Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ddeubel]

I'm wondering how many would agree? I just put this up on my public blog.
http://bit.ly/9fDSr8

Straight from the neocortex.

DD
http://eflclassroom.com

[Troglodyte]

On the job training is definitely worth something, but it depends on what type of school you're working for.

I didn't have any training when I started out. I took my first TEFL course about 2 years after I started teaching full time, but.... my first jobs were in Europe. I was working with other foreign teachers (the vast majority of whom had formal training) and in the planning of the courses, it was taken into consideration that I had no training and that I'd need feedback (constructive feedback). If a new teacher's school offers actual on the job training, then sure, you can probably just jump into the deep end, so to speak.

From my experience, schools in Asia use the teacher as a piece of equipment. On the job training is minimal to non-existent. Often there is only one foreign teacher at the school. When there are many, it's still common that most (all) are new/inexperienced/untrained teachers.

There's only so much that you can learn from reading up on TEFL (in a book or online). Sure, you can figure it all out on your own by trial and error, but it may take years. To be a good teacher (an not just an alternative to the tape player or a conversation partner) you really need to be taught by someone more experienced - in a TEFL course or in on the job training sessions.

Whenever I've been involved in hiring NETs, I've given a lot of weight to experience, but if they had no training I'd be reluctant to hire them. From a practical point of view, to get jobs in many countries, you need a recognized TEFL course. The most well known is probably the CELTA. Regardless of what people might think of it's quality compared to it's cost, one thing is sure, it WILL help a new teacher to get jobs that actually require teaching. In Europe, it's pretty much a requirement. In South America it's not needed at all schools, but it will get you a lot more job offers (so you can pick and chose the ones you like).

So, where can you get good on the job training? Not much of it in Korea. It used to be that you could get it in Europe. Nowadays though, the job market in most of Europe is tied up because of hiring laws. If you aren't an EU citizen or married to one, it's kind of hard not to get those jobs. Russia is still an option. So is South America (if you end up with a decent sized school). Some countries in Asia do offer training, but again that's something specific to large schools. If you're at a little school and you and other guy are the only foreign teachers, who is going to train you?


My advice to new teachers - take a recognized TEFL course. You will eventually get job experience either way.

[ddeubel]

Troglodyte,

A lot of wisdom in your reply and I'm not as radical as I appear/read.

However, I do think you are leaning towards a certificate because it will "accredit" a teacher , meaning - get them a job and get their employer to have confidence in them. I'm fine with that - that's a reality. But does it lead to better teaching? That's my larger question.

I have no argument against credentials so a teacher can get a job. A reality, though I wish it weren't so. Still, I'm not convinced it pays off in better teacher performance without the necessary experience and personal qualities.

DD
http://eflclassroom.com

[Troglodyte]

I'll admit that I did my first TEFL certificate for the job possibilities. I'd been working in ELT for a couple years and I saw that a lot of job announcements were asking for it - either as a preference or a requirement. So, I signed up for a CELTA course. It was (and in many countries still is) the most requested and most known about TEFL certificate. It was expensive (by my reckoning at that time) but it paid for itself in the better jobs that I got.

That being said, I do think that I learned from the course.

I agree with you though that on the job training is also a valuable way to learn. The problem is that a lot of schools don't offer much in the way of training. You have to be working at a medium to large sized language school with other trained teachers to even have that possibility. Either that, or working for a school that is willing to send you on outside training courses. Otherwise, it's just on the job experience. I think that a lot of the experience gained in Korea is not very transferable to ELT jobs in other countries (particularly those outside of Asia).

I think that new teachers who intend to spend more than 2 or 3 years in ELT would benefit from taking a serious TEFL course to learn the basics of the profession. Even if they don't use that training at their first job, they will eventually use it, and some of it is likely to be useful to them in any country.

[MMagidson]

I don't think on the job training is as beneficial as many might think it is. Especially for the situation many of us are in; not knowing what to do, not given any initial direction (as was my case), and the fun language barrier. There are many things that we don't know as beginning teachers which proves difficult to master because of a lack of any stepping ground given to some of us. In any job situation though, OTJ training is not very effective because many steps are left unaccounted for. These steps are considered 2nd nature and without thought to people who "get it."

For example, quieting down a class. We don't think about, assessing the class volume, determining if the noise is promoting the comprehension of learning English, administering a method of control, judging the class after the first method, giving points or taking points away, etc. My first few months here without any direction, I was helpless with this. Maybe my example is bad but there are many other teaching methods that we don't know without some sort of training because of the great amount of automaticities that exist. On the job training is ineffective for this reason.

[Troglodyte]

MMagidson, I think that you're confusing "on the job training" with "job experience". You're right, that most schools don't provide any training, especially here in Korea. Most don't even provide any useful advice. This is one of the downsides to beginning an ELT career here. Some schools (in some countries it's more common than others) the schools have peer or head teacher observations with feedback, some have afternoon training sessions, some even have weekend training camps for their employees, some have an orientation training period. When schools provide those, it's quite valuable to teachers, particularly new teachers. I think that the observations by peers and head teachers are particularly valuable because they focus on the needs of the individual teachers.

Simple job experience (without training) IS as you pointed out, of limited benefit to the teacher.