So this weekend I completed my weekend training course of teaching English as a foreign language. It was a bit daunting with the first day being a 10 and a half hour slog and yesterday being another 7. The final part of the course was me having to teach a class of 10 on the subject of 'past possibilities' namely 'could of' and 'should of' for 15 minutes. It was all a bit daunting considering Ive never actually taught before but now Im hooked. I really enjoyed and theirs the possibility that I could get a job very soon working in either Barcelona or Hong Kong for some months! Cool eh?!

Anyone else been on a similar course? How did you get on and what are you doing now?

Glad it went well.

You must be excited

Hope it all works out for you.

ellieadore said:

Thanks! It did go well and I got a positive assesment at the end of it. My elicitation was good as was my preparation.

Good to hear, mate!

Congrats!

It is always amazing when people find something they love. I envy you.

JDInteractive said:

Isn't it "could have" and "should have"?
And "there's", not "theirs"?




I'm glad you're excited and enjoying yourself, JD. I think you'll make a wonderful teacher.

CarrieMpls said:

Yes! My mistake! Oh dear! Thanks though Carrie. Its an encouraging start.

JDInteractive said:

Congratulions!!! was it expensive?

JDInteractive said:

"It's an encouraging start."

So you're aiming for Barcelona or Hong Kong now instead of Japan? Any particular reason for your change of heart?

.

retina said:

I knew the knives would be out with my spelling mistakes! My heart is still set on going to Japan. However, I know for sure that their are job opportunities both in Hong Kong and Barcelona which are two places I'm very fond of.

JDInteractive said:

Hong Kong rocks
but I'd choose Barcelona in the end ...

One4All4Ever said:

Well Barcelona is my favourite place on Earth but I find the idea of teaching in Hong Kong more intriguing.

JDInteractive said:

Don't worry; this is the org, not the classroom. My grammar and spelling are often all over the place when I type stuff here so I can sympathize.



Are those job opportunities with private language schools then? I'd be surprised if Spain invested in ESL teachers from English speaking countries for their public school system (like they do in Japan), since it's quite expensive and since their own local English teachers should be good enough to handle even more advanced classes on their own.

Either way, I'm still here if you have any questions about teaching in Japan. And congratulations for completing the TEFL course.

retina said:

They seem to - all over Spain even.

I have never done anything like what you are doing...but it's AWESOME that you are!

Way to go!

Congrats!

All it takes is a weekend of courses to be able to do this kinda thing? Or do you need some kind of degree as well?

Good work mate and good luck with where you want it to take you

JustErin said:

It all depends on the employer and the country in question. Japan for example demands that you have a bachelor's degree to get a work visa. Most employers demand that you're a native speaker, and prefer that you have at least some teaching experience. There are no clear general rules though. Some are very strict while others seem more desperate. The TESL or TEFL certficates are rarely required, but it's of course easier to get hired if you have one and in Japan they usually give you a slightly higher salary if you have one.

By the way, he said that he completed the course last weekend, not that the whole course was squeezed into one weekend (if it was, then it must have been the Slacker Version, lol). The TESL/TEFL courses are usually at least around 100 - 120 hours long, which still isn't too bad, but not something you do during your coffee break either. I did a TESL one in Vancouver and including the practicum it was about one month of full-time studies.
[Edited 9/24/07 6:36am]

JustErin said:

Thanks! Retina is indeed right but you can also get some work just from doing the intensive weekend course. It also helps significantly to be a university graduate which I am. I am however going to a Cambridge University recognised CELTA course which takes another month before I start applying for overseas work.

JD....very

JDInteractive said:

...there are....

I would normally never do this , believe me but it´s quite funny that you´re making so many mistakes in one thread, and what´s more funny is the fact that this is the thread where you mention your new job as ...an English teacher !

Don´t take it too seriously though....I´m not a native speaker, grew up with many English speaking people and, as a teacher, I know what it´s like .

Hey JD....I forgot to mention something...go and get Jeremy Harmer´s book "How To Teach English", it´s a bit pricey but it´s worth its price.
And if you also plan on teaching in some less developed areas of the globe, get The English Language Teacher´s Handbook by Baker/Westrup

....another must-have is , o f course, Raymond Murphy´s " English Grammar In Use".

KoolEaze said:

Oh dear KoolEaze! That's a real error there too! To be fair though I rarely concentrate when I post on the Org and am prone to the odd error here and there. Thank's for the advice. I was advised of Harmer's book and will try and check out the Baker/Westrup one too.

JDInteractive said:

Mistakes are normal and a teacher´s job is not to be perfect and all-knowing all the time but you are lucky you´re English because that keeps everything in balance and the customers happy....imagine if I had made those mistakes that you made in this thread....being of Turkish origin, born and raised in Germany, my students would probably not take me seriously anymore , especially when you say "could of" instead of "could have".
In my opinion, a teacher´s job is mainly to accompany the learning process, to bring out what´s probably already inside, and to answer questions etc. , so therefore, our job is not and should not be the equivalent of a human dictionary but still.....people get really skeptical when you, as a teacher, make the slightest mistake, so keep that in mind.
The more teaching experience you have, the more you start to analyze the silliest shit ( at least I do when I´m in the US or UK ) and the more you worry about bullshit you couldn´t answer in one particular moment but , all in all, it´s quite an interesting job.



PS: Another book I´d recommend is the Inside Out resource pack by Mc Millan.
[Edited 9/24/07 7:56am]

Teaching is a buzz JD, like being on stage, give a great performance and the students will learn great things.

Marking sucks, teach but don't mark if you can help it.

1st semester in my new Uni, I have a new cohort of 1st years coming through on Wednesday. I can't wait to be honest, lectures all kick off next week

Good luck with your new pursuit.

Please, please, please think about it very well before coming to Spain.

There's no way a Spaniard can learn English

Look! http://www.youtube.com/wa...ed&search=

PREDOMINANT said:

...and you too for the new year! A new fresh start eh all round?!

Good for you JD!

It's not easy but if you can stick with it teaching can be more rewarding then you could ever imagine.

PANDURITO said:

Sadly I agree.

Congrats JD!

Hopefully you'll find it more rewarding than I did.
7 am classes killed it for me.