Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jiberish]

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]

In the 20s, a beautiful white female.

[edwardcatflap]

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]

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

[oldfatfarang]

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]

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]

[southernman]

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]

[Ramen]