English teacher? How?

[MrCanis]

Hello all,

I want work as freelance English teacher, but I'm confused about the
amount of courses. Which steps are required or better said: Which
qualifications are required? And can I get them as distance learning?

Thanks for your answers and tips in advance.

[Django Cat]

Subject: English teacher? How?
Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2007 15:32:42 -0800 (PST)
Newsgroups: misc.education.language.english
Hello all,
I want work as freelance English teacher, but I'm confused about the
amount of courses. Which steps are required or better said: Which
qualifications are required? And can I get them as distance learning?
Thanks for your answers and tips in advance.

You could start by telling us where in the world you are.

MrCat

--

[MrCanis]

Post by Django Cat
You could start by telling us where in the world you are.
MrCat

Hello,
sorry, of course.
I'm in Germany, precisely in east Germany.

[Einde O'Callaghan]

Post by MrCanis

Post by Django Cat
You could start by telling us where in the world you are.
MrCat

Hello,
sorry, of course.
I'm in Germany, precisely in east Germany.

In Germany to get work as an english teacher (other than on conversation
courses or) you need some sort of academic qualification (preferably in
English) and/or a teaching qualification. Something like a TESLA
certificate is very useful.

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

[MrCanis]

Post by Einde O'Callaghan
In Germany to get work as an english teacher (other than on conversation
courses or) you need some sort of academic qualification (preferably in
English) and/or a teaching qualification. Something like a TESLA
certificate is very useful.

Hello Mr O'Callaghan,
did you mean TESL (teaching English as a second language)?

Basically I want away from Germany, therefore I'm interested in a
certification which works world wide. I heard about TESL but I didn't
found a course or school in Germany, only normal English courses. :(
Or how is the way to become a English teacher, without university
degree?
I heard about this opportunity or is that impossible?

Thanks in advance.

[Einde O'Callaghan]

Post by MrCanis

Post by Einde O'Callaghan
In Germany to get work as an english teacher (other than on conversation
courses or) you need some sort of academic qualification (preferably in
English) and/or a teaching qualification. Something like a TESLA
certificate is very useful.

Hello Mr O'Callaghan,
did you mean TESL (teaching English as a second language)?

TESLA is Teaching English as a second language to adults. The actual
names of the various certificates vary according to the body awarding
the qualifications.

Post by MrCanis
Basically I want away from Germany, therefore I'm interested in a
certification which works world wide. I heard about TESL but I didn't
found a course or school in Germany, only normal English courses. :(
Or how is the way to become a English teacher, without university
degree?
I heard about this opportunity or is that impossible?

It is possible to become an English teacher without a university degree
- I was talking about the qualifications you need to teach in Germany.

I don't know of any courses in Germany offering teaching qualifications
in English for non-university graduates. However, the British Council
might be able to point you in the right direction.

On the other hand, there are quite a few language schools in Britain
offering courses leading to certification by UCLES/RSA or Trinity House.
It does however cost quite a bit of money.

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

[MrCanis]

Hello,

Post by Einde O'Callaghan
TESLA is Teaching English as a second language to adults. The actual
names of the various certificates vary according to the body awarding
the qualifications.

That's exactly my problem. :(

Post by Einde O'Callaghan
It is possible to become an English teacher without a university degree

That' good news. :)

Post by Einde O'Callaghan
- I was talking about the qualifications you need to teach in Germany.

I did understand that. In Germany you need for all and nothing a
certi-
ficate from a official institutions. ;)

Post by Einde O'Callaghan
I don't know of any courses in Germany offering teaching qualifications
in English for non-university graduates. However, the British Council
might be able to point you in the right direction.

Thanks for the tip, I will contact them.

Post by Einde O'Callaghan
On the other hand, there are quite a few language schools in Britain
offering courses leading to certification by UCLES/RSA or Trinity House.
It does however cost quite a bit of money.

A list of these schools isn't available or is it?

Thanks in advance.


Regards, W. Canis

[Django Cat]

Post by MrCanis

Post by Einde O'Callaghan
On the other hand, there are quite a few language schools in Britain
offering courses leading to certification by UCLES/RSA or Trinity
House. It does however cost quite a bit of money.

A list of these schools isn't available or is it?

Yes - UCLES/RSA used to publish a thing called 'the short list' - have
a look on their website.

DC

--

[MrCanis]

Post by Django Cat

Post by MrCanis

Post by Einde O'Callaghan
On the other hand, there are quite a few language schools in Britain
offering courses leading to certification by UCLES/RSA or Trinity
House. It does however cost quite a bit of money.

A list of these schools isn't available or is it?

Yes - UCLES/RSA used to publish a thing called 'the short list' - have
a look on their website.
DC
--

Ah, very good. Thanks.

[Django Cat]

Post by MrCanis

Post by Einde O'Callaghan
In Germany to get work as an english teacher (other than on
conversation courses or) you need some sort of academic
qualification (preferably in English) and/or a teaching
qualification. Something like a TESLA certificate is very useful.

Hello Mr O'Callaghan,
did you mean TESL (teaching English as a second language)?
Basically I want away from Germany, therefore I'm interested in a
certification which works world wide. I heard about TESL but I didn't
found a course or school in Germany, only normal English courses. :(
Or how is the way to become a English teacher, without university
degree?
I heard about this opportunity or is that impossible?
Thanks in advance.

Google on ' CELTA ' and get in touch with the British Council in
Germany
http://www.britishcouncil.de/e/ to check on centres where you can take
it. Be aware, though, that as a non-native speaker you're always going
to be at a disadvantage in the jobs market. In many countries you
won't be able to work at all, and this can get very frustrating when
you see jobs going to people with no teaching experience or training at
all, who happen to be native speakers. Have a look at www.tefl.com for
jobs.

Don't be put off. Go for it, and Good Luck.

DC

--

[Django Cat]

Post by MrCanis

Post by Einde O'Callaghan
In Germany to get work as an english teacher (other than on
conversation courses or) you need some sort of academic
qualification (preferably in English) and/or a teaching
qualification. Something like a TESLA certificate is very useful.

Hello Mr O'Callaghan,
did you mean TESL (teaching English as a second language)?
Basically I want away from Germany, therefore I'm interested in a
certification which works world wide. I heard about TESL but I didn't
found a course or school in Germany, only normal English courses. :(
Or how is the way to become a English teacher, without university
degree?

PS. Not having a degree is not the barrier it was once, and shouldn't
stop you getting on a CELTA course. However, again it will limit some
of the countries and jobs you could have gone for.

Do your CELTA now and you may well be able to get a job in the UK (or
sometimes other parts of Europe) on a summer course next year - the ads
are already beginning to appear on TEFL.com. Schools who run these
sorts of courses are always short of teachers at that time of year, and
it's a great way to gain experience, have fun and find out if you can
actually cope with teaching, without committing yourself to a long
contract in a faraway country.

The Trinity College Certificate
http://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/site/?id=201 is equivalent to CELTA,
although occasionally you run up against thick employers who don't know
this - I have a Trinity Diploma and have faced this problem. Cambridge
have also introduced a pre-CELTA qualification, Teaching Knowledge Test
(TKT), which would be well worth checking out:

http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/teaching-awards/tkt.html


DC

--

[MrCanis]

Post by Django Cat

Post by MrCanis

Post by Einde O'Callaghan
In Germany to get work as an english teacher (other than on
conversation courses or) you need some sort of academic
qualification (preferably in English) and/or a teaching
qualification. Something like a TESLA certificate is very useful.

Hello Mr O'Callaghan,
did you mean TESL (teaching English as a second language)?
Basically I want away from Germany, therefore I'm interested in a
certification which works world wide. I heard about TESL but I didn't
found a course or school in Germany, only normal English courses. :(
Or how is the way to become a English teacher, without university
degree?

PS. Not having a degree is not the barrier it was once, and shouldn't
stop you getting on a CELTA course. However, again it will limit some
of the countries and jobs you could have gone for.
Do your CELTA now and you may well be able to get a job in the UK (or
sometimes other parts of Europe) on a summer course next year - the ads
are already beginning to appear on TEFL.com. Schools who run these
sorts of courses are always short of teachers at that time of year, and
it's a great way to gain experience, have fun and find out if you can
actually cope with teaching, without committing yourself to a long
contract in a faraway country.
The Trinity College Certificatehttp://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/site/?id=201is equivalent to CELTA,
although occasionally you run up against thick employers who don't know
this - I have a Trinity Diploma and have faced this problem. Cambridge
have also introduced a pre-CELTA qualification, Teaching Knowledge Test
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/teaching-awards/tkt.html
DC
--

Hello,
thanks for the input.
I'm going to try that all and I'm anxious to see what will happen.

Summary:
- TESL(A) or CELTA are the decisive certificates or a university
degree.
- Without a university degree I can't work in some countries at all.

[Django Cat]

Post by MrCanis

Post by Django Cat
PS. Not having a degree is not the barrier it was once, and
shouldn't stop you getting on a CELTA course. However, again it
will limit some of the countries and jobs you could have gone for.
Do your CELTA now and you may well be able to get a job in the UK
(or sometimes other parts of Europe) on a summer course next year -
the ads are already beginning to appear on TEFL.com. Schools who
run these sorts of courses are always short of teachers at that
time of year, and it's a great way to gain experience, have fun and
find out if you can actually cope with teaching, without committing
yourself to a long contract in a faraway country.
The Trinity College
Certificatehttp://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/site/?id=201is
equivalent to CELTA, although occasionally you run up against thick
employers who don't know this - I have a Trinity Diploma and have
faced this problem. Cambridge have also introduced a pre-CELTA
qualification, Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT), which would be well
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/teaching-awards/tkt.html
DC
--

Hello,
thanks for the input.
I'm going to try that all and I'm anxious to see what will happen.
- TESL(A) or CELTA are the decisive certificates

No. CELTA or the Trinity Certificate.

I'm not aware of any exam called 'TESLA'. 'Teaching English as a
Second Language to Adults' is something you might find a course in, but
it's not the name of a recognised certificate. Here's one which
explains some of the terms:

http://www.tesolonline.com/tesol/company/what-is-tesol.html

English teaching acronyms are easy to unscramble, as they're all
combinations of

T - teaching
E - English
S - second
L - language
O - other
A - adults
F - foreign

Post by MrCanis
or a university
degree.

Depends where you are in the world.

Post by MrCanis
- Without a university degree I can't work in some countries at all.

Again, that depends on the context. In some countries -such as Greece
- the governement state you can't each school-age kids, but you might
get a job teaching, say, business people.

Google is your friend.

DC

[Django Cat]

Post by Django Cat
http://www.tesolonline.com/tesol/company/what-is-tesol.html
English teaching acronyms are easy to unscramble, as they're all
combinations of
T - teaching
E - English
S - second

or 'speakers'

--