, etc.
2) I am aiming to do the 150 Hour TEFL course. How desirable is this classed by employers, and how well does it prepare the student teacher for the demands of physical teaching?
3) I am fortunate enough to possess no debts whatsoever. However, I am aiming to teach abroad as an opportunity to raise capital, and as such I am approaching it as a potential investment. With that in mind, which countries, given my background and health condition would be most suitable? I am frugal and monastic in my lifestyle, but don't want to be living in abject poverty.
Once again; thank you all once again.
With metta;
T. |
If you're keen on the idea of teaching kids then look into doing a PGCE. It'll give you a big advantage over most of us TEFLers. I thought about it, but then had to admit to myself that I can't stand to be near children, let alone try and teach them something! A PGCE would give you access to jobs in international schools across the world. If I liked the thought of teaching kids I would definitely have gone down that route.
Otherwise, as another poster said, don't think of teaching abroad as a way to get a lot of money in a short space of time. I would suggest trying a year in Seoul, Korea, to experience the life, and maybe make a bit of decent cash from private lessons. You wouldn't need anything other than your degree to do that, and could avoid the expense of a CELTA.
Regarding medication in Korea:If you have a legitimate medical condition I don't see why you wouldn't be able to get a prescription for codeine, or the equivalent, from a Korean doctor. I was in Korea for a few years, went to the doctor a few times, and medication seemed to be prescribed in much the same way as it is in the UK. You could enquire on the Korea board, to confirm this. I don't recall ever having to take a drug test in Korea, although that may have changed in the past few years.
There's also Istanbul, where you could do what many people do, and work 'off the books'. You could pick up a bog-standard language school job, and make up extra income with private lessons. You wouldn't need a CELTA for that either. You wouldn't have any drug test, and I'm pretty sure getting prescriptions wouldn't be an issue. |
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apronedsamurai
Joined: 09 May 2012
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 2:52 am Post subject: |
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| Again, thank you all for your input. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 6:58 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Someone once described TEFL to me as:
"a low wage start, where progression and moving up the ladder provides marginally better conditions. Experience and qualifications whilst recognised, will provide a slight boost in salary. This is for short term work only."
Would you say that is a fair assessment? |
Generally yes, but it all depends on what you put into it. Stay with nothing more than a mere BA degree in English, and you severely limit yourself. Increase your marketability and knowledge with supplemental training/education.
It also depends on where you go.
As for the last statement, though, I'd say nope. I have been in this for 14 years (is that short-term?), and I know people who have been in it for decades. |
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apronedsamurai
Joined: 09 May 2012
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 8:49 am Post subject: |
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tttompatz;
Want to clarify something with you. Its not my prescription of choice. My doctor has provided me the painkillers. However, I am more than capable of managing the pain with paractemol. I didnt ask for the codeine tablets; my doctor has prescribed them.
Would I fail the medical due to the drug test component, or the physical ability component? |
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tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 9:16 am Post subject: |
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| apronedsamurai wrote: |
tttompatz;
Want to clarify something with you. Its not my prescription of choice. My doctor has provided me the painkillers. However, I am more than capable of managing the pain with paractemol. I didnt ask for the codeine tablets; my doctor has prescribed them.
Would I fail the medical due to the drug test component, or the physical ability component? |
On your current meds you would fail the drug screen test that is required in a couple of Asian countries (Korea being most notable) and your visa would, under the current rules, be canceled as a result.
Another thing to note is that in Asia, even with "medical insurance" medical is not free and depending on your country of choice the insurance could very well be canceled or your "preexisting" condition not covered. Just something to keep in mind if you need a Dr. on a regular basis.
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apronedsamurai
Joined: 09 May 2012
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 11:06 am Post subject: |
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From the research I have conducted thus far, the drug test situation seems to be as follows.
Japan, China and Vietnam do not have a drug test requirement as a prequisite for eligibility for a VISA to work. Is this correct/
I am not implying that I have been, will be or currently exposed to, the ingestion of illegal narcotics. For the record, my medication is prescribed by my GP, and used sparingly. I despise illegal drugs; simply because of the way they make me feel. I HAVE NEVER TAKEN ILLEGAL DRUGS.
However, I do not wish to lie blatantly, nor do I wish to cut out from teaching on a fairly arbitrary issue, hence why I am spearing the arse out of this particular issue.
If truth be told, Korea holds little interest to me, so its no great loss imo.
To clarify my earlier position, I do not see the TEFL as a get rich scheme/scam. I don't mind having a lower salary. However, my only concern is that I don't wish to have to worry each and every day that I am flat out broke and may have to commit some illegal act to support me!
The way I see TEFL:
The 1st-2nd year, is like ploughing a field. First you remove the weeds, the dead wood, the branches and rocks. Then you till the land, ploughing the field etc.
Once the groundwork has been prepared, and the probation period has finished, this means that the seeds can be planted. In short, I am looking upon the TEFL as a back--up plan, a means of having bed, board and some money in my pocket for a year or so, until the Western economy picks up.
Does that make me shallow and indecisive? I apologise if it does. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 11:56 am Post subject: |
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| apronedsamurai wrote: |
From the research I have conducted thus far, the drug test situation seems to be as follows.
Japan, China and Vietnam do not have a drug test requirement as a prequisite for eligibility for a VISA to work. Is this correct/ |
True for Japan.
| Quote: |
| clarify my earlier position, I do not see the TEFL as a get rich scheme/scam. I don't mind having a lower salary. However, my only concern is that I don't wish to have to worry each and every day that I am flat out broke and may have to commit some illegal act to support me! |
In Japan you will make a wage you can live on, usually without needing to be excessively frugal. Come to the Japan forum for details.
| Quote: |
Once the groundwork has been prepared, and the probation period has finished, this means that the seeds can be planted. In short, I am looking upon the TEFL as a back--up plan, a means of having bed, board and some money in my pocket for a year or so, until the Western economy picks up.
Does that make me shallow and indecisive? I apologise if it does. |
Do you think the American economy will really pick up in just a year? |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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Once the groundwork has been prepared, and the probation period has finished, this means that the seeds can be planted. In short, I am looking upon the TEFL as a back--up plan, a means of having bed, board and some money in my pocket for a year or so, until the Western economy picks up.
Does that make me shallow and indecisive? I apologise if it does.
Do you think the American economy will really pick up in just a year? |
I think 'Western' implies a wider economy than just the US one in this context... |
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EFLeducator
Joined: 16 Dec 2011
Posts: 595
Location: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 3:09 pm Post subject: Re: Some questions from a Noob. |
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| tttompatz wrote: |
| There are NO professional or regulatory bodies when it comes to TEFL/EFL/ESL. There is no internationally recognized accreditation body. |
Right!
| tttompatz wrote: |
| Not interested in poverty = stay home. ESL is not a get rich kind of job. |
| tttompatz wrote: |
| In Latin America it is largely subsistence level wages at best. |
RIGHT!
Go to Asia if you decide to TEFL. |
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