Fact: The vast majority of cram schools in Taiwan give zero shites when it comes to TEFL certificates, despite whatever their ads say.[/quote]
True, but the minority pay well and are professionally run.[/quote]
And generally require X years of experience and recommendations. I still don’t see how a TEFL is going to help.[/quote]
If a requirement for applying is a CELTA or equivalent then it will be necessary.[/quote]
CELTA =/= “TEFL cert”
All CELTAs are TEFL certs, but not all TEFL certs are CELTAs (or equivalent) - in fact, the vast, vast, vast majority are not. So still, having a TEFL cert is not guaranteed to help if the requirement is a CELTA, and I’m certainly not going to poo-poo a CELTA as I would a run-of-the-mill TEFL cert.
Some acronyms are better than others. CELTA is the most widely recognised TEFL qualification. Still, as you say, it too isn’t particularly well-regarded in most Taiwanese buxibans.
I’d still recommend anyone making the, rather odd, decision to make this a career to take some kind of entry level qualification. In the long run they really can help. With the exception of $50 online versions .
[quote=“tomthorne”]Some acronyms are better than others. CELTA is the most widely recognised TEFL qualification. Still, as you say, it too isn’t particularly well-regarded in most Taiwanese buxibans.
I’d still recommend anyone making the, rather odd, decision to make this a career to take some kind of entry level qualification. In the long run they really can help. With the exception of $50 online versions .[/quote]
Yeah for sure, if you’re trying to make this into a career you need some sort of training and professional development. For a starter cram school teacher though, don’t worry about it.
[quote=“greves”][quote=“tomthorne”]Some acronyms are better than others. CELTA is the most widely recognised TEFL qualification. Still, as you say, it too isn’t particularly well-regarded in most Taiwanese buxibans.
I’d still recommend anyone making the, rather odd, decision to make this a career to take some kind of entry level qualification. In the long run they really can help. With the exception of $50 online versions .[/quote]
Yeah for sure, if you’re trying to make this into a career you need some sort of training and professional development. For a starter cram school teacher though, don’t worry about it.[/quote]
True enough. Just be prepared to deal with a lot of shit from your Mickey Mouse teaching school employers.
OK, so when applying for a crap job at a buxiban, a degree, not being too old and being from an English speaking country is enough? No need for a token TEFL certificate? If these are all the criteria, what else gives you an advantage, assuming you have no experience?
If I was to decide I wanted to make TEFL my career, I would then go and get a CELTA which would help me get a better job in most countries (Not Taiwan, as it is either buxiban, or real school, in which case I’d need to be a qualified teacher in my country).
[quote=“graemegraeme”]OK, so when applying for a crap job at a buxiban, a degree, not being too old and being from an English speaking country is enough? No need for a token TEFL certificate? If these are all the criteria, what else gives you an advantage, assuming you have no experience?
If I was to decide I wanted to make TEFL my career, I would then go and get a CELTA which would help me get a better job in most countries (Not Taiwan, as it is either buxiban, or real school, in which case I’d need to be a qualified teacher in my country).
Is this a fair summary?
Thanks[/quote]
It’s not really a fair summary, IMO. Some Taiwanese buxibans are pretty professional and do demand a lot from teachers. It’s not all black and white. Of course, being a qualified teacher in your home country could get you a job at a real school like TES or TAS - but you aren’t aiming for that. Some buxibans demand qualifications beyond a simple degree. They tend to be the best places to work.
If you want to just come and teach for a year or two then a degree combined with the preferred physical attributes plus the willingness to take it up the arse while smiling will suffice. The advantage in these situations would be to have more of the preferred physical attributes and a greater willingness to take it up the arse with a broader grin. If you want a little more then a bit more effort is required. It depends what your objectives are.
You could do worse than an ITTT 120 hour certification. There is some job-finding assistance, though not much for Taiwan. Some countries require a TEFL to legally work.
[quote=“graemegraeme”]OK, so when applying for a crap job at a buxiban, a degree, not being too old and being from an English speaking country is enough? No need for a token TEFL certificate? If these are all the criteria, what else gives you an advantage, assuming you have no experience?
If I was to decide I wanted to make TEFL my career, I would then go and get a CELTA which would help me get a better job in most countries (Not Taiwan, as it is either buxiban, or real school, in which case I’d need to be a qualified teacher in my country).
Is this a fair summary?
Thanks[/quote]
If you have time i would sort out a tefl certificate. Also.i’m not saying to lie on your resume but i. would put down some teaching experience on there as well.
The situation as it is now (so not years ago) is imo they will ask if you have celta and/or experience.
[quote=“FarFlungScot”][quote=“graemegraeme”]OK, so when applying for a crap job at a buxiban, a degree, not being too old and being from an English speaking country is enough? No need for a token TEFL certificate? If these are all the criteria, what else gives you an advantage, assuming you have no experience?
If I was to decide I wanted to make TEFL my career, I would then go and get a CELTA which would help me get a better job in most countries (Not Taiwan, as it is either buxiban, or real school, in which case I’d need to be a qualified teacher in my country).
Is this a fair summary?
Thanks[/quote]
If you have time I would sort out a tefl certificate. Also.I’m not saying to lie on your resume but i. would put down some teaching experience on there as well.
The situation as it is now (so not years ago) is imo they will ask if you have celta and/or experience.[/quote]
Thanks for your advice mate. I’ve read a few of your posts actually. How is your job hunt coming along?
[quote=“graemegraeme”][quote=“FarFlungScot”][quote=“graemegraeme”]OK, so when applying for a crap job at a buxiban, a degree, not being too old and being from an English speaking country is enough? No need for a token TEFL certificate? If these are all the criteria, what else gives you an advantage, assuming you have no experience?
If I was to decide I wanted to make TEFL my career, I would then go and get a CELTA which would help me get a better job in most countries (Not Taiwan, as it is either buxiban, or real school, in which case I’d need to be a qualified teacher in my country).
Is this a fair summary?
Thanks[/quote]
If you have time I would sort out a tefl certificate. Also.I’m not saying to lie on your resume but i. would put down some teaching experience on there as well.
The situation as it is now (so not years ago) is imo they will ask if you have celta and/or experience.[/quote]
Thanks for your advice mate. I’ve read a few of your posts actually. How is your job hunt coming along?[/quote]
Nada - though i can’t really complain as in all honesty i’ve only been looking for maybe 1 1/2 weeks. Average time (if there is an average) of job searching seems to be around a month or 2 before landing something.
OK. You just walking round handing over CVs? I’m interested to see how it goes. I realise you have a celta which gives u a decent advantage over me but I suppose we are both from Scotland and closer to 30 than 20. Would be good to have an idea of what my chances are
If you are arriving in February then that is what you will have to do. You will also need to go back to the schools you visited and chase them up. Sending emails or making phone calls will not be very effective once you are in Taiwan. Trying to land a job before February could also help, but that would have to be with one of the chain schools or a recruiter and the results are mixed.
If you are arriving in February then that is what you will have to do. You will also need to go back to the schools you visited and chase them up. Sending emails or making phone calls will not be very effective once you are in Taiwan. Trying to land a job before February could also help, but that would have to be with one of the chain schools or a recruiter and the results are mixed.[/quote]
Ok thanks for that. To be honest I just want to make about enough to save a bit, have a comfortable life for a year and improved Chinese. My expectations aren’t that high and I suppose I am prepared for things not to take a bit of shit now and then.
.