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Anonymous
Sup /trv/. I'm currently in the middle of a CELTA course, one of the intensive month-long ones. I'm doing it at a good university-affiliated centre in Cambridge, so it should be recognised internationally.

I also have a degree (in something totally irrelevant) and I'm planning on starting a PGCE course (translation: Britfag primary school teaching post-graduate qualification) either this year or next year, depending on whether the places I want come up in Clearing. (translation: the part where people who were promised conditional places pending their degree results fucked up their exams and got their places taken away, then they go up for grabs to those of us who were late applying.)

My question is: Will the PGCE, plus some primary teaching experience (in a State school in Britain) make a difference when getting EFL positions in other countries? I really want to teach in Southeast Asia (not just Japan, though that's one of the countries I'd like to work in) and I'm wondering if they'll just be like "That's nice, now shut up and use your CELTA" or whether they'll actually care/give me a better job as a result/whatever.

Asking here because I figured some of you have probably done EFL work abroad before, or are still doing it now.

Pic related and lol-worthy.
>> Anonymous
Oh come on, there must be SOME teachers on here.
>> Anonymous
As far as Japan is concerned I don't believe it will affect pay at all but it should help you find a job easier. For example JET (which I'll be doing starting in August) asks if you have TESOL/CELTA etc in the application process and if you then you score some points.

Not sure if it applies to you but at least for Japan (where there's more competition than anywhere else in Asia) appearance/social skills seem to count about equally with credentials. So you might want to work on that if necessary. One of the guys from my study abroad had good grades and a Japanese degree from an Ivy League but failed at the interview stage for a few different places likely because he's a fatty/not very sociable.
>> Anonymous
A PGCE will help a bit when applying for jobs simply because it's higher than a Bachelor's. Remember that the PGCE in English will include shit that ENGLISH children have to be taught in ENGLISH schools. No one in South East Asia is going to give a shit about Shakespeare, English Literature, and the UK National Curriculum.

The more qualifications, the better though.
If you really want to be better than the rest, try going for the full Master's degree.
>> Anonymous
a lot of places will look at your qualifications and be like "ah, you have this training AND this training. you can have the same shitty job, but we'll give you an extra thousand bucks a year" or whatever. It's not strictly necessary in a lot of places, but it's not gonna hurt.
>> Anonymous
It'll make it much easier for you to secure a job - a lot of people want to TEFL in Asia, and places will interview and offer a job to several more people than there's position for. If you have the extra qualification, you've more chance of being accepted. But unless you're planning on working in private or specialist schools, I doubt you'll be given a different job than what they advertise. Perhaps a pay rise to keep a more qualified member on.
>> Anonymous
How is the CELTA thing?

A friend of mine wants to do it in San Francisco this summer
>> Anonymous
Thanks guys, pretty much what I expected but good advice regardless. Seems like there's no harm in getting my PGCE, and the government will PAY FOR ME TO DO IT anyway, so why not, eh? Using the time between now and then to get some EFL experience in the UK couldn't hurt, either.

>>23169

It's hard, but not as hard as you might think. If your friend has gotten a good degree, then he'll be fine keeping up with the pace. It's more stressful, packed-in and social-life-destroying than doing a degree BY FAR, but it's what, a month out of your life? Personally, I like working hard in short bursts and getting things out of the way quickly, so the CELTA is pretty much ideal for me.

There are ways to do it over longer periods of time, but I've heard that (for some reason) employers overseas value the 4-week intensive one more. Seems kind of unfair to me, as a lot of people simply wouldn't be able to just spend a month doing nothing else, like people with kids and shit.

Oh, and if your friend is a native speaker, tell him to learn his Phonemes and read up on his grammar terminology. I didn't asnd I'm having a hard time keeping up with some of my foreign coursemates in this area (becuase having learned English as their second language, they actually got taught that shit, whereas native speakers never really get told the names for things, just how to do them properly.)

On the other hand, they find it much harder to do the pronunciation than I do (because many of them come from countries where the sounds you make in English simply don't exist) and they have a harder time with the assignments because, having done their degrees in their home countries, they never really had to write in 'academic' English before.

Things balance out, but do your best to account for your weakness before you start. That's it really.
>> Anonymous
>>22750
Where can I find an image like this of the whole Earth at comparable resolution?
>> Anonymous
fucking