No degree, still possible to teach English?

the deftone

Hey guys,

Im 29 and not working at the minute. My other half hates her job and wants to quit. Neither of us have degrees unfortunately. Would it still be possible to teach in spain? (open to other countrys too)

What courses would we need to do to get jobs over there?

Would it be possible for us to secure jobs together, same town, same start date ect....

How much money would we need saved up to start?

As you can tell I know very little about this stuff, any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys.

clever user name

Its getting harder and harder to teach English without a degree, but its still possible in some places. Actually, somewhere like Spain is the best place to go for one simple reason...you don't need a visa. Most countries now will require you do show your degree when you apply for a work visa, which can make it hard to get a job while staying legal.

I taught in Spain for a year, about 4 years ago. I do have a degree, but I met plenty of people who didn't have one and were teaching without any problems. If you don't have a degree it would probably best to get the best TEFL cert you can...CELTA/CELT/TRINITY. As for getting a job, that will most likely be the hard part. Most of the jobs online will problem state that a degree is necessary, although it's possible you might find some where its not. Be wary of programs that offer TEFL certification and a guaranteed job, I've heard some horror stories. I have no experience of these programs, but if you do see one online then just make sure you google it for reviews.

Madrid will obviously have the most jobs available, and always does. I'm not sure about other cities, but I'd guess that Barcelona, Valencia etc would also have more schools that anywhere else. The problem with Spain in general is that the money is pretty terrible, especially if you have no experience. The average wage for an English teacher is probably about 900-1200 euro a month. Rent will take a good chuck out of that. I don't know what the situation is with smaller towns, I expect that they will have English schools, but whether they are popular choices (therefore hard to get work) I'm not sure.

I don't really know what advice to give you to be honest. Just get online and google as much up to date information as you can. Daves esl cafe has a forum with a Spain section, that would be the first place I would go. I would be wary of going to Spain without a job lined up as your money can disappear pretty quickly while you are searching for a job, same goes for any country I suppose.

As for alternative places to go, I know its possible to go to China without a degree. I have a dozen friends over there doing it. The plus side to China is you will have a job before you leave. I'm in Thailand, and I know that for my non-b visa and work permit I had to show my degree and transcripts. Then again, I know a few people working in Bangkok without a degree. My personal opinion would be that its easier to get a job in Asia without a degree, but still not as easy as it used to be. Best bet is to to search all the esl job sites and see what you come up with...this is a good one to start with http://www.esljobfeed.com/ You WILL find jobs that say 'no degree necessary', but be careful and do your research on them.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, having no degree is a complicated scenario and not something I have personal experience with. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

the deftone

Thanks so much for your reply, really helpful. The CELTA seems like a lot of money for me right now, especially with me having no experience teaching. I think I would like to see if teaching is something I would enjoy before investing in a course like CELTA. Would it be worth my time doing one of those 120hr online TEFL courses? Or are is that a worthless qualification? Thanks for any info

clever user name

the deftone wrote: »

Thanks so much for your reply, really helpful. The CELTA seems like a lot of money for me right now, especially with me having no experience teaching. I think I would like to see if teaching is something I would enjoy before investing in a course like CELTA. Would it be worth my time doing one of those 120hr online TEFL courses? Or are is that a worthless qualification? Thanks for any info

Are they worthless? My opinion is it depends on how much you pay for it. On one hand, it will give you an insight into the kind of things you will be teaching and some of the methodology. On the other hand you can find that kind of stuff for free on the internet. If it was a cheap one it might be worth doing just to get a taste of whats involved. The main fault with them is in their title...online. Nothing can replace or compete with actual classroom experience, which is what the CELTA will give you. It is hands down the best course there is.

The reason I mentioned doing a CELTA is that it will give you a distinct advantage, especially since you don't have a degree. Surprisingly, not many teachers I have met have done it. In saying that some schools don't really care too much about qualifications as long as your white and are a native English speaker.

You won't know if teaching is something you enjoy until you try it, in a classroom. That's another reason why I mentioned the CELTA. You can spend 4 weeks at home doing the CELTA and finding out if you like it, that will cost you about 1300. If you uproot and move to Spain (or somewhere else) you will likely spend just as much money getting yourself set up. And you could well find out in your first week teaching that you hate it. . Its a tough one I know...there's the safe option or the dive in headfirst one. So its entirely up to you. Good luck with whatever you choose to do Let me know if you have any other questions.