TEFL/CELTA/CELT answers...

cloneslad · 14-06-2010 3:43am

RecentGrad2010 wrote: »

It doesn't seem right that people only think to comment when they're aggravated, and not when they are gratified!

people often comment when satisfied with something and that's great. It was because you made one post, ever, and it included website information, it was almost like a user testomonial found on a company website promoting them.

RecentGrad2010 · 14-06-2010 12:31pm

cloneslad wrote: »

people often comment when satisfied with something and that's great. It was because you made one post, ever, and it included website information, it was almost like a user testomonial found on a company website promoting them.

Mmm k. Well I just got my CELTA this week.... so I couldn't really comment until that point... So I think it'd be logical that my first post would be a review? Can I reiterate that I had a great time and was thrilled?

Hahaha, seriously, maybe we've become a little too cynical as a group if that seems ridiculous.

I included the website to make it easier for people who were interested; it took me ten seconds to Google. I hope it makes someone's decision easier, because I know I spent hours trolling forums and message boards before I decided on the program I took. I think you can appreciate that

Roper56 · 16-06-2010 10:19pm

hey guys

has anybody any advice on doing the EBC tefl courses in Buenos Aries, Argentina???????thinking of doing it just after this summer, any advice would be appreciated.

backrow67n8 · 20-06-2010 12:16am

Hi I'm a 24yo male, who is an unemployed carpenter, I have completed the leaving cert although my results weren't up to much. Recently I have given serious thought to travelling abroad and I have been pointed in the direction of teaching English as a foreign language in places like eastern europe and asia etc... Has anyone any info on what course to do? how hard it would be to get a job abroad? any info would be hugely appreciated. I have been on TEFLIreland's website and their advertising a 120 hour course for roughly 5-600 euro and saying that with that qualification you could teach abroad. I'd love to go to the Czech Republic and I love helping people better themselves as I'm a sports coach (I know its not the same as teaching a language) but it all seems a bit too good to be true?? Any advice? Thanks

cloneslad · 20-06-2010 3:46pm

backrow67n8 wrote: »

Hi I'm a 24yo male, who is an unemployed carpenter, I have completed the leaving cert although my results weren't up to much. Recently I have given serious thought to travelling abroad and I have been pointed in the direction of teaching English as a foreign language in places like eastern europe and asia etc... Has anyone any info on what course to do? how hard it would be to get a job abroad? any info would be hugely appreciated. I have been on TEFLIreland's website and their advertising a 120 hour course for roughly 5-600 euro and saying that with that qualification you could teach abroad. I'd love to go to the Czech Republic and I love helping people better themselves as I'm a sports coach (I know its not the same as teaching a language) but it all seems a bit too good to be true?? Any advice? Thanks

not having a degree is going to harm your chances of securing many jobs.

Also if you don't have any experience it's going to stand against whatever jobs you may have gotten without the degree.

As far as the 120 hour course. I wouldn't waste my money on it if I was you. It's not worth it as most places won't hire you for having one. They are used more to supplement the c.v of someone with a degree as it shows they have some experience and knowledge of teaching the language but tbh they are not much good to add as a qualification to secure employment.

This is not a dig at any of the organisations offering it before anyone jumps on me for what I said.

On a side note: you are young. Have you thought of applying to some degree courses related to carpentry, such as construction studies or construction management etc etc.

Your experience and the fact you have completed an apprenticehip (I'm assuming you have) will show to the college that you have the ability to work hard and already have a knowledge of some of the areas you will have to study.

I know this would mean you would be 27-28 before you could go teaching English abroad, but you would have another qualification and should you decide you don't want to teach abroad you could get more work in Ireland

squeakyduck · 20-06-2010 8:57pm

Just come across this thread. I've read the OP several times and I'm just none the wiser, too many letters are confusing me and I just can't keep them in my head!

I'm hoping to skip the country in maybe Feb time next year. At the moment I'm writing my thesis to complete my MA. I want to teach english to children or maybe business people in Korea/Japan or somewhere. I know already that a degree will help me big time. My MA certainly won't do no harm. I'm working part time(ish) at the moment until I get my TEFL (I want to save loads of money). I'm wondering what my best bet would be. I've seen weekend TEFL courses. Are they worth my while? I don't know if I could keep going with a part time TELF on the side of work especially after writing a thesis!

I certainly wouldn't be able to give up my job and do a full time one!

Any words of wisdom to little me???

cloneslad · 23-06-2010 7:21pm

squeakyduck wrote: »

Just come across this thread. I've read the OP several times and I'm just none the wiser, too many letters are confusing me and I just can't keep them in my head!

I'm hoping to skip the country in maybe Feb time next year. At the moment I'm writing my thesis to complete my MA. I want to teach english to children or maybe business people in Korea/Japan or somewhere. I know already that a degree will help me big time. My MA certainly won't do no harm. I'm working part time(ish) at the moment until I get my TEFL (I want to save loads of money). I'm wondering what my best bet would be. I've seen weekend TEFL courses. Are they worth my while? I don't know if I could keep going with a part time TELF on the side of work especially after writing a thesis! I certainly wouldn't be able to give up my job and do a full time one!

Any words of wisdom to little me???

You don't need a TEFL to get a job teaching in Korea. Sure it will help you with your teaching ability but it's the degree they want from you. It's what's needed to get the visa.

If you were to go to a public school then coming over at the end of feb/start of march is perfect as that's the main hiring season. The TEFL would get you a bump in pay (120hrs course or more I believe is needed to get the pay rise) Your MA would also get you a payrise with a public school.

If you just wanted to work in a hagwon (private school) and you feel confident in your ability to teach and have a good knoweldge of English grammar etc etc then I would suggest saving your money with the TEFL and just apply to lots of recruiters and they will get you a job over here.

In short, a TEFL is not required, it prob boosts your employability chances at a public school and will get you a bit of a pay rise each month but in a private school, (most - not all), just want someone with a degree.

Snowshoe Sam · 02-07-2010 12:57am

Hi,

I'm interested in obtaining a TEFL qualification and using it to work abroad for a while, possibly in Italy or Spain, then perhaps the UK?

I don't have a Bachelors Degree but I do have the ACCA (chartered certified accountant) qualification. This is recognised as equivalent to a post graduate qualification (Level 9 on the NQF).

What are my chances of teaching in Europe with this qualification? I notice that many of the European jobs on tefl.com require a university degree. Will they accept my ACCA qualification, as it is technically a higher level than a Bachelors Degree?

Anyone any experience or thoughts?

Sam

See Ye · 10-07-2010 11:48am

Essentially they put university degree as a basic label - you may even have added value for some employers with such a specific qualification. The guidelines for the CELTA course state that the applicant must have "a level of education which would allow them entry into higher education in their country". Once you have an EFL qualification that should put you ahead of people who just have a degree.

Snowshoe Sam · 10-07-2010 3:55pm

Thanks for your reply, See Ye.

Next step to choose a CELTA course then!

11-07-2010 7:31pm

Hey all, i've a degree in commerce and two years accounting experience since then. I'm thinking of moving to edinburgh to get some more experience at accounting and then do tefl/celta over.
Considering I don't intend on teaching past the next five years, would it be a bad idea to spend so much on the celta? I plan on teaching in Japan and Korea and would like to get some classroom experience before I'd head off. Is celta the only one to offer this?

I'm stuck without a laptop for a few days so finding info on this isn't the easiest on a mobile phone.. Thanks.

cloneslad · 12-07-2010 4:45pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Hey all, i've a degree in commerce and two years accounting experience since then. I'm thinking of moving to edinburgh to get some more experience at accounting and then do tefl/celta over.
Considering I don't intend on teaching past the next five years, would it be a bad idea to spend so much on the celta? I plan on teaching in Japan and Korea and would like to get some classroom experience before I'd head off. Is celta the only one to offer this?

I'm stuck without a laptop for a few days so finding info on this isn't the easiest on a mobile phone.. Thanks.

Although a tefl/celta is a good way at improving your grammar and teaching skills. If you don't intend making a longterm career at it and just fancy making a bit of money while you travel then you could easily get a job in Korea with just your degree,

I'm not saying don't do one, as it will be beneficial but you will get a job without one and if you work in a private school, chance are it's not even going to get you a pay rise or any appreciation or recognition by your boss.

See Ye · 12-07-2010 8:29pm

Well I'd always say get a qualification would you want to work as an electrician for five years with no qualification ? But I do take on board that it is a hefty investment and not always a requirement. You could perhaps think about JET as an initial step into teaching, you'd certainly get classroom experience.

nice_day · 13-07-2010 7:32pm

hi

I have a BA degree, and i will be doing a hdip in september, teaching english in secondary schools. i wouldn't mind brishing up on my grammer now with an online TEFL course. would i be right in thinking that even a cheap online TEFL would look good on the CV? And would the practical teaching element of the hdip counter the lack of practical teaching experience in an online TEFL course? and finally, in china or korea or somewhere, would a hdip in english, and an online TEFL course stand me in good stead for employment?

thanks for any replies.

cloneslad · 14-07-2010 3:29pm

nice_day wrote: »

hi

I have a BA degree, and i will be doing a hdip in september, teaching english in secondary schools. i wouldn't mind brishing up on my grammer now with an online TEFL course. would i be right in thinking that even a cheap online TEFL would look good on the CV? And would the practical teaching element of the hdip counter the lack of practical teaching experience in an online TEFL course? and finally, in china or korea or somewhere, would a hdip in english, and an online TEFL course stand me in good stead for employment?

thanks for any replies.

The H.dip / PGDE / PGCE would all look good. You would probably get more respect from your co-workers in a public school as they would know that you are actually a qualified teacher. Apart from those things, I think the fact that you are white and speak English as a native is what gets most people hired.

Alot of us out here in Korea have masters degrees, TEFL qualifications and much more. Although I think the vast majority of first timers are usually just holders of a degree when they come out, some might have a TEFl ? CELTA qualification.

If I was you, I would simply buy some grammar books and have a good read of them. The cheap TEFL course online (60hours etc) give very few details on grammar and are not particularly helpful, trust me, I paid for one about 4 years ago.

Instead of spending about €200 on a low level TEFL course, go to the library / local school or book shop (amazon) and grab some grammar books and study them at your convenience.

I also use the interent as a resource to help improve my grammar and to use in work sheets and information handouts for my students.

nice_day · 14-07-2010 6:45pm

thanks cloneslad for that. i will take your advice.

cloneslad · 14-07-2010 6:59pm

nice_day wrote: »

thanks cloneslad for that. i will take your advice.

goodluck with it.

livinginkorea · 14-07-2010 10:29pm

cloneslad wrote: »

If I was you, I would simply buy some grammar books and have a good read of them. The cheap TEFL course online (60hours etc) give very few details on grammar and are not particularly helpful, trust me, I paid for one about 4 years ago.

Instead of spending about €200 on a low level TEFL course, go to the library / local school or book shop (amazon) and grab some grammar books and study them at your convenience.

I also use the interent as a resource to help improve my grammar and to use in work sheets and information handouts for my students.

Cloneslad is spot on (as usual!

) , don't waste your money getting a pretty useless qualification (some managers are realising these days that they are a useless piece of paper meaning you took some class which explained the bare basics with no practical experience) when you can get a decent post-graduate which will make your career very strong in Korea. With a MA you can work pretty much anyway for decent pay even with little to no experience (that's how valuable MAs are these days).

I had two co-workers in a previous university job who both had MAs (one in arts, another in computer science - both not related to teaching, right?) and with one year teaching experience (one at a kindergarden, the other at an Englsh village - both not related to teaching adults or university students, right?) they got a nice cushy 15 hour a week, 4 months vacation a year, 3.1 million won a month job in university. That is the power of the MA. It looks good to universities and boost their reputation when they have lots of MAs or Phds, even though they are not qualified teachers!

People could also come to Korea and study your MA here while you are working. Some of my students (I teach an MA in TESOL course) are doing that and find it really helpful to apply what they learn directly to their classrooms.

20-07-2010 11:54am

cloneslad wrote: »

Although a tefl/celta is a good way at improving your grammar and teaching skills. If you don't intend making a longterm career at it and just fancy making a bit of money while you travel then you could easily get a job in Korea with just your degree,

I'm not saying don't do one, as it will be beneficial but you will get a job without one and if you work in a private school, chance are it's not even going to get you a pay rise or any appreciation or recognition by your boss.

Thanks for the reply.. I'm just hopin that my degree and two years of working since will help me get a job in S.Korea at some point. I got my voluntary redundancy confirmed there yesterday and am finishing up at the end of August.. Heading to Thailand in September/October now. I've enough money to do nothing there for a couple of months but could I teach there without tefl? or should I do a course while there?
That's if I want to stay in thailand.. I could be happy enough to move on over to korea.

SPC87 · 20-07-2010 11:27pm

I am a recent BA graduate and am hoping to do TEFL sometime soon. The main advice I get from people regarding TEFL is always "Talk to someone who has done it where you want to do it".

I want to go to Mexico or somewhere in South America but Mexico would be my first preference.

Could anyone offer any advice regarding what qualifications are required for Mexico and if there are any 'dos' or 'donts' I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

cloneslad · 21-07-2010 4:44am

Deleted User wrote: »

Thanks for the reply.. I'm just hopin that my degree and two years of working since will help me get a job in S.Korea at some point. I got my voluntary redundancy confirmed there yesterday and am finishing up at the end of August.. Heading to Thailand in September/October now. I've enough money to do nothing there for a couple of months but could I teach there without tefl? or should I do a course while there?
That's if I want to stay in thailand.. I could be happy enough to move on over to korea.

A friend of mine is teaching in Bangkok and she does not have a TEFL cert and another person I know of through a friend got a 6 month placement in Thailand without one.

Just remember that you will have to cover all your own costs in getting and living there as the pay is very low.

Also you would have to fly home to have your interview for South Korea in the embassy in Dublin should you want to teach there.

You could get all your documents ready and start applying for jobs in korea while you're based in thailand then come home for a few weeks and do the interview and head back to Korea as your school will pay for your flight from Ireland to Korea anyway so it wouldn't cost you that much (considering you will prob buy a return ticket when going to Thailand)

I'm not knowledgable on the visa conditions for working in Thailand but I think you may be able to apply for a working visa while there if you go over as a tourist then find a job.

cookies221 · 29-07-2010 2:09am

To those who have completed CELTA courses:

How many people failed the course in your class (if any)? In other words, how easy is it to fail? I understand the CELTA is very intensive and I'm motivated and prepared to put the work in, but I've heard a lot of scare stories.

I'm particularly interested to hear from those who studied in the IH Dublin but responses about all schools welcome

cavanmaniac · 30-07-2010 12:38am

Hi, I did the ACELS Celt course, broadly similar but maybe the CELTA is more intensive I dunno. It's certainly dearer anyway.

Nobody on my course failed AFAIK, but it's still a pretty demanding course and you need to have your head screwed on. Your free time outside the classes will be taken up with prep work and the portfolio at the end takes a good time investment as well.

As regards failing, you'd have to be exceptionally sloppy and poorly prepared to fail it IMO. Give it your honest, best shot and you'll be fine I reckon.

See Ye · 30-07-2010 8:12pm

ETA : Wrote this without spotting cavanmaniac's post above. His second two paragraphs are spot on.

cookies221 wrote: »

To those who have completed CELTA courses:

How many people failed the course in your class (if any)? In other words, how easy is it to fail? I understand the CELTA is very intensive and I'm motivated and prepared to put the work in, but I've heard a lot of scare stories.

I'm particularly interested to hear from those who studied in the IH Dublin but responses about all schools welcome

TBH you're asking the wrong people the wrong question. Grades aren't given out until after the course and so you may never know what everyone else got. You won't fail out of the blue, logic will tell you, tutorials will tell you.. some candidates therefore choose to withdraw rather than fail.
Centres try to whittle out unsuitable candidates at the interview stage and statistics are that the fail rate is 2-5% ... but that doesn't tell you anything really.

The candidates most likely to struggle are :
- people who have been teaching in a different context ie kids, secondary school, university lecturer etc. and can't or rather take too long to adapt
- the over fifties who just find the pace and intensity a bit too much over four weeks
- non-native speakers who struggle with the written assignments and identifying learner errors.

Passing the course is in fact relatively easy - you need to show progress in your teaching, putting into practice the techniques you've been taught; you don't have to be perfect by the end of the course just competent. Whilst there are written assignments they are not long academic studies but very practical and if you read the rubric/instructions and check you've covered all the points in your submissions you'll do ok.

The problems come from time management. Accept you won't have time for anything in the evenings and that the 2nd and 3rd weekends of the course are going to be work work work. Seriously.

livinginkorea · 31-07-2010 1:23am

See Ye wrote: »

TBH you're asking the wrong people the wrong question. Grades aren't given out until after the course and so you may never know what everyone else got. You won't fail out of the blue, logic will tell you, tutorials will tell you.. some candidates therefore choose to withdraw rather than fail...

Also, I am sure that your instructor(s) will give you a heads up if are not doing so well to give you a second chance. Teachers do not want anybody to fail so you will get plently of warning beforehand. At least, that's what I have always done.

cookies221 · 31-07-2010 10:15am

Thanks for all the replies. They've settled my nerves quite a bit. Paying over €1500 to do CELTA is quite an investment but I'm sure I can manage the workload.

@See Ye: I find it interesting that you say teachers who have taught in a different conext may have difficulty. I've never taught before, but this could be an advantage as it didn't give me the chance to pick up any "bad habits".

See Ye · 31-07-2010 1:09pm

Absolutely ! You can start learning without having to UN-learn anything first.

livinginkorea · 01-08-2010 12:53am

cookies221 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. They've settled my nerves quite a bit. Paying over €1500 to do CELTA is quite an investment but I'm sure I can manage the workload.

@See Ye: I find it interesting that you say teachers who have taught in a different conext may have difficulty. I've never taught before, but this could be an advantage as it didn't give me the chance to pick up any "bad habits".

Having taught TESOL for a long time I find that the students who have experience tend to be more organized but lack creativity and sometimes passion compared to the students who have never taught before who are willing to try new things. I am sure that you will be fine.

03-08-2010 4:46pm

Has anyone ever done a tefl course in Asia? As it turns out, I don't have the time to do one before I leave on the 9th sept. I was looking at a few in Thailand but wouldn't be fully sure.
Also, do I definitely need to come home to Dublin embassy before getting working visas for korea/china/japan? This could be a dealbreaker in the entire teaching english plan..

See Ye · 03-08-2010 7:02pm

The CELTA is awarded by Cambridge, all courses are externally assessed and validated so whilst the exact wording of written assignments, format and titles of the input sessions may vary the assessment criteria are the same wherever you are.

TEFL/CELTA/CELT answers...

Comments