Teacher Discussion Forums

I'm not entirely sure which forum to post this in, so I'm most likely going to be cross posting this a fair bit. Apologies if you see this more than once!

Essentially, I am thinking about doing my CELTA next year, and have been leaning predominantly towards the more economical option of studying for that here before jetting off after. However, I am slightly anxious that by not doing my CELTA in the country in which I intend to teach, I am denying myself a vital opportunity for making friends in that country. A teacher friend of mine in Madrid highly recommends spending the extra money and taking my CELTA in the country in which I intend to teach, as virtually her entire social life stems from her coursemates, and indeed she says that she doesn't know how she would have made friends otherwise as all the other teachers in her school are on quite different wavelengths, i.e. married with children and definitely not up for for exploring the highs of Madrid's party scene.

However, there must surely be other ways of forming a strong social network that I've not thought of, right? After all, people frequently take their CELTA in one country and then leave for another. If any of you ended up teaching in a different country to which you took your initial course, then I'd be extremely interested to hear your experiences-positive or negative-of building up a social network without a ready made group of coursemates. At the moment I'm wondering whether saving money by staying in the UK to take my CELTA will really stand me in good stead when the time comes to move abroad and find a new social life.

Cheers!

Heya, lealea11

Depends on what kind of social life you're after, dunnit?

Your friend makes a good point. If you're young and into partying and want to live in a city, then it's a good point.

Having said that, though, it's exactly what's likely to happen ANYWAY from the connections you make in the staffroom wherever you're working. I don't think it's entirely about a CELTA training course. In fact, the CELTA can be so full-on for some people that the LAST thing they want is a bunch of people nagging them to go out partying when they should be furiously planning lessons!

So do what you WANT to do.

Daft advice, in a way, but maybe it's what you need to hear.

Do you WANT to do your CELTA in the UK? Are there compelling reasons for doing so? If so, do it in the UK and pick up a new social life when you move abroad. You will. It's not an "if".

If you really want to get a taste for the country you intend on going to and to find your feet there before you have to dive into the job market, organise a course there and go for it! BUT... on this note, I would say get there well in advance of your course starting so that you have accommodation and the basic-basics all sorted before you start the whirlwind that is the CELTA. You DON'T want to sorting all this stuff out AND dealing with a deluge of new information and criticism.

Does that help?

Hope so.

Best,
Tanuki