Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bassexpander]

[agoodmouse]

[bassexpander]

Oh, mouse... how good of a teacher can you be if you spend so much time obsessing over CELTA posts like this?

I'm on vacation. I have an excuse.


Now let's recap:

As I've stated before, not one waygook teacher at my university has a CELTA. Most uni teachers in Korea don't have one (nor do they need it). The aren't accepted in the USA, and if you'd try to get a public school job with one there, they'd laugh at you.

Newbees, as I always post to counter the above posters trying to sell their course, please read the following and save yourself some money:

I have a BA.

I didn't need a TEFL/TESOL certificate, or a CELTA for my university job.

The same goes for my public school job before this. Or my hagwon job before that.

I didn't need ANY certification.

You don't need a CELTA (or a certificate from a company like American TESOL or TEFL International) in Korea -- especially if you are going to teach kids, because the CELTA is training for adult students. Can you learn something taking one of these courses? You bet. I knock the CELTA a lot, but I like the British Council's website for Task-Based Learning activities.

The rule of thumb I tell people to follow goes something like this:

If you are....

... in Korea for just a year or two, and have no plans to teach elsewhere after, don't bother with any TEFL certification.

... in Korea for 3 to 4 years, plan to move on and teach in another country, or stay working a public school job, get a low-cost, approved TEFL course (many are below $400, and can be done via distance. Just make sure they are over 100 hours). If you plan to move around the world and teach in countries that respect the British system, then get a CELTA. All of these certifications (including the CELTA) are useless in the USA.

... in Korea for 5 or more years, you should get, or make plans to get, some kind of teaching certification or an MA in Education/TESOL. You could get a CELTA, but if you've been teaching for more than 4 years, I'd say it's a waste of money.

Remember, the CELTA costs about US $1,500 to $2,500, depending on where you take it. The full TEFL International course is going to be similiar in price (it was last I checked). Korea is naturally much more expensive for the CELTA. One could almost say they gouge you here (when they even offer it), but maybe it's the extra cost of buildings or something -- who knows. Don't forget to factor in flight costs, housing costs, and lost work costs for up to 5 weeks. Any flight costs you'd save by taking it in Korea are squashed by the high price of taking it here (unless prices have changed that I'm not aware of).

I added it all up, and found that I'd be out over 4 million won if I took the CELTA, counting lost work time. Even at a 100,000 won per hour raise for having it, that will take you more than a few years to recoup the costs at a public school job (assuming you are at a school that gives you a meager 100,000 to 200,000 won per month raise for having one). In Korea, a low-cost (500,000 won) online course that is greater than 100 hours will get you the same raise as a CELTA. For a list of these courses, see Dave's front page at www.eslcafe.com. ITTT TEFL is a paid advertiser, and is accepted. Also, KEI-TEFL is approved by the Seoul office of Education, and you can opt to take an on-site course from them.

By the way, CELTA now has a long-term course that you can do over several months. I'm not up to speed on what that entails, so I can't comment. I'm sure you'll pay just as much for the base costs, as if you did the full 5 week CELTA.

Remember: MANY OF THESE CERTIFICATES ARE ONLY ACCREDITED BY THE COMPANIES/GROUPS THEY ARE OFFERED BY.

Would you seek medical care from a doctor who is only a doctor because he passed his own accreditation to become a doctor, and therefore certified himself? Now how about paying that doctor $1,500 to $2,500 for medical care which you don't need, and missing 5 weeks of paid work in the process?

Save your money for a course from an accredited institution -- that's my advice.

Again, I work at a university, and I didn't need a CELTA or a piece of paper from another program like TEFL International to get my job here. I didn't need to drop 2.4 million won on a CELTA. If you want the most expensive around, then 4.4 million for a TEFL from Sookmyung will get you a certification from the new incoming education boss's own school. She's gone out of her way to promote it since her nomination, and at 4.4 million won per student, I can see why.. All of those courses have their uses, but they may not prepare you for the age group you plan to teach.

You don't need one to work at a hagwon, either.

It's my personal opinion, as someone who has been teaching in Korea for over five years, that you would be better off getting an MA-TESOL from a reputable university after taking time off from school and saving some money for it.

[Whistleblower]

[Whistleblower]

*Double post.

[Whistleblower]

[bassexpander]

[Whistleblower]

Like I said Bass, I am not a teacher. Please don't fall in to the same trap and make another mistake.

[bassexpander]

[bassexpander]

Working for the same company as the CELTA, eh?

Now we're getting somewhere, and it pretty much proves everything I've said about your advertising the CELTA on here.

A little biased, are we?

[Hank the Iconoclast]

I know this may be off-topic here but I have been looking into getting a MA. Would it be better for me to get one in MA-TESOL or a MA in Applied Linguistics? I personally have been thinking about going down the Applied Linguistics direction but I want some good opportunities at unis here.

[TECO]

[bassexpander]

[Jimskins]

I never mean to cause fights, they just 'happen' around me.

[agoodmouse]

Bassexpander, very unartful and lazy use of the copy-and-paste function. You didn't address anything I clearly addressed to you, point by point, as always. Can you be any less original in the expository department? Is a dog operating your computer?