Like every other young’ish person these days I have come to figure that it may be best if I leave the country and spread my language and wisdom to the less fortunate browner peoples of the Earth.
I’ve been told that I will need some sort of TESL (Teach English Second Language) certification if I want to find a decent job. The problem with that is that there are a great many such courses advertised on the Internet. Some require face-time in a classroom while others are done completely on-line. Many appear a little dubious.
What, in general, should I know when looking for a TESL certification course?
How do I know that I am dealing with a quality outfit?
Is class-based significantly better than an on-line course?
Can anyone recommend a respectable course in NorCal?
Call your local school district main office and ask them. They will know the good ones that pass muster, for those teachers who don’t want to get certified “in-house.”
That it’s not necessary?
Perhaps I’m exaggerating, but all you need to have to teach English legitimately in many countries is a college degree. And teaching illegally, not even that.
I knew many people in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan who made very good money teaching English without any kind of certification; some of them weren’t even native English speakers.
B******s! I guess it depends if you want to know that you are trained to do the job you are doing or if you want to fumble your way through - English has become a vital skill in many job markets, some people are willing to pay good hard-earned money to gain this skill - IMHO you are conning them out of that money if you are just going to sail in and ‘wing it’.
[personal gripe] - you would also be perpetuating the myth that teaching English isn’t a proper job, “anyone can do it” and that English teachers are not ‘real professionals’ deserving of a decent salary.[/personal gripe]
I don’t know about the regulatory authorities in the US so I can’t help there but I wouldn’t consider a course without a classroom element. A large part of teaching is “people management” how to handle/manipulate group dynamics in a classroom situation etc. You need to know how and where to start with complete beginners or other very low leve students, how to deal with tricky on the spot questions from advanced learners etc.
I’ve generally found that the American education system gives people a sounder grounding in English grammar than the UK system however it’s still useful to know how to explain our grammar/structures to a non-native speaker.
I look on a TESL / TEFL certificate as being like a driving licence - you develop your own style and widen your range of skills once you have passed your test but you wouldn’t have got anywhere without taking it in the first place.
Try looking here. It is the best resource you will ever come across w.r.t. teaching ESL/EFL. As far as any other suggestions, have you tried the Linguistics Department and the local university? The department at Fresno State offers a certificate course so I would assume that others would as well.
I’ve worked abroad as an ESL & in all honesty for most positions you don’t need it. You will need a college degree, but the subject doesn’t matter. Could be in math. You need to be a native speaker. Some places spefically want North American English & others might prefer British or another English.
Unfortunately, because “white people speak English,” a headshot of a pale face will land you more jobs in a lot of the world than one of the variety of of TEFL/TESL/TESOL etc certificates out there. (We do similar things I’ve come to realize; not proud to say it but I’m more likely to buy sushi from a Japanese family’s place than one run by white folks, etc etc).
In a lot of the world you’re being hired largely for conversation as a lot of people have vocabulary and grammar tables in their heads from rote schooling. A good grounding in grammar, patience, openness to other cultures and explaining your own (expect Qs about life in the US - things like dating and drinking race and what’s on TV… constantly) get you pretty far.
If you’re very serious about it as a long-term career or in getting into ESL administration you’d be better served by getting certified or even better going to grad school in an ESL program. Otherwise, if you’re maybe looking to do a year somewhere, I wouldn’t sweat it.