Very o/t - Anyone got experience of teaching English abroad?

[Marty McFly]

Hello

I am currently looking into completing a TEFL course. I don't have much money to spare, and i'm not sure whether it is a career I could settle in or whether it would be a short term solution to continue seeing the world, so I am leaning towards the cheaper online courses. I am particularly interested in the itoi and Ical. Now, I have been looking into the advantages and disadvantages of online vs offline courses, but forums tend to end up in binfests (remind you of anywhere? )

So, if you have experience of teaching abroad with a TEFL, what would you say the chances of getting a job with an online TEFL qualification would be in South America or Central Asia? Would I stand a reasonable chance or should I opt for a CELTA or equivalent?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Drumstick]

One of my good friends has CELTA and has spent 4 years teacher in various universities around Thailand, he has since come to England for some summer temping and in August going out to Saudi to work. I don't know what other qualifications he has apart this though apart from his own university qualifications.

 

[Bozza]

NSCer [MENTION=840]rrruss[/MENTION] has been doing this for years I think.

 

[Marty McFly]

Cheers guys.

I'll send rrruss a pm in a bit.

 

[Seagull's Return]

CELTA - either RSA or Trinity; the industry-standard basic qualification. RSA used to have bragging rights over Trinity, but don't know if that still holds.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

To be fair, it doesn't have to be teaching.

There is pretty much nothing MM wouldn't do to enable him to get another exotic trip abroad

 

[Seagull's Return]

Should add that increasingly countries are asking for a degree, too. In the old days you used to be able to fake them (I once had someone else's 3rd Class Degree in Librarian Studies from Manchester Poly, courtesy of Tippex and a photocopier - worked for years), I guess this is harder in a digital world.

 

[Marty McFly]

To be fair, it doesn't have to be teaching.

There is pretty much nothing MM wouldn't do to enable him to get another exotic trip abroad

I resent this comment. I'm sure there's a line somewhere. I'm just yet to find it!

CELTA - either RSA or Trinity; the industry-standard basic qualification. RSA used to have bragging rights over Trinity, but don't know if that still holds.

Hi SR,
Do you know of many people getting jobs with only an online qualification? Or would you say the absolute minimum should be CELTA? Especially considering I don't have a degree.

And thanks for replying.

 

[Colossal Squid]

I have heard that you really need the Celta or other big name one to be taken seriously. It's an incredibly tight market these days with young people in this country, and particularly down here, unable to afford to live on regular wages. It makes a lot of sense to get work abroad where the cost of living is more manageable but of course you are not the first to realise this and young folk are flocking out of the uk in their droves. Because of this the institutions employing them can afford to be picky and most will expect you to have a degree as well.

It is very tempting but in truth if anyone could just pay a grand for a month of training and them be guaranteed paid work the world over people wouldn't be stuck in call centres or dead end finance jobs. If it sounds too good to be true I'm afraid it usually is

 

[Essan128]

I took a TEFL in Bangkok and have been teaching in Thailand for three and a half years. Best thing I’ve ever done! Love the job and the whole experience.

As far as a degree is concerned, I don't have one either. Makes it a little tricky with the work permit but there are schools who will take you on with just a TEFL.

Just go for it, you won’t regret it.

 

[Bakero]

If you want to get certified I'd recommend getting a CELTA or Trinity; any serious institution will require this. An online course is a waste of time. There are plenty of schools that will accept an unqualified teacher as long as they have a passport from an English speaking country but an online TEFL brings little benefit.

Basically, if you want to make a decent wage and have no experience, get a recognised qualification. PM me if you have any more questions.

 

[Marty McFly]

Thanks a lot guys. Been massively helpful so far.

And Bakero, I may do. Cheers.

 

[Schrödinger's Toad]

I've worked in English teaching for a while, and none of the places I've worked employ teachers with anything but the CELTA/Trinity ... however this is in Europe (Poland and Spain), I'm not sure if the same applies in Asia/South America. That said, it's something I'd recommend - the online courses that don't involve observed and assessed teaching practice aren't going to prepare you for the job you'll be expected to do. Besides, if students are going to be paying for your expertise, it seems fair to be reasonably qualified.

Even in Europe, you'll find places that'll employ you without the CELTA/Trinity, but few of them are going to be particularly good to work for, with excessive hours and class sizes and crap pay.

 

[rrruss]

If you want to make a career out of this, a CELTA is a must. Even CELTA equivalents like mine cause problems and I frequently have to get confirmation emails that my course was legit!

If all you want to do is travel around the world and pick up a bit of work here or there, a weekend or online course will give you some idea about what you'll be doing but it's no substitute for the 4 week course and many employers are aware of this. It's better than nothing but you won't get any long term work with it.

As for a degree, some countries require a degree for their visa regulations but the Middle East is getting tougher without a degree in English or TESOL. Even with contacts and 5 years TEFL experience I can't get a job in Oman because the ministries can't authorise a visa when my degree is not in an English subject.

You will find small operators almost anywhere that will take you with minimum qualifications and experience, but the pay and conditions are likely to reflect this. Some don't even pay but you've probably heard those sort of horror stories before!!

All in all it's been a very rewarding change of direction and no regrets whatsoever, except giving up my season ticket, gaining no loyalty points and, as yet, not securing a Spurs ticket!!!!!!

Russ

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Some years ago, a friend of mine with many years experience of teaching English as a foreign language in the UK (with all the pukka qualifications and some gold-plated experience, such as teaching at Roedean) moved to Australia with her husband. The only way she could continue in her profession was to obtain an additional Australian qualification.

It might be worth checking out the requirements in the country that you intend working in. Don't assume that a UK qualification will be adequate, however good it is.

 

[culvers]

I went to Japan and taught for two years here California Language Institute it was a really good introduction to teaching English abroad, but all the children were very young. After two years I wanted to teach in Europe so took a 4 week TEFL course here Language Link London - this was really helpful and essential to get work in Europe. A TEFL didn't seem that important to teach in Asia, but that may well have changed since.

I would certainly not recommend doing an online or weekend course, the 4 week course is what most people look for as a bare minimum. I am really glad I went out and did teaching in another country, definitely one of the best things I have done, and may well go back to it one day.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

It depends on where you want to work and how serious you are about it. If you want to make it a career then I'd recommend you get the best qualification you can. If you only want to work for a year or so then get the cheapest option, although there are still places (in Japan at least) that will take you with nothing but a valid passport and visa.

If you came to Japan with a working holiday visa you could get work at a language school such as Gaba (Teaching in Japan : Gaba One to One English : Overseas Recruiting : About Japan), Shane or Berlitz(Berlitz have schools all over the world so it's worth checking out their website: Berlitz Career Services - Worldwide Teaching, Career Employment Opportunities) without any specific qualifications in teaching. There are also plenty of small, independent schools who will employ you with no qualifications or experience. In some cases having no qualifications or experience is actually beneficial as the school can then get you teaching the way they want you to, although with the job market shrinking after the economic crisis I think the more qualifications and experience you have the better it will be. More than anything (again in Japan at least) it is important how you come across as a person. If you appear friendly, patient and engaging in the interview then you've gone a long way to getting the job regardless of your c.v.

Actually, if you came to Japan on a working holiday visa you'd be able to find piece meal work for sure. You could end up working in a elementary/junior/high school for a day, working with pre-schoolers for a day, teaching business men for a day and a succession of bored housewives for the rest of the week.

If you need any help/clarification feel free to ask.

 

[Seagull kimchi]

CELTA is the best - but be warned it is expensive and really hard! Literally the hardest thing I've done education wise.

However if your not sure about whether this is a career move yet then there's no need to do it just yet. There are many countries in Asia that will employ you with nothing except a degree in any field and a clean criminal record. I think Vietnam is the only Asian country where major learning centres require CELTA.

Here in Korea there is a huge market for ESL and it has by far the best pay compared to other Asian countries, it is easy for me to save 10 grand in a year and then head off to a tropical paradise for another 6 months of R n R!

 

[JetsetJimbo]

I'm currently studying for a CELTA, and I have to echo Seagull kimchi on this one: it's bloody hard, definitely as difficult as anything I had to do during my degree (except for possibly my dissertation). It also pretty much guarantees you'll be able to earn enough to keep a roof over your head in any non-English-speaking country outside western Europe though (there's not so much demand for English teachers in western Europe, but the old eastern bloc countries and the rest of the world are crying out for English language teachers).

By all means do other courses first, but aim towards getting a CELTA qualification if you have the time and money. Some countries require a degree before you're allowed to teach, and I think Japan might be one of them (someone will correct me if I'm wrong!), but in most of the world a CELTA will stand you in good stead.

 

[Capricorn]

I'm glad someone made a thread about this, and it's even better the excellent information people are giving, because i've been thinking about this for a while now aswell. Basically what I want to do is complete a Bachelor of Primary Education degree at university and then after a number of years of being a Primary School Teacher move on to teaching abroad. As far as I can see so far it appears that the jobs you are all talking about involves teaching adults english, I was just wondering if there are jobs with a similar entry process that would allow me to teach english to children abroad? If this is not possible or I end up changing my mind and teaching adults english, would the degree of primary education have any relevance and count for anything? Moreover if I was teaching children abroad would the degree count for anything?
I realise that being in Australia the entry processes etc may be different, but I was just hopiing to get any information I can on this, to help me get a clearer mind of what I need to do, and the reality of me doing it.
Thanks