General Discussion – Do you lesson plan?

Mexico – Cultural Difference

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I have a class of 10/11 year olds at elementary level. I teach them twice a week for an hour at a time. I find the behaviour management by far the most difficult thing with this class. I have underlined the class rules any number of times but many of the students frequently disregard them, particularly in terms of talking and not listening to instructions. It can get very frustrating having to ask for quiet every 5 minutes, and having to repeat instructions to keep them on task. Their listening skills are pretty poor, and when I speak in English they often seem to switch off, although I do try and modify my language and speak simply and slowly. As a result I often give instructions in Spanish, which some teachers may disagree with as a policy, but actually it has brought some improvement in keeping them on task.

I asked my boss for advice, and she said that most likely the problem comes from boredom, and I think she’s right. I do try and plan a variety of tasks, not be too book based and include lots of visuals and games, although there are times when we have to concentrate on form, and use the exercises in the course book.

I used to start the classes with a game, but now I find it’s better to start with a task, and I can usually keep them occupied for 35-40 minutes, and then move on to a game for the last 20 minutes or so.
I will sometimes use a Simpsons DVD as a final exercise, with a worksheet to go with it, and I try and use this as a kind of carrot, to encourage good behaviour.

I have also changed the seating plan around a couple of times to manage their behaviour – however as your students are 18+ I think it would be difficult to manage their behaviour quite as overtly. But if you can use resources such as films, magazines and music which are of real interest to them as people this might help.

I’ve done a couple of reading classes where I brought in some comics and teen magazines, also some car and music magazines which held their interest fairly well.

I think we also have to note cultural differences. Spanish kids are naturally talkative, and seem to tolerate much higher levels of noise than children in Northern European countries. It has struck me that quite often, my kids don’t realise they’re being unruly. However, notas and test scores seem to be very important to them, so if I really want them to be quiet, then I can usually achieve this by giving them a test, as long as I make it obvious that I’m making a note of their results.

To be honest, with these strategies I would say have made only a marginal difference to their levels of attention… but there are still 2 terms to go Maybe it will get better…

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Personally, I never feel the need to lie, although I am surprised by the perception of the job among certain sections of society. Am I still naive after all these years?

I remember one conversation with a ‘real’ teacher back in england that went along the lines of…

Real teacher: ‘What do you do for a living?’
Me: ‘I’m a teacher?’
RT: ‘What do you teach?’
Me: ‘TEFL.’
RT: ‘Oh, I’m a real teacher.’
Me: ‘How much do you earn?’
RT: ‘A lot less than you.’
Me: ‘When did you last get research published?’
RT: ‘I have never had anything published.’
Me: ‘When did you last attend a conference?’
RT: ‘I have never been to a conference.’
Me: When did you last contribute to a course book or course material?’
RT: ‘I have never…’

You get my drift.

See what others have to say about this.

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In March, Mishmumkin raised an issue of great significance to those of us who are looking for that dream TEFL job or are considering starting out in the profession: ‘If I’ve done my research correctly I should know a great deal about my potential employer before the interview. I’m curious what those who do the hiring wish their candidates asked about.’

So, what are recruiters expecting from their prospective employees at the interview? The forum members shared their wealth of experience in offering the following words of great wisdom. Here’s what those in the position to hire feel you should be asking your future employer at that interview:

Ask what you NEED to know

First and foremost, there is a consensus that you really need to ask what’s important to you as the employee: don’t assume that the person interviewing you knows what your priorities are. MELEE notes that, ‘mostly I’m just listening to see what they ask me. That will tell me what’s important to them (the students, the curriculum, resources, housing, benefits, vacation time, etc.). I do the interviews individually, but then report back to a panel – that conversation always includes letting the others know what questions were asked by the candidate.’ When applying for a job it’s easy to forget that, while it’s a one of event for you as the potential employee, the person doing the hiring is having the same interaction many, many times and, as noted earlier, is probably under time constraints. Therefore they are likely to try to get what they need from the encounter, leaving you to ask the questions you personally need answering. Justin Trullinger exemplifies the kind of things that he, from experience, feels teachers should ask at the interview:

‘I do the hiring at the organisation where I work. It’s not that I have a list of questions I want you to ask, because I don’t know what’s important to you but I feel very strongly that you SHOULD ask about whatever is. Some of the worst problems I’ve had with teachers have had to do with things that were important to them that they didn’t find out about beforehand, or didn’t ask for more details.’

Some examples:

1 Clothing:

Teachers placed in elementary schools through us wear uniforms. They are told about this before hiring, and asked if they are okay with it. Depending on the school, these uniforms vary – some are very smart suit looking things, but some, especially at lower income schools, are sweatsuits with school logos. One teacher, very appearance conscious, was so horrified by wearing a sweatsuit that she was unable to continue, and we had to negotiate special permission for her to wear her own clothes. This made all the parents think she was the principal. It was a mess. Personally, I don’t care what I wear, and would love to have a uniform, any uniform that meant I wouldn’t have to shop for clothes, or try to figure out what color tie goes with things…but to her, it was an issue. She should have asked.

2 Costs of living:

Some things are very cheap in Ecuador. Some are more expensive. Computers are first world prices or higher. Having read online that the cost of living in Ecuador is low (in terms of rent and food, it is) one teacher decided rather than bringing a computer, to buy one here. But here, lap tops are high end luxury without much selection. He should have asked.

3 Housing:

We don’t provide housing – but many of our teachers share apartments with each other – which is clearly stated in our pre-interview literature. This is because Ecuadorian apartments are mostly large family or multifamily units, and it would be hard to afford one on your own. A teacher who doesn’t like to share simply assumed that he could find his own, and anticipated finding an apartment for the same cost as a room in a shared unit. Not a chance. Then he complains that it’s hard to make ends meet…should have asked.

4 Teaching conditions:

Our teachers are expected to use text books, but not to spend the whole course using only textbooks. They also have to be creative and come up with their own supplementary activities and materials. Payment for this is included in their hourly rate – they are not paid for extra hours for doing it. This is standard enough that I didn’t make an issue of it, though again, it says in the package that “teaching hours are paid for at $X per hour, and that this rate includes preparation…” Again, if this is a problem, ask, let’s talk beforehand. Likewise, if you have any financial obligations outside of the country, like student loan payments, it would be good to ask about how feasible that is…

To that list I’d certainly want to add medical insurance and, if you’re thinking about staying in a country for an extended period of time, you might also want to look into their policies regarding work permits and social security contributions. Those of you who’re new to teaching may find it hard to believe but some of us end up staying for good. It would be a shame to find out several years down the line that you’ve been living illegally and that you’re presence in a country is no longer welcome, or that what could have become a reasonable state pension to supplement your retirement doesn’t exist as your employers never registered you. Ask!

Post-interview questions

Of course, sometimes as the interviewee, you’re going to feel overwhelmed by the situation. A natural consequence of this is forgetting to ask the questions that you really need answering, as Emma notes, ‘I’ve found in interviews that the interviewer has told me so much information about the school and teaching methods that I really can’t think of anything when asked if I have questions. To ask about obvious stuff like salary when I haven’t been offered a job seems presumptuous.’ This issue of asking about salary is something that I’ll return to later. Emma also asked the following question on the forum:

‘How do you feel about teachers coming back and asking questions before accepting the post?’

MELEE replied thus, reiterating the need to be time conscious, ‘I think it’s great. I’d rather teachers ask only 2 or 3 of the most important questions in the interview, but that’s because we interview over the phone and I’m under pressure to try to keep the calls around 30 minutes. I welcome additional questions by email, no matter how many. The sooner the better because really I’m using those questions to decide whether or not I’m going to make you an offer.’ Something I’ve always done at the end of an interview is ask the interviewer if I can make additional contact after our meeting, primarily because I experience the kind of information overload that Emma mentions. As MELEE quite clearly states, this is beneficial to both parties.

Time (not) to talk money

Now onto the issue that’s almost always at the bottom line, salary. Gordon shares his thoughts on the matter:

‘Prospective applicants should not ask about salary until they are offered the job. On the other hand, applicants should have a pretty good idea of the salary at this point anyways. I won’t apply for a job unless I have a decent idea of the salary range, in many cases it would be a waste of everyone’s time. I hate it when jobs don’t give the salary in the ad or at least the salary range.’ It’s not impossible these days to get a fairly good idea of what you can expect to earn in a particular country or even at a certain school. Asking questions at the ELT World Forums is one good way to learn such information. Sherri adds, ‘I don’t see why the salary should be such a big secret. I always tell the applicants what they can expect to make. I usually tell them over the phone before we schedule the interview. There is a pay scale so it is easy to figure out. All teachers have a copy of the pay scale once hired. If it looks like the interview is going well, I tell them how often they will be paid and when they can expect their first pay check. This is especially important for people who are relocating for a job.’ I also chipped in with a recommendation which has always seen me right in the past:

‘I think it’s appropriate for the interviewee to raise the issue, such as, ‘I’m sure once you’ve made your decision about hiring me, we can talk in more detail about the salary and benefits package you offer.’ This lets the interviewer know that while this isn’t your only motivation for wanting the job, it is something that they expect to be informed about in detail at some point.’

Gordon summarises the issue perfectly when he states, ‘I think one doesn’t want to appear as though money is the most important factor in the job decision, whereas we all know that it is.’ I would make it clear that you will want to have a clear idea about the kind of money you’ll be earning without making that the sole purpose for you having turned up for the interview.

How can you prepare for the interview?

What can you do before the interview? Gordon again offers advice:

‘Before an interview, I write a list of things (housing, resources, etc) that I want answered before deciding to take a job. Then, during the interview I take copious notes, and if the interview hasn’t answered my questions, I ask them at the question time. Although, just thinking about it now, I haven’t had a face to face interview for years now, so its easy to have my little list and notebook. Not sure how that would go down in a face to face interview.’

While Gordon may not have tried this in a face to face interview, this is a tactic that I myself have used and find that it has been received well. If you’ve taken the time to sit down and make a note of what you need to know from this potential employer, it gives the impression that you’re serious about wanting the job.

Another thing that makes a good impression is showing that you’ve given some thought about how you’ll fit in to the school. Sherri exemplifies, ‘I must admit, I like it when people ask about the students. I like it when they ask about the work atmosphere, but how the teachers work together, if they share and support each other. I like it if they show an interest in our program and show that they at least looked at our website.’ For the interview I had for my present job, I printed off the school’s entire website, annotated the points that interested me and highlighted other information I wanted to ask about. While there was no way for me to get through more than one or two points that I’d noted, it gave the impression that I’d really thought about why I wanted to work here, and was told as much later.

Don’t waste their time

Let’s now briefly assume you’ve been offered a job. Having noted earlier that recruiters appreciate you asking questions that will help you decide if you’re going to take the position, think about whether or not you’re realistically thinking of taking the position before making secondary contact. MELEE explains: ‘If I make the offer, then you hit me with questions that lead me to believe that this is not the best position for you, then you’ve wasted my time because I need to give you adequate time before I offer it to someone else rather than you.’ Think, at some point it could be you who misses out on an interview because someone was wasting the recruiter’s time mulling over an offer they didn’t intend to take.

One thing you also really need to do is prioritise what you need to ask. The interviewer will want to make a decision about you just as much as you want to decide if you want the job. One sure way to put off the person deciding whether or not to hire you will be asking questions to which you could easily find the answers elsewhere. Think about this: what would you rather know about, the number of hours you could expect to work in an average week or the colour of the tiles in the bathroom of the apartment you’ll be sharing? Prioritise what you need to learn about the school. Yaramaz explains this issue, referring to a recent incident in her efforts to recruit teachers:

‘We just recently recruiting for next term and have had an interesting time poring over applications. One woman included a jpeg list of over 100 questions for us to answer– not even in word or PDF format! How can we even begin to answer 147 questions on a jpeg??? And most were really pointless questions that could be googled or asked in the interview, like “Do you have a photocopier?’ and ‘what is the climate of your city?’ Aaaaagh!’

Aaaaaagh indeed. Imagine how you would feel if you received such a list of questions at a time when you’ve got to interview numerous people. How much priority would you give to someone who asked questions to which they could so easily find the answers themselves? I’ll conclude by returning to the advice of Justin Trullinger: ‘It isn’t a question of what you should ask – but ask everything that YOU need to know. I may not know what’s important to you, but it’s important that you ask about what you need to know. Do not assume! Whatever you need to know in order to make an adequate decision, you’ll need to ask.’

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‘How well will you be provided for should you need urgent medical treatment?’ I asked on the ELT World forums. Here are the responses of forum members from around the world:

Many of you seemed to have a pretty good idea of what would happen should you find yourself in trouble. ‘Yes’, exclaimed EFL Geek emphatically finding himself among the vast majority (71 votes – 83%) of you who are covered in some way should you need medical treatment. Only 15% (13 votes) of you stated that you weren’t covered. All I can say about the 2% (2 votes) who didn’t know if they were covered is that it must be nice to live in blissful ignorance! Several forum members explained the state health system where they are. Emma notes the situation in Greece:

‘In Greece, although your employer has to pay your contributions over to the National Health Service, I’m not sure how good it is and most people have a top-up insurance, even though it is in the EU.’

MELEE, in Mixteca, describes how things are in Mexico:

‘Mexico has national health, not the greatest, but if I had 3rd degree burns over 70% of my body, they’d treat me. Whether or not I’m close enough to a hospital that could handle that terrible of an accident is another story.’

Lozwich explains the situation when covered by private insurance in Bogota, Colombia, in comparison to Spain:

‘I’ve been lucky (?) enough to have had two surgeries here in Boggy, both completely paid for by my insurance. I think they even paid for the rental of my crutches, and they definitely paid for some slightly radical treatment I had. I gave myself a second degree burn when I lived in Spain, and the “treatment” I received at the local hospital was awful. I got better treatment and follow up physio advice (I damaged tendons in my hand through the burn) from a couple of pals who work for the NHS in London. I think burns are not very well understood by many medical professionals, and think there’s plenty of room for improvement on that front all over the world.’

Denise further discusses private health insurance, this time in relation to what one might find in the Gulf:

‘I’ve only had minor issues and routine checks, but they’ve been nearly fully covered. I just pay 2 rials, which is about $5, and get way more drugs than I need for free. Typically, the doc says, “I’m giving you this pill to take three times a day, and this pill to take once a day, and this pill to take only if you’re feeling really, really bad, and this other pill that you shouldn’t take at all.” Once you get into the system for the private hospital in Muscat, you get good care nearly fully covered. You just need a referral to get in for that first visit.’

The graphic, while reassuring, doesn’t of course tell the whole story. Dmb notes, for example, that while his insurance ‘also pays %80 of medicine. If I die however, I am only worth 15 grand ($).’ Further research into whether or not we consider our coverage adequate may well feature in a later edition of the journal. Yaramaz, another resident of Ataturkburg, Turkey, describes her situation: we don’t always appreciate medical coverage until we need it: ‘Yes – but only since last September in my current job. Last spring, several teachers (including myself) were involved in a car accident on the way back from a company class. The owner of our school arranged ambulances to a private hospital and paid out of pocket for all tests and treatments and hospital stays and follow ups (one teacher had a double fractured pelvis). As a result of this accident, they added full private insurance to our new contracts – I haven’t used mine yet, but am glad to have it. Public hospitals here are not very reassuring.’

A good point: if you’re going to have to rely on what you can get from the state when faced with a medical emergency, be sure to find out what exactly that is likely to mean. Also, find out if your employer is going to support you or cut corners if they possibly can. Glenski exemplifies with a case from Japan:

‘Health insurance co-payments are required by law in Japan. Just be careful about how your employer operates. If he counts only the hours you are in the classroom and it’s less than 29 per week, he can legally call you part-time when he reports you to the tax authorities and therefore avoid making the co-payments.’

Let’s round off with some very sound advice from Fat Chris in Japan, advice that will make more sense to you once you get into your thirties:

‘If a job wouldn’t offer me health insurance, then I wouldn’t be likely to take that job. That said, if I am choosing between two jobs with Job A offering more money and a “lesser” health insurance policy and Job B offering less money and a more comprehensive health insurance policy, I may be more likely to take Job B. Having an adequate health insurance policy can’t be emphasized enough. I am currently covered with life insurance thrown in as well.’

So, if you’re accepting a job as a teacher, whether for the first time or not, think about how well you’re covered in a medical emergency.

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Changing careers after a number of years is no easy feat and takes a lot of courage. Is it any easier or more difficult for TEFLers than those in other jobs though? A poll ran on the blog and on the forum discussing this issue.

The first obvious theme in the responses given by forum members focused on the concept of time. Obviously, any substantial length of time spent in one line of work makes it more difficult to leave and start something new. Gaijinalways notes, ‘ any post held for a longer period of time will possibly make it more difficult to change gears and careers. Returning to your home country after many years abroad can cause an additional strain. So I really think there is no limit, only what limits you place on yourself.’ MELEE reiterates this theme, ‘like others have said, at this point I’m not interested in getting out of TEFL. But like others have said I also think a long time in any field makes it hard to change to something else.’

While this concept of being established after a number of years seems obvious, it appears that, generally, maybe it isn’t something that is necessarily only connected to TEFL. Markle suggests that, ‘I think you could apply it to any career path, I mean when is it too late to get out of the military, IT, insurance, banking, prostitution? Any reasonably specialised job is going to leave you less equipped to enter into another line of work.’

Another factor mentioned regarding having done a job for a number of years is that you might well have financial reasons for sticking with it. Sheikh Inal Ovar describes:

‘for me, it became too late to get out when I started a well paid job… but now I’m stuck in TEFL until I’ve filled my boots with enough cash to be (semi) financially independent … Why? Because I don’t think I could guarantee the same sort of savings if I were to try my arm at something else… so I’m in the absurd position that I cannot afford to quit TEFLing … at least not for the next few years.’

Another theme that became evident, clearly related to spending years going in one direction, is that of developing a skill set specific to your profession. Are you equipped to move into a different career? Chimp Guevara states, ‘I don’t think it’s possible for it to be “too late” to get out of ELT, but don’t expect the career switch to be massive – ELT to Investment Banking is a bit of a stretch for someone with a French Lit degree and a DELTA, for example.’ So, if you want to change careers, where can you go? Chimp Guevara continues, ‘education administration or even retraining within the education profession is clearly a possibility. The most important thing is the qualifications you hold and the transferable skills you have.’

Having noted that many of the factors TEFLers would become faced with are also faced by anyone trying to change careers after a number of years, some comments indicated that there may be additional factors affecting English teachers. For example, Sherri asks, ‘I think a question that many ask is when is: When is it too late to start over in a new country/ home country?’ In addition to starting over in terms of work, many involved in TEFL would also have to start over in a new country. Sherri further develops this notion, ‘for me at least, my standards have changed since I was in my 20s. Then I would be happy with one bag and sharing a room. Now I would never dream of sharing and I have a family to think of. If you stay too long in one place, you can get “stuck” and like it or not, you have to stay because your options become limited. This is especially true if you have not upgraded your qualifications or you have not broadened your skill set.’ Jerry takes a somewhat different stance, suggesting other motivations for remaining in TEFL, ‘It’s never too late to do anything in your life….. if you genuinely think something will be better, go for it. However, if you are kicking the arse out of something (like many TEFLers) you will have few choices in anything you want to do in life, and TEFL offers an easy life for a limited period of time for the shyster.’ 31 notes the long-term effects, indicating why it may become more difficult to leave TEFL than certain other professions, ‘TEFL makes you bitter, alcoholic, unemployable and a joke back home.’

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. che1959 hints at why one or two respondents possibly indicated that one year might be too late:

‘I don’t think you can ever really get out of it. TEFL changes you. As much as I hate to admit it, there is adventure in TEFL. Some of us are literally living the lives that many people dream about, think about it for a second.’

Many people considered this to be quite a negative poll to run on a website related to TEFL. My intention when asking this question, however, was for people to consider whether or not they could leave TEFL if they wanted to. I’m pleased that so many of you seem to agree with the sentiments of che1959.

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The four-week TEFL course, a starting point for so many of us in our careers as English teachers. But is it really worth it?

What do we really gain from these short, intensive courses that can’t possibly hope to adequately prepare us for a career in teaching? A great deal, it would seem, according to the poll that ran on the blog and the forum.

Firstly, and most importantly judging by how many suggested this, the initial teacher training course provides a good foundation on which to build.

I started the ball rolling, stating the following:

‘It didn’t in any way prepare me for a full-time teaching position, but I can’t imagine having had to go into a classroom for the first time without having done it.’

Emma, a forum member currently embroiled in her initial training course, perceptively notes, ‘I imagine it’s like passing your driving test. You only really learn to drive properly afterwards.’ Spiral78 adds, ‘a good course is a pretty essential starter – not that certified teachers are professionals, but that they’ve got a decent idea of how to start. The course got me started on a stronger foot than I’d have had without it.’ Denise further reiterates:

‘It alone would not have gotten me to where I am now, but it was a crucial first step. It taught me the basics and I went on from there. I can’t imagine how my first teaching job would have gone without a certificate (if they would even have hired me without one). I learned a lot about how to plan, organize, and deliver a lesson.’

Canuck is another who shares the notion, ‘that the one month courses offer a foundation to build upon, maybe provide information about what someone currently does in their class now and reinforces good techniques.’ GueroPaz and Mishmumkin further exemplify, GueroPaz noting, ‘it helped me immensely; I would have been lost without it,’ while Mishmumkin adds, ‘I had been teaching a year before doing it, but it really taught me a lot about lesson planning, what to expect, how to talk less/listen more.’ Guy Courchesne reinforces the idea that 4 week courses should be seen as a foundation and that development is required after:

‘I took it without having any serious or immediate expectations of going abroad… I eventually did, about 6 months later. I completed my course in Canada and as it was geared towards teaching in Korea, I found I had to study further and learn ‘on the fly’ when I started teaching in Mexico.

Increased opportunity in the local job market is another advantage that was mentioned. Chimp Guevara asserts that, ‘it opened the door to better jobs for me in Japan, and gave me a good grounding in the basics so that I continue learning when I got back.’

Another potential advantage of the four-week training course is that it will effectively indicate those who are clearly not up to it. spiral78 exemplifies, ‘I think the courses can also be useful for weeding out people who genuinely aren’t cut out for the job – for example, if a trainee can’t show up on time every day, looking reputable, he/she’s going to crash and burn early in a contract anyway.’

It would seem, therefore, that these initial teacher training courses hold a lot of value. Never the less, Jerry was one who, validly, raised issue with an inadequate learning environment as reason for a course not being worth what was paid:

‘I would say it wasn’t worth the money. I say this because the course was delivered on a shoestring in less than acceptable premises with virtually no frills (coffee, water, working computers). The (course provider’s) websites are very misleading with respect to training environment.’

So, certain courses may be lacking in areas outside the experience you’ll gain in terms of teacher training. These are definitely things to consider when choosing a course, an issue we’ll return to later. Despite this feeling of dissatisfaction, Jerry goes on to note, ‘the course content was delivered well by the trainer and was comprehensive so in that respect it was “worthwhile”.’

Another factor relating to whether or not a particular course is worth the investment is related to what you gain from being in a particular location. This particular aspect caused some disagreement, with suggestions made in support of doing the course in an exotic foreign locale or at a location in your home country. Spiral78 led the cry for taking the course in the country where you’re thinking of teaching, listing the following benefits:

-You can get your feet wet in the country/culture while you still have a support system – training centers will usually arrange for your housing during the course, pick you up at the airport, and generally offer you some kind of local orientation. -Your practice teaching students will be representative of those you’ll be working with when you start. -A good training centre can give you invaluable info regarding reputable employers in a region. -You can be sure that your cert will be recognized by regional employers.

Jerry, in contrast, notes the benefits of doing the course in your home country:

-When you set up a course online in the country you will work in can you be sure of the provider? -Is their course moderated? -Can you have your certificate notarized in that country? -What’s the validity of the certificate? -What’s the local reputation of the course provider? -What’s the training environment like? -Will you be picked up at the airport? I wasn’t, a pre-course orientation meeting was convened and conducted by a previous student who felt it was her moral duty to make sure new students were not left out on a limb as she had been. -Long term, is the certificate any use in another country or region?

Jerry also notes that this won’t necessarily help you in getting used to the type of student you’ll be teaching, suggesting, ‘As for getting to know the type of student, the lessons are so heavily teacher orientated and regimented you don’t get near to learning about them or understanding them.’

In terms of it being worthwhile, there was more agreement when it came to the notion of finding out about your course in advance, with spiral78 suggesting the following checklist:

-How long has the course been operating – under current management? -What qualifications do the trainers have? -What support will the centre guarantee? -Will the centre allow you to contact current trainees? -I’d also send a very brief email to several employers in the area asking whether certification from course X is well-looked-upon.

Spiral78 further exemplifies the disparity between courses, noting, ‘there are a couple of 60-hour courses without teaching practice which are given as seminars using classrooms at universities – but which are NOT considered to be basic level certifications in many parts of the world.’ Indeed, deciding on whether or not a course will be worth it, finding out what the course will include seems to be vital, Canuck asserting that, ‘the only 4 week course someone should take is one that is 120 hours with a practical teaching component. The CELTA and 120 hour TEFL have this. I don’t think an online course can measure up. I also believe that the ‘every weekend’ CELTA isn’t as valuable as the one month all at once type.’

So, generally such courses are seen by the majority as being a good thing, providing as good a foundation in teaching as possible in a short space of time. The experience you gain will open doors in terms of job opportunities and will give you a pretty clear indication if you’re not up to the task.

There are also clear benefits to the location at which you take the course, depending on what your needs may be. Having said that, it’s clear that there are major disparities between the quality of such courses and doing some research before hand will pay dividends.

One final thing to consider if you’re thinking of doing such a course is the group you’re likely to end up teaching. For example, in many countries this might end up being primarily children. Leprofdanglais comments, ‘the only thing is it trains you to teach adults, but where I was working in Spain, new staff always got lumbered with kids’ classes.’ GueroPaz reiterates, ‘here in Thailand and in most places in the world, you teach lots of kids. That’s my main complaint against any adult-oriented course.’ So, even at the initial, four-week starter course stage, think about how specifically the course is going to meet your potential needs.

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In March, Mishmumkin raised an issue of great significance to those of us who are looking for that dream TEFL job or are considering starting out in the profession: ‘If I’ve done my research correctly I should know a great deal about my potential employer before the interview. I’m curious what those who do the hiring wish their candidates asked about.’

So, what are recruiters expecting from their prospective employees at the interview? The forum members shared their wealth of experience in offering the following words of great wisdom. Here’s what those in the position to hire feel you should be asking your future employer at that interview…

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