Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shantaram]

Hi,

Do you have a CELTA? If so, do you rate it? If not, would you like one, and are you planning to get one?

[icicle]

No, I don't have a CELTA but I do have a TESOL Certificate from an Australian University which included supervised teaching practice.

[aarontendo]

I have one, great experience *part of that due to hanging around in BKK for the month during and the month after it!*

I agree with Bassexpander though, it's rather spendy. I think mine was like $1600, plus airfare, housing, food money, etc.

[DCJames]

[Drew345]

I also got it in Bangkok. Great experience.
Doing observed teaching with feedback from peers and instructors for a month is a great way to improve skills.
Maybe not required here in Seoul, but good for skill improvement.

[bassexpander]

Other than perhaps the Middle East, is there any country in the world where a CELTA will get most teachers more money than what you can make in Korea with NO CELTA?

I'm sure there are a few exceptions (like an occasional teacher/trainer job teaching CELTA), which will most certainly be pointed-out by the salespeople posting here plugging the program, but for the majority of us, the answer is no.

An expensive CELTA may be your key to earning less in other countries than what you'd make with no CELTA in Korea.

[Mr. Pink]

[Slaps]

The reason for getting a CELTA shouldn't be financial, it should be to make you a better teacher.

[aarontendo]

As for me, I had a bit or vacation in my head when I did mine.

Finished up college in June, figured I start my job in August so I had two months to kill. Signed up for the CELTA in BKK, did that throughout July, then had a month to relax and hang out in Thailand before coming here to work for SMOE.

Now, truth be told I wouldn't have given up a job or taken time off from one to do it. But since my contract wasn't starting until August then I wasn't losing out on income that way.

[aarontendo]

[articulate_ink]

I'm doing the CELTA in Bangkok this summer.

[VanIslander]

I got my CELTA in New Zealand and it sure was a fun intense month of edutourism. Beats taking pictures and buying trinkets.

And I've met dozens of CELTA grads since in Korea and Japan. NOBODY regrets doing it.

It hasn't increased my salary at the hagwon but it sure helps in the classroom and is nice to have for future opportunities.

[Stormy]

I have a Bachelor of Ed & am enrolled to start a Master of Ed next semester so haven't done a CELTA or equivelent. I'd consider it in the future though, just because I enjoy studying & like adding to my 'bag of tricks'. I find the whole thing a litle confusing though as there are so many different variations out there with celtas, tesols, tefls etc.
To the people with BeDs who have done one of these courses, did you find it of benefit in a practical sense in the classroom?

[deizio]

Got a CELTA in 05, worked in Europe for a year afterwards. Work at a school (one-of-a-kind, admittedly) here now that knows and values it (5 out of 15 teachers have one) and regards it as the only acceptable qualification lower than an MA. Salary, conditions and benefits are extremely agreeable, comfortably within the top 1-2% of ~30 hrs / week E2 jobs.

As Bassexpander notes in his own inimitable way, CELTA is not the qualification to acquire in the specific hope of getting more money or better conditions in Korea. I would only truly recommend it if you plan on working in Europe, or have more money than time and are looking for a relatively short (4-5 weeks), intensive program that will give you a great grounding in ESL with a recognized qualification at the end of it. However, there are schools here and everywhere that will make it worth your while (and then some), you just need to find them.

[Stormy]

Found this being auctioned off on Ebay....enrolments must be low.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/DIPLOMA-in-TESOL-Course-English-Teacher-TESL-TEFL-ESL_W0QQitemZ110254624735QQihZ001QQcategoryZ102362QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem