Korean Job Discussion Forums

jiberish · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Location: The Carribean Bay Wrestler

So I came here hoping to get out of teaching but that hasn't panned out yet. So I figured while I am still teaching I could atleast try harder to be the best teacher I can be. Are there any good qualifications that will actually have an impact on your ability to go up the career ladder?

At the moment I just have an unrelated BA with 3 years exp. But I am already at the cap of what my company is willing to pay it's employees.

I only know of TESOL certificates. But I often see people saying these are almost worthless.

Ramen · Joined: 15 Apr 2008

In the 20s, a beautiful white female. Razz

edwardcatflap · Joined: 22 Mar 2009

I think it depends on which area you want to specialise in. Most people climbing the TEFL ladder have chosen a certain field or niche where they can get better conditions than the average general English teacher. This could be management, teacher training, exams, ICT or the academic route through the university system. The qualifications you need may depend on the route you want to go to some extent.

jiberish · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Location: The Carribean Bay Wrestler

I see. I guess I need to look into those fields to see what they involve.

oldfatfarang · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: On the road to somewhere.

Most high paying TESL jobs around the world require a B. Ed. ( a M. Ed. or Ph.D is even better for high paying uni work.)

I get emails from recruiters wanting me to go to Brunei and the ME, but I can't get those jobs, as I don't have an education degree. Similarly, I can't get into the Hong Kong NET program (same as K's EPIK) or internationals schools there - because I don't have a B. Ed. These jobs pay very well, but......... I'm excluded - even though I've a masters in an unrelated field. Them's the breaks.

air76 · Joined: 13 Nov 2007

I agree with Edward that you'd need to make a decision on what ladder you'd like to climb before selecting a training path.....but, that being said, if you really want to get out of teaching then why don't you start to pursue that goal? If you don't like teaching after 3 years then you probably aren't going to enjoy it after 6, 8, or 10.

If your ultimate goal is to get out of teaching but you don't know what you want to do just yet, then I'd take a CELTA course so that you can learn how to properly teach adults, and then get on at a university. You could do 2-3 years at a university and save up cash reserves while you figure out what you want to do next. With overtime and working at summer/winter camps you can fairly easily put away close to $20,000/year working at a university. Even if you take some of your money to travel, you could have 50 grand in 3 years time without too much effort, which would be a good chunk of change towards whatever it is you decide that you do really have a passion for.

For one thing...teaching at a university is going to look a lot better on your resume regardless of what the next field is that you go into. Employers will have no idea about the fact that it isn't really all that difficult to get a university job, but you will be able to easily parlay your university experience as a professional position where you learned skills that would relate to other fields.

At any rate...you'll hear tons of people bashing the CELTA just as fast as I mention it, but to me it's the only certification worth getting if you're not going full hog towards an MA. After 1 month you will be completely transformed into a much much better teacher, making your job SOOO much easier and your classes more engaging and effective for your students. I would recommend the CELTA for anyone who is planning on teaching for at least 2 more years. Even if you plan on getting out of the field in a couple years time, it will make your life so much better in the interim....it's only $1500 in Thailand or Vietnam. Money well spent in my opinion.

Remember, though...there is life after EFL if you want there to be...so many people go on and on about being stuck in this field because there are no jobs...blah blah blah, there are always opportunities for those who want them, in every field. 90+% of the people who want jobs have them, and 5% is what's called natural unemployment, where the people are unemployed but want to be because they are between jobs or taking time off or whatever...so really it's only 5% of the people who are looking for work who can't find it...that's a pretty small percentage in the grand scheme of things, especially considering that the worst of the recession is over. Don't stay in EFL because of fear, there are other ways to make a living.

balzor · Joined: 14 Feb 2009

southernman · Joined: 15 Jan 2010 Location: On the mainland again

The TESOL Ceriticate is regarded in Korea as being the equivalent of a Masters from back home. Anyone who says they're worthless here in Korea is crazy.

Once you've done two years teaching here you go straight to level one in the Public School system and can also apply for Uni jobs

If you do your MTESOL you can then apply for the top jobs Internationally although the Middle east wants 3-5 years ESL teaching experience under your belt as well.

If you want to work in Public Schools in Seoul, Tesol Cert is also another way in, I was offered a position in Seoul because of my qualifications but turned it down.

level 1 teaching is about 2.5 standard, although a bit more for a provincial placement. So even a Tesol Cert is well worth the effort.

It's also extremely easy to get...

hari seldon · Joined: 05 Dec 2004 Location: Incheon

Ramen · Joined: 15 Apr 2008

ChilgokBlackHole · Joined: 21 Nov 2009

If you want to be a better teacher, take a class with a supervised practicum.

southernman · Joined: 15 Jan 2010 Location: On the mainland again

frankly speaking · Joined: 23 Oct 2005

Old Fart is really misinformed as usual. The middle east have plenty of openings for very high paying jobs for people with BA and CELTA. You do not need a degree in Education to get a good job in the ME.

You do need it if you are going to teach at the international schools or many of the public school jobs. Those aren't the only jobs available though. I suspect the reason the Old FArt doesn't get jobs there is because of his age. You cannot work in the ME if you are over 60. There are many people with an MA in an unrelated field with CELTA making good money at different jobs in the M.E.

As for the comment that a CELTA is the equivalent as a masters in Korea, that isn't true either.

A BA and a CELTA is a good thing to have, but it won't open as many doors as an MA in a related field.

I would suggest getting some kind of CELTA or TEFL training to cap your experience. Not online. As stated before the best offer some kind of practicum and supervised teaching.

After that, you might want to think about an MA. Again I suggest to stay away from online courses but there are many that are becoming recognized.

It really depends on a lot of things though. If you want to teach at the Uni level, or do you want to teach at international schools, or do you want to get into high end SAT prep and other testing prep type of hagwons? Different places look for different qualifications.

MAtesol will not get you a job at international schools; A Bachelors in education or a masters in education will. An MA in English lit will open more doors at a Uni and so will MATESOL. A masters in Education doesn't help as much for Uni gigs.

Your qualifications don't always get you the job. It often comes down to how you market your qualifications. If you can show how your unrelated degree is related, then often you get the job even though they advertise for only certain degrees.

I know many people that have far less qualifications than I do, and they make a lot more than I ever did. Market yourself better and you can often get jobs that you didn't think that you could.