Before I Do My Tesol Course !

[tinytot]

I am looking at doing a TESOL course in Australia, My Thai wife and kids are here with me , I am not sure if i will be wasting my money , As i dont have a degree in any subjects, Also i have not passed year 12, Will little things like this make it hard or harder for me to land a job in Thailand teaching English? Or having a Thai wife and kids make it easier for me to land a job in Thailand , I am thinking schoolsmay look that i have Thai wife and kids so thy may think i will stay long time and not run away after 3 or 6 months knowing they have a farang who will want to stay, Can anyone let me know of their experiences of teaching English in Thailand without those qualifications i have noted above.. If anyone also may have any schools that dont look for degrees and year 12 experience please leave details... Kind regards..tinytot

[junki3korean]

YOU will get job for sure......

I`d advise to try and do your TESOL course in Thailand....As some places will help you land a job, after your course.

Goooood luck...having Thai family won`t help at all......

Andy....

[phetaroi]

I am looking at doing a TESOL course in Australia, My Thai wife and kids are here with me , I am not sure if i will be wasting my money , As i dont have a degree in any subjects, Also i have not passed year 12, Will little things like this make it hard or harder for me to land a job in Thailand teaching English? Or having a Thai wife and kids make it easier for me to land a job in Thailand , I am thinking schoolsmay look that i have Thai wife and kids so thy may think i will stay long time and not run away after 3 or 6 months knowing they have a farang who will want to stay, Can anyone let me know of their experiences of teaching English in Thailand without those qualifications i have noted above.. If anyone also may have any schools that dont look for degrees and year 12 experience please leave details... Kind regards..tinytot

Just a crazy question here -- what are your qualifications to teach English?

[Ski_Goong]

I am looking at doing a TESOL course in Australia, My Thai wife and kids are here with me , I am not sure if i will be wasting my money , As i dont have a degree in any subjects, Also i have not passed year 12, Will little things like this make it hard or harder for me to land a job in Thailand teaching English? Or having a Thai wife and kids make it easier for me to land a job in Thailand , I am thinking schoolsmay look that i have Thai wife and kids so thy may think i will stay long time and not run away after 3 or 6 months knowing they have a farang who will want to stay, Can anyone let me know of their experiences of teaching English in Thailand without those qualifications i have noted above.. If anyone also may have any schools that dont look for degrees and year 12 experience please leave details... Kind regards..tinytot

Just a crazy question here -- what are your qualifications to teach English?

Ummmmm....I think he's white which makes him qualified to teach English in Thailand.

[PeaceBlondie]

Welcome; good luck.

Four of my six kids didn't finish secondary school; two of those four have equivalency diplomas. Their resumes stink. Only one would be good at teaching, after she earns a BA in primary education.

Agreed, a TEFL course in Thailand beats one in Oz. Agreed, Thai family matters little if any. I suggest stay in Oz, earn a BEd or PGCE.

[Ijustwannateach]

^I agree with PB. I'm not saying it's impossible for you to do what you want at your current educational level- but you probably shouldn't, both for your sake and the students'. Get yourself to some kind of terminal degree where you are, then come back. And if you decide otherwise, for god's sake don't teach at a level you didn't finish yourself (for example, high school).

[maccaroni man]

the op does not say how old he is, where he wants to live in los or what kind of work he has done in the past so it is hard to judge what type of people skills he brings to the table however if he has ever held a position where he was required to give clear instruction as to what work he wanted done he may have the tools to be a good language teacher. as others have posted if you put yourself in a situation where you are teaching grammer then it will be an uphill battle but as a native english speaker who wants to teach students adult or children how to communicate what they want you most probably can do this and if you can interview well you can do this without spending the money on a tefl course.

[paulfr]

Unclear on your needs here

Do you need to move to Thailand [wife homesick ?] and thus will need a job here ?

Or do you just need a job and its easier to get here ?

Yes, if you are white, you can get a teaching job here.

Even without a degree altho the better [paying] schools require a Bachelor's degree

BUT

Teaching here is not easy, very political, and in general not recommended unless you are already a dedicated teaching professional.

Otherwise it is a dead end IMO.

Low pay, difficult dealing with Thai admins, cultural diferences can be very annoying requiring high levels of tolerance.

Previous advice of finishing 12th year is best advice.

Or get to a vocational school to learn a trade and stay in Oz.

JMHO

[markg]

Yeah, be realistic mate.

With no degree, it isnt going to be easy finding work here.

If teaching is the ONLY option open to you in Thailand, then you may want to think again about returning.

What if you dont get a job? What if you hate it? What if the only jobs you get offered are 250b an hour in 3 different schools with no travelling time paid?

Teaching is a fulfilling job, in my opinion, but it aint easy!

[tamsom]

Complete and utter waste of time. Sarasass the saviuor will hire you without ANY qualifications for 32 to 35 grand a year, with paid holidays. Since such documentation is not recognized for the legal process here, why bother amigo?

[markg]

Not a complete waste of time for everyone.

Sure, TEFL certification is not a legal requirement.

However, some people have to be taught teaching methodologies, particularly for EFL in Thai schools.

How will you go about classroom management?

How will you ensure you're demonstrating and not explaining things?

How will you effectively use games in your lessons?

How will you consistently and fairly assess students in reading and listening tests?

Can you write an effective lesson plan?

How will you ensure that it's the students who are talking in English, and not you jabbering away the whole time?

A decent TEFL course should teach you all of these things, and more.

I have watched countless demonstration lessons from people wanting jobs at our school. The ones with no TEFL course usually stand out for all the wrong reasons. There are a few people who can do all of the above without having been taught it, but in my experience, they are in the minority.

To the OP. Do some research. If you're serious about teaching in Thailand then you should get some training.

Teaching is NOT where you walk into a classroom and yabber away in English.

A TEFL certificate will get you on the first rung of the ladder and help you keep your head above water for the first 6 months or so.

Another 6 or 12 months later and you could become a decent teacher.

I have yet to see a decent demo lesson from someone with no experience or qualifications. Go figure.

[paulfr]

Not a complete waste of time for everyone.

However, some people have to be taught teaching methodologies, particularly for EFL in Thai schools.

How will you go about classroom management?

How will you ensure you're demonstrating and not explaining things?

How will you effectively use games in your lessons?

How will you consistently and fairly assess students in reading and listening tests?

Can you write an effective lesson plan?

How will you ensure that it's the students who are talking in English, and not you jabbering away the whole time?

A decent TEFL course should teach you all of these things, and more.

Well the TESOL course at AUA was a waste of time for me.

Never spent any time on classroom mgt, student assessment or clearly showing the differences

between teaching in the West vs Thailand.

It was more about esoteric subjects for advanced teachers rather than ground floor

course for new teachers. In that sense they misrepresented themselves to me.

If you are a new teacher, go to a good school and talk to some of the teachers

who have been there for 3 or more years and ask them to give you some guidance.

[ Not many teachers last for 3 years here as the applicant pool is naturally mobile. ]

But you will learn much more, much faster this way. Pick a teacher with either BEd/MEd degrees

or one who is highly regarded as an outstanding teacher, or both.

Do this with three different teachers and you will get a highly useful and interesting preparatory education.

JMHO

Edited August 20, 2009 by paulfr

[PeaceBlondie]

Good advice from markg, and he's not a course provider! Finding a good mentor who will take time to coach you would be great, and rare.

[paulfr]

Finding a good mentor who will take time to coach you would be great, and rare.

If you are Cheap Charlie [ kii niaow ] yes, not easy to find.

But if you pay the well identified, excellent teacher, consulting fees of

5 or 10,000baht, you will get nearly anyone's attention.

And a TEFL or TESOL course is some 50-60,000 baht.

So it is a good deal for you too. It will save you money and time.

The only thing missing is live practice teaching and some classroom

observation can ameliorate that.

JMHO

Edited August 28, 2009 by paulfr

[DragonQuest]

you are wasting your money, i regret getting my TEFL here.

[Loaded]

you are wasting your money, i regret getting my TEFL here.

Who was your course provider?

[DragonQuest]

ECC

[shaun86]

Not meaning to hijack, just have a related question..

I have a Masters degree in business, though I'm considering a Graduate Diploma in TESOL.

Would it be worthwhile or useless..?

[PeaceBlondie]

i don't regret taking my TEFL course. Almost everybody I've ever known felt it helped them

[markg]

Not meaning to hijack, just have a related question..

I have a Masters degree in business, though I'm considering a Graduate Diploma in TESOL.

Would it be worthwhile or useless..?

In my opinion, any primary or additional training in the field you wish to become proficient in is definitely worthwhile.

A few teachers are born to the job, and can intuitively do it well with little or no training.

Most are not and cannot.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are also a number who should not teach and probably could never be trained to teach either.

Which category do you think you are in?

If you're in the middle category, like most of us, then take some training.

On the job training is all well and good, but the reality is that many schools, in my experience, work their teachers pretty hard, and you're unlikely to get any decent on the job training. Mentoring would be good, but i've yet to come across any EFL schools that provide any.

get some training and get as much experience about the job you are thinking of taking.

Hope this helps.

(P.s. I'm just a teacher. I am not connected or affiliated with any other business except our school, and we don't provide TEFL or any other type of courses. I guess i just care about students getting the best possible service from teachers as can reasonably be provided)

[ASMG]

i don't regret taking my TEFL course. Almost everybody I've ever known felt it helped them

Can you say where did take your TEFL course?

[markg]

i don't regret taking my TEFL course. Almost everybody I've ever known felt it helped them

Can you say where did take your TEFL course?

ASMG, the thing with TEFL courses is that the instructors change, so good ones become bad, and vice versa.

My advice is, find out what you think you need and see which provider can give it to you.

Try and find out the email addresses of RECENT graduates and see what they think of the course

Most of us on here have only done ONE tefl course so it's almost impossible to compare courses.

As a teacher, i hear good things about a couple of the larger providers here in Phuket, though that is as far as i would go in 'recommending' any particular provider.

[PeaceBlondie]

markg is right. courses change. I'm a big fan of SEE in Chiang Mai now, having met John Quinn and their TEFL students.

[ASMG]

markg is right. courses change. I'm a big fan of SEE in Chiang Mai now, having met John Quinn and their TEFL students.

I'm thinking of making TEFL course with Text & Talk because thy have a branch in Khon Kean. I'm looking for a good recognizable certificate rather than a good instructors. Is the certificate of T&T would be good enough?

[PeaceBlondie]

markg is right. courses change. I'm a big fan of SEE in Chiang Mai now, having met John Quinn and their TEFL students.

I'm thinking of making TEFL course with Text & Talk because thy have a branch in Khon Kean. I'm looking for a good recognizable certificate rather than a good instructors. Is the certificate of T&T would be good enough?

good enough. MOE certified, like SEE. No signature of Queen Elizabeth on either one.

[SEETEFL]

... I'm looking for a good recognizable certificate ...

On July 4, 2009 DSS International Language Services Co., Ltd., the parent company of the Siam Educational Experience (SEE) TEFL training course was certified ISO 9001:2008 compliant by Bureau Veritas, the global leader in standards assessment and certification, accredited by UKAS, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service. Achievement of ISO 9001:2008 certification means that the organization's quality management meets an internationally recognized standard of quality, and is regularly audited by external, independent auditors.

DSS International and SEE TEFL are one of just a handful of TEFL training schools in the world that has achieved this world class management system certification. It means our courses are run, managed and audited to a standard recognized by governments, ministries of education and employers in just about every country in the world. This means SEE TEFL Teacher Training is not only world class but is also guaranteed to be recognized by the organizations that employ TEFL teachers around the world.

http://www.seetefl.com/accreditation.htm