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Alphonsus Jr.
Joined: 04 May 2012
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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 Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 5:07 pm Post subject: |
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Excellent new posts. Just the quality I was hoping for.
Jimskins,
I'm considering going to Seoul for the CELTA course. I looked into taking it with the British Council, but they're not offering a full-time course this year. Looks like I'll have to try for it at IGSE. How much does it cost? I went to the IGSE site but it's virtually all in Korean.
I'm surprised to hear such talk about its level of difficulty, especially from one who (like me) has made it through law school and presumably passed the bar (CA, in my case). Is it really so hard? Interesting! This kind of makes me want to take it even more.
Are you still at the Uni? If so, did you get a pay raise after getting the CELTA? |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm surprised to hear such talk about its level of difficulty, especially from one who (like me) has made it through law school and presumably passed the bar (CA, in my case). Is it really so hard? Interesting! This kind of makes me want to take it even more. |
It's not that difficult to pass (usually around 90% do) it's just a lot of work in a short amount of time and can be emotionally draining. As Jimskins pointed out the people most likely to fail are those too entrenched in their previous teaching style/philosophy who aren't prepared to jump through the CELTA hoops. You can check out the assessment criteria on the CELTA website before doing the course to see if you think you'll be up to the task. Of the people who do fail, the vast majority quit before the end of the course either because they're just not getting it (rare) or they refuse to adapt (still rare but a bit more common) |
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Alphonsus Jr.
Joined: 04 May 2012
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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What you say makes a lot of sense, edwardcatflap.
Everyone:
Over 4 years ago on page 1 of this thread, someone wrote this:
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| Anywhere else an employer or university would look askance at any online "100 hour" TEFL course and question its reliability. Here in Korea any TEFL certificate will do for your resume. |
Assuming this was true then, does it remain true? |
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Jimskins
Joined: 07 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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Yep, Edward's appraisal hit the nail on the head more squarely than my assessment. You'll pass it as long as you do the work. But I was one of a few guys who really got into it and were going for the higher grade; if you just want to pass, listen to what they say, make a genuine attempt to put it into practice and you'll be fine.
I actually think they were stopping the intensive for a while at IGSE. I paid 2,350,000W.
And yes i'm still teaching at my uni, but no I didn't get a pay raise. I guess I'd have to get a PHD to get that. But I think we're reasonably well-paid anyway (3.4 a month) at my place so I don't complain. I think it will be a useful chip to have in the pile when/if I switch jobs though. |
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Alphonsus Jr.
Joined: 04 May 2012
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Jimskins wrote: |
1) But I was one of a few guys who really got into it and were going for the higher grade;
2) I actually think they were stopping the intensive for a while at IGSE. |
1) I'd be like that as well.
2) Disappointing! But I've written to that James Forrest you mentioned. Hopefully he has better news.
By the way, Jimskins, do you list your law degree on your resume? I've read elsewhere here that it might actually prove to be a hindrance in getting hired. |
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Jimskins
Joined: 07 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah I list it on my resume. Actually the uni job I've got is one of the most sought-after in Seoul, the main reason I got it at my first try for uni jobs was because of my law degree, they wanted me to open a Legal English class. I've since been transferred to the Law Department, where me and the other law-degree holding guy are encouraged to open new content classes for the law students. |
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Alphonsus Jr.
Joined: 04 May 2012
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 8:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Jimskins wrote: |
| Yeah I list it on my resume. Actually the uni job I've got is one of the most sought-after in Seoul, the main reason I got it at my first try for uni jobs was because of my law degree, they wanted me to open a Legal English class. I've since been transferred to the Law Department, where me and the other law-degree holding guy are encouraged to open new content classes for the law students. |
Good to hear. It probably depends though on where one applies. Perhaps an elementary school director might see it as an overqualification and view the law degree holder as a threat. Maybe it's also the case at a hagwon. I imagine I'm going to have to pay my dues for at least a year in a hagwon before going for a uni position. I believe you said that you did too. Did you list the law degree on your resume for hagwon positions? |
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Jimskins
Joined: 07 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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| No they really dont care about your degree, unless its an English related major, then you might be able to get more pay. I worked at a hogwan for a year before going home for a couple and realizing i liked teaching more than lawyering. So i got an MA, came back and did 2 years in a public school before applying for uni jobs. |
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grandpa
Joined: 19 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 10:53 pm Post subject: |
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I've got an MA, CELTA, and TEFL. The TEFL was the easiest of the bunch.
It can only improve your resume. Go for it. |
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alistaircandlin
Joined: 24 Sep 2004
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 11:44 pm Post subject: |
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I second what Edward wrote about:
| edwardcatflap wrote: |
| CELTA ['s] other benefits (making people better teachers) |
With respect, I thinkthe flaming on this thread might have taken away the focus from the original question, somewhat. I thought it was quite a good question, actually. The OP asked if it's worth doing a CELTA after he completes an MA TESOL.
For my money it is. I started out by doing in CELTA when I first got into teaching, because I felt like I wanted some experience in the classroom before actually getting into one without any support.
While I don't think the CELTA prepared me for behaviour management, it did leave me with basic concepts that remain with me eight years later. The first big thing is that minimising teacher talking time is a good thing. Secondly, they emphasise a communicative approach to language learning.
Okay, this is no big deal if you've already done a TESOL MA, but I think that the difference is that for the CELTA, you actually have to stand up and put it into practice. For me, this practical experience was very valuable.
If you study the CELTA full time it is challenging, and can be stressful, but nothing that you won't cope with. I think that if you've done your MA your planning should not be so time-consuming as it was for me - I remember being up into the early hours planning for the next day.
I went on to train as a secondary English teacher in the UK, after a few years' experience in Korea, and I'd say that was more difficult than the CELTA - largely because when you teach British kids, behaviour management is a big deal, whereas for a CELTA course it's not an issue: you teach adults. But, until I did my PGCE, the CELTA course was the most difficult thing I ever did.
To go back to Edward's point about making you a better teacher - the CELTA will certainly help you do this - for you it will give you an opportunity to put the things you've written about on your MA into practice.
As a footnote: unless I'm mistaken you did the MA TESOL before getting any teaching experience? That must be tough! I'm doing one at the moment too, but after six or seven years teaching - I'm glad I did it this way round, because I can relate all the reading to practical experience, and use it in practice. I'm not saying it's the best way round to do it, though - there are pros and cons - I'd expect that your lessons will be better than mine were when I first started.
All the best with whatever you choose to do. The CELTA will certainly help develop your teaching practice. I've never regretted doing it, and at some point will probably do the DELTA. I guess one of the questions raised by this thread is whether your objective is to get well-paid jobs, or whether it is to improve your teaching practice. (That's not to say you can't do both!)
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