That it does indeed, so i had some issus there but I see now. Although it does pair it with the education side very wel
Out of curiosity, did you (and @BiggusDickus) do your CELTA including the mentored teaching within Taiwan? As I mentioned, it is possible to have the mentoring done online and I’m curious how that works.
I took it in England
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No, I did not do it in Taiwan. I did do it all online, however! The mentoring online works pretty well and you still get a good focus on classroom management and the strengths and weakness of your LPs. In the groups I was in, we did the teaching (and observed others teaching), sometimes with a prompt to focus on for the observation, sometimes not, and then the instructor would give general tips on what went well, what not, and would later provide more detailed private feedback. I think it worked well, although it did not entirely prepare me for teaching in front of elementary schoolers as there is an element of classroom management that is not present there.
Does that mean they would tell you to teach in a particular way or with a certain method? Were you already teaching, or how did you arrange to teach for the mentoring?
This might not be possible to answer, but would you or @BiggusDickus recommend the CELTA to someone who has been teaching at cram schools for, let’s say, 100 years, but would like to do more serious work? I’m thinking, is it just going to be a lot of theory that I’ve learned equally well in practice, or does it make a practical difference beyond the recognition of the certificate.
Some gigs require it.
Teacher training tends to be like that
I did it after 2 years in the classroom, CELTA was a game changer for me at that time. There is a strong observed practical component, in the face to face version anyways. The theory helps to give structure and ideas and isn’t particularly academic. Implementing planned lessons -after feedback- with volunteer students and peer and trainer observers, and watching peers teach, and the debrief after, was very transformative
Sometimes this is 1 year of mistakes repeated 100 times
My masters uni accepted it as an exemption for a course credit requirement
I did the CELTA because I needed it for a job. There is no doubt in my mind that it made me a better teacher. But maybe it won’t be useful for you. I wouldn’t do the online version.
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Thanks, that was all very helpful. I’m thinking about it because, I’ve been skirting around the edges of being capable of somethings, quite good at others (teaching included), and at least knowledgeable of others. Jack of all trades and master of none would be the cliché. I’m trying to find something I can focus on and be good at so I can stop skimming by and possibly have a career at from now until I retire, especially if I return to America. I realized too late, after starting a family, that it was time to get serious. Education doesn’t pay especially well, and I don’t love classroom teaching, but at least it’s something I’m good at.
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It can, and there can be other perks as well. Being a classroom teacher in Taiwan or most of the US probably isn’t worth it. Being the private tutor to the child of a sultan would be something else
If I could go back in time and trade it all for a career in semiconductors, I wouldn’t
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If you’re going to focus on teaching as a long term career then qualifications matter. They may or may not improve your teaching, I think they generally do, but they definitely will matter when it comes to getting better jobs. It kind of makes sense, really. Education, educational qualifications. Employers will like them.
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Agreed, though I kinds think TEFL peaked with China
More people are willing to teach, fewer people need it, online teaching is a big hit, and tech such as AI is staring us in the face
If someone is willing and able to teach K12, I think the money and options are best when one is qualified for international school positions
Otherwise, get a PhD, I’d say.
CELTA is good for someone who wants to keep with ESL type teaching, maybe open a school or go into materials design. But in terms of long term career benefit it probably isnt great
What do you mean here by international schools? Because there are a lot of things in Taiwan called international schools and most pay the same or less than public schools after you count benefits. If you’re referring to TAS/TES and those in other cities, they pay well for Taiwan, but compared to Western countries I’m not sure.
It might be worthwhile it get IB or AP certified. ShiDa has an IB program, but for already certified teachers. And it’s going to be expensive.
If things had been different, I think I would have liked to have gone for a PhD. I love to study. But it’s out of bounds now. Not impossible, but not worth the cost and time at my age. A masters in a useful field is more feasible.
I do materials design now, but maybe not for long and that would help if I wanted to do it again and outside of Taiwan. I was vaguely thinking of doing a DELTA and becoming a trainer. That seems like something I could reasonably do in my latter years.
Legit international schools, places where ambassadors send their kids
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