Teacher Discussion Forums

I read some interesting insight from joshua2004 and others regarding the post asking about teaching qualifications, so I hope to hear from the same crowd and others if they're reading.
My life is amidst a sea change right now. I am 39 y.o. , have been studying Spanish for the first time over the past year, and I'm obsessed with Mexico. I want to begin life anew as an ESL teacher, but I want to be well qualified before I begin teaching. So this is the first part of the scenario I would like to embark on: 1. Sell my house and study in Mexico for 4-6 months in a language immersion program (probably in Morelia or Mérida) 2. Return to the states and begin a graduate program in NYC. My questions are 1. What grad degrees would prepare me best if I wished to teach ESL principally to adults? 2. Would it be better to get a Master's in Spanish, English, or Linguistics and get certification only in ESL, or would you suggest something different? Can I count on finding employment with insurance with this yet undetermined degree in, say, NYC? Could I relocate semi-permanently to Mexico and count on finding similar employment at a Mexican university, or possibly continue my education at a Mexican university? If it helps, my personal love is for literature; I have a BA already plus over 40 hours of continuing education credits; I taught Language Arts (what we old-timers used to call just plain "English") for one year at a local Catholic school to 5th through 8th graders--this was without certification, but I really enjoyed it. Any of a thousand directions you could point me in given the info I provided would be most appreciated.

The way I see it you already have enough education to teach ESL. I wouldn't waste your time going back to a university to get any more degrees unless for some other reason you really want to.

You don't really need to speak the language of the country you are teaching in in order to teach. It helps but not necessary. I taught in Spain without knowing Spanish. I learned it as I went along but didn't really need it to teach.

The only thing you might want to look at is getting ESL certification. You can get one online that is reputable and accepted all over the world.

You can go to

http://www.english-teaching-info.com/es ... ation.html

for more info on this.

But getting certified is not absolutely necessary either. There are many places you can teach without certification. I'm not certified, for example. And there are schools all over Mexico that are always looking for native speakers to teach.

So I wouldn't put off going out and teaching ESL by doing so much and spending so much money to "get prepared." You are already qualified. In fact, if you look hard enough I bet you could find a good job teaching in Mexico next month.

Don't wait. "Carpe diem" and all that. Now's the time to do it. Get your resume together and a good cover letter, find yourself some schools to contact and send them off.

Congratulations on choosing to be an ESL teacher! It is a great career and lots of fun. And you'll meet great, great people. Some of the greatest people I have met in my life have been through teaching ESL. I love it!

Also if you go to my site I have a free ebook for people wanting to teach abroad. You might find it helpful.

All the best. Let me know if I can help.

Richard Bienvenu
www.english-teaching-info.com

If you want to teach outside of the USA you should just go out and get a teaching job rather then going back to school.

However, teaching within the US a MA might make you qualified for higher paying positions.

I am in NYC right now and there are plenty of jobs that pay 14-19 hour.( hard to survive on that in NYC) There are higher paying positions but it is a lot more competitive.

If anyone else out there has some info about job opportunities,and Salaries in the US or sugestions about TESOL Programs, I would be interested to know their thoughts and experiences.

I am considering MA in TESOL programs in NYC.