General advice, tips, etc, desired...

[kfoss]

Hello,

I am a recent college grad. My major was Secondary English Ed (in the states, i live in Brooklyn, NY) but I want to try a year or so doing TEFL. This is partly because I am unsure of where I want to live, but also because I got arrested recently for a ridiculously small amount of marijuana (which i rarely engage in, and might be able to beat the stupid charge. Oh it makes me so sad and angry that my career could really be ruined over such a stupid thing..) and so I know finding a regular public school teaching job would be hard. The real problem I have is my crippling poverty. I have no TEFL certification and no way to pay for it. I want to find a program that will train me and then employ me. I want to travel, I'd like to go to South America, or Eastern Europe, parts of Asia, Malyasia, etc.... I am flexible, though I think Africa, China, Southeast Asia and a few other places would be a bit much. I am adaptable, quick learning, etc... and I'd like to start in Jan or Feb, though again, I am flexible. I think if I could figure this out it would be amazing. Any suggestions you have, organizations you know of, etc, would be very welcome. Thanks!

-Kristin

[systematic]

If Secondary English Ed is a university degree in education in the USA, doesn't it give you any teacher training? A candidate for a teaching job with a British B.Ed or a degree with a PGCE would rarely need to provide a TEFL Cert. as well.

[kfoss]

My degree provided me with ample training, I student taught for 4 months and have additional classroom experience. However, many sites I viewed required some sort of TEFL certification on top of that. I'm just eager to find someplace that will recognize I have experience in teaching AND english; will place me abroad and pay me enough to survive in that country comfortably. I need little, I just cannot come up with more than maybe 300$ for the journey.

[ICAL_Pete]

If you've got a degree then you can work in many different countries and for many places it doesn't even matter what the degree is in. You may well be able to get a job with this alone (although the usual qualifications are a degree plus a TEFL Certificate) so that's the first thing to look into; just choose a country and start googling for TEFL jobs there.

If you are after a TEFL Certicate then the cheapest option is online. For an entry level job that's fine.

And regarding countries, if you are American don't even think about Europe as the visa issues are pretty much impossible unless you're highly qualified and experienced. Instead, the usual destination would be Korea or Vietnam or China. Take a look here to read about TEFL in those places.

So, bottom line, in your position I'd start googling for jobs in Asia and you may well find something immediately. If they ask for a TEFL cert as well or if you're losing jobs because you're under qualified then get one online as it's the cheapest option. Meanwhile save your cash for the flight over there; sell your unnecessary posessions to pay for it if you have to so that when the time comes you can shoot off at a moment's notice leaving no loose ends back home.

[systematic]

Start Googling cheap airfares too, to see how far you can get for only $300 :(