Whether your aim was to become a teacher or if your goal is to simply be able to do the best job possible with no dreams or aspirations of a career as a teacher, getting teacher certification is a great move for a number of reasons.
TOP 10 REASONS TO GET Teacher Certification:
- access to more jobs
- access to the best jobs
- higher pay
- you'll do a better job for your students
- your life will become easier because you will be able to plan, manage and support your classroom better
- increased understanding of methodologies
- professional networking
- increased understanding of classroom management
- opportunity for upward mobility - manager, head teacher, curriculum planning
- why not - you can get it while you're teaching and it's an excellent demonstration to future employers that you take what you do seriously whether you see your job as a career stepping stone or simple something to do for the moment
Although neither a teaching degree nor TEFL/TESL certification is required to teach abroad, becoming a qualified teacher or certified in TEFL or TESL is a good idea.
There are several options for you.
- Diploma of Education
- Masters in Education
- Teacher's Certificate
- CELTA
- TEFL
- TESL
- TESOL
The CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults) is, by far, the most recognized initial qualification for English Language Teaching. It is offered through Cambridge University (U.K.) in a variety of international venues on an ongoing basis. There is also a version of the CELTA for teaching children, though it isn't offered in as many places. Both are one-month intensive programs with lots of hands-on teaching practice.
Most on-line TEFL/TESL/TESOL courses and programs are of questionable or poor quality and do not adequately prepare people for classroom language teaching. There are some programs that will pretend to offer a course that is internationally recognized and one that will prepare you to teach overseas in 2 days... does this seem reasonable to you?
Don't waste your money on courses that are offering false promises. While some Korean employers may offer a slightly higher salary if you have certification of any type and while some schools may not even dig into you resume to check the value or quality of the course, it will become very apparent on day one and through your first week of work and there is no sense creating higher expectations of you than you are capable of meeting. One-week training courses might be useful for raising awareness, but they will not be recognized as worthy of increased salary by most employers.
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