Re: Advice about Teaching TEFL/TESOL

Hi,

I wonder if you can give some advice.

I have recently completed a BA (Hons) degree with the Open University and would now like to pursue a career.

I am interested in learning if it's possible to teach english as a foreign language or teach english as a second language online?

I live in the United Kingdom in a rural area and would also consider a part-time tefl/tesol job, working in a city such as Birmingham or Liverpool.

Can you give some advice?

Regards


Andrea

 

Is your BA in teaching or English? Do you have a TEFL certificate? If not, you might look into doing your Trinity TEFL and follow that with a Cambridge CELTA certificate. In all, those two should not take more than 3 months to complete, although the CELTA will set you back almost $2000.

 

Trinity? Could you be slightly more specific, please? I Googled "trinity colllege" and came up with one in Hartford, San Antonio, New Port Richey FL, Dublin, and Cambridge, just on the first page....


Etienne

 

Hi,

Thank you for replying. My BA degree is in Humanities.

My interest is in learning whether it's possible to teach english as a foreign language online. How possible is this and how would I go about doing this?

Also, are there any other online tutoring opportunities for people who have graduated?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards


Andrea

 

This is the certificate examination offered by Trinity College London. Trinity does not itself offer training, but certifies other schools to do so. It assesses and validates such programs.

See: Trinity College London TESOL

Trinity does not run training programmes. We validate course providers, we quality assure every course they run, and we moderate or assess the performance of every candidate before issuing them with their Trinity Certificate or Diploma.




Tom Nixon

 

I have a few friends who taught English online. Mostly it is done in an online chat type of mode. Some used a webcame with audio.

All the companies my friends worked for that did this went belly up, with the exception of NOVA in Japan. However, most of their profits come from their in-classroom schools, so I don't know how profitable the online section is. My guess is not very.

I suppose you could set up your own website and advertise and see for yourself...

 

Yes, but you did say that you would be willing to teach some classes part time in Birmingham or Liverpool. Regardless of whether you teach in a classroom or online, you will want some sort of credentials, and TEFL/CELTA are the starting points.

As far as teaching online, go to www.bridgelinguatec.com and talk with them. They are in Denver, Colorado, and offer both online and in-class TEFL certificates. I got mine from them online. Truth be told, it was pretty much a waste of time...but I was willing to shell out $200 to put the credential on my CV in order to open up some job options. Anyway, they are probably always looking for qualified people to act as facilitators/graders for their online students. However, all of these people have Bachelors degrees in TESL/TEFL, and most have masters degrees in the subject. Regardless, it would be in your best interest to contact them and find out how to break into it. They might give you a shot. It isn't really what you want, because it is not teaching English to non-native speakers. Rather, it is "teaching" others to teach EFL. But they might be a good source for info.

 

Try googling "Trinity TEFL."

 

Hi,

Thank you Scotty and others for replying.

Do you actually live in the UK. Yes, I did say that I would like to teach english on a part-time basis in Birmingham and other British cities, except London's a bit too far. Since I live a long way from the city, I would need to commute by train to the city. I would be prepared to do this say a few times a week. Do you think it could work out?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards


Andrea

 

Andrea, forgive me as your life is certainly your own, but why on this earth would you choose to teach english to foreign individuals in your own country??? You'll have the credentials to move around and see the world, while MAKING money at the same time! For me, nothing would be more fascinating that moving to Japan to teach. It's something I seriously looked into, but will be unable to do as my education path does not revolve around getting a Bachelor's...

Just my very bigoted point of view

Etienne

 

Hi,

Thank you for your reply and for your advice regarding TEFL. I will try what you recommended.

I have also posted another question about a different topic on the message board.

Regards



Andrea

 

No, I actually live in Sweden. I got my TEFL cert in order to teach it here.

Do you mean commute to London to teach or to earn your certificate from Trinity? Trinity does not offer TESL/TEFL classes...they merely sanction coursework offered by other institutions. It is kind of strange, but Trinity-approved certificate programs are generally regarded as the best. Find the nearest Trinity-sanctioned TESL course near you and look into it. I have no idea whether that would work out for you or not.

One caveat: because you live in an English-speaking country, you will have a hard time getting a job as an ESL teacher, even online or on a part-time basis. The reason is that there are plenty of ESL teachers in your country who speak English natively and have either more experience or full/advanced degrees in TEFL/TESL.

TESL/TEFL certificates are designed for fluent English speakers who want to teach in foreign lands where English is not heavily spoken. For instance, here in Sweden English is not the primary language but it is the primary foreign language taught in schools and every student is required to take many English courses. As a result, Swedes generally speak English quite well. Those that become English teachers speak it as fluently as Brits or Americans. Thus, there is no advantage here to being a "native speaker" with a TESL certificate since the Swedish teachers speak it just as well and have advanced teaching credentials. I'm sure it is the same in Britain. Now, if you go to Bolivia or Botswana or Latvia as a native speaker with such a certificate, you would have an advantage. But in wealthy, advanced nations with good school systems, the TEFL/TESL certificates won't make you terribly competitive in that job market.

 

Hi,

Thanks for replying. When I said that I would consider commuting to the city, (around 1 hour 45 mins) I was referring to going to Birmingham or Manchester to teach english. London would be too far I think.

With regard to getting a tefl certificate to teach in a foreign country. Is it possible to go abroad to teach for a month?
The reason I am asking this is because I'm not sure whether it would be something I wanted to do for longer. I would prefer to do it on a short term basis. If it's possible to do this, which countries outside of UK would be the best for someone starting out, who wanted to teach for say a month or a couple of months?

Also, what is the most basic tefl certificate to aim for to do this?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards


Andrea

 

Andrea,

I concur with Steve, the best place for you to find answers to your questions would be at Dave's ESL cafe (http://www.eslcafe.com). I would highly recommend surfing through the International Job Forum threads. You would be tapping into a much more knowledgable, wider, and experienced EFL base on that site than on here. I visit that site 2-3 times a week to keep track on teacher experiences/opinions/queries/etc about teaching where I am located, since I recruit for the same.

From my 7+ years experience in the EFL field, both as a tertiary-level instructor and as an HR administrator, I think you would have a hard time finding teaching positions that only last a month. Certainly the Middle East would be out, both on duration and just holding a CELTA qualification.

Most expat teaching experiences are usually a minimum year-long contract; this makes fiscal, logistical, and pedagogical sense. Why would a school hire a teacher for just a month, considering the expense to bring them out, pay them, get them settled with the curriculum, etc? Even university-sponsored teaching fellowships and the like are usually a year long; you might find one that is for just a semester, but this would be rare. Such an opportunity would also probably only be open to graduate students pursuing their MA qualification in TESOL or Applied Linguistics.

You might be able to find something with that qualification and no experience in Asia or Eastern Europe, but again, I highly doubt you would find a reputable teaching gig for just a month. Take your time, read through Dave's site, and ask questions; there are some shady agencies/schools out there that you don't want to end up teaching for. Unfortunately, it's those EFL teachers with minimal to no experience that are the easiest prey for the same, usually.

If you are really, really serious about considering EFL as a career move, I would highly recommend that you first see about volunteering for community groups in your area, to see if this is something that you really want to do. If you find you absolutely love it, then I would recommend getting at least the DELTA, if not the MA. Most reputable schools no longer hire an EFL teacher simply because they're a native speaker; they also want to know they have the proper training and education as well. Also, if you intend to make this a career, you will really need to seriously consider getting your MA in the field; otherwise, a great deal of the best-paying, lower contact hours, better benefits-offering positions will be shut off to you.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,
Adrienne