Korean Job Discussion Forums

[daveeslcafe888]

Hi Everyone,

From different threads, people have convinced me that I should get a CELTA.

1. Is it best to move to the target country I want to teach in (say UAE or Qatar)?

2. Have any of you guys had especially positive experiences in one place or another?

Thanks

[Vimfuego]

I believe the British Council do it here in Korea. http://www.britishcouncil.org/korea-teacher-development-courses.htm

[missty]

You don't need to move to the country that you want to teach in at all. They do, I believe have courses here in Seoul, like the other poster mentioned, if you just wanted to stay local.

I did mine in Prague. Partly because the course was slightly cheaper there (the accomodation was anyway, and the cost of living too) and also because my Dad lives there so I could have a little restbite from the strenuous course. But the course at IH Prague was very good quality, and I would recommend it.

But really, you can go anywhere in the world to do the CELTA, so if you wanted to go somewhere new other than Seoul, then it really doesn't matter where. I kind of wish I had done mine in Thailand.

[DejaVu]

Just find the location that is the cheapest. I've heard the U.S. course is more expensive than most.

[Swampfox10mm]

It can only be helpful to further your education. A CELTA will help qualify you for some of the best hagwon jobs in Korea.

Just don't get an MA. Please stick with the CELTA. I don't need any more competition at the university level.

[ttompatz]

IH BKK is offering the CELTA for $2100 room and board included.

.

[pegasus64128]

I did mine in my home country. It's paying for itself (or at least should be :\ ) as I type. Actually, my HR department just paid the wrong person's account

[whoami]

It can be pretty useful to take the CELTA in the country you intend to teach, particularly if you want to establish contacts through your training provider. I did mine last year with IH in Budapest (course price around 10% cheaper than Prague), and many employers tend to go there when looking for teachers in Hungary. I don't know whether this is the case elsewhere, however.

The CELTA website (cambridgeesol-centres.org) has a list of all the places which offer CELTA courses, with contact details, but you'll have to look at the training centre's own website for course dates and fees.

[Hotpants]

If you haven't even got the CELTA, I'd forget targeting the UAE just yet. Most of the people in the top positions there that I know have PdDs and a lot of teaching experience.

My 2 cents: If you are in this for the short haul, just get the cheapest cert out there. If you are in this for the long haul, you can still aim for a cheap course (a lot of centers offer cheaper courses in off-peak seasons), but it must be done full-time, on-site. Also try to get a decent sounding name training center, as in some cases, employers who have no idea of regional geography outside their own country, have at least heard of certain educational names (even if the name of the college was totally unassociated from the establishment it derived its name from) which do sadly (but luckily for you) influence their decision making in the recruitment process.