Tefl

[AutumnNicole]

Hello, I'm new here and have a question about TEFL Certification.

I currently work in South Korea (originally from Texas) as an English teacher and have been here almost a year. I do not have a TEFL (Korea is one of the few countries that doesn't require one and I have previous teaching experience from the United States). When I complete my contract here, I am considering coming to South America, namely Argentina. I was wondering which certificate you all have and where you received it from. I am having a hard time deciding which on to get and need some perspective from people who already live/work in BA. Also, is there a difference there in classroom certification and online certification? Or rather, is one thought of to be "better" in finding a job?

Thanks in advance for any and all information you have about this! I look forward to hearing your responses

Autumn

 

[PhilipDT]

As far as I can tell most english teaching jobs don't require any certification. On a related note, as far as I can tell most english teaching jobs don't pay a living wage.

The few friends I have here who do have good jobs(more than basic subsistence pay) all have CELTA. That could mean something or it could not, honestly i'm not that plugged into the ESL scene.

 

[HowardinBA]

Hi Nicole..quite simply you will need TEFL minimumn for institute work ,and for private working you definitely don,t need a certificate,,good luck,Howard

 

[Vagrant Violet]

Anyong haseyo, Autumn!

I also worked in South Korea (Kangnam-gu in Seoul) and came to BsAs after I finished my contract with my hagwon there.

In my case, I have a master´s in ESOL education from my university in the States, so finding work wasn´t too challenging for me. However, in regards to one of your questions about online vs. classroom certification, I would have to say classroom certification is probably the way to go. This is not necessarily because one is automatically preferred over the other (as far as I know), but I personally strongly believe that the learning experience and the skills that you acquire in a "real" classroom situation will prove to be more valuable, as you have the opportunity to interact and learn "tricks of the trade" and other tips from your fellow classmates that aren´t explicitly stated in textbooks. You don´t really have that from the online experience.

As BHNCA mentioned, while most institutes will require at least some form of certification, it´s not always the case with the private students (though it is a feather in your cap to mention in case you do have it). Personally speaking, though, my advice is to avoid institutes here like the plague (they are not like the hagwons over there). Institutes in a nutshell are (and I´ve mentioned it before in a previous post) teacher pimps. Unlike South Korea, you won´t risk losing your visa (no matter what type it is) if you do private tutoring here, even if you are already under contract for another organization. I believe it´s a better route to go.

Teaching here in general is challenging financially (nobody teaches English to make their fortune). Trying to make ends meet is a struggle, but I find life here to be more enjoyable than it was in Seoul (being a miguk-saram and sticking out like a pair of sore thumbs there doesn´t help!)

When do you arrive in BA? PM me if you have any questions, etc.