Job Discussion Forums

[Arvish]

I am planning to get certified to teach English and look for an overseas job. The problem is that I do not currently have any teaching experience, though people are always telling me I should teach because I seem to have a natural ability for it. I do have an MS in Management and an MBA with a minor in marketing, and a bachelors degree in psychology. Oh, and I am a male who is 52.

I have been planning to get the Cambridge CELTA certification and would like to know if others with more experience would consider this to be the best certification to get as a newbie? Thank you for any advice those of you with more experience can provide.

T.J.

[fluffyhamster]

Hi TJ. The CELTA seems to be about the most well-known (or at least most-mentioned!) cert, though there are other generally-recognized ones that are also worth considering, such as the Trinity CertTESOL, and the SIT TESOL. Then, some well-regarded universities may run their own cert-like programs. Remember however that all these certs are only a very basic induction, and there are certain countries (Japan, for example) where a cert isn't required to get a work visa and entry-level job, and will thus make no difference in terms of pay. Anyway, it''ll be worth the investment if you really feel you need one (i.e. for general confidence- if not expertise-building), or are planning on working in regions where certs have become ubiquitous and/or required, or are considering staying in the profession longer-term ("e.g." the cert will help ensure smooth entry to further qualifications - Dips and/or MAs).

[Arvish]

Thank you for your input. It just seems to me like most of the job openings I see require experience, or at a minimum certification. I am looking towards possibly doing this long term, so I appreciate your insight into the value of the certification with regard to future opportunities.

[spiral78]

Maybe it's not fair to dump this on you, Arvish, but here's a current overview of CELTA, equivalent certs, and their value:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=95859&start=0

[Arvish]

spiral78, that is certainly fair to provide me with that link. If there are other better options for entering the TESL field I would like to know about them.

I am just trying figure out the best approach to enter this field given I don't have a degree in teaching. I do have a tendency to think for myself and figure out ways that enable people to learn things easily; perhaps because I have been taught many things in ways that do not make it easy at all for me to assimilate the information or skill. I have taught music/guitar and many other things to people and do so on a regular basis. That is why I am always being told I should be a professor, but that does not appeal to me.

I did not read through the entire thread you provided, but will continue working my way through it. What I gather is that CELTA is a very bare bones introduction to teaching and methodology. That the methodology CELTA teaches is not generally accepted as being the most practical approach to teaching. If that is the case, I think I would be one to embellish, make changes, or alter the approaches taught if I knew I could increase the students ability to learn by doing so. I like to see people/students succeed in their endeavors and try to do what is necessary to make it easy for them, so they feel good about their progress, intelligence, and ability to learn.

[fluffyhamster]

I was tempted to refer you to the above or similar threads myself, TJ, but as you weren't asking a rhetorical question with the intention of opening some sort of actual debate (unlike in that other thread), I thought I'd spare you and do my part to help utter the standard line ("Yes, a cert will probably be worth your while doing"). Now however that Spiral's provided the link and honestly seems to expect you to read it, I'll stand by what I've said in that and other threads and thus suggest that you simply read around a bit (i.e. buy quite a few books) before considering spending thousands of dollars on a cert that may not equip you even halfway (I'm talking especially in terms of linguistic knowledge, the thing that drives or should drive a lot of the methodology). And it's not like there isn't actually the suggestion in that thread that what would be a great help would be a much more extensive pre-practicum preparation period...which is precisely what reading a lot of books and spending months plural in reflection would be, except of course if you can do it yourself (albeit a little "unguidedly") it won't be costing you anything other than your time. But where I differ from most on here is that I simply point out that you may not feel as inclined to do the cert/practicum once you've actually read up a lot more and become better-informed; that is, your current ignorance (no offence intended!), if you do choose to lose no time and are happy to lose those thousands in enrolling more swiftly, cannot but be bliss to the people who profit from these certs.

[fluffyhamster]

[Glenski]

Which countries did you have in mind?

[Arvish]

Thank you for all the thoughtful insight and help. I would be happy to start out working somewhere in Asia. China, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, S. Korea, or other for at least the first couple of years if not longer. I am a US citizen and know the important thing for me is to gain some practical, hands-on experience to begin with. It seems like it may be easier for me to do that in Asia. Looking through the job boards, it seems many, if not most of the jobs want applicants to have at least a couple of years experience.

Are any specific countries more open to first time teachers who are just starting out. After reading through much here, it does seem as if it is like walking through a mine field, in that there are apparently many disreputable employers; though I know there are many honest and good employers as well.

[Glenski]

Your degree(s) make you eligible for a work visa in Japan, but how would you feel at 52 to be taking orders from someone half your age? This is a likely possibility in eikaiwa (conversation schools). That person may not have much more experience teaching than you, either. To be honest, I started out in eikaiwa around age 40, zero experience beforehand and I was in a totally different career earlier. Eikaiwa is probably the easiest transitioning teaching job in Japan, but TEFL in Japan is pretty competitive right now, even for that bottom-rung entry-level type of job.

You might also want to consider moving into business English. See the links for employers in Japan by opening the FAQ stickies on that forum.

In Japan there is usually no requirement for any certification, and many employers don't even know what it means, but if you feel teaching is for you for the next few years, I'd say try getting it.