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university advice - worth getting a CELTA/TEFL?
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TECO



Joined: 20 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 5:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dodge wrote:
Anyang University.

one of the interviewers saw on my resume that I play music in my spare time, and asked me if and how I incorporate my musical hobby into my teaching. I did answer but I didn't totally see the relevance.

Another guy said "Imagine you just left a class and you are smiling and happy. What kind of class would have made you happy?"

that question made more sense, but the way it was phrased caught me out a bit.

Don't think I got the job (haven't heard anything yet though), but I guess it's all good practice. Got another one elsewhere coming soon, so I hope I get a result eventually.


Are these Korean administrators / professors asking the questions, or western native English speakers?

Questions I got a few months ago at an interview, by an American teacher on the interview panel, were: What would you do if you realized at some point in the lesson that the students didn't like the topic, materials or activities of the lesson that you had prepared? and, How would you force students to do homework?
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dodge



Joined: 01 Apr 2010

PostPosted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

those questions were from korean staff

I had another interview with a mixture of korean and native speakers on the panel and got far more (what I would call) relevant and interesting questions asked of me, such as

'If you heard another teacher was letting students finish earlier than the allotted finish time, what would you do?'

(interesting one)

and I had to give a demo class, which I appreciated as I actually got to show my skills, rather than just try and interpret cryptic interview questions
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dodge



Joined: 01 Apr 2010

PostPosted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 11:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i now have another interview, this time at a University with a Christian ethos. It's a decent uni and looks, on paper, to be a decent job there.

I was raised a catholic but I'm not at all religious these days.

How much does this matter?

Does anyone have experience of a 'christian uni'?

will I need to prove my christian credentials?

how much would it affect the job of teaching english?

if it's a big part of uni life, then this job might not be for me.
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Highwayman



Joined: 22 May 2011

PostPosted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 12:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dodge wrote:
'If you heard another teacher was letting students finish earlier than the allotted finish time, what would you do?'

Mind my own business. 1) It's a rumour ("If you heard ..."). 2) It's a colleague. 3) It wouldn't do much for morale if we were all encouraged to report on each other as if we were living in a police state. Let the kids report it if they have a problem with it.
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dodge



Joined: 01 Apr 2010

PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

so I had 3 uni interviews and didn't get any of the jobs. bummed. I think I got pretty close, 2 of the jobs were cancelled after the interviews, no-one got hired (that's what I was told anyway). waste of everyone's time.

So now I'm thinking about taking a break and trying again for unis next semester. there should be more jobs going then as well, so I am told.

I have 1 year's experience in an adult hagwan, an MA, and 5 years uni experience back in the UK

what could I do to increase my chances, is it worth doing a CELTA or TEFL course? or anything else?

I don't have the time or money for a TEFL/linguistics MA, so I'm thinking a CELTA may be a good way to boost my chances, but it's expensive so don't wanna waste my cash

any thoughts?
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Swampfox10mm



Joined: 24 Mar 2011

PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 2:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A CELTA can only help your teaching.

With that said, it's not the way to a university job, unless added to an MA, in many cases.

The reason for schools wanting an MA often has more to do with the teacher having a higher level of education than the students will obtain in a few short years (or less, with Seniors). That's why many schools will take an MA in whatever. Also, it's just another filter layer to weed out candidates. Competition is tighter though, as there are more English-related MA's going for jobs these days.
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Gorf



Joined: 25 Jun 2011

PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 7:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dodge wrote:
i now have another interview, this time at a University with a Christian ethos. It's a decent uni and looks, on paper, to be a decent job there.

I was raised a catholic but I'm not at all religious these days.

How much does this matter?

Does anyone have experience of a 'christian uni'?

will I need to prove my christian credentials?

how much would it affect the job of teaching english?

if it's a big part of uni life, then this job might not be for me.


You're there to teach, not preach. It's a reasonable question to ask during your interview if you're teaching English course books and if there's any scripture involved. Try to avoid the issue if at all possible, but if they don't say anything, ask. I have a friend who worked at a Catholic Uni and he didn't need to be religious. Sure, it may have meant that the students and faculty were a little more uptight about their partying standards, but it didn't mean he couldn't teach there. They want someone who can teach English well, not an ordained minister. If they want that, they'll place and ad for that.
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