Does current TEFL teacher need practical TEFL certificate?

[SebFisher]

Hello everyone.

I am currently teaching in China. I have a BA in English Literature and, after this year, I'll have one years teaching experience and two years experience working with children in various capacities.

I have a question about taking a TEFL course. Many schools ask for a Tefl certificate, and my subsequent research in assessing the value of online courses state that a key part of any tefl teaching program is actual student interaction - a fact also stated by some school recruiters. Yet, considering my experience, would an online tefl course suffice to satisfy the job listings requirement for a "tefl certificate". I could show clearly on my CV I have plenty of experience with young learners in a classroom environment.

Thanks in advance for all assistance

Regards

Seb

[pokedmund]

I would say 'yes', your experience as a teacher would be more than fine.

Just a few things to bear in mind. If you continue teaching and apply for a job in the future, the difference between you and other candidates may come down to who has a cert. It's something that could happen. Some employers also ask their admin staff to filter out the hundreds of CVs they receive, so if the admin staff are asked to throw away those that don't have a teaching certificate, you may be out of luck on those occasions (even though you have the experience of teaching).

Also, you can argue for a better salary with a cert? It's like people who have degrees (in hong kong) can argue for a better salary than those without.

However, there are a vast amount of TEFL jobs in Asia so I'm sure you'll be employable if you decided to leave your current role.