Are private TESL certificates useful for finding ESL teaching jobs overseas?

I would suggest that such “certification” will not help much in Europe. There are literally thousands of teachers who hold a CELTA/Trinity Cert. TESOL that you will be competing with.

It’s cheaper for a reason – it doesn’t deal with the actual practicalities of EFL teaching; there is no classroom practice.

Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Edit

Some employers may ‘recognise’ them, inasmuch as they would rather hire someone who has studied something of EFL before actually doing it, rather than just another guy off the plane, but I would suggest that since you are competing with people of the profile given above, a CELTA or Trinity Cert. TESOL would stand you in much better stead.

I understand that they’re more expensive, but they do represent a standard that is higher than any online cert you can find – they both include assessed teaching practice – and the certs recognised worldwide.

On a personal note, I would appeal to you to consider a CELTA or Trinity Cert. TESOL over online certs as I know they are more rigorous certifications and pertain directly to my profession, The world doesn’t need people with a crap online cert, it needs qualified and interested teachers with the proper tools to help the learners they encounter. Please don’t just be another foreigner who arrives in a place and then fucks their way througbh the city until they’re ‘done’. I’m not suggestng that you are such a person, but I’ve seen it so often over the years as a teacher and manager that I feel it needs to be said.

EFL is widely perceived as a way to fund travel, much in the same ways as people do bar or restaurant work to fund their travels abroad. It’s actually a profession as important as the teaching of French, Spanish or any other language. Please don’t give me a bad name.

If this helps: I live in Spain, on the island of Mallorca, and I can tell you now that this paper wont count for anything, at least not here. They want all Spanish papers, even if you have a British driving licence, that is totally valid here, they still make you apply for a new Spanish one.

Note that my answer is not specifically just about teaching, there is a chance there is information I don’t have, teaching is not my field. My answer is only there to give you a rough idea regarding how it works in Spain.

I agree with @the100thmonkey. If you’re looking to teach in Europe, you’re going to need a CELTA/Trinity cert. There are some parts of Asia, Africa and other places that will take you with the other cert, but usually the better qualified teachers, i.e. those with experience will get first preference, not to mention better pay.
I’d suggest doing my research first.

It works fine in Asia. FWIW

@jlelandg: and that’s the problem with EFL in Asia.

Hey, you’re white. You must be a good teacher of your native language!

@the100thmonkey To be fair, I’m sure there are many people with those certs who are very capable teachers.

guevara monkey…lucky it worked out for me.

@stardust – I don’t believe that to be the case by dint of their certification.

Teaching is a complicated business, and I honestly doubt the competence of teachers who have taken the CELTA – I’m currently an academic manager, and I’ve seen the results of CELTA and Trinity Cert courses compared to those without a cert . While the CELTA/Cert. TESOL is clearly superior in its results over an online/weekend course, it’s a one month course – a crash course, if you will – and I doubt that anyone would be prepared to argue that you can honestly learn to teach in even a month.

Teaching is an art, a skill and a profession; I don’t hold that one can’t learn to teach without one of the certifications under discussion here. Conversely, I would suggest that an online certificate is an inferior way to learn to teach.

I would turn your point around – would you be happy knowing that the teachers working with your kids had only taken a 20 hour online course?

@jlelandg – I’m glad it worked for you. I went to Japan with neither experience nor training. I understand now how much I failed my students, particularly in my first year. This is why I believe that teacher training is critical to effective teaching. I would repeat the point I made above – would you be happy with your kids being taught by ‘teachers’ who had taken 20 hours of online training?

I know that I wouldn’t.

Edit

I would also add that I hold a CELTA, a PGDE in ESOL (a national teaching qualification in the UK) and a master’s degree in language teaching.

Those are all fair points. I suppose I feel that there are people out there who put the extra preparation/effort into their lesson plans, class needs and whatnot. I’m not a teacher and I appreciate what you’re saying. I’ve had friends travel and teach as a means to an end. Of course this is unfair on the students at the end of the day. I also know of others who genuinely care and work hard to ensure their students are receiving the best they have to offer.
I’m not disputing what you have to say and my first comment shows that I’m in agreement with you. I suppose I was just chipping in to mention that there are some people with the skills you’ve mentioned and not all take the piss.
To answer your question, I’m sure I’d want to see relevant qualifications and no, 20 hours online wouldn’t suffice

It also depends on the organization. EF China is a corporate operation that specializes either in sucking for the students or they bend over backwards for the students at the expense of the teachers. Damned if you do….

Thank you for your answers, both here an in the related threads that came up in the sidebar.

I should have given more background info. I taught ESL in Korea for a year 20 years ago (with no credentials), and have done a little bit of ESL teaching and tutoring here in the US (mostly as a volunteer, but some paid). I have a doctorate in a liberal arts field and have taught college-level English composition. I have ample teaching experience. I’m quite sure I can teach ESL to adult students who are motivated and who have already studied a little bit of ESL in school. But I don’t have any formal ESL credentials.

I could probably get a job in China and get credentialed while I’m there, and then go to Europe, but I’d prefer to skip that intermediate step if I can and just go to Europe. I have a lot more research to do, but Poland looks attractive to me at the moment. So far, it looks like Polish employers will want some kind of credential, but its not clear what level of credential will meet their minimum requirements.

I’m actually looking at going overseas to get back into ESL rather than using ESL to pay for overseas travel, but I’d still rather not go back to Asia. I’ll always have a warm spot in my heart for Korea, but Asia is just not where I’d prefer to be right now.

I see.

In Europe, the dominant introductory certifications are the CELTA and the Cert. TESOL. Your other qualifications and experience will stand you in good stead and amy even open up other jobs that would otherwise not be available to you. If you want to make a career out of EFL in Europe, I’d suggest that with a couple of years of experience under your belt post cert, you look into a DELTA or Trinity Dip. TESOL. These awards are mainly aimed at adult learners, although you can specialise somewhat in the diploma qualifications.

If you find yourself in the situation where you want to focus on young learners or business English, orr ICT in the language classroom for example, you can take additional qualifications such as the CERT IBET or CERT ICT.

I have a good friend who taught in Poland for years – I’ll contact him and ask him where would be a good place to take the qualifications (you can take them both in situ and then try to find work. Many places will recruit new teachers from the classes on the course they run. If you impress your trainers, you stand a higher chance of landing employment.

You might find that your experience in Asia would be ignored, or as a worst case might even count against you. My experience teaching in the UK has shown me that some companies and organisations do not consider Asian experience as valid. I find such attitudes deeply annoying, but they do exist.

You will also find (assuming you are American) that it will be very difficult for you to land work in European countries outside those that have just acceded to the EU. Spain, France, Italy and Germany, for example, have visa regulations that make it very difficult for American nationals to secure permission to work. Poland, however, will be fine.

If you do decide to go China and need a job that is more worthwhile than the private schools, message me.