Teaching english abroad

Discussion in 'Education, Teaching and related degrees' started by Ih8school, Mar 23, 2013.

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  1. Ih8school

    Ih8school New Member

    Hello all and thank you for the information I have read gathered and used to better my life you guys rock :headbang: !!! i have my celta and I am now enrolled @ California coast university working on my ba in education. What I want to know from experienced teachers over seas or anyone in This feild, is am I on the right path? I know I have a lot of work ahead of me my goal is to graduate with a masters from Apsen university.

    Besides the obvious horrible grammar in this post (writing this while in a packed club) is there anything I should know or anything I can do to speed up my process or make my transition easier. Thank you all and have a great spring break
     
  2. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Sometimes I wonder whether smartphones are really a great idea -- I thought I was a dedicated DegreeInfo poster, but I've never posted while clubbing!

    Anyway, do you know what the difference is between national accreditation and regional accreditation? I ask because you are talking about nationally accredited schools and other countries often have iffy acceptance of degrees from nationally accredited schools. In the UK, for example, they're not recognized.
     
  3. bigdanzer

    bigdanzer New Member

    Teaching abroad

    I have been teaching internationally for five years now and have a fair idea about what schools want to see in a teaching candidate. First, I would strongly encourage you to get a state teaching certificate which includes student teaching. I am not up to speed on California requirements, but I believe the state will accept an NA degree towards certification. If not, get certified in Texas or Florida (those states accept NA degrees.)

    If you do not get certified, you will probably be limited to English language training schools which have lower pay and often are operated in less than wonderful ways. The days of the backpacker paying his or her way on a trip around the world by teaching English in schools for a few months is long gone. The schools want professionals.

    One of the best places to start for gathering information about international teaching is the website Teaching Jobs Overseas | Overseas Teaching Jobs | International Teaching Job Search. Those folks have a great deal of information and I can assure you that they point you in the right direction. International schools may raise an eyebrow about NA degrees, but it's the state certification that seals the deal.
     
  4. NWLearner

    NWLearner Member

    What good is a teaching certificate (you are talking about actual certification, not a number of courses, right?) when teaching EFL abroad? If the OP wants to make this a lifelong career, I would strongly recommend a Master's in TESOL (or very similar), which opens the door to many of the most lucrative and interesting teaching positions (especially college level).

    So, I would say BA in education plus MA/MEd are a good path. I wouldn't go for any sort of graduate degree that doesn't have a practice teaching component, as bigdanzer mentioned, and also a substantial amount of coursework in (applied) linguistics. Coming from a linguistics background, I am a bit biased, but there are way too many ESL/EFL teachers out there who don't know blip about language and language acquisition.
     
  5. bigdanzer

    bigdanzer New Member

    The teaching certificate is important because the International Schools which pay the best and have the best working conditions require it. As a teacher of English, I have found that university positions tend to pay somewhat less than the good international schools for EFL work. The OP's CELTA certificate will open the doors at the language schools and I agree that college degrees are necessary to break in to university teaching. I have advanced degrees along with university and secondary school teaching experience (including EFL), and I opted to work at the secondary level internationally. In my opinion these are better jobs for a variety of reasons.

    Also, at the university level there is strong competition from Canadians, British, Australians, New Zealanders, etc. for the available jobs so you need whatever edge you can get, and teacher certificaton definitely gets attention.
     
  6. montreal06

    montreal06 New Member

    I live in Vietnam teaching in an IB international school. I was hired because I have a Master of Education. This master was from California Coast University.

    Bachelors in Education and/or a teaching license is good. Another variable that takes into account is the amount of teaching experience you have in a general classroom.

    You are in the right track
     
  7. pumpkin_pie

    pumpkin_pie New Member

    Like others have said, if you can become a certified teacher in your country you'll get much better jobs. It does seem counterintuitive since you won't be teaching at home. However, that's what schools look for to show you're the "real deal."
     
  8. heartgann

    heartgann member

    You should undego some trainings and get good certificate to be able to teach english abroad. Teaching english is so indemand which is why a person who aspires to work in another country to teach the language must possess great skills and have certificates to prove they are liable and credible.
     
  9. AnnyIngram

    AnnyIngram member

    I think you should develop your teaching skill than other qualified teachers in your country. For skill development, you should make simple and comfortable teaching strategy. Try to get strength in these two things which I mention above.
     
  10. henald

    henald New Member

    There are countless companies and programs available for people to travel and teach English abroad. Typically these programs require at least a four year degree in order to qualify. Though there are some programs and companies that do not require a college degree, these are very few and far in between. You are on the right path. Most programs do not care what you degree is in, they only require that you have earned one. So the short answer is yes, you are on the right track. Just keep at it and start doing your research. As with anything, there are programs that are fake and will take your money and run. There are also some programs that barely pay you enough to survive while others pay well enough to

    survive and enjoy yourself while living and teaching in another country.
     
  11. henald

    henald New Member

    There are countless companies and programs available for people to travel and teach English abroad. Typically these programs require at least a four year degree in order to qualify. Though there are some programs and companies that do not require a college degree, these are very few and far in between. You are on the right path. Most programs do not care what you degree is in, they only require that you have earned one. So the short answer is yes, you are on the right track. Just keep at it and start doing your research. As with anything, there are programs that are fake and will take your money and run. There are also some programs that barely pay you enough to survive while others pay well enough to survive and enjoy yourself while living and teaching in another country.
     
  12. royabhi

    royabhi member

    Teaching a language in abroad is really a good career option as people love to learn new languages. If you have Master degree in the concern language than it would be an added advantage for you.
     
  13. jimwe

    jimwe Member

    I taught all over Asia and the ME for 20 years before returning to the USA. The CELTA isn't greatly needed in Asia, but the ME and Europe, it is needed. The teachers certification will help make more money, but it also depends on where you want to go. Personally, after 20 years of ESL overseas, I found it to be the "used car sales end" of education. If I could do it all over, I would have stayed in for a few years and moved on. But I got lazy and comfortable..............
     
  14. naturegirl321

    naturegirl321 New Member

    I've been teaching abroad for 12 years. Institutes, schools, international schools, and univerisites. I prefer uni kids. There are different reqs depending on what kind of school you want to be at and what country you go to. I've taught in South America and Asia. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

    I'd actual argue that money's not everything. The only perk an international school would offer me is free education for my daughter. And honestly I wouldn't really want that. I'd prefer her to go to the Chinese school. She speaks six languages. I feel that English is easy least lemon squeezy. Chinese on the other hand would require learning it from the very beginning. She can speak it. Now she needs to learn how to read and write

    I also get five months paid vacation and work four days a week. I don't have to deal with parents or school admin. My boss trusts me. I've worked in international schools. The stress isn't worth it for me.

    With my time off I've managed to create two other side businesses which pay well. One makes me passive income and the other requires a couple hours work a month. I've got friends at intl schools who work 8-5 and evening meetings aren't unheard of. I make just as much as they do and have more time off.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 18, 2014
  15. Michelle

    Michelle Member

    Naturegirl, that sounds like a pretty sweet job. I've thought about teaching internationally when I am older. Could you please share what type of education and credentials are needed to teach at a university in a foreign country?
     
  16. naturegirl321

    naturegirl321 New Member

    Sure! If you tell me which country or countries you're interested in then I could help you out more.
     
  17. Michelle

    Michelle Member

    I am thinking about Central or South America, like maybe Panama. This would be a few years down the road though. I'd be interested in learning the requirements in other places too if you are more familiar with teaching at a university in another area.
     
  18. naturegirl321

    naturegirl321 New Member

    Panama is pretty hard to be honest. Are you looking at teaching or retiring? In general getting a teaching visa for Latin America is pretty hard. Intl schools is different. TEFL is hard though. I do know of a couple places in LA. Ecuador is pretty good. There is a joint prog with an American uni. Kansas I believe. I could get you the info. I have a list of good schools for TEFL teachers in my blog.
     
  19. Michelle

    Michelle Member

    Ecuador is actually second on my list. I'm thinking "retiring," but to me that means moving to another country to work when I get older rather than a time when I stop working. I like working. Panama is first on my list because my brother is planning to move there with his wife and teach at a university when he gets older. He has a connection there, I believe at an English speaking university, but I don't remember exactly right now. Anyway, could you please send me the link to your blog, either here or in a private message?
     
  20. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Preferably here, to help as many people as possible. :smile:
     

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