Job Discussion Forums

[Rimbaud]

Hi all,

It has been about 6 years since my last post! I'm back now and I'm trying to figure out my next move. I appreciate any advice.

Who I am:
I'm 31, a US citizen, and native English speaker. I have a BA in English (2004), a single subject teaching credential in English from California (2011), and a fairly useless TEFL certificate from Oxford Seminars (2006).
I have one year of experience teaching in a California public high school (2011-2012), one year teaching in a private Ecuadorian school at the elementary level (2006-2007), and about four years sub teaching in California public schools (2004-2006 and 2008-2010).

What I want:
My longterm goal has always been to teach abroad and the locations I am most interested in are Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Korea, Thailand, Eastern Europe, and the ME. Initially, I would like to just be able to live comfortably in the culture/country I teach, but eventually I want to add to my savings.

The questions:
My questions revolve around trying to figure out my options considering my experience, credentials, and that it is already September. Ideally, I'd like to work in an international school, but I am not sure I have the credentials/experience. Also, I have missed most of the opportunities for the current school year. So, as I wait for the next school recruitment session what would be the best way to spend my time? The two options I am considering are...

1. Move abroad, earn a CELTA (probably though IH), and work with/through a language school. How necessary is it for me to get a CELTA at this point? Will it open up more doors for me than if I only have my California teaching credential?

or (and?)

2. Start on an online-masters program in TESOL, English, or Curriculum and Instruction. I want to get my masters in the next five years mostly because I enjoy learning about teaching and English lit and language, but maybe it would be beneficial to start one before applying to work in international school?

3? insert your own ideas

Thanks in advance for your input.

[tttompatz]

It is a big planet and the "Do I need a CELTA?" and "Can I save money?" questions will largely depend on what corner of the planet you are looking at.

As a general rule, in EFL, East Asia is the place to build savings/save money but there are some caveats and pitfalls.

EFL in the Americas (south of the Rio Grande and down to Cape Horn) offer adventure but the cash often isn't very good. The upside, for Americans, is that it is cheap to get to and easy to get home again.

Most of western Europe is off the map (unless you have another passport from the EU to go with your US passport).

Eastern Europe and Western Asia / Asia minor are different again and remuneration packages go from abysmal to not bad. Shop around.

.

[Rimbaud]

Thank you for your quick response tttompatz.

My goal is to make myself as marketable as possible, to as many "corners of the planet" as possible. I understand the CELTA is the entry-level way to do just that, but I am wondering if my teaching credential is viewed (in general) as more desirable, equally desirable, or less desirable.

To break my questions down, I'm really trying to understand the value of a teaching credential vs a CELTA in the TESOL employment marketplace.

Also, because I am considering getting a masters degree, I'd hate to make the commitment only to have employers ask, "Where is your CELTA?"

thanks

[spiral78]

Assuming that your single subject teaching certificate is not in language teaching, it doesn't qualify you for ESL/EFL jobs in job markets that are more desirable (where there are enough/many candidates).

A core subject certification is most useful in international schools, where you could be hired to teach your core subject in English. The more desirable locations (eg Western Europe) have fewer job openings in this sector; less desirable locations have more. There is also a segment of the 'international school' market that isn't really bona fide international schools, so this is something to check out carefully when/if you find postings. A 'real' international school will pay something like on par with what you'd make in North America as a teacher and will provide all legal paperwork needed for you to teach legally wherever.

To teach language effectively, 'you' need a basis in the approaches and methods research says are useful in the field - these vary substantially from those applied in teaching core subjects in the students first language.

So, yes, if you are going abroad to teach EFL, a CELTA is the place to start. It's not usually desirable to do an MA in this field until you have some few years of experience behind you and have a solid idea of exactly what you want the MA to do for your career-wise.

I'd suggest that if you want to teach EFL and not your core subject, a CELTA or equivalent is the place to start. Do the MA later on when you have a more concrete idea regarding what and where you want to teach.

[Rimbaud]

Thank you for your response spiral78. It sounds like a CELTA will open more doors for me. I am considering the IH CELTA program in Buenos Aires.

[spiral78]

Honestly, the level of technical grammatical knowledge you really need will be largely determined by the kinds of students you teach.

In many parts of the world, students are exposed to the structure of English in classes taught by non-native speakers, and native speaking teachers are largely responsible for 'activating'and adding to their language knowledge so that these students can actually use what they know (speaking primarily of Asia here).

In other parts of the world, adult students are commonly more demanding in terms of grammatical structure to build communicative skills upon.

You are correct that CELTA and equivalent courses do not focus highly on grammar, and it's not a feature of most MA study, though if you wanted to go for an MA Applied Linguistics with a grammar focus, I think that would be an option.

When speaking solely of grammatical knowledge, I think that most of us basically continue to use self-study to keep us ahead of the curve with our students, wherever on the curve they may be (this can be anywhere from very low to very high, obviously).

[littlelauren86]

Yes, you have a timing issue for international schools and I'll end up in the same position as you pretty soon!

If I were you, I would skip the CELTA and go to a place where you won't need it, and find a job for the next year or so. The recruiting season for international schools will begin soon enough, and I think you should take the time to attend the closest fair as you're working. You can also try applying to schools directly and giving interviews by Skype, but that's a bit more challenging and requires much more work on your part.

For example, if you can find a way to teach EFL in Thailand with your license (and experience/studies that you've laid out above) you could attend the fair in Bangkok. That fair (and the Hong Kong one) would still be relatively close if you're working on Korea, Taiwan or China, for instance. With your license, I'm pretty sure you can find an EFL job in all of those countries (well, I know it's true for Korea). I say work on the online master's after getting settled in a job you're comfortable with.

You aren't the most highly qualified for the international schools, however, with a bit of flexibility about location especially I'm sure you'll find a position somewhere.

Some fair locations: http://www.searchassociates.com/Job-Fairs/Default.aspx