What is the Most Useful Certificate?

[hdkane]

I have a friend (yes, not me...really) who wishes to be an English teacher. The fellow is a native speaker, with an four-year undergraduate degree. His background is not in education, but in business. He has selected a school that offers several different TEFL certificates. One that captured his interest is a 60 hour course. The certificate would be approved by the Ministry of Education. My question is simple...Can he actually get a job with an approved TEFL 60 hour certificate? Of course, more hours of experience are better than less hours. But will the 60 hour certificate be useful as a starting point?

Thank you...hk

[casualbiker]

He can get a job without it. But as long as the TEFL is face to face school work it will be good.

[casualbiker]

If he wants to teach long term he will eventually need a teaching diploma

[BigBadGeordie]

If your "friend" wishes to teach in Thailand, I suggest the best certificate should come from a mental health practitioner.

[Baerboxer]

Another person working in business wanting to escape the rat race and come and live in paradise. Just switch to teaching, it's so easy anyone can do it.

Does he want to teach children or is he targeting the language schools along with all the other TEFLers?

Maybe tell him to think about trying out some teaching first?

[siampolee]

Might well be a good idea to work towards a P.G.C.E.i

Below is a link

I have had two colleagues (based in Thailand) who completed the course by distance learning and their employment prospects were indeed greatly improved as a result of their successfully completing the course.

www.nottingham.ac.uk/education/.../pgcei/pgcei

Postgraduate Certificate in Education (International) - PGCEi

[gaijinsomchai]

I just finished an 8 year stint as an English teacher in BKK. Tell your friend to prepare himself for a never ending circus. Oh the hoops he will have to jump through. In answer to your question, a 60 hour TEFL is not ideal. Go for a 100 or 120 hour course at least. A CELTA looks better on the CV. If he is looking to teach adults then a DELTA is better. As mentioned above, a PGCEi would probably be the best.

Whatever he decides to do, tell him good luck. He's going to need it.

[rct99q]

also to be considered is where he/she wants to teach. Up here in the North East of Thailand (far north) along the Mekong in the little villages you can find work without any education or TEFL program. Loei, Chiang Khan,Tha Bo, Sri Chiang Mai, Nong Khai, udon Thani, Buen Khan all have "English" Teachers working with either no formal education (ie, no high school diploma, or perhaps 1 year of uni/coll).

[A1Str8]

Certificate of authenticity.

[elVagabundo]

You can definitely get a job in Thailand with just a 4-year degree! As others have already stated, I would really recommend he try it out first to see if it is his cup of tea, before investing lots of time and money in a certificate.

Now, if your friend doesn't know a chalk board from a white board, it would probably be a good idea to take a basic TEFL course and get his hands on some teaching books (ie Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivener) so that he can at least have some basic techniques and tools in his belt.

Unless your friend is loaded, DO NOT go straight for a CELTA. While it is the most widely accepted certificate and does lead to slightly higher paying jobs in BKK, paying $2,000+ USD without knowing if you'll even like teaching is a bit silly.

Tell your friend to go and get his feet wet. If he likes it, then he can go take a swim in the metaphorical deep end.

Best of luck!

Edited February 26, 2015 by elVagabundo

[duanebigsby]

also to be considered is where he/she wants to teach. Up here in the North East of Thailand (far north) along the Mekong in the little villages you can find work without any education or TEFL program. Loei, Chiang Khan,Tha Bo, Sri Chiang Mai, Nong Khai, udon Thani, Buen Khan all have "English" Teachers working with either no formal education (ie, no high school diploma, or perhaps 1 year of uni/coll).

Not only no formal education, they don't have work permits either.

You have to have the university degree for a work permit.

There are workarounds but a bit dodgy.

[wileycoyote]

Good Posting

[smotherb]

also to be considered is where he/she wants to teach. Up here in the North East of Thailand (far north) along the Mekong in the little villages you can find work without any education or TEFL program. Loei, Chiang Khan,Tha Bo, Sri Chiang Mai, Nong Khai, udon Thani, Buen Khan all have "English" Teachers working with either no formal education (ie, no high school diploma, or perhaps 1 year of uni/coll).

It is the same in the South, if you have a white face and speak English, you can get a job teaching.

[jdinasia]

Just a note. If you have no experience teaching then a TEFL taken in Thailand is useful.

I got my annual extension of stay without ever having submitted education credentials but I don't work for an OBEC school.

[a99az]

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If your "friend" wishes to teach in Thailand, I suggest the best certificate should come from a mental health practitioner.

Having taught in Thailand I have to second that, but the kids where great.

[Powerhousesteve]

I was teaching in Thailand without producing any qualifications, I did it just as a trial run, I found it very rewarding and great fun but your salary will be reflected in your qualifications. I would advise anyone that is thinking of teaching as an easy way to survive to forget it unless they really are committed, there are already too many Europeans teaching very poor English, it is bad enough that Thai's are working as English teachers but cannot speak the language properly.

[joshstiles]

Certificates? First your friend should have "common sense"....otherwise they will only be contributing to an already horrible problem of "people who believe they can teach"

[mikecat]

You only need to have a degree to start teaching in Thailand at this point in time. However, to continue over a period of more than four or five years you will need a teaching diploma/degree. A TEFL is a good idea if you have never taught, preferably 100 -120 hours with an independently observed practical component. A good TEFL course is very useful. Although usually not required in Thailand it is in most other places. A hundred hours is the basic minimum accepted in most countries, a 60 hour TEFL is not worth much anywhere.

[lostinisaan]

Certificate of authenticity.

A. I. W. C. S. W. (T) F. Certificate.

of being an "Alien Identified "World Class Standard Windmill Fighter." Please see my attached degree, that never expires.

Edited February 26, 2015 by lostinisaan

[KhnomKhnom]

The most direct answer to your question is a Ph.D. The doctoral level, including Doctor of Education, "certificate"/diploma is much desired because language schools can claim such highly degreed faculty as a selling point.

If the earned doctorate is in the field the person is teaching, likely the paperwork justification for hiring will be rather automatic--mine was.

Note, there is a possible Ph.D. in English, but very unlikely in "teaching English as a language" although linguistics as a field is the study of English (or other) but not likely "the teaching of." One of my M.A.s is in English, but not teaching it.

Regardless of the certificate, my experience indicates that teaching English to Thai of any age is one of the most difficult intellectual jobs a person can take on. There are a very few "natural teachers," but the vast majority of native English speakers I meet who teach here are mostly, if not totally, not qualified. The multiple edge sword here is that the English teachers are poor (foreign and domestic), the schools' standards are mostly geared to getting paying (or happy) customers, and the Thai students are almost universally resistant to the idea and the doing. I claim that the two biggest problems with Thailand, on a day to day basis, is the severe lack of English and the abysmally low response time to emergencies by Thai police.

I tried very hard to write this statement in Standard English; I hope it can be read.

[casualbiker]

^^^ hi kru fran

[lostinisaan]

The most direct answer to your question is a Ph.D. The doctoral level, including Doctor of Education, "certificate"/diploma is much desired because language schools can claim such highly degreed faculty as a selling point.

If the earned doctorate is in the field the person is teaching, likely the paperwork justification for hiring will be rather automatic--mine was.

Note, there is a possible Ph.D. in English, but very unlikely in "teaching English as a language" although linguistics as a field is the study of English (or other) but not likely "the teaching of." One of my M.A.s is in English, but not teaching it.

Regardless of the certificate, my experience indicates that teaching English to Thai of any age is one of the most difficult intellectual jobs a person can take on. There are a very few "natural teachers," but the vast majority of native English speakers I meet who teach here are mostly, if not totally, not qualified. The multiple edge sword here is that the English teachers are poor (foreign and domestic), the schools' standards are mostly geared to getting paying (or happy) customers, and the Thai students are almost universally resistant to the idea and the doing. I claim that the two biggest problems with Thailand, on a day to day basis, is the severe lack of English and the abysmally low response time to emergencies by Thai police.

I tried very hard to write this statement in Standard English; I hope it can be read.

Are you a teacher of the English language in the Kingdom of Thailand?

Beside the "natural teachers", what do you believe, makes somebody to a "qualified teacher" in Thailand?

You seem to believe that not many, or even none of these teachers you've met seem to be "qualified" enough to do a great job.

Your last sentence sounds very impertinent to me. You "tried very hard to write understandable "Standard English ", that can easily be read and understood.

No offense. Only my 5 baht to throw in, after reading your post.

[casualbiker]

Standard English is only spoken by approximately 15% of the British population. It is a made up terminology by university lecturer's and professors. Basically " standard English" is how THEY SPEAK so therefore it's the correct way.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_English

[aarontendo]

Everyone knows standard English is the American variety sir.

[Pheat123]

The most useful teaching cert I have found of use in Thailand has been the Dear John cert readily available

In most good stockists of said cert

++ very user friendly has enabled me to get many teaching jobs in Nong Knai

Edited February 27, 2015 by Pheat123

[Phatcharanan]

A CELTA looks better on the CV. If he is looking to teach adults then a DELTA is better.

The poster can't go for a DELTA until he has at least 1,000 hours of teaching practice frirst.

[Phatcharanan]

The most direct answer to your question is a Ph.D. The doctoral level, including Doctor of Education, "certificate"/diploma is much desired because language schools can claim such highly degreed faculty as a selling point.

If the earned doctorate is in the field the person is teaching, likely the paperwork justification for hiring will be rather automatic--mine was.

A Ph.D and working in a language school?

LOL.

[brewsterbudgen]

Assuming you want to do TEFL, any certificate with teaching practice will suffice in Thailand, where appearance and classroom performance are most important. If you're planning a longer career, maybe doing TEFL in other countries, a CELTA is the most recognised qualification.

[fozzy58uk]

miss pronounce following misspell now that has to be the laugh of the day.

[Too]

Hello!

You need at least two documents to apply for a Non-Immigrant B visa for teaching

and a work permit in order to be a legal teacher in Thailand.

1 A graduation certificate from your university

2 An academic transcript from your university

This depends upon the school where you teach but you have to speak Thai unless

you have a Thai assistant in class.

Good luck