Teaching English Certificate?

[stinkynuts]

I am interested in going to Japan to teach English, or possibly even here in Toronto. Does anyone know if the tesl training and certification is worth getting? One program I looked at cost $1300 for six weeks.

I'm sure it would look good on my resume, and it would give me practical experience since I will be getting a practicum, but will it really give me an edge in finding job?

 

[elmufdvr]

sound like the one my cousin took... she spent about that much on a course..it was more like an upgrade course for a teacher whom is already working ....to help with how to teach ...she described it as a seminar more than a teaching course.... she completed it and it has had little effect on her work... I my thoughts are ..if were to have two teachers applying for a job..i would hire the one with the university ..rather than the one with a simple six week couse..........

 

[lomotil]

Many ESL schools in Japan, Korea and China are looking for at least an undergraduate university degree as well as TESL certification, but often put more emphasis on the university degree. These schools believe that those teachers who have a degree are better quality and less likely to cause problems in their countries such as drinking, drugs and last but not least having sex with the students. This was a big problem recently in Korea and to a lesser extent in Japan where primarily male teachers with no degree or even fake degrees where alleged to have had sex with many female students, native co-worker and housewives , also drugs were present in some cases. Some British ESL teachers posted a website on how to seduce Korean women and this lead to a crack down and deportation of unqualified teachers and the requirement that at least a degree from a recognized university be required for teaching there. Of course a university degree doesn't guarantee that foreign ESL teachers will not have sex with the locals though as I knew some teachers who said they would still hit on by students and locals.

 

[great bear]

Papa Smerf is a well respected teacher of English and English spelling throughout Asia. Just PM him for information.

 

[goodtime]

I knew some teachers who said they were still hit on by students and locals.

Small world. We may know same English teachers.

 

[Gyaos]

and last but not least having sex with the students.....

Why....that thought would never cross my mind! LOL! In reality, there are organizations in Japan like NOVA and others that pay ultimate crap and don't want bi-lingual teachers in their native language. In return they charge their students huge amounts of money, frankly just for the priviledge of speaking English. In Japan, they even have some of the most moronic TV shows trying to teach English and they all make more mistakes, in fact, teaching incorrect English.

Japan also has a "Jet" program with their government that allows a graduating college student one (1) year teaching English in the country. I cannot recommend anything else, but the one year Jet program for a resume. Nova, Avon, Jousu, etc. all make a resume look horrible. Imagine writing on your resume that the company insisted you pay for the airfare? I'd toss it aside. I once met one of those types of teachers from Vancouver who was Chinese babe with a friend who was Japanese native English college teacher and immediately she thought I wanted to get in her pants. Well, I did. A chance to get laid! But she could speak ZERO Japanese, while I was fluent. Obviously, everyone in Japan wanted to talk to me and not her, but I wasn't there to teach at all, only a social erection visit.

Reality. Don't waste a single breath doing it and save your $1300.00. You can get laid easily for $100.00 of that in Japan, and then you're up $1200.00! If you seriously want to teach English, try to get a tenure position in a college at a professor level. You will find that colleges in the USA hire teachers of foreign language and get low pay or discount tuition benefits. There's no place to apply English in Japan, except those who will actually use it, like airline personel, government employees, and others in banking, financials, journlism and in hospitality.

Gyaos Baltar.

P.S.: "Ultima Thule will not let us go" (Space: 1999 episode "Death's Other Dominion"). Applies perfectly to Japan.

 

[stinkynuts]

I am fluent in both Japanese and English, so I always thought this would be a huge plus for finding a job in Japan. At least that's what everyone was telling me. What do you mean, they don't want bilingual workers?