I want to hear from travelling English teachers...
I want to hear from travelling English teachers who can advise me what the difference is between TEFL/TESOL and CELTA.
Any general advice about becoming an English teacher for speakers of foreign languages would also be very helpful.
Thanks in advance.
Reply to this CELTA is a brand name of a certificate to teach English as a foreign language - TEFL. The TESOL run by the Trinity exam board is another one. Both the CELTA and the Trinity are the most widely acccepted and recognised courses worldwide.
Other courses, often called TESOL but not run by Trinity, are of varying qualities. The bottom line is that you need to take a course that has at least 120 hours of teaching along with 6 hours of observed teaching practise, teaching real students. Online and weekend courses are not accepted for decent jobs.
You can get jobs in some countries like Korea, Japan and China without a certificate. Personally I would say that taking a course to tell you how to go about teaching English to students who don't understand you is invaluable.
As for other advice, what do you want to know? Qualifications/countries/pay/lifesyle?
Kate
Reply to this Thanks Kate.
I have read some conflicting information on the internet so I have been finding it difficult to understand.
Pay and lifestyle I assume differs based on qualifications, experience and country. I have read that when finding a job many places require that you also have a degree, which I currently do not have. Do you know how common this is? Am I going to find it difficult looking for a job without a degree or experience?
If you can make any suggestions about countries where it is good/easy to get experience and any pay or lifestyle information associated to those countries I would be grateful.
Thanks again
Alan
Reply to this Hey Alan
That's no problem. I remember how confusing it was at the beginning.
When you say you currently don't have a degree, do you mean you are working on one? This is going to be a problem for you. The visa/work permit regulations for many countries ask for a degree. People do teach without a degree, but often it's 'under the table' so they don't have the correct visa/permit. You will find it more difficult to get a job without a degree, but it doesn't mean it's not possible.
As for countries, there are many in the world - so what continent/area were you thinking about? The best pay is in the Middle East but you need experience to work there. That's followed on the pay scale by Asia. Asian countries vary in their requirements. Some areas of China will accept you without a degree I think. You would probably be ok in Cambodia or Laos too. Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea are quite strict. However, I do know people teaching here in Vietnam without a degree, it just is not necessarily for the best school or for the best money. Europe and South America are not well paid. I've heard you can teach in South America without a degree in some places. The recession in Europe means that there are less jobs there at the moment. Also you can only teach in Europe with an EU passport.
Kate
Reply to this Thanks for the info.
I have been considering completing a degree but I'm not sure if it is financially viable.
I'm going to look about and see what sort of positions are being advertised and what qualifications they are specifying.
I haven't decided quite where I was planning on going. I was thinking that 6 month contracts here and there might be a good idea while I find a country/institute that I really like. I am currently studying Spanish so my original thought was to return to Latin America. But I have also had plans to visit all different parts of Asia and Africa too.
I have friends with varying qualifications teaching English in Mexico and China. I've sent them messages for info and advice too but I'm waiting on replies.
Thanks again
Alan
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