Hi,
I contacted TEFL in Ireland about an English course.I do not have a University B.A . only a Cert from a Polytechnic.I have no teaching experience.
I want to teach in Thailand but they ask for a B.A .
I said this to the TEFL instructor and was told you can without the BA. I think they just want me to pay for the course.
I can get an honoury degree from the internet in Mine exploration .I don't know if this is a valid way or possible.
I don't want to waste time and money if its not possible.
You have any ideas.
Thankyou
Atkin
Qualifications for teaching
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joshua2004
- Posts: 264
- Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2004 7:08 pm
- Location: Torreon, Mexico
If you go about teaching english in a foreign country and you do not have a degree or teaching experience, you might be limited to low paying, possibly threatening or sometimes very unhappy places to work. This being said, there are exceptions for all this. You might find a university that is in desperate need for a teacher and will hire you on the spot, I have heard stories of this happening.
Many schools and some countries require a degree or certification in order to be able to work. (Check it out for the country you want to visit.) If you can get yourself some teaching experience, volunteering where you are at, or some job teaching as an assissant (most US public schools offer teacher assistant jobs) this will help you greatly. Volunteer in an ESL classroom. The so-called degree offered by training schools is not highly respected by serious proffesionals. IT IS better than nothing, however an expensive course.
I imagine English schools ask for some sort of certification to see that you are committed to teaching and that you have some experience. But like I said, the degrees are not highly respected, this is why many call the training centers "diploma mills".
If I were you, I would volunteer, do something to get myself some time in the classroom and if I needed to, get a tefl certification. I would try and spend as little money as possible.
The problem I see with most TEFL programs is the lack of real classroom experience you get, plus the teaching of methods that are not research based. Most research is pointing away from textbook, grammar-based language courses. However the majority of cert programs AND SCHOOLS still support this "traditional" method of teaching.
So maybe what they teach you in the cert programs is applicable since that is how the schools are teaching, but it is not very effective. This leads to why so many people complain about learning English and why the language teaching business is so cut-throat. You have to use many "classroom management skills" to keep things going and keep the student's attention focused.
You can find a way to teach in Thailand. Get yourself some teaching experience and try and learn as much as you can about teaching before you go. I always reccommend reading Stephen Krashen:
http://www.sdkrashen.com/main.php3
Many schools and some countries require a degree or certification in order to be able to work. (Check it out for the country you want to visit.) If you can get yourself some teaching experience, volunteering where you are at, or some job teaching as an assissant (most US public schools offer teacher assistant jobs) this will help you greatly. Volunteer in an ESL classroom. The so-called degree offered by training schools is not highly respected by serious proffesionals. IT IS better than nothing, however an expensive course.
I imagine English schools ask for some sort of certification to see that you are committed to teaching and that you have some experience. But like I said, the degrees are not highly respected, this is why many call the training centers "diploma mills".
If I were you, I would volunteer, do something to get myself some time in the classroom and if I needed to, get a tefl certification. I would try and spend as little money as possible.
The problem I see with most TEFL programs is the lack of real classroom experience you get, plus the teaching of methods that are not research based. Most research is pointing away from textbook, grammar-based language courses. However the majority of cert programs AND SCHOOLS still support this "traditional" method of teaching.
So maybe what they teach you in the cert programs is applicable since that is how the schools are teaching, but it is not very effective. This leads to why so many people complain about learning English and why the language teaching business is so cut-throat. You have to use many "classroom management skills" to keep things going and keep the student's attention focused.
You can find a way to teach in Thailand. Get yourself some teaching experience and try and learn as much as you can about teaching before you go. I always reccommend reading Stephen Krashen:
http://www.sdkrashen.com/main.php3
